Movies Like Being Gay in the Thirties (Gay Life)
If you liked Being Gay in the Thirties (Gay Life) (1981), a documentary movie directed by John Oven, 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
28 Up (1985)
★ 7.5/10Also documentaryJust two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.
- 2
35 Up (1991)
★ 7.6/10Also documentaryDirector Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
- 3
Come See Me in the Good Light (2025)
★ 7.1/10Also documentaryIn an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.
- 4
21 Up (1977)
★ 7.4/10Also documentaryAfter another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives…
- 5
McQueen (2018)
★ 7.4/10Also documentaryAlexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own…
- 6
42 Up (1999)
★ 7.6/10Also documentaryDirector Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
- 7
A Toxic Love Story (2026)
★ 6.4/10Also documentaryA string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.
- 8
56 Up (2012)
★ 7.2/10Also documentaryWhen a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their attitudes towards life. While the upper class children were confident…
- 9
Capital in the Twenty-First Century (2019)
★ 6.5/10Also documentaryFilm adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.
- 10
My Mom Jayne (2025)
★ 8/10Also documentaryThrough 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…
- 11
The Last Repair Shop (2024)
★ 7.5/10Also documentaryIn a warehouse in the heart of Los Angeles, a dwindling handful of devoted craftspeople maintain more than 80,000 student musical instruments, the largest remaining workshop in America of its kind. Meet four…
- 12
Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)
★ 7/10Also documentaryExplore the evolution of Buzz Lightyear from toy to human in the making of Pixar’s Lightyear. Dive into the origin and cultural impact of everyone’s favorite Space Ranger, the art of designing a new “human Buzz,” and…
- 13
Dawg Fight (2015)
★ 6.4/10Also documentaryIn a crime-plagued neighborhood near Miami, brutal, bare-knuckled backyard fights give young men a chance to earn money -- and self-respect.
- 14
Directed by John Ford (1971)
★ 7/10Also documentaryA documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.
- 15
Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (2017)
★ 6.4/10Also documentaryA documentary about how a dominant cultural and demographic institution both sustains their traditional activities and adapts to the digital revolution.
- 16
S4: The Bob Lazar Story (2026)
★ 8.4/10Also documentaryOver 35 years after Bob Lazar's revelations, this documentary exposes secrets of a facility the government still denies. Featuring Lazar's testimony, recreations, and new evidence, it reopens a case that continues to…
- 17
Seduced and Abandoned (2013)
★ 6.2/10Also documentarySEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us on a troublesome and often hilarious journey of raising financing for their next feature film. Moving from director…
- 18
Tongues Untied (1990)
★ 6.7/10Also documentaryMarlon 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…
- 19
Welcome to Chechnya (2020)
★ 7/10Also documentaryThis 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…
- 20
Disclosure (2020)
★ 7.8/10Also documentaryAn 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.