Movies with documentary-style vibe

Vibe

Realistic Tense Bleak Deliberate Measured

Overview

A young refugee of the Sudanese Civil War who wins a lottery for relocation to the United States with three other lost boys. Encountering the modern world for the first time, they develop an unlikely friendship with a brash American woman assigned to help them, but the young man struggles to adjust to this new life and his feelings of guilt about the brother he left behind.

Themes

Displacement and adaptation, Employment and housing pressures, Relocation to western nation, Sibling solidarity under hardship, Deception in aid, Refugee system dynamics

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Vibe

Tense Claustrophobic Deliberate Clinical Minimalist

Overview

A woman wakes up every day, remembering nothing as a result of a traumatic accident in her past. One day, new terrifying truths emerge that force her to question everyone around her.

Themes

Power dynamics in care and therapy, Memory loss and perception, Deception within intimate relationships, Trust vs surveillance, Memory restoration versus manipulation, Ambiguous appearances

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Vibe

Realistic Brutal Bleak Contemplative Deliberate

Overview

During the last forty years, the photographer Sebastião Salgado has been travelling through the continents, in the footsteps of an ever-changing humanity. He has witnessed the major events of our recent history: international conflicts, starvations and exodus… He is now embarking on the discovery of pristine territories, of the wild fauna and flora, of grandiose landscapes: a huge photographic project which is a tribute to the planet's beauty. Salgado's life and work are revealed to us by his son, Juliano, who went with him during his last journeys, and by Wim Wenders, a photographer himself.

Themes

Labor and exploitation, Displacement and exile, Documentary photography as witness, Human impact of conflict, Land restoration and renewal, Indigenous resilience and tradition

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Vibe

Tense Dry Deliberate Clinical Slow-burn

Overview

One man's journey to discover the bitter truth about sugar. Damon Gameau embarks on a unique experiment to document the effects of a high sugar diet on a healthy body, consuming only foods that are commonly perceived as 'healthy'. Through this entertaining and informative journey, Damon highlights some of the issues that plague the sugar industry, and where sugar lurks on supermarket shelves.

Themes

Health risk of sugar, Perceived healthy foods, Bliss point manipulation, Food industry influence, Experimental dieting, Public health implications

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Vibe

Tense Intimate Dry Clinical Measured

Overview

Programming prodigy and information activist Aaron Swartz achieved groundbreaking work in social justice and political organizing. His passion for open access ensnared him in a legal nightmare that ended with the taking of his own life at the age of 26.

Themes

Open access pressure, Information activist scrutiny, Internet activism risk, Biography framing, Legal system pressure, Free software context

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Vibe

Intimate Claustrophobic Minimalist Measured Slow-burn

Overview

Aydın is a hotel owner and a retired actor in rural Turkey. As winter emerges he begins navigating the conflicts within the relationships with his wife, sister and existence.

Themes

Marital strain, Wealth disparity, Rural isolation, Gender roles, Retirement and purpose, Charity and obligation

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Vibe

Realistic Intimate Atmospheric Restrained Deliberate

Overview

The film tells a story of a divorced couple trying to raise their young son. The story follows the boy for twelve years, from first grade at age 6 through 12th grade at age 17-18, and examines his relationship with his parents as he grows.

Themes

Economic precarity, Parental conflict and abuse, Stepfamily adjustment, Divided family dynamics, Ambition and guidance, Adolescence and experimentation, Nostalgia and growth

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Steady Intimate Atmospheric

Overview

Jimmy Gralton returns from New York and reopens his beloved community hall, only to meet opposition from the local parish.

Themes

Exile and displacement, Poverty and resilience, Church versus community, Community empowerment, Diaspora connections, Political dissent

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Intimate Claustrophobic Bleak

Overview

Sandra is a young woman who has only one weekend to convince her colleagues they must give up their bonuses in order for her to keep her job — not an easy task in this economy.

Themes

Unemployment precarity, Immigrant vulnerability, Family affairs, Injustice in the workplace, Depression stigma, Economic crisis, Employer employee relationship

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Claustrophobic Dry Relentless

Overview

During a dinner with friends, at the moment a comet passes overhead, the power goes out across the city. Trying to make sense of what’s happening, they run into unknown strangers who look exactly like them.

Themes

Power outage distrust, Dinner party secrecy, Glow sticks division, Parallel world intrusion, Quantum decoherence reality, Alter ego pressure

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