documentary-style backdrop

Movies with documentary-style vibe

171. The Borderlands

The Borderlands
Horror Supernatural Horror
5.8
20141h 29minUnited Kingdom
Director: Elliot Goldner

Overview

Vatican investigators are sent to the British West Country to investigate paranormal activity, and they find the events are more disturbing than they first imagined.

Themes

Ritual violence, Deception within investigation, Belief under paranormal pressure, Sacred space contamination, Institutional authority vs doubt, Hidden histories of worship

Available on

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

172. Finding Vivian Maier

Finding Vivian Maier
Documentary Biographical Documentary
7.7
20141h 23minUnited States
Director: John Maloof

Overview

Vivian Maier's photos were seemingly destined for obscurity, lost among the clutter of the countless objects she'd collected throughout her life. Instead these images have shaken the world of street photography and irrevocably changed the life of the man who brought them to the public eye. This film brings to life the interesting turns and travails of the improbable saga of John Maloof's discovery of Vivian Maier, unravelling this mysterious tale through her documentary films, photographs, odd collections and personal accounts from the people that knew her. What started as a blog to show her work quickly became a viral sensation in the photography world. Photos destined for the trash heap now line gallery exhibitions, a forthcoming book and this documentary film.

Themes

Undiscovered talent through photography, Street photography in public view, Posthumous recognition via art exhibition, Archival discovery and preservation, Collector access through discovery, Biography of unseen work

Available on

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

173. Starred Up

Starred Up
Drama Coming-of-Age Drama
7.3
20141h 46minIreland, United Kingdom
Director: David Mackenzie

Overview

19-year-old Eric, arrogant and ultra-violent, is prematurely transferred to the same adult prison facility as his estranged father. As his explosive temper quickly finds him enemies in both prison authorities and fellow inmates — and his already volatile relationship with his father is pushed past breaking point — Eric is approached by a volunteer psychotherapist, who runs an anger management group for prisoners. Torn between gang politics, prison corruption, and a glimmer of something better, Eric finds himself in a fight for his own life, unsure if his own father is there to protect him or join in punishing him.

Themes

Loyalty and manipulation, Violence and control, Father son authority clash, Anger management under pressure, Group therapy confrontation, Prison power dynamics

Available on

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

174. An Adventure in Space and Time

An Adventure in Space and Time
Drama Entertainment Industry Drama
8.2
20131h 23minUnited Kingdom
Director: Terry McDonough

Overview

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.

Themes

Gender barriers in media, Creative ambition under constraint, Industry gatekeeping and opportunity, Collaborative creativity under pressure, Legacy dynamics and succession, Audience reception risk

Available on

Britbox Apple TV Channel
Hoopla
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

175. Banshee Chapter

Banshee Chapter
Horror Thriller Psychological Horror Mind Game Thriller
5.4
20131h 27minUnited States, Germany
Director: Blair Erickson

Overview

On the trail of a missing friend who had been experimenting with mind-altering drugs, a young journalist - aided by a rogue counter-culture writer, finds herself drawn into the dangerous world of top-secret government chemical research and the mystery of a disturbing radio signal of unknown origin.

Themes

Desert isolation, Conspiracy and control, Radio signal intrusion, Government experimentation, Media deception, Mind altering chemistry

Available on

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

176. Anna

Anna
Thriller Drama Mind Game Thriller Psychological Drama
6.4
20131h 39minCanada, France
Director: Jorge Dorado

Overview

A man with the ability to enter peoples' memories takes on the case of a brilliant, troubled sixteen-year-old girl to determine whether she is a sociopath or a victim of trauma.

Themes

Memory manipulation ethics, Trust under manipulation, Youth vulnerability, Deception and memory, Trauma versus agency, Institutional tension in care

Available on

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

177. What If

What If
Drama Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Awkward Comedy
6.8
20131h 38minCanada, Ireland
Director: Michael Dowse

Overview

A young man meets a fun, unconventional girl at a party. As they talk, they realize they have a lot in common and decide to keep things as friends. It would all be fine—except over time it turns out to be much harder than they expected.

Themes

Friendship versus romance, Boundaries and desire, Distance and commitment, Social expectations in dating, Career versus relationship, Trust under ambiguity

Available on

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

178. The Butler

The Butler
Drama Historical Drama
7.2
20132h 12minUnited States
Director: Lee Daniels

Overview

Cecil Gaines was a sharecropper's son who grew up in the 1920s as a domestic servant for the white family who casually destroyed his. Eventually striking out on his own, Cecil becomes a hotel valet of such efficiency and discreteness in the 1950s that he becomes a butler in the White House itself. There, Cecil would serve numerous US Presidents over the decades as a passive witness of history with the American Civil Rights Movement gaining momentum even as his family has troubles of its own. As his wife, Gloria, struggles with alcoholism and his defiant eldest son, Louis, strives for a just world, Cecil must decide whether he should take action in his own way.

Themes

Desegregation pressure in society, Family loyalties in upheaval, Racial inequality under service, Nonviolent activism and impact, Institutional change through restraint, Silent endurance amid upheaval

Available on

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

179. Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer
Action Science Fiction Drama Dystopian Sci-Fi Epic Action
7.1
20132h 7minSouth Korea
Director: Bong Joon Ho

Overview

In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer; a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.

Themes

Class inequality, Manipulated revolt, Population control, Indoctrination in education, Engineered social order, Perpetual winter

Available on

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

180. Stuck in Love

Stuck in Love
Drama Comedy Romance Romantic Comedy Family Drama
7.2
20131h 37minUnited States
Director: Josh Boone

Overview

An acclaimed writer can’t stop wondering if his ex still loves him—so he keeps watching her, keeps setting her a place at the table, keeps dragging their kids into the past. When every chapter of their lives starts to revolve around her, how far will his obsession go before it tears the family apart?

Themes

Intergenerational tension, Creative ambition vs family, Communication breakdown, Romantic complications, Fidelity under pressure, Substance abuse impact

Available on

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