
Ask HN: What documentaries are worth watching? - chunky1994
I'd really like to know, which documentaries truly provide insight into what they are documenting, and what sort of documentaries other hackers out there watch.
======
yuvadam
The best documentary I've seen in a while is Restrepo (2010) [1,2].

Probably the best insight you can get on a platoon's experience in what is (or
rather, was) probably the most contested area in Afghanistan.

[1] - <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559549/>

[2] - <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrepo_%28film%29>

~~~
silvestrov
Armadillo is even more real: they put cameras on the soldiers helmets and
filmed a real shooting with the Taliban soldiers. You see the Danish soldiers
shooting Taliban soldiers, and you see the Danish solders dragging the dead
bodies out of the hiding place. They even show a shell shocked Danish soldier
after he was hit.

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640680/>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo_(film)> The film won the Grand Prix de
la Semaine de la Critique at Cannes. It created a huge debate in Denmark about
the engagement in Afghanistan.

~~~
silvestrov
Warning: NSFA (not safe for anything).

The shooting:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PcvDrYd8-4&t=15m45s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PcvDrYd8-4&t=15m45s)

The dead taliban scene:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfke2X6joko&t=3m10s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfke2X6joko&t=3m10s)

Trailer (switch to HD!): <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DDuRraJbOg>

------
blumentopf
Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron:_The_Smartest_Guys_in_the...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron:_The_Smartest_Guys_in_the_Room)

March of the Penguins (2005)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_of_the_Penguins>

Code Rush (2000) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Rush>

Losers and Winners (2006) <http://www.losers-and-winners.net/index_en.htm>
Documentary about the dismantling of a German coking plant, the most modern in
the world, by Chinese workers in 2003, who shipped the plant to China and
built several clones of it there. The plant was sold to China for a minor sum
when the steel price was at an all time low and politicians believed the price
would stay there. The steel price has since skyrocketed.

Weltmarktführer (2004) <http://www.weltmarktfuehrer-derfilm.de/> Excellent
documentary about the rise and fall of IT-startup Biodata and its founder Tan
Siekmann during the dotcom boom and bust, alas only available in German.

~~~
sb
"Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room" seconded! It is by far my most
favourite documentary.

In addition, I like the following documentaries:

\- "Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer"
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1638362/>

\- "Planet Earth" IMHO one of BBC's best productions with some of the most
amazing nature shots ever (e.g., a [presumably stratospheric] shot that looks
like fog or fire but is really a swarm of flies)
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795176/>

\- BBC has also two of the best documentary series regarding the second world
war: "The World at War" (<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071075/>) and "The
Nazis: A Warning from History" (<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207907/>)

\- Errol Morris' "The Thin Blue Line" (<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096257/>)
and "The Fog of War" (<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317910/>)

~~~
natural219
Really? I thought "The Smartest Guys in the Room" was very boring -- I learned
literally nothing about the Enron scandal other than "some guys were pretty
greedy." Most of the documentary was segments of people describing how
unethical management was, while barely elucidating on what actually happened.

------
sylvinus
Banksy's documentary/mockumentary :
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exit_Through_the_Gift_Shop>

~~~
lolcraft
Just saw it. Glorious. A two hour guide on how to hack the art market, and a
fine piece of film. Do recommend.

------
bobds
I've recently enjoyed several episodes of the Vanguard series. There are full
episodes of the first 3 seasons available on YouTube:

<http://current.com/shows/vanguard/>

[http://www.youtube.com/show?p=8NtSYAZY9Y8&s=3](http://www.youtube.com/show?p=8NtSYAZY9Y8&s=3)

On a similar note, The Vice Guide to Travel:

<http://www.vbs.tv/watch/the-vice-guide-to-travel>

Adam Curtis is the creator of various interesting pieces. Some of his
documentaries are mentioned in this thread:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curtis>

I've also enjoyed many of Werner Herzog's films.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Herzog#Filmography>

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_Wo...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_World)

The Yes Men are quite entertaining.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World>

<http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/>

Man on Wire.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire>

Cocaine Cowboys.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine_cowboys>

