Movies Like Elena (2013)

Elena is a 2013 documentary, drama film from Petra Costa with a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Stories We Tell and Jacquot.

Documentary Drama

Stories We Tell

2012

Canadian actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley investigates certain secrets related to her mother, interviewing a group of family members and friends whose reliability varies depending of their implication in the events, which are remembered in different ways; so a trail of questions remains to be answered, because memory is always changing and the discovery of truth often depends on who is telling the tale.

7.1

MagicScore

Jacquot

1991

Jacquot Demy, the son of a garage owner and a hairdresser, is fascinated by cinema and decides to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker by any means necessary.

7.4

MagicScore

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

An American Rhapsody

2001

A Hungarian family forced to flee the Communist country for the United States must leave a young daughter behind. Six years later, the family arranges to bring the absent daughter to the United States where she has trouble adjusting. The daughter then decides to travel to Budapest to discover her identity.

6.3

MagicScore

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

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

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

Audrey

2020

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

7.2

MagicScore

How Strange to be Named Federico

2013

On the 20th anniversary of Federico Fellini's death, Ettore Scola, a devoted admirer of the incomparable maestro, commemorates the lesser-known aspects of his personality, employing interviews, photographs, behind-the-scenes footage as well as his drawings and film clips.

7.2

MagicScore

#10

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

#11

Reds

1981

An account of the revolutionary years of the legendary American journalist John Reed, who shared his adventurous professional life with his radical commitment to the socialist revolution in Russia, his dream of spreading its principles among the members of the American working class, and his troubled romantic relationship with the writer Louise Bryant.

6.9

MagicScore

#12

Being Maria

2024

A young, struggling actress lands her dream role in a film by an emerging Italian director, starring alongside an American superstar. What begins as her big breakthrough quickly turns into a living hell.

6.4

MagicScore

#13

Limonov: The Ballad

2024

A revolutionary militant, a thug, an underground writer, a butler to a millionaire in Manhattan. But also a switchblade-waving poet, a lover of beautiful women, a warmonger, a political agitator, and a novelist who wrote of his greatness. Eduard Limonov’s life story is a journey through Russia, America, and Europe during the second half of the 20th century.

6.4

MagicScore

#14

Mommie Dearest

1981

Renowned film star Joan Crawford's abuse towards Christina, her adopted daughter, intensifies as her professional and romantic relationships turn sour.

6.3

MagicScore

#15

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

#16

Sentimental Value

2025

Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star.

7.5

MagicScore

#17

BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths

2022

A renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles, after being named the recipient of a prestigious international award, is compelled to return to his native country, unaware that this simple trip will push him to an existential limit.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Four Daughters

2023

Between light and darkness stands Olfa, a Tunisian woman and the mother of four daughters. One day, her two older daughters disappear. To fill in their absence, the filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania invites professional actresses and invents a unique cinema experience that will lift the veil on Olfa and her daughters' life stories. An intimate journey of hope, rebellion, violence, transmission and sisterhood that will question the very foundations of our societies.

7.4

MagicScore

#19

20,000 Days on Earth

2014

A semi-fictionalized documentary about a day in the life of Australian musician Nick Cave's persona.

7.0

MagicScore

#20

What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?

2004

Amanda is a divorced woman who makes a living as a photographer. During the Fall of the year Amanda begins to see the world in new and different ways when she begins to question her role in life, her relationships with her career and men and what it all means. As the layers to her everyday experiences fall away insertions in the story with scientists, and philosophers and religious leaders impart information directly to an off-screen interviewer about academic issues, and Amanda begins to understand the basis to the quantum world beneath. During her epiphany as she considers the Great Questions raised by the host of inserted thinkers, she slowly comprehends the various inspirations and begins to see the world in a new way.

5.0

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Elena?

The top films similar to Elena by MovieMagicScore are Stories We Tell (7.1), Jacquot (7.4), Einstein and the Bomb (6.1). Each shares documentary/drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Elena worth watching?

Elena holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10 from 95 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Elena?

Elena (2013) is a documentary, drama film directed by Petra Costa, starring Li An, Elena Andrade, Petra Costa.

Where can I find more recommendations like Elena?

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 Stories We Tell Movies like Jacquot Movies like Einstein and the Bomb Movies like An American Rhapsody Movies like I Swear Movies like Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

About movies like Elena

This ranked list pairs Elena (2013), a documentary and drama film from Petra Costa, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Li An 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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