The Best Documentaries

by ChuckCanzoneri1SO | created - 3 months ago | updated - 3 months ago | Public
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1. Hello Cinema (1995)

75 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama

Makhmalbaf puts an advertisement in the papers calling for an open casting for his next movie. However when hundreds of people show up, he decides to make a movie about the casting and the screen tests of the would-be actors.

Director: Mohsen Makhmalbaf | Stars: Shaghayeh Djodat, Behzad Dorani, Feizola Gashghai, Maryam Keyhan

Votes: 2,185

2. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime

85 Metascore

Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.

Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta

Votes: 68,834 | Gross: $3.29M

3. Precious Images (1986)

8 min | Documentary, Short

A montage of nearly 500 film clips from eight decades of American movies, made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Director's Guild of America.

Director: Chuck Workman

Votes: 746

4. Blackfish (2013)

PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary

83 Metascore

A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.

Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Stars: Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall

Votes: 72,468 | Gross: $2.07M

5. Shoah (1985)

Not Rated | 566 min | Documentary, History, War

99 Metascore

Claude Lanzmann's epic documentary recounts the story of the Holocaust through interviews with witnesses - perpetrators as well as survivors.

Director: Claude Lanzmann | Stars: Simon Srebnik, Michael Podchlebnik, Motke Zaïdl, Hanna Zaïdl

Votes: 10,559 | Gross: $0.02M

6. Century of Cinema (1995–1998)
Episode: A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

225 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Martin Scorsese describes his initial and growing obsession with films from the 1940s and 50s as the art form developed and grew with clips from classics and cult classics.

Directors: Martin Scorsese, Michael Henry Wilson | Stars: Martin Scorsese, Allison Anders, Kathryn Bigelow, Francis Ford Coppola

Votes: 5,141

7. A Married Couple (1969)

97 min | Documentary

An "actuality drama" about a real-life marriage in crisis, in which the couple attempts to identify and resolve the conflicts and resentments that have driven them to the brink of separation.

Director: Allan King | Stars: Billy Edwards, Antoinette Edwards, Bogart Edwards, Merton

Votes: 643

8. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

PG-13 | 79 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport

83 Metascore

Die-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.

Director: Seth Gordon | Stars: Steve Wiebe, Billy Mitchell, Mark Alpiger, Adam Wood

Votes: 37,580 | Gross: $0.68M

9. Dying at Grace (2003)

148 min | Documentary

Director Allan King documents the final months of five terminally ill cancer patients at the Toronto Grace Health Centre.

Director: Allan King | Stars: Phyllis Bobbitt, Joyce Bone, Norman Collins, Lloyd Greenway

Votes: 434

10. Waltz with Bashir (2008)

R | 90 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography

91 Metascore

An Israeli film director interviews fellow veterans of the 1982 invasion of Lebanon to reconstruct his own memories of his term of service in that conflict.

Director: Ari Folman | Stars: Ari Folman, Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag, Ori Sivan

Votes: 60,419 | Gross: $2.28M

11. Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)

PG | 103 min | Documentary

80 Metascore

A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.

Director: Barbara Kopple | Stars: John L. Lewis, Carl Horn, Norman Yarborough, Logan Patterson

Votes: 6,634

12. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

R | 122 min | Documentary, Drama, War

67 Metascore

Michael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, George W. Bush, Ben Affleck, Stevie Wonder

Votes: 132,404 | Gross: $119.19M

13. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)

Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History

A documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor.

Director: Rob Epstein | Stars: Harvey Fierstein, Harvey Milk, Anne Kronenberg, Tory Hartmann

Votes: 6,579 | Gross: $0.01M

14. Sherman's March (1985)

Not Rated | 157 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy

Documentary filmmaker Ross McElwee sets out to make a movie about Union General Sherman's March to the Sea towards the end of the American Civil War, but keeps getting sidetracked by his own love life.

Director: Ross McElwee | Stars: Ross McElwee, Dede McElwee, Ross McElwee Jr., Patricia Rendleman

Votes: 2,709

15. American Dream (1990)

PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary

Recounts the 1985-86 strike against the Hormel Foods Corporation in Minnesota after its employees' wages and benefits were cut.