~~~
jgranby
+1 Herzog. His latest 'documentary', Cave of Forgotten Dreams, is wonderful.

~~~
bobds
For those that don't know Werner, he's the kind of guy that says "It's not a﻿
significant bullet" after getting shot with a pellet gun:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXqc8TQ15w>

------
wallflower
Triumph of the Nerds is inspirational and makes you feel like geeks can make
something out of nothing.

Ken Burns' documentary on Frank Lloyd Wright makes you feel like you identify
with a singular drive for vision above all else (The SC Johnson headquarters
in Racine, WI are heavenly but the roof leaks buckets)

Not truly a documentary but "My Architect" is a moving journey by Louis Kahn's
son to try to understand his father he never really knew through the works he
left behind

<http://www.pbs.org/flw/>

<http://www.myarchitectfilm.com/>

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_X._Cringely>

~~~
thinkdevcode
found triumph of the nerds on Google videos,

=>
[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2539790754467363791...](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2539790754467363791#)

------
BioGeek
Kevin Kelly has an extensive collection of what he calls True Films [1]: "I
define true films as documentaries, educational films, instructional how-to's,
and what the British call factuals - a non-fiction visual account."

He has also released an ebook where he offers rave reviews of 150 great true
films. Each film gets a short review of why it is worth your time, and then
features 4 or 5 screen grabs from the film to show you what the texture and
style of the film is. It also includes a picture of the cover and indicate
where you can rent it (say on Netflix) or purchase it (from Amazon).

What is he looking for in a great true film? "It must be factual. It must
surprise me, but not preach to me. If it introduces me to a world or
subculture that I never thought about before, even better. There's a plot - a
transformation from beginning to the end."

[1] <http://truefilms.com/> [2] <http://www.kk.org/books/true-films.php>

------
nhebb
James Burke's Connections, with each episode showing how one idea sparks a
chain of inventions and innovations resulting in something seemingly unrelated
several centuries later.

<http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/james-burke-connections/>

~~~
cma
You should also check out Bronowski's Ascent of Man, it was made with many of
the same people, before Connections. Later, they again worked on Carl Sagan's
Cosmos.

~~~
gruseom
I have a bias against Bronowski from years ago, when I heard him say that man
is unique among animals because only man plays, and science is his play. I
remember thinking - good lord, man, have you never seen a cat?

~~~
cma
I had a lot of problems with him in the documentary, especially his dismissals
of certain cultures based on extremely sparse data from archeological records.
But it was still good overall.

------
trun
One of my favorites is The Fog of War (2003) -
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_fog_of_war>

Besides being an incredible individual, I found Robert McNamara's lessons to
be surprisingly relevant to the startup world.

~~~
blendergasket
I love Errol Morris's documentaries (the maker of The Fog of War). You might
want to check out Gates of Heaven. It's one of my favorite documentaries. It's
about the owners of 2 pet cemetaries and is one of the most profound movies
I've ever seen. Also, the cinematography in it is amazing.

Errol Morris said that the way he gets such amazingly candid confessions out
of people is that he asks a question, the interviewee answers it, then Errol
Morris just sits there. The interviewee feels the need to fill the silence and
that's where the gold comes out.

------
DrJokepu
If you find things like graphic design, typesetting or industrial design
interesting, you will definitely enjoy "Helvetica" and "Objectified" from Gary
Hustwit.

~~~
baddox
In my case, I enjoyed the former much more than the latter.

------
thomaspaine
King of Kong. Donkey Kong was a little before my time, but the characters are
so amazing that it's almost hard to believe it's a documentary.

Cosmos. Because it's Carl Sagan.

~~~
city41
Keep in mind King of Kong's accuracy is quite widely disputed, including by
the people who were the subjects of the film. The filmmaker pumped up the
drama between everyone quite a bit. Still a fun documentary.

~~~
rick888
IF you want to see a documentary without the pumped up drama, check out
"chasing ghosts". Not as good as King of Kong, but still interesting.

------
patio11
The Colonel Comes to Japan -- only about 30 minutes long IIRC, about KFC's
foray into Japan in the late 1970s. Absolutely fascinating, both for the Japan
angle and for the CEO's take on running a business. (He attributes most of
their success to finding the right people and trusting them to do their job
correctly rather than imposing his will from the top.)

