Here’s some documentaries that stood out to me, listed in no particular order.
- 24 City (Jia, 2008) - Intergenerational social impact of China’s industrialization
- Bitter Lake (Curtis, 2015) - Parallels between US and Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
- Mayor Pete (Moss, 2021) - Follows Buttigieg campaign and his relationship with Chasten
- Big Men (Boynton, 2013) - Contrasts experiences of US oil executives with African locals
- Tell Spring Not To Come This Year (McAllister, Francis, 2015) - Observational doc on US presence in Afghanistan.
- Land of the Enlightened (De Pue, 2016) - Hybrid documentary on rural Afghan children
- Afghanistan: The Great Game (Scollay, Lambert, 2012) - History of Afghanistan
- Crude Independence (Hulton, 2009) - Impact of North Dakota oil boom on small town
- Law and Order (Wiseman, 1969) - Follows Kansas City policemen through various encounters and arrests.
- Public Housing (Wiseman, 1997) - Intimate window into the operations and daily life in a Chicago public housing complex, link
- Vernon, Florida (Morris, 1981) - Absurd character-studies in a small Florida town, featuring a worm farmer
- Putin vs. The West (BBC, 2023) - Recounts the dramatic story of Russian/Western relations leading to the Ukraine War.
- Once Upon a Time in Iraq (BBC, 2020) - Iraq War history largely told through soldiers and Iraqi citizens.
- Trump Takes On The World (BBC, 2021) - Overview of Trump’s foreign policy, with each episode focusing on a different region.
- Boys State (Moss, McBaine, 2020) - Program in Texas where teenage boys create a mock government, serving as a microcosm of politics, human nature, and masculinity.
- By the People: The Election of Barack Obama (Sams, Lynch, 2009) - Behind the scenes of the Obama-mania.
- Welfare (Wiseman, 1975) - Observes the complexity of the welfare system
- American Factory (Reichert, Bognar, 2019) - Eye-opening contrast of US and Chinese work culture.
- Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk? (Pelosi, 2016) - Interviews with large political donors
- Rich Hill (Tragos, Palermo, 2014) - Follows kids who live in a small, impoverished rural American town.
- Into The Abyss (Herzog, 2011) - Examination of the death penalty through a Texas homicide case
- Titicut Follies (Wiseman, 1967) - Conditions inside an institution for the criminally insane
- Lessons of Darkness (Herzog, 1992) - Poetic film on Gulf War aftermath
- Into the Inferno (Herzog, 2016) - Relationship between volcanoes and their local cultures
- Standard Operating Procedure (Morris, 2008) - War crimes committed by US soldiers in Iraqi prison, told from the perspective of soldiers.
- Shattered Dream Of Peace (PBS, 2002) - Historical overview of the events leading up to the Oslo Accords and how it fell apart.
- The Oslo Diaries (2017) - Inside account of the Oslo Accords told with excerpts from Uri Savir’s diary.
- Netanyahu, America and the Road to War (PBS, 2023) - History of the Gaza-Israel conflict up until December 2023.
- Netanyahu at War (PBS, 2016) - Biography of Netanyahu and the US/Israel relations throughout the Obama presidency.
- The Overnighters (Moss, 2014) - North Dakota oil boom effects on a church and community
- 900 Days (Gorter, 2012) - Contrasts narratives of the siege of Leningrad, from survivors to the Russian govt.
- Journeys With George (Pelosi, 2002) - Depicts absurdity of campaign reporting and includes candid footage of Bush.
- 20 Days in Mariupol (Chernov, 2023) - Extremely disturbing day-by-day look into Russian invasion of a city
- All Watched Over By Machines (Curtis, 2011) - How advent of computers influenced our conceptions of human & ecological systems.
- Happy People: A Year in the Taiga (Herzog, Vasyukov, 2010) - Life in an off-the-grid Siberian town.
- Hypernormalization (Curtis, 2016) - Meanders through modern history, more valuable for its aesthetic innovations than its historical claims
- The Fog of War (Morris, 2003) - Defense Sec. McNamera’s reflections on the horrors inflicted by the US military.
- Waltz With Bashir (Folman, 2008) - Animated memoir of the 1982 Lebanon War.
- Escape from Kabul (Roberts, 2022) - Detailed account of US withdrawal from Afghanistan
- We Come As Friends (Sauper, 2014) - Observes civil division in South Sudan and effects of Chinese neocolonialism.
- Power of Nightmares (Curtis, 2004) - Rise of the politics of fear in the post-9/11 era.
- High School (Wiseman, 1968) - Observational doc of a Philadelphia public school
- Around the World With Joseph Stiglitz (Sarasin, 2009) - Economist examines effects of globalization and the financial crisis on different countries.
- Roger & Me (Moore, 1989) - Impact of factory closures in Moore’s Michigan hometown
- State Legislature (Wiseman, 2007) - Observational doc on state legislature
- Jackson Heights (Wiseman, 2015) - Multifaceted portrayal of a diverse New York neighborhood.
