The documentary form continued to flex its power even in 2022, delivering stories and perspectives of astonishing breadth and sometimes granular artistry. Across these brilliant films, the mysterious is interrogated, the accepted is challenged, and the past is reckoned with, but what we¡¯re always left with is the human heart¡¯s resilience to do all that necessary interrogating, challenging and reckoning. Here is a list of best documentaries of all time to watch if you love watching the real take on topics.
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales. Tilikum, a captive killer whale, has taken the lives of three people. This impassioned documentary tells his story to unravel the consequences of keeping orcas in captivity and reveal how little is known about these highly intelligent mammals.
Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world. The infamous, shadowy British graffiti street artist Banksy has literally left his mark on cities throughout the world. He comes in contact with Thierry Guetta, a Los Angeles-based Frenchman who videotapes various underground art escapades, and later is transformed into an art phenomenon dubbed "Mr. Brainwash." Rhys Ifans narrates an overlapping documentary where the line between what is real and what might be fake blurs, as modern art and celebrity are put under the microscope.
A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. In 2001, 28-year-old Dr. Andrew Bagby was found dead in a park in Pennsylvania. He had been shot by his ex-girlfriend, who then fled to Canada, where she was able to walk free on bail, pregnant with Andrew's child. Andrew's enraged parents campaign to gain custody of the child and convict their son's killer. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne pairs this story with home movies and interviews with those who knew Andrew, hoping to give his best friend's son an opportunity to discover who his dad was.
Pieced together from Timothy Treadwell's actual video footage, Werner Herzog's remarkable documentary examines the calling that drove Treadwell to live among a tribe of wild grizzly bears on an Alaskan reserve. A devoted conservationist with a passion for adventure, Timothy believed he had bridged the gap between human and beast. When one of the bears he loved and protected tragically turns on him, the footage he shot serves as a window into our understanding of nature and its grim realities.
Filmed over nearly five years in 25 countries on five continents, and shot on 70mm film, experience the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Professional rock climber Alex Honnold attempts to conquer the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 900-meter vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park.
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers. Filmmakers expose the horrifying mass executions of accused communists in Indonesia and those who are celebrated in their country for perpetrating the crime.
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
The global financial meltdown that took place in Fall 2008 caused millions of job and home losses and plunged the United States into a deep economic recession. Matt Damon narrates a documentary that provides a detailed examination of the elements that led to the collapse and identifies key financial and political players. Director Charles Ferguson conducts a wide range of interviews and traces the story from the United States to China to Iceland to several other global financial hot spots.
Documentary photographer Zana Briski journeyed into Calcutta's underworld to photograph the city's prostitutes. In return, she offered to teach the prostitutes' children the basics of photography so that the kids could document their own lives on the streets of one of the world's poorest cities. The resulting photographs, often astonishing, were exhibited around the world; many of them are seen in this film, which won the Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2005.
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez. Though he faded into obscurity in the US, an early 1970s musician known as Rodriguez became a huge hit in South Africa and was widely rumored to have died. Two obsessed fans set out to learn the man's true fate.