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What do you want to watch tonight?

Each title says who it's good for, and who it isn't. Tap what you want tonight, or say no to one and why.

Closest to Iris first

  1. The September Issue 2009

    Documentary

    A documentary chronicling Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour's preparations for the 2007 fall-fashion issue.

    The sides of The September Issue

    • Anna Wintour preparing Vogue's biggest issue
    • Grace Coddington fighting for her pages
    • Shoots, cuts and meetings at the magazine

    Good for you if

    • you like watching who decides what at the top of fashion.
    • you like the duel between Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington.
    • you like a real look inside Vogue while one huge issue is made.

    Bad for you if

    • you need more happening than meetings and photo shoots.
    • you want a documentary that moves you.

    About: fashion · work · authority

    Explore its sides
  2. The Mole Agent 2020

    Documentary

    When a daughter becomes concerned about her mother's well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires Sergio, an 83-year-old man who becomes a new resident—and a mole inside the home, who struggles to balance his assignment with becoming increasingly involved in the lives of several residents.

    The sides of The Mole Agent

    • An 83-year-old man hired as a spy
    • A retirement home in Chile
    • Residents who become his friends

    Good for you if

    • you like a gentle, funny film with a kind old man at its center.
    • you love Sergio and the women he meets in the home.
    • you like being moved by loneliness in old age.

    Bad for you if

    • you won't read subtitles for a film in Spanish.
    • you want real spy suspense. Sergio's missions are mostly notes and phone calls.

    About: old age · loneliness · kindness

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  3. Performance artist Marina Abramovic prepares for a major retrospective of her work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

    The sides of Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

    • Marina Abramović before her MoMA retrospective
    • An artist sitting silent for hours, facing strangers
    • A reunion with her former partner Ulay

    Good for you if

    • you want to see how a famous artist prepares a show.
    • you like watching one woman hold a room in total silence.
    • you're drawn to strong, uncompromising people.

    Bad for you if

    • you need momentum and can't sit through long silences.
    • you have no patience for strange art, like walking the Great Wall to break up or staring at strangers for hours.

    About: art · endurance · presence · love

    Explore its sides
  4. Faces Places 2017

    Documentary

    Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

    The sides of Faces Places

    • Agnès Varda and the artist JR
    • A photo truck across rural France
    • Giant portraits pasted on walls, barns and containers

    Good for you if

    • you like an old filmmaker and a young artist becoming friends.
    • you like a gentle road trip full of kind people.
    • you like huge photos of farmers and dockers covering whole buildings.

    Bad for you if

    • you won't read subtitles to follow Varda and JR chatting in French.
    • you need a story that goes somewhere fast.

    About: friendship · old age · ordinary people · memory

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  5. The Gleaners and I 2000

    Documentary

    Varda focuses her eye on gleaners: those who scour already-reaped fields for the odd potato or turnip. Her investigation leads from forgotten corners of the French countryside to off-hours at the green markets of Paris, following those who insist on finding a use for that which society has cast off, whether out of necessity or activism.

    The sides of The Gleaners and I

    • Agnès Varda with a small digital camera
    • People picking up what fields and markets leave behind
    • Heart shaped potatoes

    Good for you if

    • you like meeting real people who live off what others throw away.
    • you like Varda herself, filming her own hands and her own age.
    • you want a gentle, curious film that wanders where it likes.

    Bad for you if

    • you won't read subtitles to hear Varda and the gleaners talk in French.
    • you need momentum. Varda stops to film trucks on the road and a clock with no hands.

    About: waste · ageing · what we keep

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  6. Will & Harper 2024

    Documentary

    When Will Ferrell's good friend Harper comes out as a trans woman, they take a road trip to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self.

    The sides of Will & Harper

    • Will Ferrell and his old friend Harper
    • A road trip across America
    • A trans woman seeing the country again as herself

    Good for you if

    • you like a long friendship tested and made stronger.
    • you want Will Ferrell being silly on the road.
    • you like hearing Harper Steele tell her own story.

    Bad for you if

    • you roll your eyes at heartfelt talks in a car.
    • you don't want to cry at a Will Ferrell movie.

    About: friendship · identity · acceptance

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  7. A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

    The sides of The Intouchables

    • A rich man who can't move
    • A carer from the suburbs
    • A friendship nobody expected

    Good for you if

    • you like a comedy where two opposite men tease each other.
    • you like a feel-good film that also moves you.
    • you like a true story, with the real Philippe and Abdel shown at the end.

    Bad for you if

    • you won't read subtitles. It's in French, though a dubbed version exists.
    • you can't laugh at jokes about a man who can't move.

    About: friendship · disability · class

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  8. Welcome to Wrexham 2022

    Documentary

    Documentary series tracking the dreams and worries of Wrexham, a working-class town in North Wales, UK, as two Hollywood stars (Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds) take ownership of the town’s historic yet struggling football club.

