Must-see Documentaries
My main form of movie and show consumption is documentaries. Here is a collection of docs that I'd recommend.
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- DirectorMarc SingerStarsMarc SingerA cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
- DirectorBarbara SchroederStarsSteve ClementThomas MontgomeryKen CaseThis is the true story of a love triangle that takes place entirely online. Lies lead to murder in real life, as a teenage vixen (screen name 'talhotblond') lures men into her web. Revealing a shocking true crime story that shows the Internet's power to unleash our most dangerous fantasies.
- DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge BushFilmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows Al Gore on the lecture circuit, as the former presidential candidate campaigns to raise public awareness of the dangers of global warming and calls for immediate action to curb its destructive effects on the environment.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreTucker AlbrizziTony BennA documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.
- DirectorRobert KennerStarsMichael PollanEric SchlosserRichard LobbAn unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry.
- DirectorDavid SingtonStarsBuzz AldrinAlan BeanEugene CernanThe crew members of NASA's Apollo missions tell their story in their own words.
- DirectorJames MarshStarsPhilippe PetitJean François HeckelJean-Louis BlondeauA look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, but illegal, high-wire routine performed between New York City's World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974, what some consider, "the artistic crime of the century".
- StarsMa Anand SheelaPhilip ToelkesJane StorkWhen Osho, the world's most controversial guru, builds an Utopian city deep in the Oregon country, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.
- StarsJoe ExoticCarole BaskinJohn ReinkeA rivalry between big cat eccentrics takes a dark turn when Joe Exotic, a controversial animal park boss, is caught in a murder-for-hire plot.
- CreatorJoe BerlingerStarsStephen MichaudBob KeppelKathleen McChesneyA look inside the mind of serial killer Ted Bundy, featuring interviews with him on death row.
- StarsDeanna ThompsonJohn GreenClaudette HamlinA group of online justice seekers track down a guy who posted a video of himself killing kittens.
- DirectorSkye BorgmanStarsJan BrobergBob BrobergMary Ann BrobergThe twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.
- StarsGemma HoskinsAbbie SchaubVirginia AnzengruberA seven-part docuseries about the unsolved murder of a nun and the horrific secrets and pain that linger nearly five decades after her death.
- StarsMichael PetersonDavid RudolfRon GueretteThe high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
- DirectorEd PerkinsStarsAndrew CaleyAlex LewisMarcus LewisAfter losing his memory in an accident, Alex Lewis trusts his twin brother, Marcus, to tell him about his past only to discover that he's hiding a dark secret about their childhood.
- StarsColin TierneyNikki HaskellGeraldo RiveraA British documentary series exploring the extraordinary journey of Donald Trump through five decades.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsWhitney HoustonEllen WhiteMichael HoustonAn in-depth look at the life and music of Whitney Houston.
- DirectorKen BurnsSarah BurnsDavid McMahonStarsAntron McCrayKevin RichardsonKharey WiseA documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
- DirectorBrett MorgenStarsKurt CobainWendy O'ConnorDon CobainAn authorized documentary on the late musician Kurt Cobain, from his early days in Aberdeen, Washington to his success and downfall with the grunge band Nirvana.
- DirectorKitty GreenStarsHannah CagwinAeona CruzLiv BagleyIn the months following the unsolved murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, responses were elicited from her Colorado hometown community, creating a work of art from the collective memories and mythologies the crime inspired.
- DirectorDan ReedStarsMichael JacksonWade RobsonJoy RobsonAt the height of his stardom, the world's biggest pop star, Michael Jackson, began long-running relationships with two young boys, aged between seven and ten, along their families. They now allege that he sexually abused them.
- DirectorJeff Orlowski-YangStarsTristan HarrisJeff SeibertBailey RichardsonExplores the dangerous human impact of social networking; tech experts sound the alarm on their own creations.
- CreatorSteven LeckartGlen ZipperStarsJune Scobee RodgersWilliam HarwoodJohn ZarrellaFour-part docuseries on the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster, unpacking an indelible moment for a generation of Americans.
- DirectorJulien NitzbergStarsJ. Parker Bazzle IIBig & RichPonty's CamperA year in the life of the White family, well known for Jesco White, the star of the "Dancing Outlaw" documentary.
- DirectorIrene TaylorStarsMorgan GeyserAnissa WeierAngie GeyserTells the story of two 12-year old girls, who attempted to murder one of their friends in an attempt to appease Slenderman, a fictional monster from a horror website.
