Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen? - spoondocz
======
evo_9
Wild Wild Country on Netflix is outstanding:
[https://www.netflix.com/title/80145240/](https://www.netflix.com/title/80145240/)

I'm also a big fan of BBC Horizon's episodes, they cover a wide range of
topics and generally are quite excellent and well researched.
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mgxf](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006mgxf)

~~~
ccostes
Wild Wild Country completely blew my mind. It didn't happen that long ago,
seems like it would have been major national news on a number of occasions,
and yet I had never heard anything about it before watching the doc.

~~~
evo_9
Totally agree. Also, can you imagine the response by both the local armed
residence + local law enforcement would be today if a group of foreigners took
over a town and armed themselves? Total Bloodbath.

------
iaresee
Grizzly Man:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/)
\-- the folly of humans when it comes to interacting with wild animals well
illustrated

The Fog of War:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317910/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317910/)
\-- whoa. Just: whoa.

The Thin Blue Line:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Blue_Line_(1988_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_Blue_Line_\(1988_film\))
\-- when a conviction goes wrong.

I guess I really like Errol Morris and Herzog? Probably.

~~~
smacktoward
Morris is brilliant. His 1999 doc _Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A.
Leuchter, Jr._
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Death:_The_Rise_and_Fall_o...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Death:_The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Fred_A._Leuchter,_Jr.))
sticks with me to this day.

------
anonu
The BBC's Planet Earth series is fantastic. Reminds me of Shakespeare: "There
are more things in heaven and earth then are dreamt of your in philosophy"...
Makes you really appreciate the beauty on this planet.

Also - a bit of a curveball answer: I really like Documentary Now! (on
Netflix). They are parodies of really well known documentaries. So I ended up
watching the parody and then looking for the source material on which it was
based. I realized that my wife (art major) knew almost all the original
documentaries and I knew almost none (engineer...)

EDIT: Wikipedia has the mapping of parody->original :
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_Now](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Documentary_Now)!

------
platz
Restrepo is a 2010 American documentary film about the Afghanistan war.

The 2nd Platoon is depicted defending the outpost (OP) named after a platoon
medic who was killed earlier in the campaign.

The huge success of this film and what separates it from the hundreds of other
war pictures is that Junger puts us right in the middle of the action without
any political agenda. He simply decides to film these groups of soldiers who
have been deployed to one of the most dangerous locations in Afghanistan and
lets us experience their day to day lives without making any pro or anti war
comments. We are allowed to see a small glimpse of what the American soldiers
have to go through and how they live amongst the villagers. In a way Junger
allows the soldiers being filmed to tell their own story. We experience what
they are going through in this dangerous war zone and how they interact with
the local people. The cinematography is actually quite astonishing and I
really felt like I was there with the soldiers.

The movie isn`t pro or anti war; it simply places the camera in the middle of
the action and lets us experience what is going on. No one`s opinion about War
is going to change: those who favor Americans involvement in Afghanistan will
still do so after watching this documentary and those who don`t will still
feel the same because the directors don't try to manipulate us into thinking
the way they do. There aren`t any personal opinions about politics or war;
it's all about experiencing what these soldiers have to go through every day
whether or not they actually understand what they are fighting for.

It is only 90 minutes long so it is really worth your time.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrepo_(film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrepo_\(film\))

~~~
Balgair
The sister film is _Armadillo_ (2010) [0] which follows a group of Danish
soldiers from pre-deployment shenanigans, to the FOB in Afghanistan, IED
attacks, possible war crimes (found to be baseless), and then the return home.

To me, the most striking scenes were the ones where the Danish and UK soldiers
would play FPS games, don very high tech gear, bounce about in armour, etc.
and then contrast that to the rusty, bent rifles and leftovers from the
soviets, the sandals, the dust, the mud, of the afghan fighters. The war has
never been close in any way and the Junger quote comes screaming into your
head:

“Each Javelin round costs $80,000, and the idea that it's fired by a guy who
doesn't make that in a year at a guy who doesn't make that in a lifetime is
somehow so outrageous it almost makes the war seem winnable.”

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo_(2010_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armadillo_\(2010_film\))

~~~
x220
>“Each Javelin round costs $80,000, and the idea that it's fired by a guy who
doesn't make that in a year at a guy who doesn't make that in a lifetime is
somehow so outrageous it almost makes the war seem winnable.”

Do you know how useful a Javelin is? I think it's worth that much if it will
save the life of the soldier firing it. I'd sure pay that much for it if I had
the money and I thought it would save my life, or the lives of my comrades.

~~~
Balgair
I should have been more clear. The quote comes from Sebastian Junger, one of
two filmers of _Restrepo_ , the comment I was replying to. My take on his
quote was that he was explaining that the cost differentials are insane and a
general waste of money for both sides; that the war is not worth fighting in a
very real sense of blood and treasure, not that lives are not worth saving.

[https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/275699-each-javelin-
round-c...](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/275699-each-javelin-round-
costs-80-000-and-the-idea-that-it-s)

------
Splendor
The Act of Killing -
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/)

 _" 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."_

~~~
fetus8
Mr. Oppenheimer is one of the most interesting film makers I've had the chance
to meet and hear in talks at Q&As. I strongly recommend his two films, and if
you can ever find your way to see "Titicut Follies", do it. I saw it at
Telluride with an intro by Oppenheimer and was blown away.

"Titicut Follies" is a documentary by Frederick Wiseman about a mental
institution in Massachusetts, in the 1960's. It's a haunting film about the
way the patients are treated, it's quite extreme and sad but fully worth a
view. You've never seen anything like it, and probably can't imagine how truly
horrifying it is.

------
smacktoward
Lots of good ones already mentioned, but here's a few nobody's brought up yet:

Orson Welles' _F for Fake_ :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072962/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072962/)

Robert X. Cringely's _Triumph of the Nerds_ :
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_the_Nerds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triumph_of_the_Nerds)

The Maysles Brothers' _Gimme Shelter_ :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065780/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065780/)

Randy Olson's _Flock of Dodos_ :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800334/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800334/)

Les Blank's _Burden of Dreams_ :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083702/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083702/)

Steve James' _Hoop Dreams_ :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110057/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110057/)

Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker's _The War Room_ :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108515/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108515/)

------
anfractuosity
I really loved 'Jiro Dreams of Sushi', showing how much care and effort he
puts into making it:

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772925/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1772925/)

~~~
aaronbrethorst
I suggest following up with _Chef 's Table_ on Netflix, which is a documentary
series in a very similar vein from David Gelb, the creator of _Jiro_.

~~~
kerbalspacepro
People seem to think that _Jiro_ is good because it is about food. It's not.
It is good because it's about _Jiro_. Chef's Table might get the people who
salivate over a upward pan over a pan, but it doesn't have the same secret
sauce in my opinion.

~~~
wslh
Let's see then Chef Table S01E03 about the Argentinian Chef Francis Mallmann
[1].

