Movies with documentary-style vibe

Vibe

Playful Realistic Tense Heartwarming Steady

Overview

A gorilla named Ivan who’s living in a suburban shopping mall tries to piece together his past, with the help of other animals, as they hatch a plan to escape from captivity.

Themes

Freedom vs captivity, Art as leverage, Public advocacy and reform, Spectacle vs welfare, Institutional pressure and change, Caregiver influence on decisions

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Vibe

Realistic Intimate Claustrophobic Dry Deliberate

Overview

Alice, a young innocent Catholic girl, is tempted into masturbating after an AOL chat suddenly turns sexual, however is conflicted as the act would be considered a sin.

Themes

Coming-of-age tension, Desire vs doctrine, Faith identity conflict, Rumor-driven social pressure, Peer influence and autonomy, Public vs private morality

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Vibe

Realistic Tense Steady Deliberate Clinical

Overview

War photographer W. Eugene Smith travels back to Japan where he documents the devastating effect of mercury poisoning in coastal communities.

Themes

Authorities under pressure, Industrial pollution consequences, Corporate greed accountability, Power versus evidence, Journalistic resilience, Vulnerable coastal communities

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Vibe

Tense Dynamic Intimate Raw Measured

Overview

A raw and emotionally revealing look at one of the most iconic artists of our time during a transformational period in her life as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice.

Themes

Creative process under pressure, Political voice and allyship, Public scrutiny and resilience, Artist self-expression, Body image dynamics, Women in music identity

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Vibe

Tense Claustrophobic Bleak Restrained Relentless

Overview

Richard Jewell thinks quick, works fast, and saves hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lives after a domestic terrorist plants several pipe bombs and they explode during a concert, only to be falsely suspected of the crime by sloppy FBI work and sensational media coverage.

Themes

Media bias shaping perception, Authority accountability under spotlight, Public memory shaped by reporting, Glory seeking and media manipulation, Institutional scrutiny under pressure, False accusations under procedural pressure

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Vibe

Tense Bleak Deliberate Clinical Measured

Overview

A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything — his future, his family, and his own life — to expose the truth.

Themes

Environmental injustice, Community resilience, Corporate accountability, Corporate concealment, Scientific opacity, Public health stakes, Legal activism

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Vibe

Tense Raw Bleak Relentless Gritty

Overview

Blue Story is a tragic tale of a friendship between Timmy and Marco, two young boys from opposing postcodes. Timmy, a shy, smart, naive and timid young boy from Deptford, goes to school in Peckham where he strikes up a friendship with Marco, a charismatic, streetwise kid from the local area. Although from warring postcodes, the two quickly form a firm friendship until it is tested and they wind up on rival sides of a street war. Blue Story depicts elements of Rapman's own personal experiences and aspects of his childhood.

Themes

Loyalty vs betrayal, Romance under conflict, Violence and consequences, Class loyalties, Street-code pressure, Rival gang dynamics

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Vibe

Intimate Restrained Deliberate Eerie Stylish

Overview

A story of Naoufel, a young man who is in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again.

Themes

Loneliness after loss, Pizza delivery boy longing, Crawling hand pursuit, Surrealism as perspective, Librarian memory shaping reality, Severed hand isolation

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Vibe

Immersive Tense Dynamic Procedural Restrained

Overview

The story of the Battle of Midway, and the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome massive odds.

Themes

Leadership under pressure, Strategic risk taking, Intelligence and misdirection, Information timing and control, Resilience under fire, Command decision under uncertainty

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Vibe

Bleak Clinical Relentless Measured Oppressive

Overview

In 1933, Welsh journalist Gareth Jones travels to Ukraine, where he experiences the horrors of a famine. Everywhere he goes he meets henchmen of the Soviet secret service who are determined to prevent news about the catastrophe from getting out. Stalin’s forced collectivisation of agriculture has resulted in misery and ruin—the policy is tantamount to mass murder.

Themes

Ethics under pressure, State censorship, Political manipulation of media, Propaganda vs reporting, Famine as political instrument, Risk to whistleblowers

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