~~~
auzieo
I failed to find it except as a VHS in a few university libraries, none of
which are in my country. Where did you purchase your copy?

~~~
patio11
Sorry, I watched it at university. I do not know where one would purchase a
copy these days. You might try sending a letter to KFC Investor Relations
(seriously -- this department bends over backwards to say Yes in most
companies).

------
gallerytungsten
Werner Herzog has made a number of excellent documentaries. Here are a few of
them with brief summaries.

Lessons of Darkness: the aftermath of the first Gulf War in Kuwait.

Little Dieter Wants to Fly: A young German emigrates to the USA, become a Navy
pilot, and is shot down in Vietnam. He escapes and lives to tell the tale.
Herzog later re-made this as Rescue Dawn, but the original version is better.

Encounters at the End of the World: Herzog travels to Antarctica.

My Best Fiend: Herzog recounts his movie-making with Klaus Kinski. (For the
counterpoint, read Kinski's autobiography, "Kinski Uncut.)

The White Diamond: an experimental zeppelin flies over Guyana.

Grizzly Man: Bear aficionado gets too close and is eaten. Herzog assembled
this one from the aficonado's footage and narrates.

Out of all of these, I'd rate "Dieter" as the best.

~~~
gnosis
I didn't really like Little Dieter. Herzog's best films were made in the early
part of his career (back in the 1970's), and he's gotten a lot weaker with
age.

Herzog's masterpiece is Aguirre:

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068182/>

It is head and shoulders above anything else he's ever made.

Fitzcarraldo and Nosferatu are also good:

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083946/>

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079641/>

The rest of his films range from awful to meh.

------
illumin8
Objectified - a great documentary about good industrial design and what makes
products usable.

~~~
aaronbrethorst
+1. I watched this on a whim on Friday and absolutely loved it. The film is
worth watching just for the interviews with Jonathan Ive, Apple's senior VP of
industrial design.

Also, The Pixar Story is terrific. Plus, both documentaries are on Netflix
Instant.

------
jakobkpoulsen
True Films, as suggested by BioGeek, has an extensive list of documentaries
and offers thorough reviews.

Personally I use Movielens.org to keep track of movies - and based on your
ratings it'll predict which other movies, including documentaries, you might
enjoy.

Some of the documentaries I enjoyed are: \- Armadillo (2010). Armadillo
centers on a group of soldiers, as do Restrepo, and in particular a mission
where Taliban soldiers allegedly are liquidated. The documentary does a good
job depicting the chaos of war situations with helmet-mounted cameras. \-
Sharkwater (2006). To me, much more moving and worrying than The Cove. \-
Surfwise (2007). A surf movie that isn't about surfing, but instead tells the
story of being brought up in an alternative lifestyle.

------
dgallagher
Startup.com

It's a reminder of how crazy things were during the .com boom. Also, on how
not to start a company.

~~~
discover
I came here to say startup.com, I'd add "Pseudo" as a very good one for a bust
of the video streaming space. Silicon Valley pirates, although not entirely
factual, is very good for the few who have yet to watch it.

~~~
philco
+1 Startup.com - great movie

------
cromulent
Planet Earth.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Earth_(TV_series)>

------
soitgoes
Beautiful Young Minds: Youngsters hoping to represent Britain in the
International Maths Olympiad 2006.

Tetris: From Russia with Love - This is the fascinating story behind the game
set against the backdrop of Cold War tensions between East and West.

Revolution OS

Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires

N is a Number: A Portrait of Paul Erdös

The Ascent of Man: Written and presented by Jacob Bronowski.

Cosmos: Carl Sagan

------
VanceRefrig
Waiting For Superman
--<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waiting_for_%22Superman%22>

Man on Wire is a must <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire>

~~~
thomaspaine
I liked Waiting for Superman a little better, but The Lottery is also good and
touches on very similar themes. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1515935/>

------
lukestevens
The Fog of War is fantastic as mentioned, but the best part is you can watch
it in full, for free on Google Video:
[http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=-8653788864462752...](http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=-8653788864462752804#)

------
habeanf
The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcYBSXgtmKQ> \- Episode 1 of 4, the rest are
also on youtube

It's a bit tendentious but overall insightful and interesting IMO.

------
diogenescynic
Marwencol. It's about an alcoholic guy who in his late 40s gets beaten up by a
gang of teens, get's brain damage. Has to relearn everything, essentially
forming a second life. He also creates this entire miniature WWII town that he
vividly details/photographs and creates elaborate stories. It is superbly
done: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1391092/>

------
mun2mun
AskReddit has numerous discussion about this topic [1]. Also check out
Documentaries subreddit [2].

[1]
[http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/search?q=documentary&r...](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/search?q=documentary&restrict_sr=on&sort=top)

[2] <http://www.reddit.com/r/Documentaries/>

------
LarryA
Here are some nerdy ones:

"BBS: The Documentary" and "Get Lamp" by Jason Scott are a couple great hacker
docs, about BBSs and Interactive Fiction Games (though I would have to say
they have a more Apple/wintel PC bent over other computers, but still
historically interesting). Both have many great interviews with BBS and
interactive fiction luminaries.

