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Documentaries that will change you!

by gillesasson • Created 10 years ago • Modified 3 years ago
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  • 26 titles
  • Michael Peterson in The Staircase (2004)

    1. The Staircase

    2004–201813 epsTV-MATV Series
    7.8 (28K)
    The high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
    StarsMichael PetersonDavid RudolfRon Guerette
  • Murder on a Sunday Morning (2001)

    2. Murder on a Sunday Morning

    20011h 51mNot Rated
    7.9 (4.7K)
    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.
    DirectorJean-Xavier de LestradeStarsAnn FinnellPatrick McGuinnessJames Williams
  • The Act of Killing (2012)

    3. The Act of Killing

    20121h 57mNot Rated92Metascore
    8.2 (43K)
    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.
    DirectorsJoshua OppenheimerAnonymousChristine CynnStarsAnwar CongoHerman KotoSyamsul Arifin
  • Cleveland Versus Wall Street (2010)

    4. Cleveland Versus Wall Street

    20101h 38m
    6.9 (234)
    On 11th January 2008, hired by the City of Cleveland, lawyer Josh Cohen and his team filed a lawsuit against 21 banks, which they held accountable for the wave of foreclosures that had left their city in ruins. Since then, the bankers on Wall Street have been fighting by with all available means to avoid going to court. This film is the story of that trial. A film about a trial that may never be held but in which the facts, the participants and their testimonies are all real: the judge, lawyers, witnesses, even the members of the jury - asked to give their verdict - play their own roles. Step by step, one witness after another, the film takes apart, from a plain, human perspective, the mechanisms of subprime mortgage loans, a system that sent the world economy reeling. A trial for the sake of example, a universal fable about capitalism.
    DirectorJean-Stéphane BronStarsRobert KoleFrederick KushenKurtis Rodgers Kushen
  • Armadillo (2010)

    5. Armadillo

    20101h 45mNot Rated72Metascore
    7.4 (11K)
    Danish soldiers are sent to Afghanistan in 2009 for 6 months, to help stabilize the country against the Taliban. They're stationed on Armadillo military base in Helman province. Unlike other war movies, this is the real deal - no actors.
    DirectorJanus MetzStarsKim BirkerodMads MiniDaniel Olby
  • 51 Birch Street (2005)

    6. 51 Birch Street

    20051h 30mUnrated77Metascore
    7.3 (954)
    In the wake of his mother's passing, filmmaker Doug Block discovers a trove of unearthed secrets in the pages of her diary.
    DirectorDoug BlockStarsCarol BlockDoug BlockEllen Block
  • The 10th Judicial Court: Judicial Hearings (2004)

    7. The 10th Judicial Court: Judicial Hearings

    20041h 45mNot Rated
    7.6 (649)
    The proceedings of a Paris courtroom are the grist for this documentary. Drawn from over 200 appearances before the same female judge, the director chooses a dozen or so varied misdemeanor and civil hearings to highlight the subtle details of human behavior. In the process he draws attention to issues of guilt, innocence, policing and ethnicity in France.
    DirectorRaymond DepardonStarMichèle Bernard-Requin
  • The Crash Reel (2013)

    8. The Crash Reel

    20131h 48mNot Rated79Metascore
    8.2 (5.2K)
    Fifteen years of verite footage show the epic rivalry between half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce, childhood friends who become number one and two in the world leading up to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, pushing one another to ever more dangerous tricks, until Kevin crashes on a Park City half-pipe, barely surviving. As Kevin recovers from his injury, Shaun wins Gold. Now all Kevin wants to do is get on his snowboard again, even though medics and family fear this could kill him. We also celebrate Sarah Burke who crashed in Park City and died January 19, 2012.
    DirectorLucy WalkerStarsKevin PearceShaun WhiteMason Aguirre
  • Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

    9. Capturing the Friedmans

    20031h 47mNot Rated90Metascore
    7.6 (28K)
    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.
    DirectorAndrew JareckiStarsArnold FriedmanJesse FriedmanDavid Friedman
  • Francis Ford Coppola in Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991)

    10. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

    19911h 36mR
    8.1 (25K)
    Documentary that chronicles how Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) was plagued by extraordinary script, shooting, budget, and casting problems - nearly destroying the life and career of the celebrated director.
    DirectorsFax BahrGeorge HickenlooperEleanor CoppolaStarsDennis HopperMartin SheenMarlon Brando
  • Joaquin Phoenix in I'm Still Here (2010)

    11. I'm Still Here

    20101h 48mR48Metascore
    6.1 (25K)
    Documents Joaquin Phoenix's transition from the acting world to a career as an aspiring rapper.
    DirectorCasey AffleckStarsJoaquin PhoenixAntony LangdonCarey Perloff
  • Pina (2011)

    12. Pina

    20111h 43mPG83Metascore
    7.6 (16K)
    A tribute to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, as her dancers perform her most famous creations.
    DirectorWim WendersStarsPina BauschRegina AdventoMalou Airaudo
  • Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

