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Documentaries & Docuseries - Stranger Than Fiction

by PaddyMcDuder • Created 14 years ago • Modified 3 months ago
This is a list of compelling documentaries that prove that the truth is stranger than fiction.
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  • 1 - 250
  • 820 titles
  • Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)

    1. Harlan County U.S.A.

    19761h 43mPG80Metascore
    8.2 (7.1K)
    A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
    DirectorBarbara KoppleStarsJohn L. LewisCarl HornNorman Yarborough
  • The House I Live In (2012)

    2. The House I Live In

    20121h 38mNot Rated77Metascore
    7.9 (5.4K)
    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.
    DirectorEugene JareckiStarsEugene JareckiDavid SimonShanequa Benitez
  • The Bridge (2006)

    3. The Bridge

    20061h 34mR58Metascore
    7.2 (13K)
    Filmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
    DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan Ginwalla
  • Hearts and Minds (1974)

    4. Hearts and Minds

    19741h 52mR68Metascore
    8.2 (6.4K)
    A startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it.
    DirectorPeter DavisStarsTin ChanChau DiemNgo Dinh Diem
  • The Untold History of the United States (2012)

    5. The Untold History of the United States

    2012–201313 epsTV-MATV Mini Series
    8.6 (10K)
    Oliver Stone's re-examination of under-reported events in American history.
    StarsOliver StoneAlan ShearmanJim Ward
  • Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

    6. Exit Through the Gift Shop

    20101h 27mR85Metascore
    7.9 (70K)
    Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
    DirectorBanksyStarsBanksyMr. BrainwashSpace Invader
  • This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

    7. This Film Is Not Yet Rated

    20061h 38mNC-1775Metascore
    7.4 (29K)
    Kirby Dick's exposé about the American movie ratings board.
    DirectorKirby DickStarsKirby DickKimberly PeirceDarren Aronofsky
  • Winter Soldier (1972)

    8. Winter Soldier

    19721h 36mNot Rated
    8.1 (1.1K)
    Vietnam vets testify in Detroit 1971 about war atrocities they committed or saw. Officers approved routine brutality, false body counts, village destruction. Veterans discuss racism. Testimony enters Congressional Record.
    DirectorWinterfilm CollectiveStarsRusty SachsJoe BangertScott Shimabukuro
  • Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

    9. 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
  • Seven Up! (1964)

    10. World in Action

    Episode: 

    Seven Up!

    (1964)
    1963–199840mTV Episode
    7.9 (4.5K)
    Seven year old children from various backgrounds are interviewed on their hopes and aspirations for the future. It is hoped to follow them up in the year 2000 and see how things turned out.
    DirectorPaul AlmondStarsDouglas KeayBruce BaldenJacqueline Bassett
  • Matt Damon in Inside Job (2010)

    11. Inside Job

    20101h 49mPG-1388Metascore
    8.2 (81K)
    Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
    DirectorCharles FergusonStarsMatt DamonGylfi ZoegaAndri Snær Magnason
  • An Inconvenient Truth (2006)

    12. An Inconvenient Truth

    20061h 36mPG75Metascore
    7.4 (86K)
    Filmmaker 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.
    DirectorDavis GuggenheimStarsAl GoreBilly WestGeorge Bush
  • Night and Fog (1956)

    13. Night and Fog

    195632mTV-14Short
    8.6 (23K)
    The history of Nazi Germany's death camps of the Final Solution and the hellish world of dehumanization and death contained inside.
    DirectorAlain ResnaisStarsMichel BouquetReinhard HeydrichHeinrich Himmler
  • Hoop Dreams (1994)

    14. Hoop Dreams

    19942h 50mPG-1398Metascore
    8.3 (29K)
    A film following the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional.
    DirectorSteve JamesStarsWilliam GatesArthur AgeeEmma Gates
  • Laird Hamilton in Riding Giants (2004)

    15. Riding Giants

    20041h 45mPG-1380Metascore
    7.8 (4.7K)
    Documentary detailing the origins and history of surf culture.
    DirectorStacy PeraltaStarsLaird HamiltonDarrick DoernerDave Kalama
  • Michael Moore in Bowling for Columbine (2002)

    16. Bowling for Columbine

    20022hR72Metascore
    8.0 (151K)
    Filmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
    DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn Manson
  • Crumb (1994)

    17. Crumb

    19941h 59mR93Metascore
    8.0 (22K)
    An intimate portrait of controversial cartoonist Robert Crumb and his traumatized family.
    DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsRobert CrumbAline Kominsky-CrumbCharles Crumb
  • The Last Waltz (1978)

    18. The Last Waltz

    19781h 57mPG84Metascore
    8.1 (21K)
    A film account and presentation of the final concert of The Band.
    DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobbie RobertsonMuddy WatersNeil Young
  • The Thin Blue Line (1988)

    19. The Thin Blue Line

    19881h 41mNot Rated79Metascore
    7.9 (27K)
    A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas.
    DirectorErrol MorrisStarsRandall AdamsDavid HarrisGus Rose
  • Werner Herzog and Timothy Treadwell in Grizzly Man (2005)

    20. 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
  • James Baldwin in I Am Not Your Negro (2016)

    21. I Am Not Your Negro

    20161h 33mPG-1395Metascore
    7.9 (24K)
    Writer James Baldwin tells the story of race in modern America with his unfinished novel, Remember This House.
    DirectorRaoul PeckStarsSamuel L. JacksonJames BaldwinMartin Luther King
  • A Brief History of Time (1991)

    22. A Brief History of Time

    19911h 20mG78Metascore
    7.3 (6.1K)
    A film about the life and work of the cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who despite his near total paralysis, was one of the great minds of all time.
    DirectorErrol MorrisStarsStephen HawkingIsobel HawkingJanet Humphrey
  • The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

    23. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

    20071h 19mPG-1383Metascore
    8.0 (38K)
    Die-hard gamers compete to break world records on classic arcade games.
    DirectorSeth GordonStarsSteve WiebeBilly MitchellMark Alpiger
  • Tim's Vermeer (2013)

    24. Tim's Vermeer

    20131h 20mPG-1376Metascore
    7.8 (8.7K)
    Inventor Tim Jenison seeks to understand the painting techniques used by Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer.
    DirectorTellerStarsTim JenisonPenn JilletteMartin Mull
  • Roger & Me (1989)

    25. Roger & Me

    19891h 31mR70Metascore
    7.5 (28K)
    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.
    DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreRoger B. SmithRhonda Britton

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