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Best Documentary Movies On A Long Flight From The 80S And 90S That Are Actually Worth Watching

These documentary picks were hand-selected for a long flight, not pulled from a popularity chart. Every pick is chosen for emotional and situational fit, not streaming popularity or critic scores.

The best documentary movies on a long flight from the 80s and 90s that are actually worth watching. Includes Baraka, Paris Is Burning, Koyaanisqatsi and more...

The best flight films are ones you've been meaning to watch but keep putting off. You have the hours. You have nowhere else to be. Use them.

The 80s and 90s remain a goldmine. Films that were commercially dismissed on release and now considered essential.

A great documentary finds the universal in the specific. One person's story becomes everyone's story.

Baraka movie poster
1
1992 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

A paralysingly beautiful documentary with a global vision-an odyssey through landscape and time-that attempts to capture the essence of life.

Paris Is Burning movie poster
2
1991 · ★★★★☆ 8.0/10

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.

Koyaanisqatsi movie poster
3
1983 · ★★★½☆ 7.9/10

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.

Not every highly-rated film deserves its rating. These do. Watch them without expectations and see what you think.

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

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