Movies Like Chronicle of a Summer

If you liked Chronicle of a Summer (1961), a documentary movie directed by Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
The Lovely Month of May (1963)
★ 8/10Also documentary
Candid interviews of ordinary people on the meaning of happiness, an often amorphous and inarticulable notion that evokes more basic and fundamentally egalitarian ideals of self-betterment, prosperity, tolerance…
2
Nothing Like a Dame (2018)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary
BBC Arena's documentary on the Dames of British Theatre and film featuring Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright on screen together for the first time as they reminisce over a long summer weekend…
3
Faces Places (2017)
★ 7.6/10Also documentary
Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.
4
Daguerréotypes (1978)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
An intimate portrait of the small shops and shopkeepers of the Rue Daguerre in Paris, a picturesque street that has been the filmmaker’s home for more than 50 years.
5
Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno (2009)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot's production of L'Enfer came to a halt. Despite huge expectations, major studio backing and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed. This documentary presents…
6
Sans Soleil (1983)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.
7
Fuck (2006)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
8
Re-Births (2017)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
A documentary film depicting five intimate portraits of migrants who fled their country of origin to seek refuge in France and find a space of freedom where they can fully experience their sexuality and their sexual…
9
Cameraperson (2016)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
As a visually radical memoir, CAMERAPERSON draws on the remarkable footage that filmmaker Kirsten Johnson has shot and reframes it in ways that illuminate moments and situations that have personally affected her. What…
10
One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 (2026)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
An inside look at the years of effort and craft that went into the final installment of the Duffer Brothers' generation-defining series.
11
The Beaches of Agnès (2008)
★ 7.7/10Also documentary
Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of the French new wave, turns the camera on herself with this unique autobiographical documentary. Composed of film excerpts…
12
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
13
Kubrick by Kubrick (2020)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary
American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (1928–1999), one of the greatest in history, but also one of the most reserved, gave few interviews throughout his long career, and none of them were filmed. A first-person journey…
14
The Making of Star Wars (1977)
★ 7.1/10Also documentary
Learn the incredible behind-the-scenes story of how the original Star Wars movie was brought to the big screen in this fascinating documentary hosted by C-3PO and R2-D2 which includes interviews with George Lucas and…
15
I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale (2009)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary
John Cazale was in only five films – The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter – each was nominated for Best Picture. Yet today most people don't even know his name…
16
The Director and the Jedi (2018)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
An intimate documentary delving into Rian Johnson's process as he comes in as a director new to the Star Wars universe.
17
Human (2015)
★ 8.4/10Also documentary
A collection of stories about and images of our world, offering an immersion to the core of what it means to be human. Through these stories full of love and happiness, as well as hatred and violence, it brings us face…
18
28 Up (1985)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
19
Visions of Light (1992)
★ 7/10Also documentary
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes…
20
Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return (2022)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary
This special explores the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker to the screen, as well as Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to their classic roles. Director Deborah Chow leads the cast and crew as they…