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Sans Soleil poster

Movies that feel likeSans Soleil (1983)

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.

If you loved Sans Soleil, the closest films we have are Burden of Dreams (1982), F for Fake (1973) and Streetwise (1984). All three share Sans Soleil's contemplative feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Marjoe (1972).

πŸ… 88% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.7 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Chris Markercontemplative
9 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Criterion Channel Β· AMC+

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If Sans Soleil hit the spot, these will too

Burden of Dreams poster
Burden of Dreams
1982 Β· dir. Les Blank
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.9documentary

Documentary with a pulse of stillness, in both cases

The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems related to casting, tribal struggles and accidents, among many other setbacks; but nothing compared to dragging a huge steamboat up a mountain, while Herzog embraces the path of a certain madness to make his vision come true.

F for Fake poster
F for Fake
1973 Β· dir. Orson Welles
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.7documentaryMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: essay film

Documents the lives of infamous fakers Elmyr de Hory and Clifford Irving. De Hory, who later committed suicide to avoid more prison time, made his name by selling forged works of art by painters like Picasso and Matisse. Irving was infamous for writing a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. Welles moves between documentary and fiction as he examines the fundamental elements of fraud and the people who commit fraud at the expense of others.

Streetwise poster
Streetwise
1984 Β· dir. Martin Bell
πŸ… 92%β˜… 8.2documentary

Both lean on stillness more than on documentary

This documentary about teenagers living on the streets in Seattle began as a magazine article. The film follows nine teenagers who discuss how they live by panhandling, prostitution, and petty theft.

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History poster
Cane Toads: An Unnatural History
1988 Β· dir. Mark Lewis
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.6documentary

Contemplative documentary in both cases

A documentary detailing the spread of Hawaiian sugar-cane toads through Australia in a botched effort to introduce them as counter pests.

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On poster
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On
1987 Β· dir. Kazuo Hara
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.2documentary

Documentary approached the same way

Kenzo Okuzaki, a 62-year-old veteran of the New Guinea campaign in World War II, sets out to conduct interviews with survivors and relatives to find the truth behind atrocities committed by Japanese military, in particular the unexplained killing of two Japanese privates in his unit.

Gates of Heaven poster
Gates of Heaven
1978 Β· dir. Errol Morris
πŸ… 90%β˜… 7.3documentary

Documentary in the same key

A showcase of workers in the animal burial industry while dealing with heavier existential questions regarding mortality and the afterlife. Floyd 'Mac' McClure believes that a graceful burial is as important for pets as it is for people; he chronicles his struggles to keep his niche business afloat, and interviews several of his associates and one of his competitors, the manager of a rendering plant.

Powaqqatsi poster
Powaqqatsi
1988 Β· dir. Godfrey Reggio
πŸ… 56%β˜… 7.2documentary

The same documentary instincts

The difference: The scrappier of the two with critics

An exploration of technologically developing nations and the effect the transition to Western-style modernization has had on them.

Harlan County U.S.A. poster
Harlan County U.S.A.
1976 Β· dir. Barbara Kopple
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8.2documentaryMax

Both know what they want from documentary

A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.

Brother's Keeper poster
Brother's Keeper
1992 Β· dir. Bruce Sinofsky
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.5documentary

Both working the same documentary territory

This documentary by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky details the murder trial of Delbert Ward. Delbert was a member of a family of four elderly brothers, working as semi-literate farmers and living together in isolation from the rest of society until William's death.

Isle of Flowers poster
Isle of Flowers
1989 Β· dir. Jorge Furtado
β˜… 8.5documentary

Both play documentary straight

A tomato is planted, harvested and sold at a supermarket, but it rots and ends up in the trash. But it doesn’t end there: Isle of Flowers follows it up until its real end, among animals, trash, women and children. And then the difference between tomatoes, pigs and human beings becomes clear.

Marjoe poster
Marjoe
1972 Β· dir. Howard Smith
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.4documentary

The documentary is handled with the same confidence

Part documentary, part expose, this film follows one-time child evangelist Marjoe Gortner on the "church tent" Revivalist circuit, commenting on the showmanship of Evangelism and "the religion business", prior to the start of "televangelism". Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2005.

Salesman poster
Salesman
1969 Β· dir. David Maysles
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.6documentaryMax

Cut from the same documentary cloth

This documentary from Albert and David Maysles follows the bitter rivalry of four door-to-door salesmen working for the Mid-American Bible Company: Paul "The Badger" Brennan, Charles "The Gipper" McDevitt, James "The Rabbit" Baker and Raymond "The Bull" Martos. Times are tough for this hard-living quartet, who spend their days traveling through small-town America, trying their best to peddle gold-leaf Bibles to an apathetic crowd of lower-middle-class housewives and elderly couples.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed films that share Sans Soleil’s defining feeling.