Directors: Barbara Kopple, Cathy Caplan, Thomas Haneke, Lawrence Silk | Stars: Lewie Anderson, R.J. Bergstrom, Ron Bergstrom, Wayne Goodnature

Votes: 1,012 | Gross: $0.27M

16. The American Scream (2012)

Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary

In a small Massachusetts community, three Halloween-obsessed households transform into neighbor-terrifying supernatural wonderlands.

Director: Michael Paul Stephenson | Stars: Victor Bariteau, Tina Bariteau, Gwen Bariteau, Catherine Bariteau

Votes: 1,248

17. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

82 Metascore

A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.

Director: Kurt Kuenne | Stars: Kurt Kuenne, Andrew Bagby, David Bagby, Kathleen Bagby

Votes: 40,739 | Gross: $0.02M

18. Roger & Me (1989)

R | 91 min | Documentary

70 Metascore

After General Motors closes its factory in Flint, Michigan, eliminating 35,000 jobs, filmmaker Michael Moore undertakes a quixotic quest to interview General Motors' chairman, Roger B. Smith.

Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Roger B. Smith, Rhonda Britton, Fred Ross

Votes: 27,516 | Gross: $6.71M

19. Five Came Back (2017)

TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Biography, History

The wartime contributions of five prominent Hollywood film directors during World War II are profiled.

Stars: Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep, Guillermo del Toro

Votes: 5,281

20. My Voyage to Italy (1999)

PG-13 | 246 min | Documentary

90 Metascore

World-renowned director Martin Scorsese narrates this journey through his favorites in Italian cinema.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Star: Martin Scorsese

Votes: 3,527 | Gross: $0.01M

21. Street Fight (2005)

Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary

85 Metascore

This documentary follows the 2002 mayoral campaign in Newark, New Jersey in which a City Councilman, Cory Booker, attempted to unseat longtime mayor Sharpe James.

Director: Marshall Curry | Stars: Jen Bluestein, Cory Booker, Bill Bradley, Chris Christie

Votes: 2,117

22. The Hamster Factor and Other Tales of Twelve Monkeys (1996 Video)

88 min | Documentary

A documentary following Terry Gilliam through the creation of "12 Monkeys" (1995)

Directors: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe | Stars: Keith Fulton, Terry Gilliam, Charles Roven, Lloyd Phillips

Votes: 1,088

23. Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

90 Metascore

Documentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.

Director: Andrew Jarecki | Stars: Arnold Friedman, Jesse Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman

Votes: 27,139 | Gross: $3.12M

24. Light & Magic (2022)

TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, History

Showcasing the people of Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects division of Lucasfilm, this series takes us back in time as they create the effects for some of the biggest and most successful films of the last 45 years.

Stars: George Lucas, Dennis Muren, Lorne Peterson, Ron Howard

Votes: 3,224

25. The Imagineering Story (2019)

TV-G | 60 min | Documentary, Adventure

The inside look into the Walt Disney Imagineering company.

Stars: Tom Morris, Kevin Rafferty, Angela Bassett, Matt Fowler

Votes: 3,370

26. Mistaken for Strangers (2013)

Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary, Comedy, Music

72 Metascore

Tom Berninger chronicles his time spent on the road as a member of the tour crew for The National, the rock & roll band fronted by his brother, Matt.

Director: Tom Berninger | Stars: Tom Berninger, Matt Berninger, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf

Votes: 4,607 | Gross: $0.14M

28. The Spaghetti West (2005 Video)

65 min | Documentary

A visual history of Italian western cinema in the 60s and 70s.

Director: David Gregory | Stars: Ferdinando Baldi, Manolo Bolognini, Enzo G. Castellari, Sergio Corbucci

Votes: 281

29. Paris Is Burning (1990)

R | 78 min | Documentary

82 Metascore

A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.

Director: Jennie Livingston | Stars: Brooke Xtravaganza, André Christian, Dorian Corey, Paris Duprée

Votes: 17,620 | Gross: $3.78M

30. Audrie & Daisy (2016)

TV-14 | 95 min | Documentary, Crime

73 Metascore

A look at the effects that online bullying has on the lives of teenagers and their community.

