Top 30 Best Documentary Films of the Last Decade

[00:00] and they had to provide labor to rebuild the economy of the South after the Civil War. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the best documentaries that have been released since 2014.

[00:14] Why haven't you done it yet? I look at it. I mean, you know, I think about it. It's freaking scary. Number 30. Still, a Michael J. Fox movie. That's when I noticed my pinky.

[00:30] Auto animated. For many years now, Michael J. Fox has been one of the major public faces of Parkinson's disease. He was unfortunate enough to be diagnosed at a young age.

[00:43] And after some years of depression and alcohol misuse, he went public with his diagnosis in 1998. Still, is an intimate glimpse into his life living with the disease for the past three decades, both the negative and the positive.

[00:55] Winning the Emmy for Outstanding Documentary. Still, is a must-watch for fans of Fox or for anyone wishing to learn more about this terrible disease.

[01:09] Number 29. No Home Movie. This is a very personal documentary from Belgian director Chantal Ackerman,

[01:22] whose film, Jean-Dirman, won 3K de Camerce-Mille-Catrevein-Brosel, was named the best movie ever made in the 2022 site in South Pole. In No Home Movie, Ackerman talks with her mother Natalia about life and her heroing experiences at Auschwitz.

[01:37] It's a very specific story that is important to Ackerman, but it's also a universal tale about death and the human propensity to overcome. Unfortunately, this would be Ackerman's final film, as she would take her own life shortly after its release.

[01:52] Number 28. Faces Places. A wonderful French documentary,

[02:04] Faces Places is all about small communities, the types that live both literally and figuratively on the outskirts. Filmmaker Agnès Valde travels around France with influential street artists JR, visiting small towns and villages and interacting with the inhabitants.

[02:18] After getting to know their personal stories, JR makes them public portraits to celebrate their lives and histories. It's a gorgeous documentary, both physically and personally, featuring humane stories, quaint locations,

[02:30] and some eye-popping pieces of art. It's also a grounded portrait of France, crafting a more realistic depiction of the country outside the glam and romantic allure of Paris.

[02:43] Number 27. My Octopus Teacher. There's something with this creature that's very unusual. We gotta say, we never thought we'd grow so attached to an octopus. When are of the best documentary Oscar?

[02:56] My Octopus Teacher is a beautiful rumination on life, death and nature. Filmmaker and naturalist Craig Foster travels to South Africa and meets a friendly octopus while free diving in false Bay. The documentary chronicles Foster's relationship with the octopus,

[03:10] and watching it develop proves both heartwarming and harrowing. Through the lens of their personal relationship, my Octopus Teacher serves as an intimate glimpse into our connection with nature, and the shared experiences that all living creatures encounter.

[03:23] And then I had this crazy idea of what happens if I just went every day. What happens if I never missed a day? Number 26. The Hunting Ground. I was actually a virgin, so that adds a bit to it. But um,

[03:38] this documentary from Kirby Deck explores the troubling subject of campus invasive assault, using the personal stories of Annie E. Clark and Andrea Pino to cast a wider net on the institutional problem. Clark and Pino are civil rights activists who fight to expose the issue

[03:53] of campus assault, and how it's often covered up by prestigious schools hoping to maintain their reputations. This is a highly disturbing piece of work about a major problem affecting post-secondary institutions, and one that isn't often discussed in public. It's not only a great documentary,

[04:08] but a great piece of social activism. I think a lot of parents think, well, we'll drop our daughter off, she'll have a great college experience, and everything will be fine because the college has a reputation for being a safe place.

[04:21] Number 25. Camera Person. Some documentaries cover grand subjects. Others serve as visual memoirs.

[04:37] Camera Person is the latter, following the life and career of cinematographer Kirsten Johnson. Johnson has much experience in the documentary genre, having shot movies like The Oath and Citizen 4. In Camera Person, Johnson chronicles what it's like to shoot everyday people, often with deep

[04:53] personal access into their lives and homes. She also explores the moral dilemma of documentary filmmaking, often needing to shoot sensitive subject material with objectivity and emotional detachment. And naturally, the film is stunningly beautiful. For anyone with even the slightest interest in

[05:10] documentary filmmaking, Camera Person is a must-watch. Number 24. Tower. We love it when a documentary takes creative risks,

[05:28] is shewing the traditional talking heads to try something more experimental. In that regard, Tower is a resounding success. The film explores the University of Texas shooting of 1966, when a sniper entered the main building and took shots on the crowd below.