[1]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Mallmann](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Mallmann)

------
nsfmc
Adam Curtis' short "Oh Dearism" ([https://thoughtmaybe.com/oh-
dearism/](https://thoughtmaybe.com/oh-dearism/)) 12 minute mini-documentary is
a good ramp up to his longer movies and is a critique of the failings of
television news media in the late 20th century. My favorite of his is "Bitter
Lake" ([https://thoughtmaybe.com/bitter-
lake/](https://thoughtmaybe.com/bitter-lake/)), a haunting "how did we get
here" view of the middle east. His 3 part miniseries "All Watched Over By
Machines of Loving Grace" ([https://thoughtmaybe.com/all-watched-over-by-
machines-of-lov...](https://thoughtmaybe.com/all-watched-over-by-machines-of-
loving-grace/)) is a pretty good examination of 1970s silicon valley ruh-roh
cybernetics culture and how it collided with the rest of the world vis-a-vis
objectivism, finance, etc.

Somebody in this thread mentioned Wiseman's titicut follies, a lesser known
but equally fascinating documentary of his is called The Store
([http://www.zipporah.com/films/19](http://www.zipporah.com/films/19)) and
just follows and examines the goings on at the Nieman-Marcus flagship in
Dallas during holiday season of 1983.

Another favorite documentary that's more like watching a really good lecture
is Thom Andersen's Los Angeles Plays Itself
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Plays_Itself](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Plays_Itself)
). it's a survey and exploration of the history of Los Angeles and its
relationship and portrayal in hollywood and pop culture in general.

~~~
antisthenes
Oh boy.

How can you mention Adam Curtis without mentioning 'The Century of the Self'
series?

~~~
nsfmc
ok, i love that series, but i am not sure i would necessarily recommend it as
a starting point (plus i felt like i had maxed out on recs) but i strongly
endorse it as a great series!

------
bartcobain
Hypernormalisation from Adam Curtis. I have been looking for another
documentary as visual appealing, as evolving as this one but haven't found any
other documentary.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fny99f8amM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fny99f8amM)

Do you know another documentary as good as this one?

~~~
nexensis
If you like Hypernormalisation you should definitely look into his other
documentaries, especially Century of the Self.

It explores the rise of advertising in the 20th century, revealing how it
emerged from propaganda during the wars and deeply wove itself into social
norms. It might be the most powerful documentary that I've seen, because I
watched it as an advertising undergrad and it unnerved me enough to move away
from the field.

For example, it wasn't socially acceptable for women to smoke until the 20's,
when the American Tobacco Company paid a group of suffragettes to prominently
light up cigarettes whilst on public display during the Easter Day Parade.
They positioned smoking as a display of independence for women, piggybacking
the feminist movement and calling cigarettes "Torches of Freedom". There are
several examples like this in the documentary, along with interviews from
their creators.

It's shocking how easily public opinion can be swayed, and the techniques are
far more powerful now through the Internet and social media. If I could ask
every human to watch a documentary, it would be this one followed by
Hypernormalisation.

You can watch most of Curtis' work for free at
[https://thoughtmaybe.com/by/adam-curtis/](https://thoughtmaybe.com/by/adam-
curtis/)

------
newman8r
I wouldn't call it the best documentary, but I think people here will like it,
it's a 4 part documentary: "A Video History of Japan's Electronic Industry"

I. Birth of the transformer:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihkRwArnc1k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihkRwArnc1k)

II. Circuits in stone:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRNXmWng3M](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGRNXmWng3M)

III. Calculator wars:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ansXGewduN4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ansXGewduN4)

IV. Tech Giant:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G40YwOg0_B8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G40YwOg0_B8)

------
hprotagonist
_Into Great Silence_ , a very intimate portrayal of life in a monastery in
southern France.

" The idea for the film was proposed to the monks in 1984, but the Carthusians
said they wanted time to think about it.

They responded to Gröning 16 years later to say they were willing to permit
him to shoot the movie if he was still interested. "

[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_great_silence/](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_great_silence/)

------
wes-k
Surprised no one mentioned this one yet:

> The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is a 2007 American documentary film
> about competitive gaming directed by Seth Gordon. It follows Steve Wiebe in
> his attempts to take the high score record for the 1981 arcade game Donkey
> Kong from the previous holder, Billy Mitchell. \- Wikipedia

------
rm_-rf_slash
Carl Sagan’s _Cosmos_ , first and foremost.

Much of Adam Curtis’ work is fantastic. _Hypernormalization_ and _The Trap_
were as fascinating as they were frightening. If I had the authority, I would
mandate every child see _A Century of the Self_ in school, and then again in
college.

James Burke’s _Connections_ was also excellent. Kind of like a link between
Carl Sagan and Adam Curtis.

I personally loved the History Channel’s _Engineering an Empire_ , not least
because of the hilariously hyper-American host, Peter Weller (best known as
RoboCop).

~~~
webmaven
James Burke's "The Day the Universe Changed" is likewise excellent.

------
fetus8
I'm surprised no one has mentioned HBO's 'Going Clear', which dives deep into
what's happening in the Church of Scientology.

Granted, the topic is probably not the most surprising, but it covers a wide
range of issues and scary on-goings within the group. Maybe I'm just young,
but I didn't know the full extent of what they do and how they do it. 'Going
Clear' does a fantastic job of informing the viewer while giving a voice to
those who've escaped and are now dealing with the backlash.

~~~
Ricardus
Jesus Camp is another one if you want to be frightened by cultists and
religion.

------
gmiller123456
Fundamentals of Small Arms Weapons. It's a documentary by the US Army showing
how firearms work starting with just a barrel and a bullet and progressing in
design all the way up to selectable fully automatic.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJzXG7MYX1c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJzXG7MYX1c)

------
pommed
The Century of the Self:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s)

The Mystery of the Gnome Homes:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLoBWpiOczQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLoBWpiOczQ)

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst:
[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xz5fs](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xz5fs)

~~~
lofo
Another great Adam Curtis :
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation)

~~~
bartcobain
Do you know any other documentary as good as this one? Any suggestion?

~~~
c0nducktr
Sticking with Adam Curtis, I greatly enjoyed The Power of Nightmares.

------
samfriedman
Paris is Burning: a classic that explores the "ball culture" of New York in
the 80s, and the impact it had on the city's gay, transgender, black and
Latino communities. It's great for how it follows the various characters as
they prepare for balls, while explaining the subculture and its
slang/practices along the way. Very entertaining and historically important
too.

In the same vein, does anyone have any other recommendations for docs that
dive deep into a subculture?

~~~
z303
Demoscene - The Art of the Algorithms
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3840830](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3840830)

~~~
culot
Back in 1995 warez demos were one of the things that most drove my interest in
programming.

Tangent: 'BBS: The Documentary'. Great film, I only wish it were about 4 hours
longer -- it seems much too brief.

------
drakonka
I loved Icarus; it was just amazing how more and more off track the
filmmaker's original plan went as he got entangled with this Russian doctor
and found himself documenting a much more interesting story than the one he
originally set out to do.

~~~
hackandtrip
Agree, but to be honest it seems to me really weird that such type of
evolvement etc wouldn't be pre-discussed. Also, about that amazing
documentary: -I find it annoying that the involvement of other nations isn't
dragged in more, leaving it all on Russia making it a little political
oriented. -Its interesting how little is the dosage of testosterone taken by
that guy, and that other molecules are not used + I don't really remember if
they discussed about a PCT (you cant just take test and hope that your natural
levels will re-establish again, it's like flipping a coin, specially
considering how little research there is on those molecules).

------
gvajravelu
Not a true documentary (since it was released as a TV series in episodes), but
I'd say The Long Way Round. It documents the real life journey by Ewan
McGregor and Charlie Boorman as they attempt to road trip from London to New
York on motorcycles (except for a plane from eastern Russia to Alaska).

They come across a number of different cultures and outdoor adventures along
the way. It's very entertaining and an interesting look into different
countries of the world.

I'm rarely hooked to TV shows, but this one got me.