Directors: Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk | Stars: Robin Bourland, Daisy Coleman, Charles Coleman, Melinda Coleman

Votes: 7,028

31. Jackie Chan: My Stunts (1999 Video)

94 min | Documentary

A documentary where Jackie Chan and his stuntman team show you the secrets of some of the great stunts they do in films. The film also takes you on the sets of "Who Am I?" and "Rush Hour".

Directors: Jackie Chan, Xavier Lee | Stars: Jackie Chan, Ken Lo, Bradley James Allan, Anthony Carpio

Votes: 1,410

32. Grizzly Man (2005)

R | 103 min | Documentary, Biography

87 Metascore

A devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.

Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog, Carol Dexter

Votes: 61,913 | Gross: $3.17M

33. At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal (2019)

TV-MA | 88 min | Documentary, Crime, Sport

USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar is convicted of serial sexual abuse of young athletes.

Director: Erin Lee Carr | Stars: Simone Biles, Scott Blackmun, Richard Blumenthal, Aimee Boorman

Votes: 3,445

34. We Steal Secrets (2013)

R | 130 min | Documentary

76 Metascore

A documentary that details the creation of Julian Assange's controversial website, which facilitated the largest security breach in U.S. history.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Julian Assange, Adrian Lamo, John 'FuzzFace' McMahon, Alex Gibney

Votes: 8,178 | Gross: $0.16M

35. Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999)

PG-13 | 91 min | Documentary, Biography

78 Metascore

A cinematic portrait of the life and career of the infamous American execution device designer and holocaust denier.

Director: Errol Morris | Stars: Fred A. Leuchter Jr., Robert Jan Van Pelt, David Irving, Caroline Leuchter

Votes: 5,780 | Gross: $0.50M

36. Three Identical Strangers (2018)

PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama

81 Metascore

In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.

Director: Tim Wardle | Stars: Robert Shafran, Michael Domnitz, Howard Schneider, Ellen Cervone

Votes: 39,819 | Gross: $12.32M

37. American Grindhouse (2010)

Not Rated | 80 min | Documentary

A documentary about the history of exploitation movies, from the silent-film era to the 1970s.

Director: Elijah Drenner | Stars: Robert Forster, Eric Schaefer, Eddie Muller, John Landis

Votes: 2,616 | Gross: $0.01M

38. Häxan (1922)

Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Fantasy, Horror

Fictionalized documentary showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion with hysteria in Eastern Europe.

Director: Benjamin Christensen | Stars: Benjamin Christensen, Elisabeth Christensen, Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan

Votes: 16,737

39. Touching the Void (2003)

R | 106 min | Documentary, Adventure, Drama

82 Metascore

The true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985.

Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron

Votes: 38,113 | Gross: $4.59M

40. Free Solo (2018)

PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport

83 Metascore

Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.

Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe

Votes: 77,459 | Gross: $17.54M

41. My Octopus Teacher (2020)

TV-G | 85 min | Documentary, Drama

82 Metascore

A 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.

Directors: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed | Stars: Craig Foster, Tom Foster

Votes: 63,870

42. The Rescue (2021)

PG | 107 min | Documentary, Action, Mystery

84 Metascore

A chronicle of the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand.

Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Bancha Duriyapunt, Apakorn Youkongkaew, Anan Surawan, Woranan Ratrawiphukkun

Votes: 20,627 | Gross: $1.06M

43. The Cove (2009)

PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime

84 Metascore

Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.

Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Hardy Jones, Michael Illiff

Votes: 51,455 | Gross: $0.87M

44. Catching Hell (2011)

102 min | Documentary, Sport

After the Chicago Cubs blow an opportunity to reach the World Series in 2003, Cubs fans blame the team's misfortune on fellow fan Steve Bartman, who interfered with a foul ball and prevented Moises Alou from making a catch.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Dave Kaplan, Bob Costas, Dwight Evans

Votes: 1,719

45. The Sparks Brothers (2021)

R | 140 min | Documentary, Biography, Comedy

80 Metascore

A musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks.

Director: Edgar Wright | Stars: Ron Mael, Russell Mael, Beck, Jane Wiedlin

Votes: 6,061

46. Burden of Dreams (1982)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary

A documentary following German auteur Werner Herzog as he deals with difficult actors, bad weather and getting a boat over a mountain, all in an effort to make his film Fitzcarraldo (1982).