[05:43] The tragic day is recounted by various survivors and eyewitnesses, and their personal stories are reenacted by actors. These reenactments were then animated via rotoscoping, giving the documentary a very unique visual style. Tower blends fantastic production with absorbing storytelling to craft

[06:00] a masterpiece of a documentary. Number 23. Navalny When many prestigious awards, including the Oscar for Best Documentary, Navalny is a real-life

[06:26] political thriller. And, just like many real-life stories, it often proves more exciting than even the best fictional tales. It explores the life of Alexei Navalny, a Russian political activist who openly opposed the corrupt government of Vladimir Putin. While heading the opposition party Russia

[06:42] of the future, Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent and evacuated to Berlin, where he blamed Putin for the assassination attempt. Sadly, Navalny eventually died after the film was completed. Navalny goes into great detail about the eponymous hero's work and explores the dangerous

[06:58] repercussions of corrupt and authoritarian regimes. Number 22. Collective

[07:23] Continuing the theme of government corruption is collective, the first Romanian film to be nominated for an Oscar. On October 30, 2015, 64 people died following a devastating fire at the collective

[07:35] nightclub in Bucharest. Over half of the victims died in the hospital from bacterial infections. This resulted in the exposure of a massive health crisis, as investigative journalists found that the country's hospitals were using diluted disinfectants in an effort to save money.

[07:50] These disinfectants were unable to treat the fires victims, resulting in their deaths. Collective is a fascinating story about journalistic integrity, and we watch in complete amazement as they uncover deep corruption within the country's healthcare

[08:03] system. Number 21. All the beauty and the bloodshed And we knew that the Guggenheim had the Sackler Education Center,

[08:16] so they were like a big target for us. Made by acclaimed documentary and Laura Poitress, all the beauty and the bloodshed covers the life of prominent activist Nan Golden. Golden has been paramount in exposing intimate and often difficult details about various subjects,

[08:31] including both the AIDS and opioid epidemics. This documentary is the best of both worlds, blending the impeccable work of Golden's activism with Poitress' expert filmmaking. It not only goes into great detail about Golden and her activism, but it also serves as a stark glimpse

[08:48] into Purdue pharma, and the social hazards that their greed has accumulated. This is masterful filmmaking, conducted by a virtuoso of the medium. Many people have started to refuse donations from the Sacklers, including the Guggenheim Museum,

[09:03] the Met Museum, the Tate, and the National Portrait Gallery. Number 20. Three identical strangers Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

[09:17] If a movie were made featuring the exact same story as three identical strangers, people would criticize it for being too unbelievable. So these two guys meet at college and realize they look a lot alike. They discovered that they're actually long-lost twins. Crazy.

[09:32] But then a third man hears about the story on the news and realizes with total bewilderment that he is the third brother. The triplets not only met each other through random circumstances, they also learned that they were separated at birth as part of a study into socio-economic upbringings.

[09:47] Three identical strangers is a mind-blowing story, and a documentary unlike any other. He had the same grin, the same hair, the same expressions. It was his double.

[10:01] Number 19. Boy State. Who is your role model? Honestly, I would say Christ is my role model. There's no shortage of political documentaries, but none quite like Boy State.

[10:13] The movie is titled after the American Legion Boy State of Austin, Texas, a summer program meant to explore the origins and operations of government. Young teenagers with different socio-political backgrounds and political leanings attend Boy State

[10:26] and attempt to work together to create functional government. Progressives, moderates, and conservatives join together in cinematic magic follows. Boy State explores political divisions through the lens of young teens and raises some tantalizing points about the human condition,

[10:41] and the nature of working together despite some ingrained differences. I'm not going to vote for someone who doesn't have the morals behind it. That's going to go up there and not going to follow their morals. So what are your morals on some of the main topics like abortion or gay rights,

[10:54] or veteran, and some things like that? Number 18. The Rescue. Few events dominated 2018 news quite like the Tam Luang Cave Rescue.

[11:10] For those living, well, in a cave, this occurred throughout 18 days in the summer, with workers rescuing a football team who would become trapped by flooding. The rescue chronicles the story in fascinating detail, exploring the complex process behind the operation and the diver's dangerous experiences in the cave.

[11:26] Everyone loves a good rescue story, and this is one of the best in recent memory. And here, thanks to National Geographic and a team of expert filmmakers, it's captured in all its wonderful, distressing and uplifting glory.