    13. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

    19962h 30mNot Rated
    8.2 (19K)
    A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
    DirectorsJoe BerlingerBruce SinofskyStarsTony BrooksDiana DavisTerry Wood
  • Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008)

    14. Anvil: The Story of Anvil

    20081h 20mNot Rated82Metascore
    7.9 (17K)
    Since 1978, Anvil has become one of heavy metal's most influential yet commercially unsuccessful acts. In 2006, after a fledging European tour Anvil sets out to record their thirteenth album and continue to follow their dreams.
    DirectorSacha GervasiStarsRobb ReinerSteve 'Lips' KudlowTiziana Arrigoni
  • Jerry Seinfeld in Comedian (2002)

    15. Comedian

    20021h 22mR62Metascore
    6.9 (7.4K)
    A look at the work of two stand-up comics, Jerry Seinfeld and a lesser-known newcomer, detailing the effort and frustration behind putting together a successful act and career while living a life on the road.
    DirectorChristian CharlesStarsJerry SeinfeldChris RockGarry Shandling
  • Bob Dylan in No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005)

    16. American Masters

    Episode: 

    No Direction Home: Bob Dylan

    (2005)
    1985– 3h 28mNot RatedTV Episode
    8.4 (12K)
    A chronicle of Bob Dylan's strange evolution between 1961 and 1966 from folk singer to protest singer to "voice of a generation" to rock star.
    DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsBob DylanB.J. RolfzenDick Kangas
  • Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

    17. Searching for Sugar Man

    20121h 26mPG-1379Metascore
    8.2 (75K)
    Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
    DirectorMalik BendjelloulStarsRodriguezStephen 'Sugar' SegermanDennis Coffey
  • Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

    18. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

    20081h 35mNot Rated82Metascore
    8.5 (43K)
    A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son.
    DirectorKurt KuenneStarsKurt KuenneAndrew BagbyDavid Bagby
  • The Queen of Versailles (2012)

    19. The Queen of Versailles

    20121h 40mPG80Metascore
    7.1 (14K)
    A documentary that follows a billionaire couple as they begin construction on a mansion inspired by Versailles. During the next two years, their empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis.
    DirectorLauren GreenfieldStarsJaqueline SiegelDavid SiegelLorraine Barrett
  • William S. Burroughs: A Man Within (2010)

    20. William S. Burroughs: A Man Within

    20101h 27mNot Rated63Metascore
    7.1 (1.3K)
    William S. Burroughs: featuring never before seen footage as well as exclusive interviews with his closest friends and colleagues. Born the heir of the Burroughs' adding machine estate, he struggled throughout his life with addiction, control systems, and self. He was forced to deal with the tragedy of killing his wife and the repercussions of neglecting his son. His novel, Naked Lunch, was one of the last books to be banned by the U.S. government. Allen Ginsberg and Norman Mailer testified on behalf of the book. The courts eventually overturned their decision in 1966, ruling that the book had an important social value. It remains one of the most recognized literary works of the 20th century. William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. Eventually he was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come. However, his friends were left wondering, did William ever find happiness? This extremely personal documentary breaks the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time. "William S. Burroughs: A Man Within" is the first and only posthumous documentary about this legendary figure.
    DirectorYony LeyserStarsFred AldrichLaurie AndersonAmiri Baraka
  • Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2003)

    21. Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus

    20031h 22m58Metascore
    7.6 (1.2K)
    Searching for The Wrong-Eyed Jesus is a captivating and compelling road trip through the creative spirit of the the Southern U.S. Director Andrew Douglas's film follows "Alt Country" singer Jim White through a gritty terrain of churches, prisons, truck stops, biker bars and coal mines. This is a journey through a very real contemporary Southern U.S., a world of marginalised white people and their unique and home-made society. Along the way are road-side encounters with modern musical mavericks including The Handsome Family, Johnny Dowd, 16 Horsepower and David Johansen; old time banjo player Lee sexton; rockabilly and mountain Gospel churches - and novelist Harry Crews telling grisly stories down a dirt track.
    DirectorAndrew DouglasStarsHarry CrewsJohnny DowdDavid Eugene Edwards
  • Werner Herzog and Timothy Treadwell in Grizzly Man (2005)

    22. Grizzly Man

    20051h 43mR87Metascore
    7.8 (65K)
    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.
    DirectorWerner HerzogStarsTimothy TreadwellAmie HuguenardWerner Herzog
  • Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

    23. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

    20051h 50mR
    7.6 (21K)
    A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
    DirectorAlex GibneyStarsJohn BeardTim BeldenBarbara Boxer
  • Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (2022)

    24. Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy

    20223 epsTV-MATV Mini Series
    8.0 (12K)
    Follows the life of Kanye West, in an intimate portrait as he builds his way from singer to businessman and becomes a global brand.
    StarsYeNaeem GhefariKid Cudi
  • Adolescents (2019)

    25. Adolescents

    20192h 15m
    7.2 (1K)
    Anaïs and Emma have been best friends since childhood. It's a friendship is filmed over the years, during a period when their physical, emotional and intellectual development is dramatic.
    DirectorSébastien LifshitzStarsAnaïsEmma

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