~~~
dugditches
Along the same lines. Without as much production/support behind them.

Sibirsky Extreme Trail( To map an offroad trail route all the way from the
edge of the European Union, across Eurasia to the Pacific Ocean at Magadan)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_ZC2WPnkfc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_ZC2WPnkfc)

Races to Places(Rider traveling the world while competing in some Rallies)
Fairly laid back fellow, and 9 seasons so far.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utXZKuo8iws](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utXZKuo8iws)

~~~
oddsockmachine
Also c90adventures - a very low budget but hilarious series of long distance
rides.

------
ratfaced-guy
The World at War

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War)

It's a BBC series that chronicles the second world war. It was made in the
1970s and features interviews with the people who were actually there. I
really recommend everybody watch it at least once in their life.

I think you can find it on YouTube.

~~~
everybodyknows
"The Sorrow and the Pity" \-- interviews with former French irregulars of
WWII.

French Resistance veteran: "You had to be a little bit crazy to join the
Resistance."

French SS volunteer: "We were raised on stories of the Spanish Civil War:
priests being murdered, nuns raped."

------
briga
I would recommend Kevin Kelly's website truefilms.com for a great list of
documentaries on a large variety of topics. No matter what your interests are
you're sure to find something interesting on here.

Werner Herzog has produced a number of fascinating documentaries that are just
as good as his fictional films in my opinion. Wings of Hope, Encounters at the
End of the World, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Grizzly Man--he has an enormous
talent for drawing profound, almost mythical ideas out of the subjects he
captures. He's not for everyone, certainly, but his films have a unique vision
you don't often see in documentaries.

------
mikeabraham
Only because no one has mentioned it yet, "When We Were Kings". About The
Rumble in the Jungle. We forget that, at the time, people were worried that
Foreman, the hardest hitter who ever lived, might _kill_ Ali in the ring.

The savvy of Ali's "rope a dope" strategy, combined with the way he got in
Foreman's head, whispering in his ear in the clinches, was genius. IMO, you
can't watch this film and not agree -- GOAT.

~~~
Jaepa
If anyone wants to watch the the match in full it can be found here
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55AasOJZzDE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55AasOJZzDE)

------
gota
"The Isle of Flowers". It's heart wrenching and it's only 13 minutes:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQcdXh9v0pA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQcdXh9v0pA)

I could give you a summary but watching it with no context makes it as
powerful as it was intended to be.

The 'videoclip' editing has been somewhat overdone, but this was done in 1989
so please give it a break and stick to it.

The doc itself was very famous in its time, but has since somewhat faded from
public memory. Kinda like Marjoe and others, come to think about it

~~~
bradnickel
Wow, thanks for sharing that. It is powerful.

------
dustinmoorenet
The Vietnam War: A film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick

I watch it on Netflix. It is an even handed look of the war from both sides.
It was so good. Be prepared to get angry and to cry.

~~~
tokyoHacker
I second this. Amazing documentary. Icing on the cake are the songs (from Bob
Dylan and other legends) that overlay the outstanding narration.

------
oddsockmachine
Samsara -
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara_(2011_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara_\(2011_film\))
A non-narrative film, with stunning visuals. I feel it shows some of the best
and worst of humanity, but in a non-pushy or judgemental way. It just leaves
you to make your own conclusions.

~~~
brandoncordell
I watched Samsara while on LSD it was a very beautiful experience. Some of the
scenes really hurt me deeply. I couldn't help but cry.

Also check out Ron Fricke's Baraka
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baraka_(film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baraka_\(film\))).
It's just as beautiful in my opinion.

------
rayvy
Netflix: "The Farthest: Voyager in Space" (2017) - "This documentary
chronicles NASA's 1977 launch of twin space probes, sent to capture images of
remote planets and bear messages from Earth."

[https://www.netflix.com/title/80204377](https://www.netflix.com/title/80204377)

------
japhyr
Road - The story of Joey Dunlop, and the motorcycling family he came from:
[https://www.netflix.com/title/80079364](https://www.netflix.com/title/80079364)

Meru - Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk climb the Shark's Fin on
Mount Meru in India:
[https://www.netflix.com/title/80039641](https://www.netflix.com/title/80039641)

Valley Uprising - A history of climbing in Yosemite:
[https://www.netflix.com/title/80084836](https://www.netflix.com/title/80084836)

Touching the Void - The story of Joe Simpson's accident and harrowing survival
in his climb with Simon Yates on Siula Grande in the Andes. I'm not sure the
best way to view this.

~~~
Dowwie
The part in Touching the Void where the the man begins to hallucinate that
happy, irritating song ought to have a scientific explanation for it. I often
have a song play in my mind when I hike, but doubt that my experience is even
close to what he experienced.

------
wmat
Some of my favourite nerdy documentaries:

BBS: The Documentary
[https://youtu.be/nO5vjmDFZaI](https://youtu.be/nO5vjmDFZaI)

The KGB, the Computer, and Me
[https://youtu.be/EcKxaq1FTac](https://youtu.be/EcKxaq1FTac)

8 Bit Generation: The Commodore Wars
[https://youtu.be/Jq_t-v0bDZ8](https://youtu.be/Jq_t-v0bDZ8)

~~~
Dowwie
BBS :). It brought back nice memories.

------
ilamont
I love, love, love music documentaries. The great ones have a great story to
tell. I also believe that the ones about bands have some lessons for people
starting businesses and dealing with cofounder friction, creative dynamics,
licensing, etc. Many of them also deal with the impact of technology on
recording, performing, and marketing. Recommended:

"Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157605/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157605/))

"What Happened, Miss Simone?"
([https://www.netflix.com/title/70308063](https://www.netflix.com/title/70308063))

"Soundbreaking: Stories from the cutting edge of recorded music" (PBS
documentary on history of sound recording)
([http://www.pbs.org/soundbreaking/home/](http://www.pbs.org/soundbreaking/home/))

"Sound City" (about legendary recording studio in LA, narrated by Dave Grohl)
([https://www.netflix.com/za/title/70265771](https://www.netflix.com/za/title/70265771))

"Last Days Here" (About the singer of early doom metal band Pentagram)
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723126/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1723126/))

"As The Palaces Burn" (Lamb Of God's singer tried in Czech Republic for an
incident at a concert)
([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB6k-Ev_H7c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB6k-Ev_H7c))

