20 movies like Nanook of the North, ordered by similarity : Last Train Home(2009), Tarnation(2003), A Lion in the House(2006), Kabul, City in the Wind(2018), Aida's Secrets(2016), Anne Frank Remembered(1995), The Eagle Huntress(2016), Monkey Kingdom(2015), Penguins(2019), The Way We Get By(2009), Man of Aran(1934), Born in China(2016) ...
Documentary
USA|France
1922
79 Minutes
Nyla Cunayou Allee Allegoo Berry Kroeger
inuit father mother baby spirited striking arctic quebec survival native people family fishing hunting quest discovery 1920s
In this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.
Documentary
2009
85 Minutes
factory worker mother father daughter son seamstress fascinating emotional striking solemn china factory train train station village family worker's rights tradition work vs. family work-life balance
Forced to live far away, two Chinese factory workers make an arduous journey once a year to visit their children, who barely know them.
Documentary
USA
2003
87 Minutes
filmmaker mother grandmother grandfather boyfriend gay man creative quirky family home houston new york city family dysfunction mother/son relationship mental illness homosexuality abusive relationship growing up transformation 2000s
Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8 film, answering machine messages, video diaries, early short films, and more - culled from nineteen years of his life.
Documentary
USA
2006
229 Minutes
son daughter mother father patient doctor emotional inspiring hospital household cincinnati cancer childhood family illness medicine growing up quest discovery 2000s
Five families struggle with the ups and downs of cancer treatment over the course of six years.
Documentary
Afghanistan|Germany|Japan|Netherlands
2018
88 Minutes
bus driver terrorist brother father family member friend bleak brooding tense emotional touching disheartening afghan village house bus iran desert terrorism suicide bombing family
A city is an orchestration of its inhabitants. The film portraits the city Kabul through daily details of two kids and a bus driver, set against the background of a city destroyed by politic and religious powers.
Documentary
Germany|Israel|Canada|USA
2016
90 Minutes
Shaul Schwarz
birth mother man brother father canadian israeli emotional fascinating intense israel canada airport nursing home car house separation secrets reunion questioning doubt
Family secrets, lies, high drama and generations of contemporary history unspool in this international story that begins with World War II and concludes with an emotional 21st-century ... See full summary »
Documentary
UK|USA|Netherlands
1995
115 Minutes
Glenn Close Anne Frank Edith Frank Margot Frank
father mother sister friend refugee jew emotional touching moving netherlands amsterdam hideout anne frank anti-semitism nazism survival family holocaust growing up discovery
Using previously unreleased archival material in addition to contemporary interviews, this academy award-winning documentary tells the story of the Frank family and presents the first ... See full summary »
Documentary
UK|Mongolia|USA
2016
87 Minutes
Aisholpan Nurgaiv Rys Nurgaiv
teen girl hunter trainer family member rival villager inspiring fascinating cool village training area mongolia mountain hut stream hunting training gender equality determination family
Thirteen-year-old Aisholpan trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her nomad family to become an eagle huntress.
Documentary
USA
2015
82 Minutes
monkey mother tiger elephant reptile predator emotional fascinating intense temple asia river tree jungle pond nature survival animal kingdom danger life
Life is an adventure for a young monkey and her son, living among ancient ruins in the jungle. But when her family is forced from their home, she must lead them to safety amidst strange new creatures and surroundings.
Documentary
USA|Antarctica
2019
76 Minutes
Jeff Wilson
penguin penguin chick seal whale predator prey suspenseful charming cheeky confident fascinating playful antarctica ocean penguins predators animal kingdom survival animal's perspective family
A coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family.
Documentary
USA
2009
84 Minutes
elderly person soldier friend volunteer grandmother grandfather emotional profound touching bangor, maine airport airplane hospital family home restaurant iraq war afghanistan war patriotism duty homecoming
On call 24/7 for the past six years, three senior citizens have made history by greeting nearly one million U.S. troops at a tiny airport in Maine. Filled with unexpected turns, their ... See full summary »
Documentary
UK
1934
74 Minutes
Colman "Tiger" King Maggie Dirrane Michael Dillane Pat Mullin
fisherman farmer wife son bleak striking ireland island aran islands survival farming family poverty fishing discovery sacrifice 1930s
In this blend of documentary and fictional narrative from pioneering filmmaker Robert Flaherty, the everyday trials of life on Ireland's unforgiving Aran Islands are captured with attention to naturalistic beauty and historical detail.
Documentary
UK|China|USA
2016
79 Minutes
animal panda leopard monkey amusing engaging lighthearted playful positive emotional china jungle forest wild animals endangered species family animal kingdom nature motherhood survival
Venturing into the wilds of China, "Born in China" captures intimate moments with a panda and her growing cub, a young golden monkey who feels displaced by his baby sister, and a mother snow leopard struggling to raise her two cubs.
Documentary
Sweden|Denmark|USA
2017
80 Minutes
Peter Beard Lee Radziwill Evelyn Kuhn William Vanden Heuvel
woman photographer filmmaker cousin mother charming tender amusing quirky endearing hamptons long island, n.y. mansion house documentary filmmaking family house restoration estate mother/daughter relationship eviction
Montauk, East Hampton, New York, 2016. Peter Beard discusses his work as a photographer, artist and diarist before reminiscing about his attempt to make a documentary in the summer of 1972 ... See full summary »
Documentary
USA
2006
88 Minutes
transsexual performer mother father contestant filmmaker touching emotional intense las vegas stage family home beauty pageant training gender identity family prejudice going home underdog growing up
In 2004, Las Vegas promoters planning a review starring Jahna Steele invite trans women to participate in "The World's Most Beautiful Transsexual Pageant," a two-day contest from which ... See full summary »
Documentary
UK|Germany
2003
90 Minutes
whale fish polar bear crab penguin narrator spectacular moving ocean arctic underwater nature survival migration hunting oceanic exploration sea underdog quest 2000s
Join a voyage through aquatic realms where humans have rarely dared to go. Waddle with playful penguins, dart with lightning speed through schools of sharks, ride over stormy waves with massive whales and view rare alien-like creatures.
Documentary
France
2010
79 Minutes
baby mother father filmmaker sister brother lighthearted positive endearing mongolia tokyo namibia san francisco household babies culture parenthood family cultural differences childhood
A look at one year in the life of four babies from around the world, from Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo.
Documentary
UK
2018
100 Minutes
father sister brother daughter son winsome spirited powerful profound court orphanage church court battles reunion father figure father/daughter relationship pursuit 1950s
Following his Oscar winning The White Helmets, Orlando von Einsiedel turns his camera on his own family as they attempt to cope with a devastating loss. When his brother, newly diagnosed as... See full summary »
Documentary
USA
1997
102 Minutes
racist victim preacher mother father young girl somber powerful church birmingham, ala. family home racism terrorism murder violence politics pursuit quest sacrifice 1990s
A documentary of the notorious racial terrorist bombing of an African American church during the Civil Rights Movement.
Documentary
UK
2019
91 Minutes
mother baby family member gripping moving powerful family home beach living space bathroom bedroom united kingdom medicine life story epic journey childhood life understanding 2010s
Director Jeanie Finlay charts a transgender man's path to parenthood after he decides to carry his child himself. The pregnancy prompts an unexpected and profound reckoning with conventions of masculinity, self-definition and biology.
Documentary
USA
2007
44 Minutes
mountain climber wife daughter father thrilling uneasy spectacular gutsy the alps switzerland dangerous job mountain climbing family honor father/daughter relationship redemption nature adventure quest 2000s
John Harlin III attempts to climb the North Face of the Eiger, the site of his father's death forty years earlier.