Tilt - The Battle to Save Pinball, this one covers the trials and tribualtions
of Pinball 2000 the development of a digital/analog pinball hybrid. There's
also The History of Pinball, its not as fancy but it's interesting.

The King of Kong is slightly entertaining about the world of Donkey Kong high
scores and a peek into competitive arcade game competitions.

Revolution OS - About Linux/GNU kinda dry but interesting interviews.

Deathbed Vigil...and other tales of digital angst. Documents the last days of
Commodore when it went bankrupt in 1994. I think mainly interesting to
Commodore fans or folks who enjoyed seeing commodore fail...

------
subpixel
If you only ever watch one film, watch American Movie <http://bit.ly/lXSB8X>

It's a film about art, entrepreneurialism, and delusion. Also friends and
family.

~~~
waterlesscloud
Very strongly second this. Excellent film that will make you look hard at what
you're doing with your time.

------
qF
Any documentary by Louis Theroux, true gems when it comes to documentaries;
<http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0857621/>

He will surprise you every time with the kind of stuff he asks and that people
will give him actual answers, really great stuff.

------
dhess
Here's the best documentary I've seen in years: Please Vote for Me, a film
covering 3rd graders in a Chinese primary school running for class monitor:

<http://pleasevoteforme.org/>

(Available for streaming on Netflix.)

------
TamDenholm
Bigger Stronger Faster* - Awesome documentary on steroid use in weightlifting,
really thought provoking.

Alone in the Wilderness - A guy that is built like Popeye goes into the Yukon
and builds a log cabin by hand. I think its really inspirational.

------
ShabbyDoo
Art & Copy (<http://www.artandcopyfilm.com/>). It's the story of how
advertising went from a staid, "old boys" industry to one where creative
talent prevailed.

------
nikcub
Bus 174: <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=640542737328166572>

imdb: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340468/>

Murder on a Sunday Morning: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z2jtha8Oqg>

imdb: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0307197/>

both awe-inspiring

------
city41
Roger and Me -- Michael Moore's first documentary. It's a bit more subtle,
level headed and even than his later stuff. A really good look at what
happened to Michigan after the big three started moving factories out.

God Grew Tired of Us -- About Sudanese refugees who come to live in America.
They'd literally never seen any modern conveniences ever. For example they had
to be taught how to use a toilet. Very fascinating.
<http://www.godgrewtiredofus.com/about.html>

------
naryad
"Animals are beautiful people" is great :
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_Are_Beautiful_People>

------
phil
Dark Days is great. It's about people living in a train tunnel in NYC:
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235327/>

Errol Morris' movies are all good. Fast, Cheap and Out of Control is pretty
widely known. But also check out The Thin Blue Line, which is built around
multiple reconstructions of a crime scene and got a death penalty sentence
reversed: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096257/>

~~~
Aga
I also recommend Fast, Cheap and Out of Control. Before seeing it, I didn't
really understand that documentary is an art form of its own, not just a
collection of facts put together.

The film is composed of four interviews that seem to have nothing in common at
all. Yet somehow it is compiled in a way that it makes very much sense in a
way I cannot really describe. I have to watch it again, it will be interesting
to see how it makes me feel nowadays.

------
evo_9
This is the kind of thread that would have benefited from seeing Karma... just
saying (and I thought the vote a few weeks back indicated they were coming
back).

Ah well.

------
tobylane
Brian Cox's various physics and astronomy series [1]

I hear high praises for Carl Sagan's Cosmos[2]

Michael Mosley is very good at telling you about medicine [3]

David Attenborough is just him really, world's most famous natural history
presenter? Watch again every time you upgrade your TV [4] [5]

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Cox_(physicist)#Televisio...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Cox_\(physicist\)#Television)
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos:_A_Personal_Voyage>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Mosley>
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Attenborough#Filmography>
[http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Collection-David-
Attenborough-D...](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Collection-David-Attenborough-
Disc/dp/B000B3MJ1E)

------
parenthesis
_Man on Wire_ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_on_Wire>

------
gnosis
_"Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills"_

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117293/>

A group of young men are accused of murder because, basically, they look like
goths and have the misfortune of living in a conservative Christian community.