Director: Les Blank | Stars: Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards

Votes: 8,138

47. Hearts and Minds (1974)

R | 112 min | Documentary, History, War

68 Metascore

A startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.

Director: Peter Davis | Stars: Tin Chan, Chau Diem, Ngo Dinh Diem, John Foster Dulles

Votes: 6,113 | Gross: $0.03M

48. Marwencol (2010)

Not Rated | 83 min | Documentary, Biography, Fantasy

82 Metascore

Documentary about Mark Hogancamp. After a vicious attack leaves him brain-damaged and broke, Mark seeks recovery in "Marwencol", a 1/6th scale World War II-era town he creates in his backyard. Inspired the movie Welcome to Marwen (2018)

Director: Jeff Malmberg | Stars: Mark Hogancamp, Emmanuel Nneji, Edda Hogancamp, Tom Neubauer

Votes: 3,705 | Gross: $0.11M

49. Spellbound (2002)

G | 97 min | Documentary, Comedy, Thriller

80 Metascore

Spellbound follows eight teenagers on their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

Director: Jeffrey Blitz | Stars: Angela Arenivar, Ubaldo Arenivar, Jorge Arenivar, Scott McGarraugh

Votes: 12,460 | Gross: $5.73M

50. Murderball (2005)

R | 88 min | Documentary, Sport

87 Metascore

Quadriplegics, who play full-contact rugby in wheelchairs, overcome unimaginable obstacles to compete in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece.

Directors: Henry Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro | Stars: Joe Soares, Keith Cavill, Mark Zupan, Robert Soares

Votes: 10,458 | Gross: $1.52M

51. Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau (2014)

Not Rated | 97 min | Documentary, Adventure

A behind the scenes chronicle of how clash of vision, bad creative decisions, lack of interest and really bad weather plagued the disastrous production of the infamous The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996).

Director: David Gregory | Stars: Richard Stanley, Kier-La Janisse, Michael Gingold, Graham Humphreys

Votes: 4,413

52. Crazy Love (I) (2007)

PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Romance

69 Metascore

The bizarre true story of Linda Riss and Burt Pugach.

Directors: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens | Stars: Burt Pugach, Linda Pugach, Bob Janoff, Sylvia Hoffman

Votes: 2,830 | Gross: $0.30M

53. Knock Down the House (2019)

PG | 87 min | Documentary

80 Metascore

A look at the people involved with various political campaigns during the 2018 U.S. congressional election.

Director: Rachel Lears | Stars: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Joe Crowley, Paula Jean Swearengin

Votes: 12,971

54. Saturday Night (2010)

Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary

With unprecedented access to the behind the scenes process of the writers, actors and producers, Franco and his crew document what it takes to create one full episode of Saturday Night Live.

Director: James Franco | Stars: Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Ken Aymong

Votes: 520

55. We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (2020)

TV-MA | 90 min | Documentary, Comedy, Musical

67 Metascore

Lin-Manuel Miranda Hamilton's improvisation hip-hop group, Freestyle Love Supreme and their reunion performances in New York City in 2019.

Director: Andrew Fried | Stars: Utkarsh Ambudkar, Andrew Bancroft, James Monroe Iglehart, Chris Jackson

Votes: 373

56. Fyre (2019)

TV-MA | 97 min | Documentary, Crime, Music

75 Metascore

An exclusive behind the scenes look at the infamous unraveling of the Fyre music festival.

Director: Chris Smith | Stars: Billy McFarland, Jason Bell, Gabrielle Bluestone, Shiyuan Deng

Votes: 52,058

57. Sicko (2007)

PG-13 | 123 min | Documentary, Drama

74 Metascore

A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories including shotgun deaths.

Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Tucker Albrizzi, Tony Benn, George W. Bush

Votes: 76,833 | Gross: $24.54M

58. Restrepo (2010)

R | 93 min | Documentary, Biography, History

85 Metascore

A year with one platoon in the deadliest valley in Afghanistan.

Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger | Stars: The Men of Battle Company 2nd of the 503rd Infantry Regiment 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Juan 'Doc Restrepo, Dan Kearney, LaMonta Caldwell

Votes: 24,424 | Gross: $1.33M

59. Crip Camp (2020)

R | 106 min | Documentary, History

86 Metascore

Down the road from Woodstock, a revolution blossomed at a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting a landmark movement.

