Rain against the window and a film nobody else picked. This is one of the few configurations that actually allows you to pay full attention.
The 80s and 90s remain a goldmine. Films that were commercially dismissed on release and now considered essential.
The best documentaries don't just inform - they change how you see something you thought you already understood.
A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision-an odyssey through landscape and time-that attempts to capture the essence of life.
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women - including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
Takes us to locations all around the US and shows us the heavy toll that modern technology is having on humans and the earth. The visual tone poem contains neither dialogue nor a vocalized narration: its tone is set by the juxtaposition of images and the exceptional music by Philip Glass.
The best mind-bending films don't cheat. They follow their own logic rigorously - which is exactly why the rug-pull, when it comes, is so disorienting.
A great documentary is one you find yourself thinking about weeks later. These qualify.