In the years before Ronald Reagan took office, Manhattan was in ruins. But true art has never come from comfort, and it was precisely those dire circumstances that inspired artists like Jim Jarmusch, Lizzy Borden, and Amos Poe to produce some of their best works. Taking their cues from punk rock and new wave music, these young maverick filmmakers confronted viewers with a stark reality that stood in powerful contrast to the escapist product being churned out by Hollywood.

Halftime
2022
6.9/10

Stop Making Sense
1984
8.3/10

Take Your Pills
2018
6.5/10

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
1988
6.8/10

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
2021
6.8/10

The Filth and the Fury
2000
6.9/10

Hot Girls Wanted
2015
6.1/10

Foxy Brown
1974
6.3/10

The Last Waltz
1978
7.7/10

Whitney: Can I Be Me
2017
6.5/10

Janis: Little Girl Blue
2015
7.3/10

The Punk Singer
2013
7.1/10

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale
2009
7.0/10

The Decline of Western Civilization
1981
7.2/10

WHAM!
2023
7.4/10

Tupac: Resurrection
2003
7.9/10

Dua Lipa: Studio 2054
2020
9.0/10

Justin Bieber's Believe
2013
7.0/10

Dig!
2004
6.7/10

To Be Takei
2014
7.2/10
Kaleidoscope
1999
5/10