Directors: James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham | Stars: James Lebrecht, Lionel Je'Woodyard, Joseph O'Conor, Ann Cupolo Freeman

Votes: 8,238

60. Jesus Camp (2006)

PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary

62 Metascore

A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.

Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | Stars: Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer, Ted Haggard

Votes: 28,779 | Gross: $0.90M

61. The Endless Summer (1966)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Sport

82 Metascore

The crown jewel to ten years of Bruce Brown surfing documentaries. Brown follows two young surfers around the world in search of the perfect wave, and ends up finding quite a few in addition to some colorful local characters.

Director: Bruce Brown | Stars: Robert August, Michael Hynson, Lord James Blears, Bruce Brown

Votes: 6,220

62. The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, History, Music

93 Metascore

A look into the Los Angeles punk rock scene, that was largely ignored by the rock music press of the time.

Director: Penelope Spheeris | Stars: Eugene Tatu, Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline

Votes: 4,868

63. The Kid Stays in the Picture (2002)

R | 93 min | Documentary, Biography

75 Metascore

Documentary about legendary Paramount producer Robert Evans (the film shares the same name as Evans's famous 1994 autobiography).

Directors: Nanette Burstein, Brett Morgen | Stars: Robert Evans, Eddie Albert, Peter Bart, Charlie Bluhdorn

Votes: 7,968 | Gross: $1.43M

64. Tower (2016)

TV-14 | 82 min | Documentary, Animation, Crime

92 Metascore

Animation, testimony, and archival footage combine to relate the events of August 1, 1966 when a gunman opened fire from the University of Texas clock tower, killing 16 people.

Director: Keith Maitland | Stars: Monty Muir, Violett Beane, Cole Bee Wilson, Aldo Ordoñez

Votes: 8,290 | Gross: $0.09M

65. Taxi to the Dark Side (2007)

R | 106 min | Documentary, Crime, History

82 Metascore

Alex Gibney exposes the haunting details of the USA's torture and interrogation practices during the War in Afghanistan.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Brian Keith Allen, Moazzam Begg, Christopher Beiring

Votes: 16,806 | Gross: $0.27M

66. Nostalgia for the Light (2010)

Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary

91 Metascore

A documentary about two different searches conducted in the Chilean Atacama Desert: one by astronomers looking for answers about the history of the cosmos, and one by women looking for the remains of loved ones killed by Pinochet's regime.

Director: Patricio Guzmán | Stars: Gaspar Galaz, Lautaro Núñez, Luís Henríquez, Miguel Lawner

Votes: 6,116

67. How to Survive a Plague (2012)

Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History, News

86 Metascore

The story of two coalitions -- ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) -- whose activism and innovation turned AIDS from a death sentence into a manageable condition.

Director: David France | Stars: Peter Staley, Larry Kramer, Iris Long, Bob Rafsky

Votes: 4,357 | Gross: $0.13M

68. Overnight (2003)

R | 82 min | Documentary

60 Metascore

A documentary on the rise and stumble of Troy Duffy, the bartender-cum-filmmaker who was swept up by Miramax's Harvey Weinstein to turn his script for The Boondock Saints into a feature film.

Directors: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith | Stars: Troy Duffy, Jeffrey Baxter, Chris Brinker, Jake Busey

Votes: 4,664

69. Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)

R | 103 min | Documentary, History

76 Metascore

The story of the Australian exploitation genre cinema of 1970s and 80s.

Director: Mark Hartley | Stars: Phillip Adams, Glory Annen, Christine Amor, Victoria Anoux

Votes: 4,684 | Gross: $0.02M

70. Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997)

Not Rated | 165 min | Documentary, History

A reassessment of the tragedy at Waco that left 76 members of the Branch Davidian religious sect dead.

Director: William Gazecki | Stars: Dan Gifford, Jim Cavanaugh, Dick DeGuerin, Clive Doyle

Votes: 3,734

71. The Endless Summer 2 (1994)

TV-14 | 109 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport

Two famous surfers, Patrick O' Connell and Robert "Wingnut" Weaver, set out for an international worldwide surfing safari adventure with documentary filmmaker Bruce Brown.

