Movies Like The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

If you liked The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (2011), a history and documentary movie directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
Welcome to Chechnya (2020)
★ 7/10Also documentary
This searing investigative work shadows a group of activists risking unimaginable peril to confront the ongoing anti-LGBTQ program raging in the repressive and closed Russian republic. Unfettered access and a…
2
I Am Vanessa Guillen (2022)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
Vanessa Guillen was 20 years old when she was found murdered at a US Army base. Rather than submit to silence, her family fought for justice and change.
3
Looking for Richard (1996)
★ 6.8/10Also documentary
Al Pacino's deeply-felt rumination on Shakespeare's significance and relevance to the modern world through interviews and an in-depth analysis of "Richard III."
4
A Toxic Love Story (2026)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
5
My Mom Jayne (2025)
★ 8/10Also documentary
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and…
6
Disclosure (2020)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
An investigation of how Hollywood's fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.
7
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom (2019)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary and history
In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the United States where…
8
Gilbert (2017)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
The life and career of one of comedy's most inimitable modern voices, Mr. Gilbert Gottfried.
9
Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
Throughout the 1950s, Tab Hunter reigned as Hollywood’s ultimate male heartthrob. But throughout his years of stardom, Tab had a secret. Tab Hunter was gay, and spent his Hollywood years in a precarious closet that…
10
Elstree 1976 (2015)
★ 6.2/10Also documentary
A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.
11
Tongues Untied (1990)
★ 6.7/10Also documentary
Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs…
12
David Bowie: Five Years (2013)
★ 7.5/10Also documentary
Featuring a wealth of previously unseen archive, this film looks at how Bowie continually evolved: from Ziggy Stardust to the Soul Star of Young Americans, to the ‘Thin White Duke’. It explores his regeneration in…
13
The Captains (2011)
★ 6.4/10Also documentary
The Captains is a feature-length documentary film written and directed by William Shatner. The film follows Shatner as he interviews the other actors who have portrayed starship captains in the Star Trek franchise.
14
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (2019)
★ 6.9/10Also documentary and history
The history of cinematic sound, told by legendary sound designers and visionary filmmakers.
15
As I Was Moving Ahead Occasionally I Saw Brief Glimpses of Beauty (2000)
★ 7.8/10Also documentary
A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.
16
The Celluloid Closet (1996)
★ 7.3/10Also documentary and history
Exuberant, eye-opening movie that serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Film contains fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of…
17
Western Stars (2019)
★ 7/10Also documentary
The incomparable Bruce Springsteen performs his critically acclaimed latest album and muses on life, rock, and the American dream, in this intimate and personal concert film co-directed by Thom Zimny and Springsteen…
18
I Am Heath Ledger (2017)
★ 7.4/10Also documentary
The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.
19
The Curse of the Dragon (1993)
★ 7.2/10Also documentary
A 1993 documentary film about Bruce Lee. The film includes interviews from some of his fellow students and opponents who worked alongside him in his movies.
20
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) (2026)
★ 8.4/10Also documentary
Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.