The Thin Blue Line

Tuesday, July 7 - Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Errol Morris transformed the documentary forever with his boundary-breaking hybrid that intentionally interrogates the division between truth and fiction. Through dramatic reenactments and provocative interviews, all wrapped in a mesmerizing score by Philip Glass, THE THIN BLUE LINE tells the fascinating and controversial story of the arrest and trial of Randall Adams for the murder of a Dallas policeman in 1976. The film itself proved instrumental in overturning Adams’s death-row conviction. Endlessly influential, “the first movie mystery to actually solve a murder” remains as surprising, entertaining and fresh as ever. THE THIN BLUE LINE was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2001.

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

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Previously screened as part of the series Documentary Now…And Forever!

• Country USA
• Year 1988
• Running Time 103 minutes
• Format DCP
• Distributor IndieCollect
• Director Errol Morris
• Cast Randall Adams, David Ray Harris
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.