    The sides of Welcome to Wrexham

    • Two Hollywood actors buying a Welsh football club
    • A working-class town in North Wales
    • Fans, players and staff of Wrexham AFC

    Good for you if

    • you like the ups and downs of a lower league football season.
    • you like being moved by a town that lives for its club.
    • you laugh at Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds learning football.

    Bad for you if

    • five seasons is too much for you.
    • you roll your eyes at heartfelt underdog stories.

    About: community · hope · belonging

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  9. The Beaches of Agnès 2008

    Documentary

    Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda, the award-winning director regarded by many as the grandmother of the French new wave, turns the camera on herself with this unique autobiographical documentary. Composed of film excerpts and elaborate dramatic re-creations, Varda's self-portrait recounts the highs and lows of her professional career, the many friendships that affected her life and her longtime marriage to cinematic giant Jacques Demy.

    The sides of The Beaches of Agnès

    • Agnès Varda looking back at eighty
    • Mirrors set up on a beach
    • Her life with Jacques Demy

    Good for you if

    • you like a filmmaker telling her own life in her own way.
    • you like playful images, from mirrors on the sand to a street turned into a beach.
    • you want time with a warm, curious, funny woman.

    Bad for you if

    • you won't read subtitles for a French film.
    • you need a documentary that moves fast and sticks to the facts.

    About: memory · aging · love · cinema

    Explore its sides
  10. Grey Gardens 1976

    Documentary

    Edie Bouvier Beale and her mother, Edith, two aging, eccentric relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, are the sole inhabitants of a Long Island estate. The women reveal themselves to be misfits with outsized, engaging personalities. Much of the conversation is centered on their pasts, as mother and daughter now rarely leave home.

    The sides of Grey Gardens

    • A mother and daughter in a decaying mansion
    • Little Edie's improvised outfits and songs
    • Cats and raccoons in the house

    Good for you if

    • you like spending time with Big Edie and Little Edie as they are.
    • you like a mother and daughter who bicker and can't leave each other.
    • you like a strange, closed world on a Long Island estate.

    Bad for you if

    • you need a story that goes somewhere.
    • you find 1970s handheld footage dated.

    About: mother and daughter · solitude · the past

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  11. Weiner 2016

    Documentary

    Documentary featuring a jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes look at the attempted comeback of Anthony Weiner in 2013 as he mounts a campaign for New York City mayor in the wake of his sexting scandal. Featuring unfettered access to the candidate and his campaign.

    The sides of Weiner

    • Anthony Weiner running for New York mayor in 2013
    • A new sexting scandal breaking mid-campaign
    • Huma Abedin watching from the campaign office

    Good for you if

    • you like a camera that keeps rolling while a campaign falls apart.
    • you want to see a New York mayoral race from the inside.
    • you can laugh at a candidate digging himself deeper on live television.

    Bad for you if

    • you can't root for a candidate who keeps hiding the truth from his own team.
    • you need something light, and watching a marriage strain in public isn't.

    About: ambition · shame · the media

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  12. A young woman from the Midwest gets more than she bargained for when she moves to New York to become a writer and ends up as the assistant to the tyrannical, larger-than-life editor-in-chief of a major fashion magazine.

    The sides of The Devil Wears Prada

    • An assistant to a terrifying boss
    • Fashion she doesn't care about, at first
    • Paris fashion week

    Good for you if

    • you like a boss whose quiet comments destroy people.
    • you like a villain played with ice-cold elegance.
    • you want a smart, light film about work and ambition.

    Bad for you if

    • you want action or danger. The battles here are fought over belts and cerulean sweaters.
    • you want a love story. Andy's boyfriend mostly waits for her at home.

    About: ambition · work · identity

    Explore its sides
  13. The American comedian/actor delivers a story about the alternative Hip Hop scene. A small town Ohio mans moves to Brooklyn, New York, to throw an unprecedented block party.

    The sides of Dave Chappelle's Block Party

    • A free hip hop concert on a Brooklyn street
    • Dave Chappelle inviting people from his Ohio town
    • A college marching band on stage

    Good for you if

    • you love Kanye West, The Roots, Erykah Badu and a reunited Fugees in one show.
    • you like Dave Chappelle joking with neighbours and strangers.
    • you want a warm film about a neighbourhood having a good day.

    Bad for you if

    • you lose track when a film keeps hopping between Ohio, rehearsals, neighbours and a dozen acts.
    • you want a character arc rather than a lineup of performers.

    About: community · hip hop · joy

    Explore its sides
  14. How might your life be better with less? The popular simple-living duo The Minimalists examines the many flavors of minimalism by taking the audience inside the lives of minimalists from various walks of life.