Director: Bruce Brown | Stars: Patrick O'Connell, Robert 'Wingnut' Weaver, Robert August, T.J. Barron

Votes: 2,229 | Gross: $2.16M

72. The Overnighters (2014)

PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Drama

89 Metascore

Broken, desperate men chase their dreams and run from their demons in the North Dakota oil fields. A local Pastor risks everything to help them.

Director: Jesse Moss | Stars: Jay Reinke, Andrea Reinke, Alan Mezo, Shelly Schultz

Votes: 2,552 | Gross: $0.11M

73. Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)

TV-MA | 82 min | Documentary, Crime

In this documentary, the murder of Deedee Blanchard by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event.

Director: Erin Lee Carr | Stars: Jessica Thomas, Jim Arnott, David Blanchard, Dee Dee Blanchard

Votes: 11,910

74. Inside Job (2010)

PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime

88 Metascore

Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.

Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir

Votes: 78,992 | Gross: $4.31M

75. Super Size Me (2004)

PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary

73 Metascore

While examining the influence of the fast food industry, Morgan Spurlock personally explores the consequences on his health of a diet of solely McDonald's food for one month.

Director: Morgan Spurlock | Stars: Morgan Spurlock, Daryl Isaacs, Chemeeka Walker, Dania Abu-Rmaileh

Votes: 113,302 | Gross: $11.53M

76. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

Not Rated | 150 min | Documentary, Crime

A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.

Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Tony Brooks, Diana Davis, Terry Wood, Dick Clay

Votes: 18,155

77. Bowling for Columbine (2002)

R | 120 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama

72 Metascore

Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.

Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Manson, Salvador Allende

Votes: 148,765 | Gross: $21.58M

78. The Salt of the Earth (2014)

PG-13 | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History

83 Metascore

The life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado, who has spent forty years documenting societies in hidden corners of the world.

Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders | Stars: Sebastião Salgado, Wim Wenders, Lélia Wanick Salgado, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Votes: 23,472 | Gross: $1.34M

79. I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

PG-13 | 93 min | Documentary, History

95 Metascore

Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.

Director: Raoul Peck | Stars: Samuel L. Jackson, James Baldwin, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X

Votes: 23,512 | Gross: $7.12M

80. American Factory (2019)

TV-14 | 110 min | Documentary

86 Metascore

In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

Directors: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert | Stars: Junming 'Jimmy' Wang, Robert Allen, Sherrod Brown, Dave Burrows

Votes: 23,881

81. Streetwise (1984)

91 min | Documentary, Drama

Gritty documentary that looks at the lives of teenagers living on the streets of Seattle.

Director: Martin Bell | Stars: Annie, Eddie, Antoine, Erica

Votes: 2,964 | Gross: $0.01M

82. The Aristocrats (2005)

Not Rated | 89 min | Documentary, Comedy

72 Metascore

One hundred superstar comedians tell the same very, VERY dirty, filthy joke--one shared privately by comics since Vaudeville.

Directors: Penn Jillette, Paul Provenza | Stars: George Carlin, Don Rickles, Chris Rock, Chris Albrecht

Votes: 17,061 | Gross: $6.38M

83. My Best Fiend (1999)

Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Biography

70 Metascore

The love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their independently and simultaneously hatched plans to murder one another.

Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Eva Mattes

Votes: 12,200 | Gross: $0.10M

84. Nanook of the North (1922)

Passed | 78 min | Documentary

In this silent predecessor to the modern documentary, film-maker Robert J. Flaherty spends one year following the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle.

Director: Robert J. Flaherty | Stars: Allakariallak, Alice Nevalinga, Cunayou, Allegoo

Votes: 13,458

85. Hail Satan? (2019)

R | 95 min | Documentary

76 Metascore

A look at the quick rise and influence of the controversial religious group known as The Satanic Temple.

Director: Penny Lane | Stars: Jex Blackmore, Chalice Blythe, Nicholas Crowe, Sal De Ciccio

Votes: 7,817 | Gross: $0.42M

86. Dark Days (2000)

Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary

75 Metascore

A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.