People love to hate on "Some Kind of Monster" because they don't like the
album St. Anger but I really believe that it caught Metallica at a vulnerable
and revealing time in their history.
([https://www.netflix.com/title/80174429](https://www.netflix.com/title/80174429))

~~~
durkie
A few more great musical documentaries:

Searching for Sugarman:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2125608](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2125608)

Don't Think I've Forgotten:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2634200](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2634200)

------
todd8
_Crumb_. Its about the iconic counter-cultural cartoonist Robert Crumb
(creator of the 1960s/1970s underground comics _Fritz the Cat_ , _Keep on
Trucking_ , etc.). The Wikipedia entry for it[1] says (along with other
accolades):

"Crumb was met with wide acclaim from critics, earning a 95% rating on Rotten
Tomatoes. Gene Siskel rated Crumb as the best film of the year...Roger Ebert
gave the film four (of four) stars, writing that 'Crumb is a film that gives
new meaning to the notion of art as therapy.'"

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumb_(film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crumb_\(film\))

------
ranuamar
Andrew Marr's History of the World
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQupjl7KjR5vqzfweATuw...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQupjl7KjR5vqzfweATuwQLgytRPE6wnd)

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2441214/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2441214/)

"Andrew Marr's History of the World is a 2012 BBC documentary television
series presented by Andrew Marr that covers 70,000 years of world history from
the beginning of human civilisation, as African nomadic peoples spread out
around the world and settled down to become the first farmers, up to the
twentieth century."

------
mendelsd
"Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media"

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104810/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104810/)

------
qcoh
I really like Alone in the Wilderness, which is about Dick Proenneke building
his log cabinby hand and living a solitary life in Alaska.

~~~
minimaster
I was so happy to see somebody else mention this great movie. I just love the
tranquility and watching him build all those things.

------
cbanek
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

It's all about the making of Apocalypse Now. It's really great, I'd say it's
almost as good as Apocalypse Now the movie itself. The mental state of the
characters and what it took to make this movie blew my mind.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearts_of_Darkness:_A_Filmmake...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearts_of_Darkness:_A_Filmmaker%27s_Apocalypse)

------
lofo
Titicut Follies:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titicut_Follies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titicut_Follies)

The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor%27s_Naked_Army_Mar...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor%27s_Naked_Army_Marches_On)

Grizzly Man:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grizzly_Man)

Burden of Dreams:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083702/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083702/)

Boatman:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106445/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106445/)

For wild-life I'll pick any Cousteau or BBC documentary

\---Below are French movies (but worth trying to find in English)---

Depardon's Profils Paysans trilogy :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284409/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0284409/)

L'Inde fantôme :
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063914/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063914/)

------
mitchbob
The Corporation [http://thecorporation.com/](http://thecorporation.com/)

------
AceyMan
"The Cove", (2009) about the secret practice of commercial Cetacea (dolphins,
mainly) hunting in Japan (a Metascore value == 84, fwiw).

And +1 for "Grizzly Man."

~~~
phakding
I bought the DVD after it was released, but could never bring myself to watch
it. The few clips I watched were extremely disturbing for me.

------
jimnotgym
My favourite is probably _This is Spinal Tap_. It really captured the creative
power of a rock band on tour.

~~~
mikeabraham
That made me laugh out loud. Well done.

------
vortex_ape
Bigger Stronger Faster*

"... is a 2008 documentary film directed by Christopher Bell, about the use of
anabolic steroids as performance-enhancing drugs in the United States and how
this practice relates to the American Dream." \-- Wikipedia

------
motogpjimbo
Lots of good suggestions here already, so a few lesser-known ones I've
enjoyed:

Typeface - follows the volunteers at the Hamilton Wood Type museum.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1207998/?ref_=nv_sr_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1207998/?ref_=nv_sr_1)
/
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface_(film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typeface_\(film\))

Dogtown and the Z Boys. On the birth of professional skateboarding.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275309/?ref_=nv_sr_2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275309/?ref_=nv_sr_2)
/ [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogtown_and_Z-
Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogtown_and_Z-Boys)

Riding Giants. From the director of Dogtown. This one focuses on the
development of big wave surfing.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389326/?ref_=nv_sr_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389326/?ref_=nv_sr_1)
/
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_Giants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_Giants)

Pumping Iron. Follows Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno as they attempt
to win the 1975 Mr Olympia competition.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076578/?ref_=nv_sr_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076578/?ref_=nv_sr_1)
/
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumping_Iron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumping_Iron)

------
ajonnav
'Chasing Ice'! It's about a photographer (James Balog) who set up cameras in
parts of Greenland, Iceland and Alaska to take time lapses of glaciers over
the course of a couple of years. The images (and the difference that a couple
of years makes) is astounding -- it truly is the most stunning visualization
of global warming/climate change that I have ever seen.

And it's on Netflix.

------
mongol
There is a category of documentaries I never see mentioned in these lists. It
is the kind which often is shown in Sweden under the name "Dokument utifrån"
and is about foreign affair events that are current or about a year or few
years old. These productions are, I guess, often from the BBC but also french,
dutch, german etc productions that I assume are made by television companies
associated with the EBU (European Broadcasting Union)

They often include interviews with people who "were there when it happened",
such as ministers, diplomats, military brass etc.

Do people get what I am trying to describe? I kind of fail to do so, I feel...

Edit: I just checked what is up next in this series. It is this italian
documentary about events in Egypt, "Our man in Cairo"

[http://www.gaea.it/video.asp?id=9143](http://www.gaea.it/video.asp?id=9143)

Quite illustrative to what I mean. I haven't seen this one but it seems
interesting

------
genjipress
'Shoah', by Claude Lanzmann, who passed away earlier this year after a career
of excellent documentary filmmaking.

Review by Roger Ebert when it was first released:
[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-
shoah-1985](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-shoah-1985)

------
lalos
Searching for Sugar Man, do not watch the trailer or read on it. It will spoil
the documentary! If you like music, 60s, justice, Bob Dylan and feel good
story its a must watch.

~~~
crtasm
Read about it after though, they told a story that doesn't really match
reality.

