Road to 2000 (My Ten Favorite Documentaries)
As I approach movie #2000 on my list of every movie I’ve seen ranked from favorite to least favorite, I’ve taken a look back at some of my favorites from various genres. To kick off this week leading up to the 2000th movie, check out my top ten favorite documentaries.
[#10] Time (2020)
Time is anything but linear in Garrett Bradley’s documentary about Fox Rich. Rich is a mother of six sons, an entrepreneur, an activist, and an ex-convict. When she and her husband were trying to get a clothing business off the ground and struggling for cash, Fox drove the getaway car while her husband and his younger cousin robbed a credit union. A new mother at the time, Fox was sentenced to three years, while her husband was sentenced to 60 years without the possibility of parole.
Time doesn’t shy away from ownership over the actions the Rich family took, but instead focuses on the system that lead them to that point and the nightmare processes of mass incarceration that followed. Bradley uses decades of home footage to constantly weave the past, present, and future of this family together, forming a story of endurance and hope that will make you want to hold your loved ones close.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime
[#9] We Met in Virtual Reality (2022)
We Met in Virtual Reality is, in my opinion, one of the best pieces of art to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic. This documentary follows groups of people who have met online and spend their time together as virtual avatars. With the pandemic, it would be hard to find anyone who wasn’t impacted emotionally by the isolation, but these individuals found a way around that, forming strong bonds because of it.
Filmed entirely in VR, and with some outrageous personalities, it’s easy to laugh off what this movie is trying to accomplish. If you look further, however, and go in with an open mindset, you’ll find some of the most moving stories of love and friendship that speak to something touchingly universal.
Now streaming on Max
[#8] Some Kind of Heaven (2020)
Imagine if you will, heaven on Earth. Karaoke every night, watersports in the pool everyday, margaritas, golf, mixers, friends, lovers, and cocaine? If this sounds like the place for you, then you may need an early retirement to head to The Villages in Florida.
Some Kind of Heaven spotlights this 35,000 acre living community and its residents. Director Lance Oppenheim perfectly balances the absurdity and comfort of The Villages in equal measure. The documentary is shot like a fever dream, with a mixture of decadent staged shots and intimate moments from the elderly who are living out their final years here. Death is coming for us all eventually, so why not live every day like it’s your last in The Villages? (WARNING: The Villages is not a sponsor)
Now streaming on Hulu
[#7] Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? captures all of the warmth and wholesomeness of Mr. Rogers, wearing a badge of nostalgia proudly on its sleeve. For so many children (myself included) Mr. Rogers may have been playing in the background of your childhood, and you may have never given it a second thought. This documentary reminds us all what a beacon of joy the man and the show were.
The legendary documentarian Morgan Neville is fantastic at showing all sides of his subjects in his quest to understand them. He similarly tackled another one of my favorite personalities, Anthony Bourdain, in his documentary Roadrunner. Unlike the grunge of that movie, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? is a straight shot of sunshine that you could take on the rainiest of days to clear up the sky.
Available to rent on VOD (Itunes, Amazon, etc.)
[#6] Murs Murs (1981)
Agnès Varda is one of the most human storytellers in the history of cinema. Whether it’s a scripted movie or a documentary, she’s able to give both characters and places personalities of their own. In her English-language doc Murs Murs, she turns her attention to the murals of Los Angeles and their artists.
I’m a sucker for films about artists, and Murs Murs is one of the best I’ve seen. It’s a joy to see the diversity in backgrounds and motivations for the painters that create these murals celebrated on screen. This documentary will give you a deeper appreciation for even the smallest murals and graffiti that you pass on the street.
Now streaming on The Criterion Channel
[#5] Moonage Daydream (2022)
I still consider Moonage Daydream to be the best movie I saw that came out in 2022. Director Brett Morgen overwhelmingly succeeds in capturing David Bowie, both in content and style, for this documentary. The doc runs long at 2h20, but every minute explodes with Bowie’s music and creativity.
This is not your typical biographical doc though, as animated visuals, classic sci-fi footage, and astounding ATMOS sound design become a nonstop feast for the senses. Most of the film is made up of concert footage, giving you the sensation of being in the middle of those uproarious crowds. Featuring some of the cleanest editing I’ve seen in any movie, for both sound and video, Moonage Daydream is a must watch for any Bowie believer.
Available to rent on VOD (Itunes, Amazon, etc.)
[#4] Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry (2021)
Whether you’re a fan of Billie Eilish or not (which I very much am), The World’s a Little Blurry is an exceptional documentary on the ups and downs of fame through the lense of a teenage girl. We see Eilish go from headlining Coachella to dealing with boy problems backstage on the same night. She’s immensely relatable in this film, since we’re watching her manage teenage issues we all dealt with.
The filmmakers of this doc are given essentially unrestricted access to Eilish and her family and have included truly intimate moments in the final cut. Although the focus is on Billie, the standout moment of the film for me is a scene with her father watching Billie drive away on her own for the first time after getting a license. Director R. J. Cutler chooses not to cut away and instead lets us embrace a moment of love between a father and his daughter. To me, this speaks perfectly to the genuine motivations of the film.
Now streaming on Apple TV+
[#3] Nathan For You: Finding Frances (2017)
Hey, I said this was a personal favorites list, so I’m allowed to cheat when I want to. Although technically an extended episode of the TV show “Nathan For You”, I’m calling Finding Frances one of my favorite documentaries. After hiring an oddball Bill Gates impersonator in a previous episode, this feature length adventure takes Nathan Fielder and the impersonator on a mission to find his old lost love.
What starts off as a comedic undertaking slowly turns into something much deeper, as Fielder begins to uncover the story of this forgotten love. The excitement of the narrative comes from Fielder not knowing himself where this would go or how long it would take while filming. Finding Frances is a documentary about how everyone is searching for love and the lengths some people will go to once they think they’ve found it.
Now streaming on Max (Season 4 Episode 7 of “Nathan For You”)
[#2] The Act of Killing (2012)
The Act of Killing might be the most bold documentary ever made. In this harrowing film, director Joshua Oppenheimer confronts military leaders in Indonesia who were the organizers and executioners of mass genocide in the country. Instead of assaulting them with hard hitting questions right off the bat, Oppenheimer has them film recreations of their executions, both as killer and victim.
As the perpetrators are forced to relive their horrible actions, at first they seem proud of what they’ve done and are willing to talk about it freely. Many of these men still held positions of power in the country at the time of this movie’s release. As the filming continues, however, Oppenheimer is able to pull hidden truths out of these men that they’ve likely never even admitted to themselves. It’s breathtaking filmmaking, and I’ve thought about moments in The Act of Killing for years after first seeing it.
Now streaming on Peacock
[#1] Cameraperson (2016)
Cameraperson is a documentary in the purest form of the word. In this film, cinematographer Kirsten Johnson blends together the personal and the public into a poetic memoir. From her decades filming documentaries, she highlights here the footage she’s found the most moving, the most heartbreaking, or anything that has stood out to her over the years. Johnson also chooses to include home videos of her family, in particular her mother who was suffering from Alzheimers.
The documentary cuts from videos of Johnson’s children growing up to an underfunded maternity ward in Nigeria. We’re taken on a visual journey from a mother in Alabama struggling with the decision of having an abortion to sweeping shots Johnson’s own mother wandering through a field. Cameraperson is full of raw memories that only a camera could capture, which embodies the power of the movies in all its beauty.
Now streaming on Max