Director: Marc Singer | Star: Marc Singer

Votes: 7,182 | Gross: $0.43M

87. Feels Good Man (2020)

92 min | Documentary, Comedy

79 Metascore

Artist Matt Furie, creator of the comic character Pepe the Frog, begins an uphill battle to take back his iconic cartoon image from those who used it for their own purposes.

Director: Arthur Jones | Stars: Matt Furie, Aiyana Udesen, Chris Sullivan, Johnny Ryan

Votes: 5,554

88. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (2021)

PG | 107 min | Documentary, Family, History

82 Metascore

Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most impactful children's series in TV history. From the iconic furry characters to the songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed our world.

Director: Marilyn Agrelo | Stars: Frank Biondo, Linda Bove, Fran Brill, Northern Calloway

Votes: 1,359

89. Tim's Vermeer (2013)

PG-13 | 80 min | Documentary, History

76 Metascore

Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.

Director: Teller | Stars: Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Martin Mull, Philip Steadman

Votes: 8,557 | Gross: $1.66M

90. Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God (2012)

TV-14 | 106 min | Documentary

73 Metascore

Alex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all the way to the Vatican.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Terry Kohut, Gary Smith, Pat Kuehn

Votes: 4,087

91. Life, Animated (2016)

PG | 92 min | Documentary, Comedy, Drama

75 Metascore

A coming-of-age story about a boy and his family who overcame great challenges by turning Disney animated movies into a language to express love, loss, kinship and brotherhood.

Director: Roger Ross Williams | Stars: Owen Suskind, Cornelia Suskind, Ron Suskind, Walter Suskind

Votes: 6,178 | Gross: $0.26M

92. Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)

Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Crime

Oscar-winning documentary that documents a murder trial in which a 15-year-old African-American is wrongfully accused of a 2000 murder in Jacksonville, Florida.

Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade | Stars: Ann Finnell, Patrick McGuinness, James Williams, Michael Glover

Votes: 4,518

93. The House I Live In (2012)

Not Rated | 98 min | Documentary

77 Metascore

From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, a penetrating look inside America's criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy.

Director: Eugene Jarecki | Stars: Eugene Jarecki, David Simon, Shanequa Benitez, William Julius Wilson

Votes: 5,394 | Gross: $0.21M

94. The Missing Picture (2013)

Not Rated | 92 min | Documentary

87 Metascore

Rithy Panh uses clay figures, archival footage, and his narration to recreate the atrocities Cambodia's Khmer Rouge committed between 1975 and 1979.

Director: Rithy Panh | Stars: Randal Douc, Jean-Baptiste Phou

Votes: 3,527 | Gross: $0.05M

95. Word Wars (2004)

Unrated | 80 min | Documentary, Comedy

61 Metascore

A look at the obsessive world of competitive Scrabble.

Directors: Eric Chaikin, Julian Petrillo | Stars: Joe Edley, Matt Graham, Marlon Hill, Joel Sherman

Votes: 1,741 | Gross: $0.06M

96. Hospital (1970 TV Movie)

84 min | Documentary

An intimate look at the daily activities of medical staff and patients in New York's Metropolitan Hospital.

Director: Frederick Wiseman | Stars: Eugene Friedman, Stanley Friedman, Robert Schwartz

Votes: 547

97. Citizenfour (2014)

R | 114 min | Documentary, Biography

88 Metascore

A documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.

Director: Laura Poitras | Stars: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Jacob Appelbaum

Votes: 57,989 | Gross: $2.80M

98. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

R | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History

A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: John Beard, Tim Belden, Barbara Boxer, George W. Bush

Votes: 20,116

99. Zero Days (2016)

PG-13 | 116 min | Documentary

77 Metascore

A documentary focused on Stuxnet, a piece of self-replicating computer malware that the U.S. and Israel unleashed to destroy a key part of an Iranian nuclear facility, and which ultimately spread beyond its intended target.

Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: David Sanger, Emad Kiyaei, Eric Chien, Liam O'Murchu

Votes: 10,421 | Gross: $0.10M

100. Gimme Shelter (1970)

GP | 91 min | Documentary, Music, Thriller

85 Metascore

When three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film.

Directors: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Charlotte Zwerin | Stars: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Mick Taylor, Charlie Watts

Votes: 12,892 | Gross: $0.25M



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