~~~
lalos
I've seen those criticisms but you have to remember this is before the
Internet and before cross communication with other countries, etc. It's a
stretch, do those critics expect them to be investigating something and
spending hard earned money visiting all countries around the world to verify
some random fact of an artist? The documentary is based on the personal
experience of some fans in South Africa and people that give that criticism
don't seem to understand the context. Plus, the film (as its title is named)
is about THEIR search for sugar man not about the life of the guy itself or
all the facts around his life.

~~~
crtasm
Fair points, also I see this on Wikipedia

> South Africans were unaware of his Australian success due to the harsh
> censorship enacted by the apartheid regime coupled with international
> sanctions that made any communication with the outside world on the subject
> of banned artists virtually impossible.

------
neuron_
Cizenfour is hands-down my favorite movie of all time. It’s cinematically
beautiful and the inside perspective on the Snowden leaks is tantalizing. I
can’t receomend it enough.

------
sorenn111
Food, Inc. It may come across as propaganda for organic food, but I found the
insight into industrial style farming and the major consolidation of food
providers fascinating. Made me much more appreciative of places that try to
buy locally and well-treated (relatively well) animals.

------
asplake
How Buildings Learn, based on (and in some ways better than) the Stewart Brand
book. Definite takeaways for software architecture, and includes appearances
by Christopher Alexander, a key instigator of the patterns movement. Produced
by the BBC in the 90's, now on Youtube -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0)

Turns out that many architects of the built environment are just as prone as
those of the software kind to not caring about the usability and
maintainability of their systems, let alone how how they will evolve over
extended periods of time.

------
Zardoz84
On early 90's, there was, on Spain,collection of documentals about astronomy.
They were pretty good! Even as a little kid I understand everything, and the
documentals were pretty straightforward explain everything. I would say that
are at the same level that Sagan's Cosmos.

I'm trying to get the original source, but I only managed to discover that
could be a translation of "A galactic odyssey" of NHK-TV, or reused some stuff
from it.

I ripped some of my old VHS to YouTube :
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL32C7C4EF477AB37D](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL32C7C4EF477AB37D)

------
charlie_hoxie
I am a documentary filmmaker and the one title I am surprised not to have seen
here is American Movie.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181288/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181288/)

True documentary classic- incredible characters, editing, treatment. Just an
overall gem.

And if you dig that, check out Home Movie, a follow up from Chris Smith &
excellent example of the vignette approach to a feature doc
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275408/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275408/)

------
laurex
I used to distribute docs and produce them for a living. It's awesome that
docs are in the spotlight again, but it's pretty remarkable how limited the
selection can be on streaming services, in terms of critically acclaimed work.
If there's a hole in the marketplace, this might be it.

Some of my favorites:

Hoop Dreams

Jesus Camp

Salesman

Lost in la Mancha

Stranded

Anvil: the Story of Anvil

When We Were Kings

Sherman's March

F is for Fake

The Thin Blue Line

Sans Soleil

Don't Look Back

Up the Yangtze

I Am Not Your Negro

------
hjuutilainen
Grizzly Man still gives me goose bumps:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427312/)

------
Ricardus
Wow. I'm a bog Doc fan. I'll list a few of my favs:

Touch the Sound. For me this was life changing. The story of a deaf
percussionist.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424509/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424509/)

Man on Wire. Also life changing.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/?ref_=nv_sr_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Winnebago Man. Fascinating!You've probably seen his vids on youtube.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396557/?ref_=nv_sr_1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396557/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

Anvil: The Story of Anvil. I worked in the music scene in the 80s and heard of
these guys, and always wondered what happened. This film answers that
question.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157605/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157605/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4)

My Architect. A sons journey learning about his dad, through his dad's
architecture.
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373175/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373175/)

------
dustinmr
Touching the Void. Based on a book by Joe Simpson

Amazing story and perspective.

~~~
raffael-vogler
I like those documentaries because they bring my ordinary personal worries and
fears back into perspective. Very inspiring.

------
bfdm
I was surprised that nobody had yet suggest Ken Burns' The Dust Bowl. While
not particularly exciting, to be honest, I found it incredibly moving and
educational. The origins and extent of the plight and its ramifications across
the whole country are nothing short of country-defining.