[11:39] The seals immediately relayed the news to the outside. Shortly after we exited, the footage was released all over the world. Number 17. Won't you be my neighbor? Honest and unassuming,

[11:53] Fred Rogers was nevertheless a beacon of hope, and an endless source of entertainment to the millions of children who tuned into his weekly television program, Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. I end the program by saying,

[12:05] you've made this day a special day by just you're being you. The 2018 documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor peels back the curtain on Rogers, a man who was never afraid to broach difficult topics,

[12:18] such as death and divorce with his young audience, and who ultimately embodied all that's good and kind about humanity. Every part of you, you are skinned, your eyes, you are feeling.

[12:33] A beautiful portrait of one man's enduring legacy. The film would be named by Time Magazine as the second best of 2018, and would later take home an independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature. I watched your show as a youngster. I wasn't allowed to get a pretty

[12:48] squalxy to disability, and my mom made me watch your show at the end. So thank you. Bless your heart and hearing my friends school education. Number 16. Minding the Gap. By examining the lives of three friends united by their love of skateboarding,

[13:03] Minding the Gap shines a light on some of the darkest aspects of our society, including racism, domestic abuse, and poverty. She works and I watch him, or I work and she watches him.

[13:15] I don't know, and other than that, we're both pretty much around. Directed by Bing Liu, who also serves as one of the film's primary subjects, the dog was shot over a 12-year period and captured the struggles faced by the three young men as they came of age in Rockford, Illinois.

[13:28] Dubbed, quote, a rich, devastating essay on race, class and manhood in 21st century America by New York Times writer A.O. Scott,

[13:44] Minding the Gap was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards, and holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I've never been able to deal with myself, because I'm so busy,

[13:59] I'm not even convincing other people, I'm convincing myself that I'm a good person. Number 15. Flea. So, Mr. Mr. Dismaglocke, I don't know. Eh? I'll prove how tight that is in the duke then.

[14:11] Like Tower, Flea experiments with the documentary genre through its use of animation. It tells the personal story of a minnavabi, an Afghan man who fled his country in the midst of the Soviet Afghan war. His story stretches from the past to the present, with a men living in Denmark

[14:26] with his boyfriend Casper, and considering a move to the United States. This humane and often difficult story is told with the help of beautiful animation, lending the documentary a unique edge and eye-popping visual palette. It's an equal parts devastating and touching rumination on the refugee process,

[14:42] exploring how the traumatic experience can have long-lasting consequences. It's a really, really, really big thing that I can't do. Number 14. Apollo 11.

[14:54] Apollo 11 is proof that you can make an engaging and thought-provoking documentary without the use of narration or interviews. Thirty-eight-year-olds, civilian and kneel, all-in-arms-drawn, to become the first human being to touch the moon.

[15:08] The film, which focuses on NASA's successful 1969 attempt to land men on the lunar surface, consists entirely of archival footage, some of which had never before been seen by the public.

[15:21] By depicting this triumph of human achievement in a manner that's devoid of frills, the film manages to create a truly visceral experience for the viewer, one that grabs hold and doesn't let go. A masterwork in film restoration and editing,

[15:34] Apollo 11, one over critics at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Documentary Grand Jury Prize.

[15:50] Number 13. Citizen 4. To say that Citizen 4 was the documentary of 2014 would be a gross understatement. It pretty much swept the best documentary category at award ceremonies the world over,

[16:03] including the Oscars. I feel the modern media has a big focus on personalities, totally. And I'm a little concerned, the more we focus on that, the more they're going to use that as a distraction.

[16:15] It's about Edward Snowden, the former CIA employee and computer contractor, who in 2013 leaked classified NSA documents that exposed global surveillance programs run by the United States and its allies.

[16:28] And the government is becoming that of the ruling and the ruled, as opposed to actually, you know, the elected and the elected. The documentary takes place primarily inside Snowden's Hong Kong hotel room, as director Laura Poitress and journalist Sklein Greenwald and you and McCaskill interview him.

[16:44] A thrilling and thoughtful film about a subject that should concern us all. Citizen 4 is an absolute must-see. I know what the risks were. If I get arrested, I get arrested.

[16:56] Number 12. Going Clear. Scientology and the Prison of Belief. This documentary is a poignant look at one of the most controversial religions in the world today. Scientology.

[17:14] The film provides viewers with a history of both Scientology and its founder, the infamous Elron Hubbard. As well as interviews with former members who are more than willing to divulge information

[17:27] about the abuse they face during their time as members of the church. I know this because I used to do it when I was the head of the Office of Special Affairs. Director Alex Gibney, who also produced the documentary The Armstrong Lie in 2013,

[17:41] does an excellent job of crafting a film that holds nothing back in its pursuit of the truth. I studied geography in school. Those volcanoes didn't exist 75 million years ago. Number 11.

