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Home/Tongues Untied/Similar Movies

Tongues Untied

Movies Like Tongues Untied (1990)

Tongues Untied is a 1990 documentary film from Marlon Riggs with a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Paris Is Burning and Portrait of Jason.

Paris Is Burning poster

Paris Is Burning

1991

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.

Portrait of Jason poster

Portrait of Jason

1967

Interview with Jason Holliday aka Aaron Payne. House-boy, would-be cabaret performer, and self-proclaimed hustler giving one man's gin-soaked, pill-popped view of what it was like to be black and gay in 1960s United States. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Milestone Films in 2013.

Moonlight poster

Moonlight

2016

The tender, heartbreaking story of a young man’s struggle to find himself, told across three defining chapters in his life as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality.

Rafiki poster

Rafiki

2018

Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.

Tangerine poster

Tangerine

2015

It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.

Pariah poster

Pariah

2011

A Brooklyn teenager juggles conflicting identities and risks friendship, heartbreak, and family in a desperate search for sexual expression.

The Watermelon Woman poster

The Watermelon Woman

1997

A young black lesbian filmmaker probes into the life of The Watermelon Woman, a 1930s black actress who played 'mammy' archetypes.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom poster

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

2020

Tensions rise when the trailblazing Mother of the Blues and her band gather at a Chicago recording studio in 1927. Adapted from August Wilson's play.

Bessie poster

Bessie

2015

The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.

Saturday Church poster

Saturday Church

2018

Ulysses is a shy and effeminate boy who finds himself coping with new responsibilities as man of the house after the death of his father. Living alongside his mother, younger brother, and conservative aunt, Ulysses is also struggling with questions about his gender identity. He finds an escape by creating a world of fantasy filled with dance and music. Ulysses' journey takes a turn for the better when he finds a vibrant transgender community.

Blackbird poster

Blackbird

2014

Seventeen-year-old Randy tries very hard to be a good person. Since his father left, Randy takes care of his emotionally disturbed mother, and he's the kind of friend all of his classmates can depend on. As strong as he seems on the outside, Randy is hiding a secret inner struggle and denial of his true self. It's not until he opens himself up to love that he discovers that becoming a man means accepting who you really are.

Stop! That! Train! poster

Stop! That! Train!

2026

Best friends and train stewardesses Tess and DeeDee trade their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. However, when a catastrophic Stormaganza threatens to crash the high-speed train into Celebration, Florida, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first-class attendants, a hot but dimwitted co-conductor, and fabulous US President Judy Gagwell to save the day.

Young Soul Rebels poster

Young Soul Rebels

1991

Two disc jockeys have a friend's murder to solve in the fringe-group melting pot of 1977 London.

Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin' poster

Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'

2013

An account of the short life of genius musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-70), probably the most talented and influential guitarist of the twentieth century: his humble beginnings in Seattle, his time in New York, his rise to fame in swinging London… Live fast, love hard, die young.

Lilies of the Field poster

Lilies of the Field

1963

An unemployed construction worker heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior, who believes the man has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert.

Nope poster

Nope

2022

Residents in a lonely gulch of inland California bear witness to an uncanny, chilling discovery.

The Alchemist Cookbook poster

The Alchemist Cookbook

2016

Self-made chemist Sean, a recluse living in an old trailer in the woods, suffers from pill-popping delusions of fortune. When his manic attempts at cracking the ancient secret of alchemy go awry he unleashes something far more sinister and dangerous.

Kiki poster

Kiki

2016

25 years after Paris is Burning, we dive back into the fierce world of voguing battles in the Kiki scene of New York City, where competition between Houses demands leadership, painstaking practice, and performances on point. A film collaboration between Kiki gatekeeper, Twiggy Pucci Garçon, and Swedish filmmaker Sara Jordenö, we’re granted exclusive access into this high stakes world, where tough competitions act as a gateway into the daily lives of LGBTQ youth of color in NYC. The new generation of ballroom youth use the motto, “Not About us Without Us”. Twiggy and Sara’s insider-outsider approach to their stories breathes fresh life into the representation of a marginalized community who demand visibility and real political power.

Mars One poster

Mars One

2022

A middle-class Black family in Brazil copes with the election of a far-right extremist president. The mother believes that she's cursed after an unexpected encounter, while her husband puts all of his hopes into their son's soccer career.

This Filthy World poster

This Filthy World

2006

In this filmed version of cult film director John Waters' popular one-man show, the Pink Flamingos and A Dirty Shame director takes the stage to discuss everything from his early influences, fondest career memories, and notorious struggles against the MPAA rating system. Part endearing memoir and part hilarious lecture, This Filthy World touches on everything from the insanity of contemporary pop culture to the director's unforgettable early collaborations with inimitable Pink Flamingos star Divine.

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Tongues Untied?

The top films similar to Tongues Untied by MovieMagicScore are Paris Is Burning (8.0), Portrait of Jason (6.4), Moonlight (7.4). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Tongues Untied worth watching?

Tongues Untied holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.6/10 from 59 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Tongues Untied?

Tongues Untied (1990) is a documentary film directed by Marlon Riggs, starring Marlon Riggs, Essex Hemphill, Brian Freeman.

Where can I find more recommendations like Tongues Untied?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more documentary recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Paris Is Burning Movies like Portrait of Jason Movies like Moonlight Movies like Rafiki Movies like Tangerine Movies like Pariah

About movies like Tongues Untied

This ranked list pairs Tongues Untied (1990), a documentary film from Marlon Riggs, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Marlon Riggs take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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