That the solutions to come out of at are so far removed from where we are
today and how the US seeks to solve similar wide-spread economic challenges is
deeply saddening.

~~~
Dowwie
This documentary compelled me to study more about this calamity

------
richev
If you have any interest in the Apollo missions...

In the Shadow of the Moon [0]

The film follows the manned missions to the Moon made by the United States in
the late 1960s and early 1970s. The documentary reviews both the footage and
media available to the public at the time of the missions, as well as NASA
films and materials which had not been opened in over 30 years.

For All Mankind [1]

A 1989 documentary film drawn from original footage of NASA's Apollo program
which successfully landed the first humans on the Moon from 1969 to 1972.

Moon Machines [2]

The miniseries features interviews with around 70 of the 400,000 engineers who
worked on the Apollo program during the 1960s and early 70s.

These are variously available on DVD and YouTube.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Shadow_of_the_Moon_(fil...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Shadow_of_the_Moon_\(film\))

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_All_Mankind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/For_All_Mankind)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Machines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_Machines)

------
contingencies
The entire genre of 'non-narrative documentary' film
[https://www.imdb.com/list/ls073014744/](https://www.imdb.com/list/ls073014744/)
notably _Manufactured Landscapes_ @
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufactured_Landscapes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufactured_Landscapes)

Many BBC documentary series. Personal favourites include _History of India_
and _Islamic History of Europe_.

The extremely unique (probably never to be repeated in spirit) and zeitgeist-
defining _Julian Assange Show_ @ [https://www.rt.com/tags/the-julian-assange-
show/](https://www.rt.com/tags/the-julian-assange-show/) and _Citizenfour_.

A post-facto interview based documentary whose name I forget, perhaps _Real
War_ , about Russian military human rights abuses in the Caucasus, which was
extremely shocking.

Many SBS _Dateline_ reports.

------
jspash
"Big River Man" \-
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0956101/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0956101/)

It follows Martin Strel a Slovenian long distance swimmer as he attempts to
swim the 3000+ miles of the Amazon and chronicles his struggles with the sheer
effort of the swim, his personal life and alcoholism.

You don't need to have an interest in swimming or sport at all. It's just a
really well-made documentary with many layers.

"Valley Uprising" \-
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3784160/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3784160/)
Rock climbing in Yosemite. The story begins innocently enough but as it
proceeds through history of the climbs, it becomes more and more astonishing.
Well worth a watch! Again, you don't need to be interesting in climbing at
all. A good story is a good story.

------
ArtWomb
Good recent selection is Steve Aoki's _I 'll Sleep When I'm Dead_. There is
something inspiring about an inside look in real time at someone playing at
the absolute peak of their game and the backstory of how hard they had to
struggle to get there ;)

 _Active Measures_ is also pretty much required watched for the current
conversation.

------
blotter_paper
Indecline Volume 1: It's Worse Than You Think
[https://youtu.be/imbA7eExNhE](https://youtu.be/imbA7eExNhE) (^^^ Totally
NSFW!)

This is a ridiculous film, made by the guy who put out Bum Fights volumes 1
and 2 (but not 3 -- he sold the rights and another guy put out volume 3 using
some of Ryan McPherson's old footage as well as new footage where the new film
makers literally assaulted unsuspecting homeless people while dressed like
Steve Irwin). In Bum Fights, McPherson paid homeless people to fight each
other and do dangerous stunts. This isn't the case with Indecline. Indecline
shows the film makers vandalizing property (think graffiti), and it shows
other people doing stupid shit (a guy breaking into cars, a guy stabbing
another guy through the chest, etc.), but the film makers don't seem to be
paying other people to endanger themselves this time around, just filming it.
This is a horribly depressing film. Expect to see a lot of human misery.
Expect to question the motivations of the film makers. Expect to question the
half-expressed political opinions of the film makers.

Since this film was made they've put out some other, shorter, less cringey,
more banky pieces. Probably most well known is The Emperor Has No Balls (they
made news for leaving these statues in some major cities without prior
announcement): [https://youtu.be/f7TeTzOgkMs](https://youtu.be/f7TeTzOgkMs)

I prefer this large scale graffiti they did on a US military weapons testing
site: [https://youtu.be/HJWFHoyW-3g](https://youtu.be/HJWFHoyW-3g)

McPherson also made the news for shipping human body parts (including an adult
heart and an infant head) to the US from Thailand. He said he bought them at a
local market, and was sending them to a friend "as a prank." They were later
traced back to a hospital.

------
wahern
The Kid Stays in the Picture:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kid_Stays_in_the_Picture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kid_Stays_in_the_Picture)

It's an autobiographical film about somebody you probably don't know or would
ever care to know. It primarily uses collage (e.g. photographs, press
clippings) for the visuals, narrated by the subject.

What's most memorable is just how darn _good_ the film is. It's like your
uncle presenting an Oscar-worthy slideshow in his basement. It felt like a
masterpiece of film making. No film has ever left such an impression on me. I
deeply appreciated and was in awe of its artistic merit. But I haven't seen it
since its original release. Maybe it really only works on the big screen or
similar environment.

------
r0rbit
Haven't seen a mention of Louis Theroux yet, but he is easily my most favorite
documentary maker. His style of straight forward questioning of difficult or
taboo topics creates a very authentic impression of people. Definitely check
him out. The one about pedophilia in particular was very gripping.

edit: language

------
ConcernedCoder
Maybe not a documentary, but I can watch "How it's made" like people binge-
watch netflix shows...

------
forapurpose
Chronicle of a Summer (Chronique d'un été): On one hand, a simple documentary
where they conduct Studs Terkel-like interviews with working-class people in
Paris in 1960, asking a simple question: _Are you happy?_ As do all the best
documentarians, they magically bring out the most profound, innermost thoughts
of their subjects. On the other, a documentary about documentaries and their
realism - interspersed are questions of how real and honest what we see is,
and near the end the subjects watch the finished product together and discuss
how real and honest they were in front of the camera.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronique_d'un_été](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronique_d'un_été)

Considered an innovative milestone in documentary film-making.

------
KentGeek
Lots of great documentaries already mentioned, but one of my favorites "Tim's
Vermeer" hasn't been yet.
[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tims_vermeer_2014](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tims_vermeer_2014)

------
xaranke
A Map for Saturday, definitely opened my eyes to spending a gap year traveling
the world. Maybe some day.

Link:
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R07DF6C/ref=cm_sw_su_dp](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R07DF6C/ref=cm_sw_su_dp)

------
blang
A movie about the wine industry and fraud, Sour Grapes:
[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sour_grapes_2016/](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sour_grapes_2016/)

If you want to do long dives anything by Ken Burns, baseball is a classic:
[http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/](http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/baseball/)

A documentary about Napster directed by not Keanu of Bill and Ted's Excellent
adventure, Downloaded:
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2033981/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2033981/)

------
dgudkov
Icarus (2017). Won an Oscar, has 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not just the
story of how state-sponsored doping and corruption kill Olympic games and
major sport competitions, but the emotional and sometimes artsy way the movie
is made is very impressive.

------
gotrythis
Earth From Space (2012)

[https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2149708/?ref=m_nv_sr_1](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2149708/?ref=m_nv_sr_1)

This documents Earth by combining imagery and data from many different
satellites, to model the Earth in a way never before seen before. It shows how
different systems of the Earth interact with each other that is absolutely
mind-blowing.

For example, you see how a stirring of dust in the desert creates a daily
migration of minerals into the Amazon rainforest which allows the rainforest
to survive and thrive.

It shows daily, and weekly, and Millennial long cycles that power the planet
and really changes how you see the Earth.

And it's gorgeous.

------
piccogabriele
I really liked "I'll sleep when i'm dead", the Steve Aoki documentary :
[https://www.netflix.com/title/80118930](https://www.netflix.com/title/80118930)

------
godelmachine
Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo_and_Behold,_Reveries_of_the...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lo_and_Behold,_Reveries_of_the_Connected_World)

------
phlillip
Hoop Dreams
([https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoop_Dreams](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoop_Dreams))
- 1994.

This is a long basketball documentary following two youngsters from the
housing projects of Chicago. I was lucky enough to visit Chicago for a week
with work just a couple of months after seeing this; it led me to learning so
much more about the struggles of people living in the housing projects of
Cabrini Green, Robert Taylor Homes etc. Whether you're a fan of basketball or
not, this is an eye opener into much wider issues.

------
levimaes
Sean Carroll's "Great Courses" production on the "Higgs Boson, and Beyond" [1]
offers like 5 hours of what you'll likely gradually find to be a very
accessible, informative and entertaining audio/aural chronology of the Higgs
boson's conception; through its planning, and on through the LHC experiment,
and finally past its discovery, into the current state of affairs regarding
field theory. 1\.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUv1OJ2PE0s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUv1OJ2PE0s)

------
dccoolgai
"Tickled" will absolutely blow your mind. It feels like you have a front-row
seat to a real scandal in a way that no other documentary I've ever seen does.

All the "Dirty Money" episodes are pretty good, but the best one by far IMHO
is the one about the racecar driver / payday loan scam empire. Just amazing.

"Plastic China" is really tough to watch (and may be even more deeply
uncomfortable for people who pat themselves on the back for recycling) but I
think it's one of the most important revelations in documentary filmmaking in
the past 5 years or so.

~~~
smacktoward
_> It feels like you have a front-row seat to a real scandal_

I haven't seen it yet myself, but lots of people whose opinions I respect have
told me that _Weiner_
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5278596/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5278596/))
is good for this as well.

~~~
redhale
As is "Icarus" (PEDs in cycling)

------
kazinator
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron:_The_Smartest_Guys_in_th...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron:_The_Smartest_Guys_in_the_Room)

------
bahador
Why We Fight (2005)
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight_(2005_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_We_Fight_\(2005_film\))

------
adventured
Nobody else has mentioned this, so I will:

When We Left Earth: The NASA Missions

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1233514/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1233514/)

Pretty great, with high quality historical footage as well. I think you can
buy the HD streaming version on Amazon for $10 (258 minutes long, broken into
six segments).

Silicon Valley (by PBS) is another:

[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2547530/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2547530/)

------
tmsh
I just tweeted about this coincidentally.
[https://www.amazon.com/11-Filmmakers-Commemorative-Tony-
Bena...](https://www.amazon.com/11-Filmmakers-Commemorative-Tony-
Benatatos/dp/B005LSX90O) is good watching multiple times.

Definitely anything Steve James has done too - currently America to Me
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7768836/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7768836/)).

------
gspyrou
Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/)

------
gadders
Buck -
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753549/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753549/)
\- Story of the actual real life horse whisperer.

Chicken People
-[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4819510/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4819510/)
\- follows three people for a year as they show their chickens at chicken
fancier shows. Pretty gentle and just a nice film.

------
turbojerry
A few that have not been mentioned yet-

We Are Legion - The Story of the Hacktivists (about Anonymous)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zwDhoXpk90](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zwDhoXpk90)

The Commodore Story
[https://thecommodorestory.com/](https://thecommodorestory.com/)

From Bedrooms to Billions
[http://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/](http://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/)

------
tashmahalic
"The Magic Pill"
([https://www.netflix.com/title/80238655](https://www.netflix.com/title/80238655))
defied my preconceptions, along with
[https://youtu.be/1rz-8H_i1wA](https://youtu.be/1rz-8H_i1wA). They're about
low-carb, keto diets and how decades of "low fat" conventional wisdom was
based on bad science, industry pressure, etc.

------
arethuza
One that had a huge impact on me as a kid was "QED - A Guide to Armageddon" \-
which is a very factual analysis of the effects of a nuclear weapon on a
modern city.

It's available on YouTube.

The director went on to make _Threads_.

Also - "Behind the Lines" about the training done by the Arctic and Mountain
Warfare Cadre of the Royal Marines:

[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00j9v8j](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00j9v8j)

------
fyrstenberg
I found this one very interesting:

"How Big Oil Conquered The World"

"From farm to pharmaceutical, diesel truck to dinner plate, pipeline to
plastic product, it is impossible to think of an area of our modern-day lives
that is not affected by the oil industry. [...]"

[https://www.corbettreport.com/episode-310-rise-of-the-
oiliga...](https://www.corbettreport.com/episode-310-rise-of-the-oiligarchs/)

------
TimMeade
Muscle Shoals. About all the music recorded in muscle shoals Alabama. From
Percy Sledge and Areatha to the Rolling Stones and many many more.

------
dsfyu404ed
Waco: The Rules of Engagement

It is a 1997 Documentary covering the 1993 FBI siege of the Branch Davidian
compound in Waco, Texas that ended with the death of almost all of the men,
women and children in the compound.

Waco is considered by many to be the second part in a sad trilogy that starts
in Naples, ID and ends in Oklahoma City, OK. I'd be interested in knowing of
good documentaries that cover the other parts.

------
wj
There was a documentary on the City of God DVD that was better than the film
(and I thought it was an amazing film).

A few from Netflix that I could find that I rated:

Endless Summer

Death in Gaza

The Filth and the Fury

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Baseball

March of the Penguins

The Art of the Steal

Born Into Brothels

The Aristocrats

God Grew Tired of Us

The Fog of War

The Lost Wave

The Last Waltz

Festival Express