- Grizzly Man (Herzog, 2005) - The life and death of an eccentric bear enthusiast
- Warrendale (King, 1967), 2023) - Observation of experimental facility for emotionally disturbed children.
- Examined Life (Taylor, 2008) - Contemporary philosophers stroll around NYC
- Bitter Melons (Gardner, 1971) - Study of the music and life of the Basarwa tribe in Africa.
- The Age of Easy Money (Frontline, 2023) - Effects of low interest rates following 2008 crisis
- Ex-Libris: New York Public Library (Wiseman, 2017) - Day-to-day operations of the NYPL
- Lo and Behold (Herzog, 2016) - Broad examination on the history and future of the Internet
- Manufactured Landscapes (Baichwal, 2006) - Video footage of Edward Burtynsky’s photography of mass industrialization.
- Enron: The Smartest Guys in The Room (Gibney, 2005) - Scandalous collapse of US corp
- The Hunters (Gardner, 1957) - Anthropological footage of Dani people
- Holy Land (Cohn, 2012) - Israeli-Palestinian conflict through everyday lives
- Disturbing The Peace (Solomon, Alpert, 2016) - Israeli and Palestinian joint activism for peace
- Arithmetic, Population and Energy (Bartlett, 1994) - Impact of exponential growth on resources
- The Ax Fight (Chagnon, Asch, 1975) - Village conflict among the the Amazon’s Yanomamo
- White Helmets (von Einsiedel, 2016) - First-responders on the ground in wartime Aleppo
- Supreme Revenge: Battle for the Supreme Court (Frontline, 2019) - Follows the long-running power struggle over the supreme court
- Trump’s Trade War (Frontline, 2019) - Impacts of Trump’s aggressive trade policies
- Last Days of Vietnam (Kennedy, 2014) - Chaotic withdrawal of Vietnam war, with eerie similarities to Escape from Kabul, 2022.
- Korengal (Junger, 2014) - Reflections of soldiers on the Afghan war
- No End in Sight (Ferguson, 2007) - Critical analysis of US occupation of Iraq
- Where to Invade Next (Moore, 2016) - Comedic exploration of the superiority of social programs in Europe in comparison the the US
- The Death of Yugoslavia (BBC, 1995) - History of the collapse of Yugoslavia.
- Point and Shoot (Curry, 2014) - American embarks on coming-of-age trip to the Middle East, ends up joining rebels in the Libyan civil war.
- The Unknown Known (Morris, 2013) - Interview with Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld
- Mitt (Whiteley, 2014) - Behind-the-scenes of Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign and family
- Five Broken Cameras (Burnat, Davidi, 2011) - Personal account of a Palestinian village’s resistance
- America and The Taliban (Frontline, 2023) - History of the long-running relationship between US and Taliban, and our eventual defeat
- Monrovia, Indiana (Wiseman, 2018) - Observational doc of a small, aging midwestern town.
- Tabloid (Morris, 2010) - Media circus around woman charged with kidnapping.
- Mayor (Osit, 2020) - The mayor of Ramallah struggles to operate the city and resist Israeli occupation
- From One Second To The Next (Herzog, 2013) - Impact of texting and driving
- Night and Fog (Resnais, 1956) - Haunting doc about the horrors of concentration camps.
- Surviving Progress (Crooks, Roy, 2011) - Concept of progress and its consequences.
- Grey Gardens (Maysles, Maysles, Hovde, Meyer, 1975) - Intimate look into lives of two reclusive socialites
- The Hidden Life of The Cell (BBC, 2012) - Animated depiction of a cell under viral attack
- Sans Soleil (Marker, 1983) - Poetic meditation on memory, technology
- Shoah (Lanzmann, 1985) - Nine-hour film about the Holocaust
- Gates of Heaven (Morris, 1978) - Funny exploration two pet cemeteries
- Nostalgia for the Light (Guzmán, 2010) - Parallels between astronomers researching humanity's past and political struggle of Chileans
- Restrepo (Hetherington, Junger, 2010) - Follows soldiers in deadly outpost in Afghanistan
- Koyaanisqatsi (Reggio, 1982) - Montages footage contrasting scenes of natural beauty and manmade chaos
- The Times of Harvey Milk (Epstein, 1984) - First openly gay elected official in California.
- Four Hours at the Capital (HBO, 2021) - Extended footage of Jan 6 mob assault
- Wonders of Life (BBC, 2013) - Series on physics and biology of life forms on Earth
- E-Team (Chevigny, Kauffman 2014) - HRW Investigators on the ground in Syria
- Iraq In Fragments (Longley, 2006) - Personal stories of Iraqis in a time of war.
- Tickled (Farrier, Reeve, 2016) - Investigation of the surreal world of competitive tickling
- Salesman (Maysles, Maysles, Zwerin, 1969) - Lives of door-to-door Bible salesmen
- The War Room (Hegedus, Pennebaker, 1993) - Famous doc on Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign.
- The Putin Interviews (Stone, 2012) - Extensive conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin