I think the most recent documentary film I saw was Sicko. Saw it being shared after the insurance CEO issue.
Just shared a recent example I remember, films from all language or region are ok.
The grab
Last train home
Moment of contact
The Mole (under cover in North Korea)
Seven (Dylan Avery)
Wodaabe
Grizzly Man
The Truffle Hunters
Pig butchering scams
My co-worker was a victim of one of these scams for 5 years, and she wouldn’t listen when we tried to tell her because in her mind the guy was totally real
Kneecap. Say no more.
Very moving documentary about assisted suicide.
Dave not coming back
I have a bit of an ocean/diving fear and some mild claustrophobia, so this is the perfect doc to scare the crap out of me
Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.
- The Farthest (about NASA’s Voyager missions)
- Hurt Locker Hero / The Deminer (about Fakhir Berwari, a bomb disposal expert who disarmed thousands of landmines in Iraq with just a pocket knife and a pair of wire clippers)
- The Devil We Know (tells the story of DuPont’s decades-long cover-up of the harm caused by chemicals used to make its popular non-stick Teflon products)
All three are very good, very moving documentaries.
Thanks for these. Will add them to my list.
Yay, I was going to say The Farthest too! Amazing doc, that I was lucky enough to see at the cinema, with the director present to talk about it afterwards.
Highly recommend.
Oh wow, that must have been amazing. I only saw it when the BBC broadcast it. But I don’t think I’ve ever been so moved by a science documentary.
I found The Ambassador by Mads Brügger to be particularly gripping, he goes too far and realizes that he’s gone too far and many uncomfortable truths are revealed:
I love documentaries. There are so many amazing ones and I regret that they don’t get as much attention as the biggest fiction films, even though I love those too.
Here are two documentaries that immediately spring to mind because they made a big impression on me:
If you can stomach it…The Act of Killing is an amazing documentary. Harrowing stuff.
Absolutely! If you haven’t watched it yet, Dark Days is also harrowing, if not as much as The Act of Killing.
I watched Lemmy(2010) yesterday.
Key points.
Lemmy Kilmister was a gamer.
Lemmy(social network) is named after Lemmy Kilmister.
A well produced documentary about a hugely influential man.
The Battle of Chile is a three part documentary about the military coup against Salvador Allende in the 1970s. Patricio Guzman and his associates recognized that crazy things were about to happen and took to the streets to capture as much footage as they could, knowing that a record needed to be kept. One of the cameramen was disappeared, tortured, and presumably killed, while the others smuggled the footage out to Cuba.
It may feel too prescient for American audiences now. Gods, it was plenty powerful to me as an American watching in 2012. It is well worth your time.
Added to my watchlist, thanks!
Rye Coalition: The Story of the Hard Luck 5
If you like rock docs this is a good one.
Heres a list of documentaries i made (loosely) of a niche genre. They are all documentaries that started about one thing but ended up being about something else.
9/11 (2001) American Movie An Honest Liar As the Palaces Burn Calabasas 1/26/20 Capturing the Friedmans Capturing the Light Citizenfour Collective Dave Not Coming Back Dear Zachary Dig! It Fairytale of Kathmandu Gimme Shelter Grizzly Man Hearts of Darkness Hoop Dreams Hurricane on the Bayou I am Trying to Break Your Heart Icarus In the Jinx Into the Deep Into the Inferno Life With Murder Lost in La Mancha Marjoe Minding the Gap My Kid Could Paint That Operation Odessa Overnight Rock and Roll Nerd Sasquatch Savile Searching for Sugarman Seaspiracy Shemans March (1985) Sherpa Stevies The Estonia The Hamiltons The Imposter The Jinx The Queen of Versailles The Revolution Will Not Be Televised The Sweatbox The Thin Blue Line The Woman Who Wasn’t There There Are No Fakes Tickled Vernon, Florida Weiner Wrestling With Shadows
What are some good documentaries?
Lists every documentary ever made
3 - 5 titles would be an appropriate number of documentaries to suggest here.
God Loves Uganda - about the impact of American Christian missionaries from megachurches on the people and politics of Uganda. It’s from 2013 and is in desperate need of an update, but it’s still very good.
The Punk Singer - documentary about the life and music of Kathleen Hanna, pioneer of “riot grrrl” punk feminism. I love the music and vibes, and Kathleen Hanna is also just a really interesting [real-life] character.The Last Repair Shop.