    The sides of Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things

    • Two friends known as The Minimalists
    • People living in tiny homes
    • A life with fewer things

    Good for you if

    • you like real people explaining why they gave things away.
    • you like a calm film that makes you look at your own shelves.
    • you like hearing how each person came to want less.

    Bad for you if

    • you roll your eyes at sincere talk about what really matters.
    • you need suspense, and this is mostly people talking.

    About: consumption · happiness · simplicity

    Explore its sides
  15. Becoming 2020

    Documentary

    Join former first lady Michelle Obama in an intimate documentary looking at her life, hopes and connection with others.

    The sides of Becoming

    • Michelle Obama on her book tour
    • A childhood on the South Side of Chicago
    • Eight years as first lady

    Good for you if

    • you like hearing Michelle Obama tell her own story.
    • you like sincere talks about hope and connecting with people.
    • you want a warm, gentle portrait to watch on a calm evening.

    Bad for you if

    • you need conflict and suspense to stay interested.
    • you want to keep politics out of your evening, and the Obama years are never far.

    About: identity · family · hope

    Explore its sides
  16. Expedition Happiness 2017

    Documentary

    A German couple and their dog travel across North America in a school bus searching for a state of pure bliss.

    The sides of Expedition Happiness

    • A German couple and their dog
    • A school bus turned into a home
    • A road trip across North America

    Good for you if

    • you like wild landscapes seen from the road.
    • you want a gentle film that makes you dream of leaving.
    • you like following a real couple and their dog as they turn a school bus into a home.

    Bad for you if

    • you need real stakes to stay interested.
    • you need momentum more than long scenic drives.

    About: freedom · happiness · travel

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  17. The Pixar Story 2007

    Documentary

    A look at the first years of Pixar Animation Studios - from the success of "Toy Story" and Pixar's promotion of talented people, to the building of its East Bay campus, the company's relationship with Disney, and its remarkable initial string of eight hits. The contributions of John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs are profiled. The decline of two-dimensional animation is chronicled as three-dimensional animation rises. Hard work and creativity seem to share the screen in equal proportions.

    The sides of The Pixar Story

    • John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs
    • The making of Toy Story
    • Pixar's early years with Disney

    Good for you if

    • you like the true story of how a small studio changed animation.
    • you want a warm, upbeat story of artists getting to make the films they dreamed of.
    • you like getting to know John Lasseter, Ed Catmull and Steve Jobs and what each brought to Pixar.

    Bad for you if

    • you want a documentary with real conflict and suspense.
    • you roll your eyes at a company telling its own success story.

    About: creativity · teamwork · technology

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  18. To Be and to Have 2002

    Documentary

    The documentary's title translates as "to be and to have", the two auxiliary verbs in the French language. It is about a primary school in the commune of Saint-Étienne-sur-Usson, Puy-de-Dôme, France, the population of which is just over 200. The school has one small class of mixed ages (from four to twelve years), with a dedicated teacher, Georges Lopez, who shows patience and respect for the children as we follow their story through a single school year.

    The sides of To Be and to Have

    • A one-class village school in Auvergne
    • A patient teacher, Georges Lopez
    • Children from four to twelve over one school year

    Good for you if

    • you like a quiet year in a small village classroom.
    • you like watching children grow up across one school year.
    • you enjoy patient scenes with no narration and no hurry.

    Bad for you if

    • you won't read subtitles for a French documentary.
    • you want a documentary about school policy, not one classroom's year.

    About: education · childhood · patience

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  19. Spellbound 2002

    Documentary

    This documentary follows 8 teens and pre-teens as they work their way toward the finals of the Scripps Howard national spelling bee championship in Washington D.C.

    The sides of Spellbound

    • Eight kids heading for the national spelling bee
    • Parents and coaches drilling word lists
    • A final round in Washington

    Good for you if

    • you hold your breath over one letter in a hard word.
    • you want kids you root for, from very different homes.
    • you like real kids and their real families, followed all the way to the national final.

    Bad for you if

    • you need more happening than children spelling words.
    • you roll your eyes at hard work and the American dream.

    About: ambition · immigration · childhood

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  20. Comedian 2002

    Documentary

    A look at the work of two stand-up comics, Jerry Seinfeld and a lesser-known newcomer, detailing the effort and frustration behind putting together a successful act and career while living a life on the road.

    The sides of Comedian

    • Jerry Seinfeld starting over with new material
    • Small comedy clubs and rough nights
    • A young comic, Orny Adams, chasing a break

    Good for you if

    • you like watching jokes being built and tested.
    • you want the work behind stand-up, not the polished special.
    • you like the contrast between a star and a newcomer.

    Bad for you if

    • you need momentum more than backstage chatter.
    • you want striking images, not handheld camera footage.

    About: work · ambition · doubt

    Explore its sides