Movies like No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics (2021)
The best movies like No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics (2021) are Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), The Last Repair Shop (2024) and Tab Hunter Confidential (2015). If No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics hooked you with its documentary, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCrumb (1995)7.6/10 from 300 votes
- NewestA Motherf*cking Life (2026)Released 2026
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016)
Nude men in rubber suits, close-ups of erections, objects shoved in the most intimate of places—these are photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe, known by many as the most controversial photographer of the twentieth century. Openly gay, Mapplethorpe took images of male sex, nudity, and fetish to extremes that resulted in his work still being labelled by some as pornography masquerading as art. But less talked about are the more serene, yet striking portraits of flowers, sculptures, and perfectly framed human forms that are equally pioneering and powerful.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Last Repair Shop (2024)
In 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 unforgettable characters whose broken-and-repaired lives have been dedicated to bringing so much more than music to the schoolchildren of this city.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTab Hunter Confidential (2015)
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 repeatedly threatened to implode and destroy him. Tab Hunter himself shares first hand, for the first time, what it was like to be a studio manufactured movie star during the Golden Age of Hollywood and the consequences of being someone totally different from his studio manufactured image.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTongues Untied (1990)
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 telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the "Institute of Snap!thology," where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDisclosure (2020)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWelcome to Chechnya (2020)
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 remarkable approach to protecting anonymity exposes this under-reported atrocity–and an extraordinary group of people confronting evil.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCrumb (1995)
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.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI Am Divine (2014)
Harris Glenn Milstead, aka Divine (1945-1988) was the ultimate outsider turned underground hero. Spitting in the face of the status quos of body image, gender identity, sexuality, and preconceived notions of beauty, Divine succeeded in becoming an internationally recognized icon, recording artist, and character actor of stage and screen. Glenn went from the often-mocked, schoolyard fat kid to underdog royalty, standing up for millions of gay men and women, drag queens and punk rockers, and countless other socially ostracized misfits and freaks. With a completely committed in-your-face style, he blurred the line between performer and personality, and revolutionized pop culture.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStan Lee (2023)
Celebrate the legacy of Stan Lee as the co-creator of such legendary characters as Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the X-Men, The Avengers, and hundreds more.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBatman & Bill (2017)
Everyone thinks that Bob Kane created Batman, but that’s not the whole truth. One author makes it his crusade to make it known that Bill Finger, a struggling writer, actually helped invent the iconic superhero, from concept to costume to the very character we all know and love. Bruce Wayne may be Batman’s secret identity, but his creator was always a true mystery.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoward (2018)
Though legendary lyricist Howard Ashman died far too young, his impact on Broadway, movies, and the culture at large were incalculable. Told entirely through rare archival footage and interviews with Ashman’s family, friends, associates, and longtime partner Bill Lauch, Howard is an intimate tribute to a once-in-a-generation talent and a rousing celebration of musical storytelling itself.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDear Mr. Watterson (2013)
20 years after Calvin and Hobbes stopped appearing in daily newspapers, filmmaker Joel Allen Schroeder has set out to explore the reasons behind the comic strip's loyal and devoted following.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisScotty and the Secret History of Hollywood (2018)
A deliciously scandalous portrait of unsung Hollywood legend Scotty Bowers, whose bestselling memoir chronicled his decades spent as sexual procurer to the stars.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarvel: 75 Years, from Pulp to Pop! (2014)
In celebration of the publisher's 75th anniversary, the hour-long special will take a detailed look at the company's journey from fledgling comics publisher to multi-media juggernaut. Hosted by Emily VanCamp (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter), the documentary-style feature will include interviews with comic book icons, pop culture authorities, and Hollywood stars. The special also promises an "extraordinary peek into Marvel's future!" Might Marvel release the first official footage from next year's Avengers: Age of Ultron or Ant-Man? If they do, you'll know about it here.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGaga: Five Foot Two (2017)
Follow pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a new album, preps for her Super Bowl halftime show, and confronts physical and emotional struggles.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPower of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2017)
This documentary looks to forge the greatest, most definitive, documentary on everything He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, the live action movie, New Adventures of He-Man, the 200x series and much more! They delve into the toys, comics, cartoons, and movies from all eras by talking to the artists, creators, executives and actors who helped make it a reality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPray Away (2021)