[17:53] Tickled. Tickled may very well be the most bizarre documentary of the past decade. It follows David Ferrier, a New Zealand journalist who discovers an odd video for competitive endurance tickling. Here with the CET Competitive Endurance Tickling group we got here, and first of all,

[18:09] if we shot out to you, the general Brian Media for making this happen. Despite the inherently humorous nature of the subject matter, the truth at the heart of this documentary is anything but fun. Rebuffed at every turn and facing legal action from the producers of the videos,

[18:23] Ferrier presses on and discovers something so sinister it needs to be seen to be believed. Then to top it all off, Jaina Brian Media told us they were flying three people across the world from New York to New Zealand to see us.

[18:38] They're clearly serious about stopping this documentary. Critics called the documentary, quote, a stranger than fiction voyage, and quote, not a film you'll soon forget.

[18:50] Yeah, we can vouch for that. I'm about to meet this man who's been such a threatening figure in so many lives. 10. OJ Made in America. Produced by ESPN films, this documentary tackles one of the most infamous and divisive figures in American

[19:05] history. Former football player, celebrity, and murder suspect OJ Simpson. He would glide. He never really picked his feet more than a couple of inches off the ground, so he was slithering through a hole. OJ made in America is the documentary everybody in their grandmother was talking about in

[19:20] 2016. If it did lay up, that's not the OJ that there was behind closed doors and certainly not with her, and she told me that. Through a combination of news, footage, and interviews, director Ezra Edelman crafts a compelling film series that uses Simpson's rise and fall as a

[19:35] microcosm for the bigger issues that plagued America in the 80s and 90s. When her of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, OJ Made in America is a rollercoaster of a film that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

[19:53] 9. Fire One of the most talked about documentaries of 2019, fire was on everybody's radar when it premiered on Netflix. As we're like about to take off, he's like, yeah, I bought this plane like six months ago, I just got my license.

[20:05] I ended up teaching myself, and you can use Microsoft Flight Simulator. It details the infamous story of Fire Festival. A failed business venture in the Bahamas, spearheaded by the now notorious fraudster, Billy McFarland.

[20:17] Is this guy a genius or is he a madman? Through candid interviews with the people McFarland enlisted to help and pull off his insane scheme, Fire slowly reveals how one man with a vision for the greatest party ever

[20:29] can ruin countless lives with a mix of hubris and an aptitude. A cautionary tale of epic proportions, Fire is a must-watch. I thought something was wrong after they held us on the beach for six hours,

[20:42] and that kind of funneling tequila down our throats. 8. Summer of Soul We loved the culture, the people, the parties, the food, the nightclubs. It was just so rich.

[20:55] So many documentaries are serious by nature, often exploring complex themes and dark stories. Summer of Soul is the opposite of that. It's a celebration of life, full of color and character. The film is directed by Questlove, who chronicles the oft-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of the

[21:11] late 1960s. The documentary blends the serious with the fun, exploring why such an important cultural event was ignored by the media and lost a time. Summer of Soul is an engrossing cultural artifact, quite literally bringing the ignored past back

[21:25] to life with exceptional color photography. It's a celebration of music, of culture, and of black pride, while also proving to be a deep examination of race relations in the late 60s. What a film.

[21:37] It was a crazy, crazy, crazy period. We needed something to really reach out and touch us. We needed that music. 7. They Shall Not Grow Old Loaded with previously unseen World War 1 footage, Peter Jackson's seminal documentary

[21:54] transformed century-old footage through the use of voiceover and modern colorizing techniques. The result was a stunning and immensely visceral cinematic experience that garnered

[22:11] rave reviews from critics, leading at the time of its release to a 100-percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

[22:23] When asked why he chose to modernize the footage of British soldiers fighting on the Western front, Jackson succinctly replied, quote, the men saw a war in color. They certainly didn't see it in black and white. I wanted to reach through the fog of time and pull these men into the modern world,

[22:38] so they can regain their humanity once more. If that doesn't convince you to see this film, nothing will. They were decent sort of family people and thought a great deal of their children.

[22:51] 6. Amy Just as Citizen 4 was the documentary of 2014, Amy was the documentary of 2015. The film is about the tumultuous life of British singer Amy Weinhaus,

[23:04] who, at 27, died from alcohol poisoning. An incredible talent with a personality to match. This documentary did an excellent job of presenting viewers with an unfiltered look at both Weinhaus' musical ability as well as her self-destructive nature.