\---

The _"Seven Up"_ series:

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058578/>

A group of British kids from various socio-economic backgrounds are
interviewed starting when they are 7 years old, and interviewed again every 7
years.

\---

 _"Manufacturing Consent"_

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104810/>

Based on Noam Chomsky's book about the influence the mass media and other
institutions have on Americans.

\---

 _"Crumb"_

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109508/>

The life of Robert Crumb, a hugely influential underground cartoonist.

\---

 _"Born Rich"_

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0342143/>

About kids who are born in to insanely wealthy families.

------
diz
Two great documentaries that focus on China, which I have not seen listed:

Manufactured Landscapes:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufactured_Landscapes>

Up The Yangtze: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_the_Yangtze>

------
sho_hn
The overall best general history documentation I've seen is Simon Schama's "A
History of Britain":

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Britain_%28TV_seri...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Britain_%28TV_series%29)

<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0273359/>

------
LocalMan
Steve Blank on the Secret History of Silicon Valley:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFSPHfZQpIQ>

History of electronic warfare -- very surprising, recently declassified stuff.
Plus the history of Silicon Valley itself, from a pro-valley perspective.

------
dstein
I've been enjoying the Discovery channel's "Through the Wormhole"
(<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1513168/>). They cover a lot of the latest
theories of the universe, time, physics etc, in an accessible way.

------
wvl
Food and Health:

Fat Head (2009) <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333994/> Especially if you've
seen "Super Size Me", but even if you haven't, an amusing yet educational take
on the obesity "epidemic".

Food, Inc. (2008) <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537/> \- Exposing the
absurdity of our industrial food economy.

Music and Entertainment:

Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157605/> Talk
about never giving up on your dreams.

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004) <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387412/>
The other side of fame.

~~~
mrnothere
Some Kind of Monster was one of the funniest movies I've ever seen.

------
illumin8
Inside Job - the best documentary I've seen on the financial crisis of 2008
and what led to it.

------
fab1an
'Status Anxiety' is a very well done documentary on the question of why money
doesn't really buy you happiness: <http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/status-
anxiety/> Highly recommended!

------
nickff
"From the Earth to the Moon" - a 12 part series about the American space
program from Mercury through to the end of the Apollo program, told as stories
from a number of different perspectives, narrated by Tom Hanks:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon_(TV_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_Earth_to_the_Moon_\(TV_miniseries\))

"When We Left Earth" - a history of NASA from Mercury through to the mid
200Xs, including many interviews with engineers and astronauts, narrated by
Gary Sinise <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_We_Left_Earth>

------
rmason
I went down to Ann Arbor this week to see the debut of this documentary on the
birth of the venture capital industry and it was quite good:

<http://www.geekosystem.com/something-ventured-documentary/>

Did you know that Intel's business plan was a single page double spaced and
full of typos?

That Steve Jobs offered his then boss Nolan Bushnell half of Apple Computer
for $50K? Bushnell passed and joked in the movie that he refused to calculate
the return on that investment because it would be too painful ;<).

------
drtse4
\---China:

Last Train Home <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1512201/>

Up The Yangtze <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114277/>

Discovery Channel - The People's Republic of Capitalism - 4 parts series

China Rises, 4 parts CBC series

\---Megacities:

Megacities <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169024/>

BBC Megacities, BBC 3 parts series

\---War:

Fog of War: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317910/>

Restrepo: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559549/>

------
smharris65
You won't find many documentaries as revealing, hopeful, sad, and full of
wisdom about the world of black kids in the American inner city than the
documentary "Hoop Dreams". It's so much more than a story about kinds playing
basketball.

It's almost 3 hours long but it will grab your attention and you'll forget
about time. When I watched it at the movie theatre in the mid-90s I was blown
away by it's depth. I have never watched a better documentary since.

It's free online: <http://www.hulu.com/watch/249576/hoop-dreams>

------
mgcross
Riding Giants: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389326/> Pretty light fare, but
the film footage is beautiful.

Driver 23: <http://fenrisfilms.com/films.html> Awkward, almost painful to
watch, but hard to look away.

Bigger, Stronger, Faster: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1151309/>
Unfortunately, this is the only one of these three available on Netflix
Instant.

------
mparr4
Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth

OK. So It's not _quite_ a documentary... but a wonderful introduction to
Campbell and his ideas taken from interviews with Bill Moyers at the end of
his life.

------
ohashi
If you like eSports, I enjoyed watching BoxeR's wings. Best documentary of a
professional esports player (also the most famous one in the world). It's
about his return to the pro scene and playing starcraft 2 and trying to
compete as an older player who has finished his military service (required in
korea, often quitting point for top pros).

Part 1: <http://gosu.com/2011/06/boxers-wings-part-1/>

------
jibjab
I once made a little list with many of the documentaries I've seen - browsing
through that list; here are my recommendations:

God Grew Tired of Us - about three of the "Lost Boys of Sudan", a group of
some 25,000 young men who have fled the wars in Sudan since the 1980s, and
their experiences as they move to the United States.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Grew_Tired_of_Us>

Darwin's Nightmare - about the environmental and social effects of the fishing
industry around Lake Victoria in Tanzania.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwins_Nightmare>

Deliver Us From Evil - tells the true story of Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady,
who admitted to having molested and raped approximately 25 children in
Northern California between the late 1970s and early 1990s
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliver_Us_from_Evil_(2006_film...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deliver_Us_from_Evil_\(2006_film\))

Shadow Company - an introduction to the mercenary and private military company
industry, concentrating on the role the industry has been playing in recent
conflicts <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Company>

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers - about the ongoing Iraq War and the
behavior of companies with no-bid contracts working in Iraq.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_for_Sale:_The_War_Profitee...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_for_Sale:_The_War_Profiteers)

'Meet the Stans' - a four-part BBC Four series on the stans (Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan etc) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_the_Stans>

'Places That Don't Exist' - a five-part BBC Four series on breakaway states
and unrecognised nations <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Places_That_Dont_Exist>

War Photographer - As well as telling the story of an iconic man in the field
of war photography, the film addresses the broader scope of ideas common to
all those involved in war journalism, as well as the issues that they cover.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Photographer>

Pretty much all seasons/episodes of Vanguard
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_(TV_series)> of which ' The Oxycontin
Express' is the most famous for winning a Peabody award.

Pretty much all episodes of Vice Guide to Travel -
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_Guide_to_Travel>

Many documantaries are available on youtube. Do note though that some of these
documentaries discuss horrible topics, aren't fun to watch and will be stuck
in your mind for a very long time, if not ever.

~~~
Retric
You would probably like King Corn <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1112115/>

------
kleiba
The future of food: <http://www.thefutureoffood.com/>

Earthlings: <http://www.earthlings.com/>

Food Inc.: <http://www.foodincmovie.com/>

Absolut Warhola:
[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Absolut_Warho...](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Absolut_Warhola)

------
rb2k_
The Linguists:

<http://www.thelinguists.com/> | <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172995/>

David and Greg are "The Linguists," who document languages on the verge of
extinction. In the rugged landscapes of Siberia, India, and Bolivia, their
resolve is tested by institutionalized racism and violent economic unrest.

------
spacemanaki
I recently saw Morgan Spurlock's latest, "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" about
advertising and product placement in film, and found it unbiased and quite
funny. It's also got a pretty clever recursive theme that I think a lot of
HNers would enjoy. (edit to add, in case anyone doesn't know, it's a movie
about securing funding for a film about product placement through product
placement)

~~~
sylvinus
His talk at TED was also quite interesting:
[http://www.ted.com/talks/morgan_spurlock_the_greatest_ted_ta...](http://www.ted.com/talks/morgan_spurlock_the_greatest_ted_talk_ever_sold.html)

------
blendergasket
The Take by Naomi Klein is a really interesting documentary about workers in
Argentina breaking into the factories their corrupt bosses closed down after
the economic collapse and working them themselves (sometimes having to
barricade themselves in with the police outside and smuggle the product out
the back of the factory to complicit neighbors who took it to distributors for
them).

------
edo
Startup.com a great first-hand account of the rise and fall of your typical
1999 .com startup right before and during the dotcom bust

------
krishna2
The man who planted trees:

[https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Man_Who_P...](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Man_Who_Planted_Trees)

[http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=man+who+planted+...](http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=man+who+planted+trees&aq=0&oq=man+who+plan)

------
siphr
Well interest in documentaries could be varied by your personal domain of
interest. Since you've not mentioned any particular domain, I'll give you a
list of the ones I think were great.

1\. Century of Self 2\. BBC Horizon Infinity and Beyond 3\. BBC Horizon Is
Seeing Believing 4\. BBC Dangerous Knowledge 5\. The Shadow Factory 6\. Get
Lamp 7\. Human Experience

Hope that helps.

------
tquezada
Our Brand is Crisis for insight into modern political campaigns Armadillo for
an experience that approximates being a soldier

~~~
VanceRefrig
Our brand is crisis was a great, great, great production.

