documentary-style backdrop

Movies with documentary-style vibe

6 Days

1. 6 Days

Action Drama History Thriller Military Action
6.2
20171h 35min

Overview

London, England, April 1980. Six terrorists assault the Embassy of Iran and take hostages. For six days, tense negotiations are held while the authorities decide whether a military squad should intervene.

Themes

Crisis negotiation under pressure, Media influence during crisis, Military intervention vs diplomacy, Political leadership under crisis, Hostage dynamics and leverage

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Faces Places

2. Faces Places

Documentary Biographical Documentary
7.8
20171h 34min

Overview

Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

Themes

Intergenerational collaboration dynamics, Art through public portraits, Identity through mass portraits, Friendship forged on travel, Rural life as studio

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Icarus

3. Icarus

Documentary Sports Documentary
7.9
20172h 1min

Overview

While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program.

Themes

Governance under pressure, State-sponsored doping, Ethics of science in sport, Whistleblower risk and protection, Accountability and oversight, Sports integrity under scrutiny

Available on

Netflix
Netflix Standard with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

Paul is a down-on-his-luck screenwriter who picks up a drifter and offers him a place to stay. However, when the deranged stranger takes Paul hostage and forces him to write, their unhinged relationship brings buried secrets to light.

Themes

Power dynamics, Manipulation and coercion, Isolation and confinement, Coercive control, Claustrophobic tension, Threat and survival

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Wakefield

5. Wakefield

Drama Psychological Drama
6.3
20171h 46min

Overview

A man's nervous breakdown causes him to leave his wife and live in his attic for several months.

Themes

Deception in relationships, Freedom versus confinement, Marital strain under absence, Control through disappearance, Family disruption and adjustment

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
fuboTV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Big Sick

6. The Big Sick

Comedy Drama Romance Romantic Comedy Relationship Drama
7.5
20172h

Overview

Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.

Themes

Illness as catalyst, Humor as coping, Family pressure, Cultural expectations, Intercultural relationship, Career vs tradition

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Summer 1993

7. Summer 1993

Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.1
20171h 38min

Overview

After her mother's death, six-year-old Frida is sent to her uncle's family to live with them in the countryside. But Frida finds it hard to forget her mother and adapt to her new life.

Themes

Based on true story, Death of mother, Countryside life, Family ties, Childhood memories, Summer mood

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Zookeeper's Wife

8. The Zookeeper's Wife

Drama History War Historical Drama World War II
7.0
20172h 6min

Overview

The account of keepers of the Warsaw Zoo, Jan and Antonina Zabinski, who helped save hundreds of people and animals during the Nazi invasion.

Themes

Loyalty under pressure, Survival under occupation, Duty under coercion, Animal sanctuary as cover, Resistance networks and sheltering, Protecting vulnerable lives

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

What the Health

9. What the Health

Documentary Social & Political Documentary
7.2
20171h 37min

Overview

Filmmaker Kip Andersen uncovers the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases, and he investigates why the nation's leading health organizations doesn't want people to know about it.

Themes

Industry influence on health, Food industry conspiracy claims, Trust in health institutions, Diet and disease risk, Corporate connections to medicine

Available on

Netflix
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

David Lynch: The Art Life

10. David Lynch: The Art Life

Documentary Biographical Documentary
7.2
20171h 29min

Overview

An intimate journey through the formative years of David Lynch's life. From his idyllic upbringing in small town America to the dark streets of Philadelphia, we follow Lynch as he traces the events that have helped to shape one of cinema's most enigmatic directors.

Themes

Baby as motif in art, Art school influenced career, Family relationships under pressure, Mother son relationship tensions, Father son relationship dynamics, Upbringing shaping artistic path

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
HBO Max
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.