~~~
Dowwie
Forgot about March of the Penguins! Everything about that documentary was
great, especially Freeman as narrator.

------
neuron_
The Overnighters fundamentally shifted how I think about selflessness, greed,
apathy, and NIMBYism. I think about it on a near-daily basis.

~~~
raffael-vogler
I was very much impressed by this documentary on many different levels. The
time I watched it fell right into the time when lots of refugees seeked
shelter in Germany and when Trump agitated about Mexican migrants.

Because this film is also about xenophobia - but fascinatingly the targets of
this sentiment aren't Arabs or Mexicans but Americans! That shows how detached
society even within one country became detached from itself.

------
edw519
Gettysburg by Ken Burns. The best thing I've ever seen on TV.

[https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/civil-war/](https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/civil-
war/)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Civil_War_(miniseries)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Civil_War_\(miniseries\))

------
geoffw8
Quincy - just out on Netflix about Quincy Jones. What a fascinating life he's
had. Watched it with a smile on my face the whole time.

~~~
genjipress
Also worth seeing is another doco made about him years earlier, 'Listen Up:
The Lives Of Quincy Jones.'

------
6Az4Mj4D
Particle Fever about the CERN
[http://particlefever.com/](http://particlefever.com/)

Alpha go 2017

------
Already__Taken
Absolute zero was really interesting, Found some 720p ones but the audio is
super quiet

Pt 1
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCDsXU15USI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCDsXU15USI)

Pt 2
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxKFeQF6_zc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxKFeQF6_zc)

------
everybodyknows
Cartel Land. Spoiler: Includes serendipitously captured footage of a local
thug's takedown by vigilantes.

    
    
      https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4126304/reviews
    

Shows how Mexican drug lords aren't so much entrepreneurs, as rather players
within a bigger system. This came as a much-belated epiphany to me.

------
raguilera
Art & Copy. A great look into what goes into great advertising.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBksrtEXGCw&t=](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBksrtEXGCw&t=)

Best quote?

"Advertising is poison gas. It should bring tears to your eyes, unhinge your
nervous system and knock you out."

------
Dowwie
So many Ken Burns documentaries come to mind but I think the National Parks
one is my favorite. The Vietnam War, his latest work, was excellent too.

"Lo and Behold" by Herzog depressed the hell out of me. It gives me the
impression that society is being torn apart by the independence that
technology enables.

Farenheit 9/11.

Michal Pollan's Cooked series.

------
SeanBoocock
One I haven't seen recommended yet is "Stories We Tell". A bit unique and
definitely one to see without reading too much on it.

As for others that people have already mentioned, I'd second the nods to
"Touching the Void", "Encounters at the End of the World", and "The Act of
Killing".

------
matdehaast
I am a documentary nut! Lots of amazing ones mentioned but one that I have to
point out that has not been mentioned is "Winters on Fire". Really does a
great job of documenting the lead up to Ukrainians finally having enough of
Russia's puppet Prime Minster. Warning! Not for the faint of heart.

------
Insanity
For something bite-sized I enjoy the netflix "Explained" series.

And maybe "Dark Tourism" still fits this genre?

------
mmmrtl
Samsara is utter beauty
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara_(2011_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara_\(2011_film\))

No (spoken) narrative, so I can't tell you what you're meant to learn, but it
gave me a big overview effect of the world.

------
sxg
Somm and The Imposter. Somm delves into the lives of a few guys as they study
for their sommelier exam. You get to see how intense this niche of the world
is. I won’t spoil anything about The Imposter, but definitely check out a
trailer. It’s about a boy that goes missing and is found much later.

~~~
vbo
I thought Somm was over the top, even cringeworthy at times. Somm 2 was
actually enjoyable and I'm looking forward to their third film.

------
ivank
Riding Solo to the Top of the World (2006)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903013/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903013/)

The Atomic Cafe (1982)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083590/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083590/)

At Sea (2007)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1829648/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1829648/)

The Vietnam War (2017)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877514/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1877514/)

Lessons of Darkness (1992)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104706/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104706/)

Tim's Vermeer (2013)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3089388/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3089388/)

Weiner (2016)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5278596/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5278596/)

Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/)

Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379357/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379357/)

The Art of Japanese Life (2017)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7002974/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7002974/)

The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief (2006)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493420/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0493420/)

The Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires (1996)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115398/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115398/)

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4299972/](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4299972/)

------
miomio38
Dancing with the devil. Violence in Rio's favelas
[https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1379064/plotsummary?ref_=m_tt_ov_...](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1379064/plotsummary?ref_=m_tt_ov_pl)

------
voxadam
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

------
badideaprojects
McConkey

Trailer: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiFo-
osFHwQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiFo-osFHwQ)

Brilliant documentary about the life of Shane McConkey and his progression
from skiing, BASE jumping and ski wingsuiting.

------
lucas_membrane
"Crime + Punishment" is a very strong one. It includes hidden camera and
hidden microphone documentation of what goes on inside the New York City
police and justice system and documents how hard it is to make anything better
nowadays.

------
Simulacra
Our Daily Bread was really fascinating for its unflinching look at food
production.

101 Rent Boys about prostitutes on the Sunset strip.

Unknown Knowns was amazing.

also two old documentaries from Frontline on credit cards: “ The secret
history of the credit card“ and “the card game“

------
iancmceachern
Baraka. No narrative, no traditional story, just stunning images from around
the world.
[https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0103767](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0103767)

------
andy-wu
Netflix’ Icarus had me on the edge of my seat. Details the Russian doping
scandal.

------
iamben
Just For Kicks. It's probably 10+ years old now, but a fascinating and super,
super well put together doc on sneakers and the culture around it.
Entertaining even if you're not sold on the subject matter.

------
gakos
Style Wars "The Original Hip-hop Documentary"
[http://www.stylewars.com/site/](http://www.stylewars.com/site/)

Amazing, gritty portrait of NYC in the 80s.

------
lolive
Just saw Finding Vivial Maier, which gives details about the everyday life of
the most underrated photographer ever. This shows a mix of both complex
personality and pure talent. This was a very interesting show!

------
EngineerBetter
The Secret Life Of Waves. It made me think differently about life, the
universe and the nature of complex systems.

I also found The Brain with David Eagleman a series that gave me revelations
about all sorts of things.

