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Movies that feel like Paris Is Burning (1991)

If you loved Paris Is Burning, the closest films we have are The Act of Killing (2012), Los Angeles Plays Itself (2004) and Night and Fog (1956). All three share Paris Is Burning's epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 6 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel and HBO Max and others, checked against today's data.

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.

🍅 99% Rotten Tomatoes8.2 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗dir. Jennie Livingstonepicdread

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If Paris Is Burning hit the spot, these will too

The Act of Killing poster
The Act of Killing
2012 · dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
🍅 96%8.2documentary · history

The same mix in both: scale, then dread

The difference: A 2010s film, from a different era of filmmaking

In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various film genres. As they recreate their past atrocities, the line between reality and performance blurs, exposing the lingering impact of Indonesia's 1965-66 anti-communist purge and the unsettling psychology of its perpetrators.

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Los Angeles Plays Itself poster
Los Angeles Plays Itself
2004 · dir. Thom Andersen
🍅 96%7.8documentary · history

Epic documentary, and it commits to that

The difference: None of the dread that defines Paris Is Burning

From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. In this dazzling work, Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and meticulously, judiciously revealing the real city that lives beneath.

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Night and Fog poster
Night and Fog
1956 · dir. Alain Resnais
8.6documentary · history

Epic history in both cases

Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

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Baraka poster
Baraka
1992 · dir. Ron Fricke
🍅 85%8.5documentary

Documentary built on dread, twice over

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

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Lincoln poster
Lincoln
2012 · dir. Steven Spielberg
🍅 90%7.3history · drama

Both trade on dread more than on being history

The difference: Leans drama where Paris Is Burning does not

The revealing story of the 16th US President's tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

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The Look of Silence poster
The Look of Silence
2014 · dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
🍅 96%8.2history · documentary

Cut from the same documentary cloth

An Indonesian man with a communist background named Ramli was brutally murdered when the "Communist" purge occurred in 1965. His remaining family members lived in fear and silence until the making of this documentary. Adi, a brother of his, decided to revisit the horrific incident and visited the men who were responsible for the killings and one survivor of the purge. These meetings uncovered sadistic details of the murders and exposed raw emotions and reactions of the killers' family members about what happened in the past - much to Adi's disappointment.

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Honeyland poster
Honeyland
2019 · dir. Ljubomir Stefanov
🍅 100%8documentary

Both are documentary through and through

When nomadic beekeepers break Honeyland’s basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees), the last female beehunter in Europe must save the bees and restore natural balance.

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The Descent poster
The Descent
2005 · dir. Neil Marshall
🍅 87%7.2adventure · horror

A 2000s answer to the same itch

The difference: Plays it as adventure more than Paris Is Burning does

After a personal tragedy, Sarah joins her friends on a caving expedition in the Appalachian Mountains. But when a rockfall traps them deep underground, their adventure turns into a nightmare. As they search for a way out, the group discovers they are not alone—lurking in the darkness are savage, cave-dwelling creatures. With rising tension and dwindling trust, the women must fight to survive against both the predators and each other.

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Crumb poster
Crumb
1995 · dir. Terry Zwigoff
🍅 95%8documentary

Documentary approached the same way

This movie chronicles the life and times of R. Crumb. Robert Crumb is the cartoonist/artist who drew Keep On Truckin', Fritz the Cat, and played a major pioneering role in the genesis of underground comix. Through interviews with his mother, two brothers, wife, ex-wife and ex-girlfriends, as well as selections from his vast quantity of graphic art, we are treated to a darkly comic ride through one man's subconscious mind.

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Roger & Me poster
Roger & Me
1989 · dir. Michael Moore
🍅 100%7.5documentary · history · comedy

The same history instincts

A documentary about the closure of General Motors' plant at Flint, Michigan, which resulted in the loss of 30,000 jobs. Details the attempts of filmmaker Michael Moore to get an interview with GM CEO Roger Smith.

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Pather Panchali poster
Pather Panchali
1955 · dir. Satyajit Ray
🍅 98%8.2drama · history

Both are history through and through

Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.

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Trekkies poster
Trekkies
1997 · dir. Roger Nygard
🍅 88%6.9documentary

Cut from the same documentary cloth

Denise Crosby takes a first look at the huge fans of "Star Trek" from around America and how the series has affected and shaped their lives.

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The best-reviewed films that share Paris Is Burning's defining feeling.