------
damoncali
The Smashing Machine is incredible. It's about the early days of mixed martial
arts.

Restrepo is popular now too, with good reason.

------
jayzee
"Manufacturing Consent:The Political Economy of the Mass Media," by Edward S.
Herman and Noam Chomsky

------
vide0star
A few of my favourite docs:

Spellbound: story about kids entering a spelling bee - great film about the
fabric of America Fog of War: Former Sec of Defence talking about war
Capitalism- a love story: humorous look at our economic system Planet Earth:
Breathtaking view of our environment

------
djhworld
Did anyone watch "Capitalism: A Love Story" by Michael Moore? I remember it
being announced and seeing a trailer for it just after the banking collapse in
2008, but I can't remember ever seeing a formal release for it in the UK or
worldwide

did it tank in the theatres or something?

~~~
kjajula
It is a really good watch and is on netflix. If you like Capitalism : A love
story - then do watch "The corporation"

~~~
blendergasket
I watched The Corporation on Hulu. It was hilarious to watch it perforated by
commercials. Needless to say they didn't have the desired effect.

------
nprincigalli
* Generation Rx - <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xehHwkPpevk>

* Bigger Stronger Faster - <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkL1T-CZPfs>

------
rickdale
Run From The Cure:The Rick Simpson Story I usually can't stand pot
documentaries, but I found this movie to be really good and not about getting
high.

Having said that about pot documentaries, I have to add Super High Me to the
list, because I enjoyed that film as well.

------
jim_lawless
I enjoyed "An Unreasonable Man" ... a biography of consumer advocate and U.S.
presidential candidate Ralph Nader:

[http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/unreasonableman/nader.htm...](http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/unreasonableman/nader.html)

------
sjtgraham
Professor Marcus du Sautoy has made documentaries with the BBC about famous
mathematicians; they're pretty good.

Also, I'm not sure if they qualify as documentaries in the strict sense of the
word, but you can't go wrong with BBC natural history programmes.

------
mrspandex
I recently saw Something Ventured, which is a very entertaining documentary
about early silicon valley venture capitalists.
<http://www.somethingventuredthemovie.com/>

------
gnok
Floored -- A documentary of the floor traders working on Chicago's floors and
how the electronic business is changing their lives.
<http://flooredthemovie.com/community/>

------
paufernandez
If you understand spanish, you might enjoy "Comprar, Tirar, Comprar" (buy,
throw away, buy): <http://www.rtve.es/v/983391/>

It's about the fact that most products now have a "programmed lifespan".

------
sharpn
I loved Fermat's Last Theorum:
<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8269328330690408516#>

And the recent 'Senna' for both capturing the passions involved.

------
EugeneG
Louis Theroux has an incredible set of documentaries
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Louis_Theroux_Documenta...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Louis_Theroux_Documentaries)

------
rajdevar
Bobby Fisher 5 Parts .About Bobby vs Spassky
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKAW173cSjY&feature=relat...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKAW173cSjY&feature=related)

------
adrianwaj
The Money Masters: How International Bankers Gained Control of America.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIjxXEZyhzU>

------
arihelgason
Riot On - a very entertaining and well produced story of dotcom bubble madness
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427783/>

------
anistoon
Documentary about amoral corporations of the modern-day society.
<http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379225/>

------
smh
PG recommended this:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilisation_%28TV_series%29>

------
wahnfrieden
"Crumb" is a charming, interesting and often sad look at Robert Crumb's work
as an artist and his idiosyncratic personal life and relations.

------
Havoc
The Accent of Money.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ascent_of_Money>

------
rcy
Harlan County, USA - <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074605/>

------
bennesvig
Overnight is a fascinating documentary on the self destruction of someone who
experiences overnight success in Hollywood.

------
ulisesroche
Harlan County U.S.A and Hoop Dreams are pretty much mandatory viewing. For a
laugh, I quite enjoyed Monster Camp.

------
jyu
Helvetica <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847817/>

------
neves
The Batle of Argel - the intriguing difference of point of view of a
liberation army or a terrorist group.

------
natural219
If you're interested in education policy, "Waiting for Superman" and "The
Lottery" are both excellent.

