Film
Union
Union is a three-minute documentary celebrating Virginia Union University's football team as a portrait of collective purpose. It's a brief, concentrated look at what it means to move together toward something larger than yourself—the kind of film that works best in a festival context or paired with other shorts.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like a quick, warm glimpse of a team pulling in one direction, the way a short documentary can catch a group's rhythm in just a few minutes.
Skip it if you want a story with a clear arc and plenty of background, since at three minutes this is a brief snapshot that leaves most questions open.
What it asks of you: Its shape is brief and unhurried: about three minutes of watching the team move together, with no need to follow a plot or keep track of characters.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Hoop Dreams1994
A landmark sports documentary that follows two basketball players over five years, revealing how systemic forces shape individual ambition and dreams. Intimate and structurally ambitious.
But At three hours, it's a serious time commitment, and the portrait it paints of American opportunity is often bleak rather than triumphant.
Free Solo2018
A hypnotic documentary about a climber attempting to scale a 3,000-foot rock face with no rope. Meditative, visually stunning, entirely gripping.
But The real appeal is the individual obsession and risk, not team dynamics—a very different kind of sports story.
O.J.: Made in America2016
An epic, forensic dive into celebrity, race, justice and myth-making through the lens of one NFL star's life. Cinematically brilliant and morally reckoning.
But It's eight hours and deeply focused on scandal and tragedy. The opposite of celebratory.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Union
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Moonlight2016
Like Union, it finds dignity and connection in moments of quiet togetherness between men—but Moonlight is about romantic and fraternal love across decades, while Union captures athletic unity in seconds.
Three chapters in the life of a Black man, told in fragments and silences. It's about intimacy, vulnerability, and how we form bonds—structured like a poem, not a narrative.
But Zero plot momentum. It's contemplative and sometimes sparse; if you want conventional storytelling, this refuses it.
More like this (6)
The Two Escobars2010
A 90-minute weave of two men named Escobar whose lives intersect through Colombian football during the drug war. History, sport, and tragedy in smart storytelling.
But Heavy subject matter. Not a sports celebration—it's a grim political and personal tragedy.
Senna2010
An elegant documentary following the rivalry between two Formula 1 drivers, built from archival footage and interviews. Visually gorgeous, narratively masterful.
But Requires some interest in racing. The emotional arc is known to history if you know the story.
Man on Wire2008
A heist-thriller documentary about a tightrope walker who illegally strung a wire between the Twin Towers and walked across. A true story told with thriller pacing.
But It's more caper than meditation—if you want something quieter or more grounded, this isn't it.
The Battered Bastards of Baseball2014
A joyful documentary about a ragtag independent baseball team that competed against major leagues in the 1980s. Genuinely fun and full of underdog heart.
But It's lighter weight than some of these others—some viewers want deeper sociological examination.
Murderball2005
A documentary about wheelchair rugby players preparing for the Paralympics. Raw, funny, and it shatters assumptions about disability and competition.
But Some find the tone inconsistent—it swings between uplift and unflinching honesty in ways that can feel tonal.
The Act of Killing2012
Both examine what it means to gather collectively, but where Union shows people unified toward life and sport, this shows how easily people unite toward evil—a dark mirror of collective purpose.
A documentary asking death-squad leaders in Indonesia to recreate their killings in film. Surreal, horrifying, and a profound meditation on how humans process and perform atrocity.
But It's morally difficult, often grotesque, and asks you to sit with unspeakable violence. Not difficult in the way hard truths are—difficult because it's genuinely disorienting.
People
Directing
- Kevin Jerome EversonDirector