- StarsJesse BarronEmily BazelonSam BoardmanTeen Michelle Carter's actions shocked a nation - but what really happened behind closed doors? This HBO special showcases the prosecution's point of view and alternately the defense's. Which side do you fall on?
- DirectorErin Lee CarrStarsJessica ThomasJim ArnottDavid BlanchardIn this documentary, the murder of Deedee Blanchard by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event.
- DirectorMarina ZenovichStarsRobin WilliamsMark RasmussenStan WilsonAn intimate look into the life and work of the revered master comedian and actor, Robin Williams.
- DirectorPippa EhrlichJames ReedStarsCraig FosterTom FosterA filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.
- StarsCharles MartinetRebecca Ann HeinemanNolan BushnellTraces the history of classic video games, featuring insights from the innovators who brought these worlds and characters to life.
- StarsZak HolmanHoward RaishbrookScott LaneThree rival freelance stringers scour the streets at night to film crime scenes, fires, accidents - and anything else they can sell to news outlets.
- DirectorPaul JoyceStarsJames CameronArthur C. ClarkeCon PedersonThe geniality of the mythical Kubrick's masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" is explored and debated here by scholars, author Arthur C. Clarke and some members of the cast and crew who were part of the magnificent experience that would become one of the landmarks of science fiction movies, still fascinating audiences with its mystery, its visual and its messages.
- DirectorEd W. MarshStarsCharlie ArnesonJohn Bedford LloydJeff BenderDocumentary about the making of the sci-fi film The Abyss (1989), with commentary by various actors and crew, outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage of the actual shooting of the film.
- StarsSteve BannonRudy GiulianiJonathan KarlProtests, political turmoil, pandemic - the inside story of the extraordinary Trump presidency. Friends and foes tell of his rise from TV star to leader of the free world.
- StarsPaul SkolnickGil CarrilloFrank SalernoThis limited docu-series tells the true story of how one of the most notorious serial killers in American history was hunted down and brought to justice.
- DirectorDaniel LindsayT.J. MartinStarsHenry AlfaroDanny BakewellJohn D. BarnettTwenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, filmmakers examine that tumultuous period through rarely seen archival footage.
- DirectorIreneusz DobrowolskiStarsStanislav SzukalskiGlenn BrayRobert WilliamsThis documentary chronicles the life of Polish-American artist Stanislav Szukalski (1893-1987) from his early years in Chicago, to his time in Poland and Los Angeles, and his artistic and political contributions to the world.
- DirectorRichard da CostaAlex ParkinsonStarsDuncan AllcockKjetil Ove AlvestadStuart AndersonA deep sea diver is stranded on the seabed with 5 minutes of oxygen and no hope of rescue. With access to amazing archive this is the story of one man's impossible fight for survival.
- DirectorEvgeny AfineevskyStarsHis Beatitude SviatoslavSaid IsmagilovBishop AgapitA documentary on the unrest in Ukraine during 2013 and 2014, as student demonstrations supporting European integration grew into a violent revolution calling for the resignation of President Viktor F. Yanukovich.
- DirectorRory KennedyStarsDonald TrumpMaria BartiromoLester HoltExamining the months since the tragedies, which caused global panic in March 2019 after two new aircrafts crashed within five months, killing 346 people.
- DirectorFelicity MorrisStarsSimon LevievCecilie FjellhøyKaran PugalPosing as a wealthy, jet-setting diamond mogul, he wooed women online, then conned them out of millions of dollars. Now some victims plan for payback.
- DirectorLucie JourdanStarsJacoba BallardJulie HarmonMatt WhiteAfter a woman's at-home DNA test reveals multiple half-siblings, she discovers a shocking scheme involving donor sperm and a popular fertility doctor.
- StarsCharlotte LawsCharles ParselleKayla LawsFollows the story of a woman who stood up to Hunter Moore, a self-proclaimed "professional life ruiner," after photos of her daughter being naked were posted online.
- StarsMark FallonJames LaPortaMichel ParadisThis unflinching series documents the 9/11 terrorist attacks, from Al Qaeda's roots in the 1980s to America's forceful response, both at home and abroad.
- DirectorTodd Douglas MillerStarsNeil ArmstrongMike CollinsBuzz AldrinA look at the Apollo 11 mission to land on the moon led by commander Neil Armstrong and pilots Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins.