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MOVIEPIQ · DOCUMENTARY · CURATED LIST

Best Documentary Movies On A Sunday Afternoon From The 80S And 90S That Will Keep You On The Edge Of Your Seat

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

The best documentary movies on a sunday afternoon from the 80s and 90s that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Includes Baraka, Paris Is Burning, Koyaan...

Sunday afternoons have their own particular quality of light and stillness. The right film slots into that feeling perfectly - unhurried, absorbing, a reason to stay on the sofa a little longer.

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.

Tension is a byproduct of investment. You're only on the edge of your seat if the film has made you care first. These do.

The best documentaries don't resolve neatly. They give you something to carry. These do that.

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