~~~
kranner
You’d probably enjoy David Eagleman’s book Incognito and also maybe his quirky
book of short stories Sum.

~~~
EngineerBetter
Thanks!

------
billfruit
Asif Kapadia's 'Senna'. 'India's Daughter' by Leslee Udwin for an interesting
record of modern India.

Generally I do think, documentaries work better when they avoid talking heads.

------
chwolfe
Spellbound:
[https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0334405/?ref=m_nv_sr_3](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0334405/?ref=m_nv_sr_3)

------
manish_gill
A few I've seen recently:

1\. Vietnam series by Ken Burns 2\. Icarus 3\. Barca Dreams

------
jonbaer
Afghanistan The Great Game:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a7bP49ehKQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a7bP49ehKQ)

------
ken
BBC's Planet Earth.

~~~
petepete
The entire Life series too. Every part is fantastic.

------
d0m
Apocalypse: Documentary on 1st and 2nd world war. I thought it was great
because it used original videos. There are 5 episodes for 1st world and I
think 5 for 2nd world war.

------
ChristianBundy
Earthlings. It goes into detail about how non-human animals are used to create
animal products, and what our alternatives are.

My only note is that the narration is hit or miss in some parts.

------
sjh
Last Train Home:
[https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1512201/](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1512201/)

------
jotjotzzz
The Venus Project: Future by Design

The Corporation

Inside Job

HBO's documentary on Warren Buffet

Who Killed The Electric Car?

------
yread
I liked "One Strange Rock" by Darren Arronofsky.

It's a couple of astronauts talking (mostly) about space and life and physics.
It has crazy beautiful visuals

------
nunoarruda
[https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/top-100/](https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/top-100/)

------
trippypig
‘Pulling John’.

If your first inclination is to say, “A documentary about arm wrestling In
shall not watch!”, check yourself at the Netflix login.

It's really compelling.

------
tetek
"The architect and the painter" "How the dutch got their cycle paths" "Helmut
by June"

------
mayamatrix
No one's mentioned _"Exit Through The Gift Shop"_; the documentary about
Banksy??

------
pknerd
Power of nightmare by Adam Curtis.

------
bootsz
Happy People (2010). Focuses on isolated communities living in remote areas of
Siberia and their way of life.

Also:

Chef's Table

Wild Wild Country

Tickled

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

~~~
wingerlang
Tickled and the short follow up were both amazing.

------
den1k
stewart brand how buildings learn - free on youtube:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvEqfg2sIH0)
(uploaded by the man himself)

------
brokenmachine
In addition to lots of the ones mentioned here, I enjoyed OJ: Made in America.

------
chaddattilio
“13th” kind of a history of about the 13th Amendment and mass incarceration.

------
guiomie
Recently, I really like "The Untold History of the United States".

------
drcongo
Dear Zachary had me balling my eyes out alone at midnight.

------
paulie_a
Something ventured and silicon valley are two great ones.

------
gozzoo
The Untold History of the United States by Oliver Stone

------
mosalarynolife
Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies

It's on Youtube somewhere...

------
classicsnoot
Empire of Dust

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Zero Days

Beslan

Wild, Wild Country

10 Days in Gaza

World War Two in Colour

The Horn

documentaryheaven.com has a lot of dross and a few nuggets

------
dominotw
I watched some ' extraordinary lives' documentaries with modern day video
footage

1\. Stalin's Daughter : [https://www.amazon.com/Stalins-Daughter-Svetlana-
Alliluyeva/...](https://www.amazon.com/Stalins-Daughter-Svetlana-
Alliluyeva/dp/B078GVQ6ZF/)

2\. Last emperor of China Puyi:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KnlcJk2w4E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KnlcJk2w4E)

Crazy ups and downs.

------
joelaaronseely
Try these: On the rise of Al Qaeda:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares)

Exploration of lives of John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, and Karl Marx
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Money](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Money)

------
HiroshiSan
Quincy, what an incredible man.

------
smokecrack
1\. The Look of Silence

2\. Let the Fire Burn

3\. Koyaanisqatsi

4\. Samsara

5\. Baraka

6\. Vernon, Florida

7\. Art and Craft

8\. Black Panthers

9\. F for Fake

10\. Du Côté de la côte

------
ArchTypical
Exit through the gift shop

------
daedalus2027
What a bleep do we know

------
gamapuna
planet earth (both the parts) for me

------
daedalus2027
Zeitgeist

------
rainhacker
1\. Fire in the blood: It's about "battle between pharmaceutical companies and
the global public health community over access to lower-cost AIDS drugs for
Africa"
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_in_the_Blood_(2013_film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_in_the_Blood_\(2013_film\))

2\. Capitalism a Love Story: Questions unrestrained capitalism in the backdrop
of 2008 financial crisis

------
_uze0
Here's my list of 10/10 documentaries:

Biopics and Portraits:

\- Kung Fu Elliot
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3228302/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3228302/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Listen to Me Marlon
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4145178/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4145178/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Man on Wire
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1155592/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- My Winnipeg
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093842/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093842/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- A Gray State
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6794380/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6794380/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1683876/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1683876/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Valley Uprising
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3784160/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3784160/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- You've Been Trumped
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1943873/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1943873/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

Environmental:

\- Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3302820/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3302820/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- The Cove
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313104/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Chasing Coral
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333054/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6333054/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Virunga
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3455224/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3455224/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

Crime:

\- Cartel Land
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4126304/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4126304/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- The Act of Killing
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- The Culture High
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1778338/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1778338/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4299972/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4299972/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- West of Memphis
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2130321/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2130321/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- How to Make Money Selling Drugs
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276962/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1276962/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- The Fear of 13
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5083702/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5083702/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Brother's Keeper
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103888/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103888/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution'
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446610/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0446610/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

Reflecting on Life and Death:

\- Given
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4890452/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4890452/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Extremis
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5538078/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5538078/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Touching the Void
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379557/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379557/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Attention: A Life in Extremes
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2846628/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2846628/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

Society:

\- Israel vs Israel
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753960/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1753960/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- Inside Job
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1645089/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1645089/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

\- The Overnighters
([https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3263996/?ref_=rt_li_tt](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3263996/?ref_=rt_li_tt))

------
datavirtue
Forks over Knives. Details the findings of an extensive string of studies on
the consumption of animal protien. What is not covered in this particular
documentary was how the US government was about to change thier food
recommendations in 1977 but was stopped by agricultural power brokers invested
in meat production. Uphill battle ever since but we can see exploding
diabetes, heart disease, and cancer--all demonstrated as controllable I the
studies talked about in this documentary. Changed my life.

