Best Documentary Movies
This page is updated regularly. Subscribe, so you don't miss new recommendations. The list of "Best Documentary Movies" contains films with the following parameters. Style: realistic, melancholic, humorous, suspense, captivating and talky. Plot: biopic, behind the scenes, storytelling, filmmaking, stand up comedy, stand up, intimate, comedian, artists and showbiz and society. Genre: Documentary, Comedy and Biography. Country: USA, UK and Canada.
Best Documentary Movies
TOP Movies: Hamilton, One Shot to Broadway (2017), Project Nim (2011), Chris Rock: Selective Outrage (2023), 42nd Street Forever, Volume 1 (2005), Bianca Beauchamp: All Access (2007), Van Gogh: Painted with Words (2010), Peace One Day (2004), Tigers of the Snow (1997), Kevin Hart: Seriously Funny (2010), Polar Bears: Ice Bear (2013), Sleepless Nights Stories (2011), Without Gorky (2011), The Fluffy Movie (2014), Hannah Gadsby: Nanette (2018), The Devil and Father Amorth (2017), 89 (2017), I'm Still Here (2010), Russell Peters: Outsourced (2006), I Am Bolt (2016), I Don't Hate Las Vegas Anymore (1994).
List of Best Movies
Genre: Documentary
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
It’s the hit musical that changed Broadway forever and brought the genius of Lin Manuel Miranda to the attention of legions of fans across the world. A story of how a group of mavericks made an unlikely marriage of hip-hop and history to create ...
Style:
educational
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
interview, hip hop, behind the scenes, theater, creative process, innovation, ambition, choreography, inspiration, passion, crew, american history ...
Time:
2010s
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min.
Story:
From the team behind Man on Wire comes the story of Nim, the chimpanzee who in the 1970s became the focus of a landmark experiment which aimed to show that an ape could learn to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human child. ...
Style:
touching, psychological, sad, heartbreaking, suspenseful ...
Plot:
chimpanzee, human animal relationship, survival, character study, fish out of water, science, experiment gone awry, teaching the ways of the world, society, human nature, confined, power relations ...
Time:
70s, 2010s, year 2011, 20th century, 90s ...
Place:
usa, new york
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 69 min.
Story:
Chris Rock makes comedy history as he performs stand-up in real time for Netflix’s first global live-streaming event.
Style:
hilarious, funny, satirical, entertaining, captivating ...
Plot:
stand up comedy, live performance, satire, actor, stand up comedian, comedian, social satire, joke, public speaking, humour, irony, adult humor ...
Place:
baltimore
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story:
DVD consisting of only movie trailers (grindhouse, horror, kung-fu, etc...)
Style:
grindhouse, retro, mondo, noir, vintage ...
Plot:
exploitation, sexploitation, blaxploitation, kung fu, martial arts, urban, archival footage, midnight, gore
Time:
70s, 60s, 80s
Is relevant?
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Genre: Documentary
Country: Canada
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
Documents the sub-culture of latex fetishism. ALL ACCESS offers a visit inside the private and public circles of a fetish icons. It follows Bianca Beauchamp through three days and three nights during one of the Montreal Fetish Weekend. A party at ...
Style:
non fiction, erotic, sensual, independent film
Plot:
latex, fetish, behind the scenes, subculture, nightlife, community, sexuality, party, intimate, portrait, voyeur, performance art ...
Time:
2000s
Place:
quebec
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 225 min.
Story:
No overview found.
Plot:
interview, entertainment industry, movie actress, movie actor, actor, filmmaking, actress, film industry, director, filmmaker, exploitation, man with glasses ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Country: UK
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
A drama-documentary presented by Alan Yentob, with Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role.
Style:
sincere, disturbing, semi autobiographical, thought provoking, art film ...
Plot:
art, painter, painting, artist, art history, famous painting, obsession, depression, anguish, mental illness, genius, loneliness ...
Time:
19th century
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: UK
Duration: 80 min.
Story:
The story of Jeremy Gilley's attempts to persuade the global community via the United Nations to sanction officially a day without conflict; a ceasefire day; a global day of Peace.
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, uplifting, spiritual ...
Plot:
politics, against the odds, state affairs, society, follow your dream, obsessive quest, hopes, anti war, lobbyist, battles, peace, determination ...
Time:
september 11 2001, 21st century
Place:
africa
Is relevant?
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Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story:
A record of McKellen's one-man Broadway show about the Bard.
Style:
intellectual, meditative, educational, one man show
Plot:
shakespeare, monologue, theater, broadway, performance art, minimalism, intimate, thoughtful, literary, engagement, realism, behind the scenes ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 56 min.
Story:
There are only about 300 remaining Siberian Tigers in the wild, restricted to a section of far Eastern Russia, near the coast. Wildlife biologists risk life and limb to track the tiger and research its movements and habits. They sedate the animals ...
