Movies Like Stories We Tell (2012)

Stories We Tell is a 2012 documentary film from Sarah Polley with a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Pardonnez-moi and Darkness.

Documentary

Pardonnez-moi

2006

Expecting her first child, actress Violette decides to dive deep into her dysfunctional family's history by filming a documentary about them.

5.8

MagicScore

Darkness

2019

Three sisters, Stella, Luce and Aria, live in an isolated house, immersed in the shadows, submitted by a violent and authoritarian father, a religious fanatic obsessed with the end of the world, who keeps them prisoners behind locks and closed windows, under the pretext that the Apocalypse has finally arrived.

4.9

MagicScore

Little Girl Blue

2023

In 2016, French writer and photographer Carole Achache took her own life. After Carole's death, her daughter Mona Achache, a film director, discovers thousands of photos, letters and recordings that Carole left behind, but these buried secrets make her disappearance even more of an enigma. Through the power of filmmaking and the beauty of incarnation with the help of actress Marion Cotillard, the director brings her mother back to life to retrace her journey and find out who she really was.

6.2

MagicScore

Summer '03

2018

16-year-old Jamie Winkle and her extended family are left reeling after her calculating grandmother unveils an array of secrets on her deathbed. As her family deals with her grandmother's surprising dying messages, Jamie sets out to make the most of her summer and explores her sexuality.

5.8

MagicScore

Elena

2013

Petra heads to New York in search of her older sister after a long time of being separated. They are both movie actresses and heirs of the wounds of the Brazilian dictatorship. But Petra has only a few clues: home movies, newspaper clippings, a diary...

7.3

MagicScore

The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1934

Remarkable poet Elizabeth Barrett is slowly recovering from a crippling illness with the help of her siblings, especially her youngest sister, Henrietta, but feels stifled by the domestic tyranny of her wealthy widowed father. When she meets fellow poet Robert Browning in a romantic first encounter, her heart belongs to him. However, her controlling father has no intention of allowing her out of his sight.

6.0

MagicScore

The Secret of Roan Inish

1994

Ten-year-old Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents in a small fishing village in Donegal, Ireland. She soon learns the local legend that an ancestor of hers married a Selkie – a seal who can turn into a human. Years earlier, her baby brother was washed out to sea and never seen again, so when Fiona spies a naked little boy on the abandoned Isle of Roan Inish, she is compelled to investigate.

6.7

MagicScore

Brother

2023

Sons of Caribbean immigrants, Francis and Michael face questions of masculinity, identity and family amid the pulsing beat of Toronto's early hip-hop scene. A mystery unfolds when escalating tensions set off a series of events which changes the course of the brothers’ lives forever.

5.6

MagicScore

Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper

2016

Born into one of the wealthiest and best-known families in American history, Gloria Vanderbilt has lived in the public eye for more than 90 years, unapologetically pursuing love, family and career, while experiencing extreme tragedy and tremendous success side by side. This documentary features a series of candid conversations as Vanderbilt and her youngest son, Anderson Cooper, look back at her remarkable life.

7.7

MagicScore

#10

All Is True

2018

London, June 29th, 1613. The Globe Theater, ran by the famous playwright William Shakespeare, accidentally burns to ashes. Seriously affected, he stops writing and returns to his hometown, where his wife Anne and daughters Judith and Susanna get surprised to hear he intends to stay there definitively, after two decades working in the capital, neglecting his sincere affections for them.

6.0

MagicScore

#11

Encanto

2021

The tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family's last hope.

7.6

MagicScore

#12

FX's A Christmas Carol

2019

London, 1843. Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter old man, despises the Christmas holiday. Over the course of Christmas Eve night he is visited by three ghosts to show him his past, present and future.

7.2

MagicScore

#13

There's No Place Like Home

2018

An extended family reunites on an idyllic island to celebrate their grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. However, a storm causes them to get stuck in there longer than expected, causing secrets and long-held grudges to break out.

6.2

MagicScore

#14

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

2024

Christopher Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care.

8.1

MagicScore

#15

Audrey

2020

An unprecedented and intimate look at the life, work and enduring legacy of British actress Audrey Hepburn (1929-1993).

7.2

MagicScore

#16

Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock

2017

A reckless joyride into the darkest corners of popular music that delves deep into the mind of Mick Rock, the genius photographer who immortalized the seventies and the rise to rock stardom of many legendary musicians.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Salinger

2013

An in-depth investigation into the private world of the American writer J. D. Salinger (1919-2010), who lived most of his life behind the impenetrable wall of a self-imposed seclusion: how his dramatic experiences during World War II influenced his life and work, his relationships with very young women, his obsessive writing methods, his many literary secrets.

6.3

MagicScore

#18

Einstein and the Bomb

2024

What happened after Einstein fled Nazi Germany? Using archival footage and his own words, this docudrama dives into the mind of a tortured genius.

6.1

MagicScore

#19

I Swear

2025

Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at 15, John Davidson navigates his way against the odds through troubled teenage years and into adulthood, finding inspiration in the kindness of others to discover his true purpose in life.

8.3

MagicScore

#20

An Adventure in Space and Time

2013

Actor William Hartnell felt trapped by a succession of hard-man roles while wannabe producer Verity Lambert was frustrated by the TV industry's glass ceiling. Both of them were to find unlikely hope and unexpected challenges in the form of a Saturday tea-time drama. Allied with a team of unusual but brilliant people, they went on to create the longest running science fiction series ever made.

7.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Stories We Tell?

The top films similar to Stories We Tell by MovieMagicScore are Pardonnez-moi (5.8), Darkness (4.9), Little Girl Blue (6.2). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Stories We Tell worth watching?

Stories We Tell holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.1/10 from 224 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Stories We Tell?

Stories We Tell (2012) is a documentary film directed by Sarah Polley, starring Michael Polley, Harry Gulkin, Susy Buchan.

Where can I find more recommendations like Stories We Tell?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more documentary recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Pardonnez-moi Movies like Darkness Movies like Little Girl Blue Movies like Summer '03 Movies like Elena Movies like The Barretts of Wimpole Street

About movies like Stories We Tell

This ranked list pairs Stories We Tell (2012), a documentary film from Sarah Polley, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Michael Polley take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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