------
millxing
Errol Morris: "The Thin Blue Line". If you are pro-death penalty, then you
need to watch this film.

------
sbochins
The thin blue line is a great movie about those who fall through the cracks of
justice.

------
cma
Wild China is pretty amazing, and it's on Neflix Instant.

------
oblique63
This is turning out to be a really awesome list; here are a few others I feel
should be mentioned:

\- Dear Zachery: one of my all time favorite documentaries. Amazingly tragic,
depressing, and infuriating, but extremely well made.
([http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Dear_Zachary_A_Letter_to_a...](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Dear_Zachary_A_Letter_to_a_Son_About_His_Father/70095159?trkid=2361637))

\- The Great Happiness Space: an interesting look into the lives of japanese
male 'escorts'; the unfolding of the moral dilemmas they face in doing their
job is quite fascinating.
([http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Great_Happiness_Space/...](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Great_Happiness_Space/70067160?trkid=2361637))

\- Heavy Metal In Baghdad: If you think running a startup is hard, multiply
that difficulty a couple times just to get an idea of what these guys had to
go through just to be able to play the music they enjoy. Don't have to be a
metalhead to enjoy this one, but it helps \m/
([http://www.vbs.tv/watch/acrassicauda--2/heavy-metal-in-
baghd...](http://www.vbs.tv/watch/acrassicauda--2/heavy-metal-in-baghdad-
feature)), Also, be sure to checkout their follow-up, 'Heavy Metal in
Istanbul' ([http://www.vbs.tv/watch/acrassicauda--2/dvd-extra-heavy-
meta...](http://www.vbs.tv/watch/acrassicauda--2/dvd-extra-heavy-metal-in-
istanbul))

\- Metal A Headbanger's Journey: Another one of my favorites, definitely a
must watch if you're at all into metal; it basically traces the roots of
metal, and explores all the different sub-genres and cultures it has spawned
(<http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/metal-headbangers-journey/>)

\- Standing In The Shadows Of Motown: Great doc about the greatest band no one
has heard of; "This unheralded group of musicians had played on more number
ones hits than the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, Elvis and the Beatles
combined - which makes them the greatest hit machine in the history of popular
music. They called themselves the Funk Brothers."
([http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=7&v...](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=7&ved=0CFkQtwIwBg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D-457607153062514364&ei=TNUHTtmkGYaCsQO1h53BDQ&usg=AFQjCNGz6jUK-
Cl29OKlFuOwpVsxmwU85w))

\- This Film Is Not Yet Rated: about the craziness that happens behind the
film rating process
([http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&v...](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CEQQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.netflix.com%2FMovie%2FThis-
Film-Is-Not-Yet-Rated%2F70043954&ei=A9YHTqKyGY3msQOh_q3DDQ&usg=AFQjCNHrMy-
duaWgtAfbu-0LQqqaoOkaMA))

\- E=mc2 - Einstein and the World's Most Famous Equation: A look into the
history behind all the scientific descoveries that led to Einstein's famous
equation (<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4144497206440839046#>)

\- Maxed out: Great look into the american credit card situation
([http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Maxed-
Out/70058892?trkid=4...](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Maxed-
Out/70058892?trkid=438403))

\- Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock?: A really cool, unique ride through the
business of art ([http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Who-the-Is-Jackson-
Pollock...](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Who-the-Is-Jackson-
Pollock/70064699?trkid=438403))

\- Mr. Death - The Rise and Fall of Fred A Leuchter Jr.: About the fascinating
life of an expert executioner
(<http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=654178281151939378#>)

\- American Drug War: a look into what the war against drugs has done to the
U.S. (<http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/american-drug-war/>)

\- Between The Folds: A surprisingly interesting oragami documentary
([http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Between-the-
Folds/70120179...](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Between-the-
Folds/70120179?trkid=438403))

I'm sure I know of plenty more great ones, but these are all that came to mind
at the moment...

~~~
cschmidt
I love Between the Folds as well. It totally inspired my 10 year old son, who
has turned origami into a hobby.

------
follownicholas
Zeitgeist

------
Jarred
Food Inc.

------
dolvlo
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_of...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Watched_Over_by_Machines_of_Loving_Grace_\(television_documentary_series\))

~~~
kenkam
I would recommend watching the parody
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1bX3F7uTrg> after "All Watched Over" :)

------
ujjvala
The Man from Earth (2007) is a worth watch.

------
georgieporgie
Another vote for War Photographer.