Style:
nature documentary, educational, bleak, tense, intense ...
Plot:
endangered species, conservation, poaching, environmental activism, animal death, tiger, captivity, tranquilizer dart
Place:
russia, siberia
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 72 min.
Story:
Fresh off the heels of appearing in movies like Superhero Movie and The 40 Year-Old Virgin, fast-talking comedian Kevin Hart stars in his second live stand-up performance in Cleveland, Ohio, where he makes fun of everything and everybody - ...
Style:
realistic, humorous, witty, not serious, suspense ...
Plot:
stand up comedy, stand up comedian, disorder, adult virgin, society, silly humor, artists and showbiz, african american, live performance, storytelling, improv, everyday life ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
cleveland ohio, ohio
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: Canada
Duration: 51 min.
Story:
An enthralling look at the Arctic's biggest predator on ice, capturing rarely-seen behavior, and featuring breathtaking cinematography shot over 12 months in the Canadian Arctic.
Style:
non fiction, nature documentary, educational, melancholic
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
arctic, polar bear, natural history, predator, conservation, endangered species, climate change, bear cub, abandoned by mother, abandoned, abandonment, family abandonment ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 114 min.
Story:
Director Jonas Mekas travels through New York nights, through apartments, studios, backstage rooms, galleries, bars, and clubs. Encountering old acquaintances like Ken and Flo Jacobs, Yoko Ono, friends, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. Mr. ...
Style:
experimental, avant garde, art house, reflective, poetic ...
Plot:
insomnia, intimate, slice of life, autobiography, backstage, drinking, poetry, tree, lizard, drinking alcohol, camera, drinking wine
Place:
new york, manhattan new york city
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: UK
Duration: 58 min.
Story:
Without Gorky is a personal journey into a powerful family tragedy. At the centre of the film are the conversations between the director, Cosima, and her grandmother, Mougouch. The whole family has been shaped by the legacy left by Cosima's ...
Style:
emotional, poignant, reflective, melancholic, art house
Plot:
family history, armenian genocide, family tragedy, legacy, mourning, grief, intimate, memory, loss, family secret, grandmother, bittersweet ...
Place:
armenia
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 149 min.
Story:
A film collage tracing the story of the lives, loves, and deaths within the artistic community surrounding Jonas Mekas.
Style:
experimental, avant garde, underground film, reflective, art house ...
Plot:
college, autobiography, filmmaking, death, intimate, portrait, biopic, grief, artist, archival footage, memoir
Time:
20th century
Place:
brooklyn new york city
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Stand-up comic Gabriel Iglesias delights audiences during his sold-out "Unity Through Laughter" tour, which spans more than 400 cities in 23 countries. During his set, Iglesias -- nicknamed "Fluffy" -- pounces on topics like ...
Style:
humorous, realistic, witty, not serious, light hearted ...
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
stand up comedy, performer's life, friends, society, artists and showbiz, on the road, live performance, storytelling, parenting, father son relationship, biopic, teenage son ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.
Style:
psychological, factual, disturbing, talky, suspense ...
Audience:
girls' night
Plot:
biopic, sex with teenager, justice, rape of a minor, artist, investigation, judge, betrayal, twists and turns, mentor, tragedy, manipulation ...
Time:
70s, 60s
Place:
europe, usa, santa monica california, poland, los angeles ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: Australia
Duration: 69 min.
Story:
The Australian comedian Hannah Gadsby is taking an anti-comedy stance in her newest special.
Style:
powerful, thought provoking, emotional, poignant, philosophical ...
Audience:
chick flick
Plot:
sexual identity, stand up comedy, lesbian, gender, live performance, comedian, anger, lgbt, autobiography, lgbtq, identity, sexuality ...
Place:
indiana, tasmania, australia
Is relevant?
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Genre: Horror
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 68 min.
Story:
William Friedkin attends an exorcism with Father Gabriele Amorth, as he treats an Italian woman named Cristina for the ninth time. Prior to filming, Cristina had purportedly been experiencing behavioural changes and “fits” that could not be ...
Style:
rough, captivating, suspense, disturbing, suspenseful ...
Audience:
teens, boys' night
Plot:
priest, catholic church, exorcism, catholicism, christianity, catholic priest, mental disorder, religious, supernatural, teenager, danger, supernatural ability ...
Place:
italy
Is relevant?
972
Genre: Documentary, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 91 min.
Story:
89 tells the incredible story of one of football’s greatest triumphs: when against all odds Arsenal snatched the Championship title from Liverpool at Anfield in the last minute of the last game of the 1988/89 season. It’s a universal tale of a ...
Style:
captivating, tense, sincere, exciting, sentimental ...
Audience:
boys' night
Plot:
soccer, football, football team, sport team, football player, sports history, playing football, athlete and trainer, sporting event, soccer fan, coach, interview ...
