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MOVIEPIQ · DOCUMENTARY · CURATED LIST

Best Documentary Movies After A Breakup From The 80S And 90S That Will Restore Your Faith In Humanity

These documentary films were selected by the Moviepiq editorial team for after a breakup. Popularity and critic scores don't factor in here. Emotional fit does.

The best documentary movies after a breakup from the 80s and 90s that will restore your faith in humanity. Includes Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Free Solo, 13t...

After a breakup, the wrong film makes everything worse. The right one doesn't fix anything - but it reminds you that other people have survived worse, and come out the other side.

The 80s and 90s are where a lot of cinema's DNA was written. Films that set the templates still running today.

Documentaries work when they trust their subjects. The best ones get out of the way and let reality speak.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? movie poster
1
2018 · ★★★★☆ 8.4/10

An intimate look at America's favourite neighbor and the life, lessons, and legacy of Fred Rogers.

Free Solo movie poster
2
2018 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's El Capitan.

13th movie poster
3
2016 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

An in-depth look at the US prison system and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

Searching for Sugar Man movie poster
4
2012 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock musician Rodriguez.

Amy movie poster
5
2015 · ★★★½☆ 7.8/10

The story of Amy Winehouse, in her own words, featuring archival footage and recordings.

The documentaries that stay with you are the ones that refuse to simplify. They show you the mess of a real situation and trust you to sit with it.

Man on Wire movie poster
6
2008 · ★★★½☆ 7.7/10

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, and illegal, high-wire routine performed between the World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974.

Icarus movie poster
7
2017 · ★★★½☆ 7.9/10

When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his project into a geopolitical thriller.

The Act of Killing movie poster
8
2012 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

A documentary about the 1965-66 Indonesian mass killings, in which former paramilitary leaders re-enact their crimes.

20 Feet from Stardom movie poster
9
2013 · ★★★½☆ 7.8/10

Backup singers discuss their careers and relationships with the stars they support.

Bowling for Columbine movie poster
10
2002 · ★★★★☆ 8.0/10

Michael Moore explores the culture of guns and violence in the United States.

There are films that remind you, without sentimentality, that people are capable of extraordinary things. These are some of them.

After watching a great documentary, the world looks slightly different. That's not a small thing.

From the Blog

READ Movies That Changed How People See the World
READ Movies to Watch When Depressed
READ Movies When You Just Got Dumped

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ENERGY Documentary Movies for Sick Days
MINDSTATE Documentary Movies nothing Sad
GENRE Mystery Movies after A Breakup
DEEPER Want To Feel Something
EDITORIAL Movies That Changed How People See the World
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