Movies Like Chavela (2017)

Chavela is a 2017 documentary film from Catherine Gund with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Frida and Total Eclipse.

Documentary

Frida

2002

A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.

7.4

MagicScore

Total Eclipse

1995

Young, wild poet Arthur Rimbaud and his mentor Paul Verlaine engage in a fierce, forbidden romance while feeling the effects of a hellish artistic lifestyle.

6.4

MagicScore

I Am Happiness on Earth

2014

Emiliano looks at his life with the eyes of a film director, mixing the objective reality with the processes of the artistic creation. The story he is filming flounders with his daily life, until his world is trapped in the lens of his camera. Confused, always alone and in front of a screen, now become a transfigured reality, but at the same time a measurable, controllable and manipulable one, he listens in loop to a song: one of those songs you sing or repeat as a prayer and forcing you to remember, believe and convince yourself.

4.6

MagicScore

Smoke & Mirrors

2016

A tale of cheats and impostors, taking its inspiration from true facts and from one of the most intriguing characters of recent decades: the spy Francisco Paesa.

6.5

MagicScore

Monsieur Aznavour

2024

From his poor childhood to his rise to fame, from his triumphs to his failures, from Paris to New York, discover the exceptional journey of an artist. Intimate, intense, fragile and indestructible, devoted to his art until the very end, here is one of the most immortal singers of all time: MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR.

7.3

MagicScore

Latin Blood – The Ballad of Ney Matogrosso

2025

From a repressive childhood to artistic revolution, Ney Matogrosso transforms Brazil's stages — and himself — through music, creativity and inner fire. The movie displays briefly one of the greatest controversies surrounding Ney Matogrosso, accused of copying the rock band Kiss. It's actually the other way around. Secos & Molhados was officially formed in 1971, though the band was performing together since the late 60s and was already known for their make-up. KISS came around years later, in 1973.

8.1

MagicScore

Bohemian Rhapsody

2018

Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet – finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.

8.0

MagicScore

Rocketman

2019

The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

7.3

MagicScore

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

2022

The joyous, emotional, heartbreaking celebration of the life and music of Whitney Houston, the greatest female R&B pop vocalist of all time. Tracking her journey from obscurity to musical superstardom.

7.0

MagicScore

#10

Cléo from 5 to 7

1962

Agnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of the minutes of one woman’s life, Cléo from 5 to 7 is a spirited mix of vivid vérité and melodrama, featuring a score by Michel Legrand and cameos by Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

Hot Milk

2025

Rose and her daughter Sofia travel to the Spanish seaside town of Almería to consult with the shamanic Dr. Gomez, a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose’s mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair. But in the sultry atmosphere of this sun-bleached town Sofia, who has been trapped by her mother’s illness all her life, finally starts to shed her inhibitions, enticed by the persuasive charms of enigmatic traveller Ingrid.

6.0

MagicScore

#12

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

2018

When a bestselling celebrity biographer is no longer able to get published because she has fallen out of step with current tastes, she turns her art form to deception.

6.8

MagicScore

#13

The Power of the Dog

2021

A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.

6.8

MagicScore

#14

Priscilla

2023

When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

Meu Nome é Gal

2023

Film about the Bahian singer dives into the moment when shy Gracinha becomes Gal Costa, during the violent, innovative and mind-blowing years that helped shape Brazil's greatest singer.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

Keylor Navas, Hombre de Fe

2017

The story of real life Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas, from his humble beginnings in his home town to his rise to greatness as an elite soccer player.

8.1

MagicScore

#17

The Last Thing He Wanted

2020

At the turning point of the Iran-Contra affair, Elena McMahon, a fearless investigative journalist covering the 1984 US presidential campaign, puts herself in danger when she abandons her assigned task in order to fulfill the last wish of her ailing father, a mysterious man whose past activities she barely knows.

4.9

MagicScore

#18

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman

1951

Pandora Reynolds is a woman who has never fallen in love – but one who men kill and die for. When she meets dashing and mysterious ship's captain Hendrik van der Zee, he pushes her to commit the ultimate act of love.

6.6

MagicScore

#19

Summer of 85

2020

What do you dream of when you're 16-years-old and in a seaside resort in Normandy in the 1980s? A best friend? A lifelong teen pact? Scooting off on adventures on a boat or a motorbike? Living life at breakneck speed? No. You dream of death. Because you can't get a bigger kick than dying. And that's why you save it till the very end. The summer holidays are just beginning, and this story recounts how Alexis grew into himself.

7.4

MagicScore

#20

Problemista

2024

Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.

6.9

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Chavela?

The top films similar to Chavela by MovieMagicScore are Frida (7.4), Total Eclipse (6.4), I Am Happiness on Earth (4.6). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Chavela worth watching?

Chavela holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 25 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Chavela?

Chavela (2017) is a documentary film directed by Catherine Gund, starring Chavela Vargas, Pedro Almodóvar, Miguel Bosé.

Where can I find more recommendations like Chavela?

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 Frida Movies like Total Eclipse Movies like I Am Happiness on Earth Movies like Smoke & Mirrors Movies like Monsieur Aznavour Movies like Latin Blood – The Ballad of Ney Matogrosso

About movies like Chavela

This ranked list pairs Chavela (2017), a documentary film from Catherine Gund, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Chavela Vargas 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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