Time:
20th century
Is relevant?
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story:
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as he announces his retirement from a successful film career in the fall of 2008 and sets off to ...
Style:
mockumentary, surreal, melancholic, stylized, disturbing ...
Plot:
profanity, musician's life, career change, celebrity culture, showbiz, lifestyle, performer's life, starting over, actor's life, mental disorder, hip hop, found footage ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa, new jersey
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 72 min.
Story:
Russell’s last DVD and CD, Outsourced, was taped before a sold out audience at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, and gives viewers and listeners an excellent overview of Russell’s comedic genius.
Style:
multicultural, satirical
Plot:
stand up comedy, stand up comedian, live performance, comedian, ethnic humor, adult humor, improv, interracial relations, irreverent, comedy club, concert, stand up ...
Place:
san francisco
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 86 min.
Story:
Bad Grandpa .5 gives you a whole new perspective on the world of Irving Zisman with bonus scenes and pranks also featuring Spike Jonze as "Gloria" and Catherine Keener as Irving's wife "Ellie", plus a look at the evolution ...
Style:
feel good, captivating, entertaining, light, humorous ...
Plot:
jackass, gossip and rumors, senior citizen, silly humor, relationship problems, noisy neighbor, lifestyle, nosy neighbor, old woman, neighbor, absurd humor, neighbor neighbor relationship ...
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
A candid and campy portrayal of life behind the scenes of the original Charlies Angels.
Style:
thrilling, entertaining, captivating, historical drama, comedy drama ...
Audience:
adult
Plot:
behind the scenes, actress, showbiz, film industry, backstage, women, movie actor, movie actress, movie business, actor's life, filmmaker, filmmaking ...
Place:
los angeles
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min.
Story:
Everyone has a skeleton or two in his or her closet, but what about the director behind some of the most successful thrillers ever to hit the silver screen? Could M. Night Shyamalan be hiding a deep, dark secret that drives his macabre cinematic ...
Style:
mockumentary, serious, cult classic, fake documentary
Plot:
interview, uncover truth, showbiz, filmmaking, found footage, behind the scenes, water, crow, ouija board, conspiracy, shaman, celebrity ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
philadelphia, pennsylvania
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Biography, Sport
Country: UK
Duration: 107 min.
Story:
Fully authorized, access-all-areas feature doc on the hugely charismatic and globally adored Usain Bolt – officially the fastest man alive. With never-before-seen archive footage of his youth in Jamaica, through to original footage that will be ...
Style:
twisted, inspirational
Plot:
track and field, jamaican, game, black history, black, real life, conference, biopic, tv reporter, celebrity interview, professional athlete, famous people ...
Time:
year 2016, year 2012, year 2002, year 2015, 2000s ...
Place:
rio de janeiro, beijing china, jamaica
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 70 min.
Story:
Peter Kay's hilarious stand up show. This is a live recording of his show in Blackpool which is one of the fastest selling comedy titles ever. Filmed in front of a packed, partisan crowd, Live At The Top Of The Tower is the freshest most ...
Style:
laugh out loud, light hearted, feel good, one man show, live comedy
Audience:
family friendly
Plot:
stand up comedian, storytelling, light comedy, everyday life, partisan, party, nostalgia, stand up comedy, stand up, stage performance
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary
Country: USA
Duration: 70 min.
Story:
A real-life comedy about a filmmaker who takes a road trip to Las Vegas -- with his real-life father and 16-year-old half-brother, plus a crew of two -- in the hopes of proving the existence of God.
Style:
mockumentary, independent film, talky, semi serious, realistic ...
Plot:
family relations, on the road, filmmaking, religions or cults, quibbling, disorder, nothing goes right, introspection, eccentric family, family life, down on your luck, chaos and mayhem ...
Time:
90s
Place:
las vegas
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 82 min.
Story:
Town Hall, New York City, 26 June 2000. An evening with Eddie Izzard in which he moves back and forth in time, with religion as the loose but constant theme.
Style:
talky, realistic, not serious, witty, biting ...
Plot:
transvestism, gender bending, performer's life, artists and showbiz, society, physical appearance, theater, stand up comedy, renaissance, space travel, lgbtq, comedian ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
new york, britain, spain, greece, amsterdam ...
Is relevant?
Genre: Documentary, Action, Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min.
Story:
Jackass 3.5 is a 2011 sequel to Jackass 3D, composed of unused footage shot during the filming of Jackass 3D and interviews from cast and crew
Style:
suspense, melancholic, stylized, intense, talky ...
Audience:
teens, boys' night, girls' night
Plot:
stupidity, jackass, police investigation, adaptation, vengeance, internet, twists and turns, danger, prank, vandalism, buddies, disorder ...
Time:
21st century
Place:
usa, tokyo
Is relevant?
Related movie lists