In the 1970s, five men struggling with being gay in their Evangelical church started a bible study to help each other leave the "homosexual lifestyle." They quickly received over 25,000 letters from people asking for help and formalized as Exodus International, the largest and most controversial conversion therapy organization in the world. But leaders struggled with a secret: their own “same-sex attractions” never went away. After years as Christian superstars in the religious right, many of these men and women have come out as LGBTQ, disavowing the very movement they helped start. Focusing on the dramatic journeys of former conversion therapy leaders, current members, and a survivor, PRAY AWAY chronicles the “ex gay" movement’s rise to power, persistent influence, and the profound harm it causes.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShawn Mendes: In Wonder (2020)
A portrait of singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes' life, chronicling the past few years of his rise and journey.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisDrew: The Man Behind the Poster (2013)
A documentary on legendary movie-poster artist Drew Struzan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBeyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (2022)
Explore 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 the challenges faced by the Lightyear crew along the way.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both documentary
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Polymath, or The Life and Opinions of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman (2007)
A portrait of Samuel R. Delany, an award-winning African-American gay author whose credits include everything from science fiction to several issues of the Wonder Woman comic book. Using a range of experimental techniques and borrowed footage from Delany's home movies, Taylor captures his subject's thoughts on racism, violence, and his struggles with sexual identity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Things We Dare Not Do (2020)
In the small Mexican coastal village of El Roblito, 16-year-old Ñoño lives what seems to be an idyllic existence with his loving family. But he holds a secret. Defying gender norms, Ñoño works up the courage to tell his family he wants to live his life as a woman, a fraught decision in a country shrouded in machismo and transphobia.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Our Gay Wedding: The Musical (2014)
On 29 March 2014 same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales. Take a front row seat at one of the first gay weddings which will be an extraordinary ceremony in more ways than one - it's a musical.Grooms Benjamin Till and Nathan Taylor have written and staged their entire wedding as a musical – with sung vows, sung readings, a singing registrar and show-stopping ensembles featuring the whole congregation of family, friends and special guests. Even the grooms’ mums sing a heartfelt duet.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Humoristas gráficos y dibujantes de historietas: Francisco Ibáñez (TBA)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Legendary (2020)
An inside look into the effort to preserve Philadelphia's ballroom scene, a black LGBTQ safe-space that has endured for 30 years.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Et il voulut être une femme (1977)
A look on transvestites and transsexuals in early 80's Paris. The documentary focuses on Elisa, a Brazilian transvestite and ends with a filming of a surgical operation male to female.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
A Motherf*cking Life (2026)
Through two years of passion, provocation and porn, young artist Frida Retz’s alternative lifestyle collides with the oldest convention of all: becoming a mother. Frida Retz is a young artist who lives her life unapologetically. In this intimate artist portrait, Frida invites us into a limitless world of porn, creativity and courage. Her art and life becomes a manifesto for breaking free from conventions – from open relationships and producing porn to marrying her platonic partner. Frida herself is a celebration of living freely and authentically. But her values and artistic projects are put to the test when she is faced with one of the most traditional milestones of all: motherhood. This debut is a tender and fearless portrait. Capturing Frida’s world of sex, love and art.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Shopping for Superman (2025)
An in-depth look at the history of comic book shops and how they and the people that run them continue to make a difference. Through interviews with industry professionals and the shop owners themselves, Shopping For Superman, explores the cultural significance and ever evolving relevance of your friendly neighborhood comic shop.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Maruxak: Vente con nosotras (TBA)
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
Where Memory Dwells (2024)
Donde habite la memoria is a documentary that explores the testimonies of Julieta González and Fabiana Gutiérrez, two trans women who survived the last civil-military dictatorship in Argentina. They were illegally detained in the former clandestine detention and torture center "Pozo de Banfield" between 1976 and 1977.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both documentary
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics?
The closest matches to No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics are Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), The Last Repair Shop (2024) and Tab Hunter Confidential (2015). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics?
Start with Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), the closest match to No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics.
What is the highest-rated movie like No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics?
Crumb (1995), rated 7.6/10 by 300 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics?
A Motherf*cking Life (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics?
Yes: Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016), The Last Repair Shop (2024) and Tab Hunter Confidential (2015).
How are movies similar to No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.