[23:18] Blakes managed to get to her hook, get into her bedroom, and the next check-up the doctors found out she's got herring in her blood again. The success of Amy likely came as little surprise to director Asif Kapadia.

[23:31] Seeing as how his 2010 documentary, Senna, about former Brazilian formula one champion, Erton Senna, was met with similar claim. Even at racing speed, Tamborella is not a corner that you would make a mistake on.

[23:44] Something on the car would have to go wrong. 5. I Am Not Your Negro This documentary was inspired by the unfinished memoir Remember This House, written by the late outspoken social critic James Baldwin.

[23:56] I missed Harlem Sunday mornings and fried chicken and biscuits. I missed the music. I missed the style that style possessed by no other people in the world. The original manuscript focused on notes and letters written by Baldwin,

[24:10] the discuss the lives of his friends and civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King is just the 20th century or modern Uncle Tom or a religious Uncle Tom who was doing the same thing today to keep Negroes defenseless in the face of attack that Uncle

[24:24] Tom did on the plantation to keep those Negroes defenseless in the face of the attack of the plan in that day. I Am Not Your Negro expands upon Baldwin's work in order to examine racism in America, both today and in the past. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the film is a stark and honest look

[24:40] at a societal blemish that continues to permeate the country. The film was highly acclaimed, and in 2016 scored a nomination for best documentary feature at the Academy Awards. A brutal and humiliating fact would sterily destroy whatever relationship this girl and I might

[24:58] have been able to achieve. 4. Free Solo A documentary that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, 3. Free Solo is the story of rock climber Alex Honald.

[25:13] A daredevil of the highest order, Honald has made a name for himself as one of the world's preeminent free soloists. That is to say, for climbing some of the biggest rock walls on Earth without the use of ropes, harnesses, or protective gear of any kind.

[25:28] I try to expand my comfort zone by practicing the moves over and over again. Free Solo is about Honald's quest to conquer El Capitan, an imposing rock formation in Yosemite National Park that stands 3,000 feet tall. The dock delves into Honald's motivations,

[25:43] as well as the challenges faced by the film crew attempting to capture his record breaking climb. Trust us, this Oscar winner is worth your time. 3. Life Itself

[25:59] Film critic Roger Ebert was a legend in his lifetime, so it's only fitting that this biographical documentary about his life was a cinematic masterpiece.

[26:14] Begun before his passing in 2013, life itself takes its name from Ebert's memoir, and looks back at a career that spanned over four decades. Featuring footage filmed during his final months, as well as interviews with his peers and loved ones,

[26:27] it's a tribute to an influential cultural voice that manages to be celebratory, poignant, and humorous all at once. It is a crime that life itself was not nominated for an Oscar. It lets you understand hopes, aspirations, dreams, and fears. It helps us to identify with the people

[26:43] who are sharing this journey with us. 2. Icarus An investigation into the world of illegal doping wound up uncovering one of the largest sports scandals of all time. From the very beginning, filmmaker Brian Fogel was there to document it all.

[27:08] It all started when Fogel connected with the director of Russia's National Anti-Doping Laboratory, Gregory Ruchenkov, who revealed to him that Russian athletes had long been participating in a state-sponsored doping program. Russia won a total of 73 medals in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

[27:24] How many of those athletes were dirty? The twists come hard and fast in this documentary, which wound up taking home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Many a documentary has started with the goal of uncovering some hidden

[27:41] truths, but few have managed to succeed quite like Icarus.

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[28:08] 13. In 13th, director Ava DuVernay tackles one of America's worst dilemmas, mass incarceration, named for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibited slavery but failed to prevent

[28:22] the government from using it as a form of punishment. 13th claims that since its inception, this oversight has been exploited to lock up a disproportionate number of African Americans.

[28:37] As a mechanism for getting people out of jail in prison when it was clear that they were no longer a threat to public safety. An examination of the cruel distortion of the law and a passionate call to end its negative effect on Black America. 13th isn't just one of the best documentaries of this

[28:52] decade, but of all time. It's always been Idaho potatoes. They're planted, grown harvested, packed, and shipped by inmates. Variety described the film as having a, quote,

[29:04] piercing relevance to our current social, economic, and political climate. And we are inclined to agree. What did you learn from these documentaries? Let us know in the comments below. You got six consecutive weekends of major artists.

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