Film

TINA

Name: TINA
Genre: Documentary, Music
Released: 2021
Cast: Tina Turner, Carl Arrington, Ike Turner, Le'June Fletcher, Oprah Winfrey

Tina Turner's authorized documentary is a masterclass in resilience and reinvention. Director Dan Lindsay weaves archival footage, intimate interviews, and her own reflections into a portrait of an artist who clawed her way from abuse and poverty to become a global phenomenon. It's as much about survival as stardom.

TMDb rating

3.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love music documentaries that build a life story around one performer's own voice, and you don't mind a portrait that leans on memory and archive footage to carry the emotion.

Skip it if you want a probing look at its subject, since this is a warm, admiring account that rarely pushes past the story its star chooses to tell.

What it asks of you: Expect a steady, just under two hours of interview and archive material, unhurried and reflective, with the emotional weight carried by memory rather than by quick cuts or spectacle.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

20 Feet from Stardom2013

Explores the untold stories of backup singers who shaped pop music from the shadows. Like Tina's story, it's about artists fighting for recognition and their place in music history.

But Some of the women featured are less widely known, so their individual arcs may feel less immediately gripping than Tina's.

I Am Not Your Negro2017

James Baldwin's examination of Black identity and Hollywood through the eyes of three murdered civil rights figures. Shares Tina's unflinching look at race, violence, and the cost of visibility.

But Dense, essayistic, and deliberately challenging. Not a traditional narrative arc—it demands active engagement.

Amy2015

Asif Kapadia's portrait of Amy Winehouse uses archival material to chronicle a talented artist's descent. Parallels Tina's story but from the opposite end—the cost of fame and the roads not taken.

But Deeply sad and somewhat claustrophobic. The ending is already known, which can drain some narrative tension.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from TINA

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Life of Brian1979

Both documents the spiritual and vocal roots of Black American music, and how religious tradition informs secular stardom. Tina's voice is gospel before it's anything else.

Documentary following David Holodiloff as he travels the American South gathering gospel singers. Captures the spiritual tradition and raw vocal power that shaped Tina's art before rock and roll. Quiet, reverential, immersive.

But Entirely focused on amateur and semi-professional singers with no commercial aspirations. Feels archival and meditative rather than exciting, without the narrative drive of Tina's story.

What Happened, Miss Simone?2015

Nina Simone's documentary explores artistry, activism, and the price paid by Black women who refused to compromise. A spiritual companion to Tina's journey—equally fierce, equally unafraid.

But Heavy focus on her later struggles with mental health and exile. Some viewers may find the tone bleaker than Tina's more redemptive arc.

The Two Escobars2010

A tense dual biography exploring fame, power, and morality in Colombia. Like Tina's film, it grapples with the darker contexts surrounding iconic figures.

But Concerns cocaine trafficking and violence. Tonally very different—this is a crime story, not a triumph narrative.

Respect2021

Aretha Franklin's authorized biographical drama covers similar ground—a towering Black female artist's climb from pain to global stardom. Released the same year and same spirit of celebration.

But Dramatized rather than documentary, so it lacks the authenticity and direct testimony that makes Tina feel so immediate.

13th2016

Ava DuVernay's examination of mass incarceration and structural racism provides essential context for understanding the America Tina came up in and fled from.

But Polemic and systemic rather than personal. Viewers looking for individual stories may find it abstract.

Becoming2020

Michelle Obama's documentary captures a similar spirit—a woman reclaiming her narrative and reflecting on a life lived in public with remarkable grace and wit.

But More recent and gentler in tone. Doesn't engage with the same raw violence that makes Tina's story so urgent.

The Deuce2017

Both examine how women survive abuse and economic powerlessness. Tina's story could have gone the way of The Deuce's characters. The difference between them is luck, talent, and sheer will.

David Simon's miniseries about New York's sex trade in the '70s and '80s explores survival, exploitation, and the small rebellions within systems of control. Shares Tina's unflinching look at what women endure and how they fight back.

But Graphic depictions of sexual violence and addiction. Deliberately unglamorous. No redemptive arc waiting—it's about scrapping through, not transcendence.