The best documentary movies with friends on a friday from the 80s and 90s based on a true story. A hand-curated list of documentary films for Moviepiq.
Friday night with friends is about energy. You want something that earns its place in the conversation — a film that people are still talking about on the way home.
The 80s and 90s represent a golden era for genre filmmaking — budgets were generous, ideas were bold, and many of the films from this period still set the standard everything else is measured against.
The best documentaries don't just inform — they change how you see something you thought you already understood. Below are ten documentaries that reveal truths that fiction can only approximate.
An intimate look at America's favourite neighbor and the life, lessons, and legacy of Fred Rogers.
Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's El Capitan.
An in-depth look at the US prison system and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock musician Rodriguez.
The story of Amy Winehouse, in her own words, featuring archival footage and recordings.
What makes a documentary essential viewing is specificity. These films don't deal in generalities — they follow real people making impossible choices in real moments.
A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, and illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974.
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.
A documentary film about the 1965-66 Indonesian mass killings, in which former paramilitary leaders are challenged to re-enact their killings.
Backup singers discuss their careers and relationships with the stars they support.
Michael Moore explores the culture of guns and violence in the United States.
There's a particular weight that comes from knowing what you're watching actually happened. It changes how you sit with the film's events long after it ends.
After watching a great documentary, the world looks slightly different. That's not a small thing.