We are more than aware that documentaries are a very powerful information tool. Although some nonfiction films have fictional recreations to show some aspects of which there are no images, they are certainly more effective than an invented story because they show different sides of reality and allow, in many cases, the real protagonists and witnesses of the conflicts they pose to speak.
Perhaps the most similar example within fiction to the best documentaries, due to their impact on the viewer, are some films based on actual events. Those that demonstrate that ‘reality always surpasses fiction’ and that leaves us thinking about the immense capacity of resilience of human beings to overcome certain situations that real life can pose.
Some documentaries spotlight the urgent need to solve certain problems that affect us all so they can also change our behavior and, therefore, perhaps our lives. This is the case for those dealing with environmental problems such as climate change, animal abuse, or unhealthy habits, to mention a few examples.
In the history of great documentaries, there are also those that explore the lives of famous people, often silenced by history, as is the case of some of the best documentaries about influential women or about anonymous people who have achieved great things.
There are also stories of personal improvement that tell how, having everything against them, some people can ‘make it on their own’ or put large corporations on the ropes.
This is without forgetting the great stories that move us, such as ‘100 Days with Tata’, the documentary by Miguel Angel Munoz and his grandmother, in which the care of dependent people, mental health, family, strength, and a good dose of love and joy come into play.
The documentary genre also allows us to look back and explore events from the past that should not be repeated. This genre also delves into relevant people surrounded by legend and mystery—as in the case, for example, of the best documentaries in history about musicians—not only through their work but also through the testimony of people who have been direct witnesses of their rise to fame.
The best documentaries in history and where to watch them
Below, we have selected some of the best and most recommended documentaries of the last decades that represent all this variety and meet the maxim of informing truthfully and entertaining their audiences through research and impactful messages. You will be surprised!
‘Shoah’ (1985): IMDb Score: 8.7
For most film critics, ‘Shoah’ is the best documentary ever. It was produced in 1985, was nine hours long, and took 11 years to complete. It is a reconstruction of the extermination of the Jews by the Nazis in World War II, with testimonies from survivors on both sides.
Aesthetically, it is chilling as the words of the interviewees merge with locations with enormous historical significance, such as the concentration camps of Belzec, Auschwitz, or Treblinka.
‘Anti-nuclear front’ (2018): IMDb Score: 7.4
“Why haven’t we heard about this before?” is a common question when watching a well-crafted documentary like this one, which explores the medical and environmental impact of a nuclear waste dump on two desperate St. Louis communities.
Directed by Rebecca Cammisa, the 2017 documentary tells the story of Mallinckrodt, a company that processed uranium in St. Louis during the Manhattan Project—a secret operation that produced the world’s first nuclear weapons—and hid the waste beneath Bridgeton, a suburb of the city.
‘OJ Made in America’ (2016): IMDb Score: 8.9
This film won the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2017, and it is no wonder: its structure, elaboration, and tension… make it one of the best reports of recent times. ‘OJ: Made in America tells the story of the popular former American football player OJ Simpson, who was one of the great figures of the NFL in the 1970s.
However, in 1994, his friendly face was the protagonist of all the media when his ex-wife, Nicole Brown (in the image), and his friend, Ronald Goldman, appeared savagely murdered; she was decapitated and with signs of having suffered a severe beating.
The documentary tells the story of the athlete and the trial against him, which was held from July 22 to October 3, 1994, and had an audience of 150 million viewers. Among the 50 best Netflix series is The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, which focused on this same case.
‘Wild Wild Country’ (2018): IMDb Score: 8.1
Leonardo DiCaprio is a staunch defender of nature and the environment and has been a vegetarian for decades. Thus, he did not hesitate to be the executive producer of ‘Cowspiracy’ (2014), a documentary about the terrible impact of the livestock industry on our environment.
The report also investigates environmental organizations, which do not come out very well either. It was filmed to have the widest possible diffusion, so it was uploaded to Netflix, where you can still watch it.
‘Deliver Us From Evil’ (2006): IMDb Score: 7.9
It is one of the toughest documentaries about cases of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, a topic that never comes to light and that is always, at the very least, disturbing. ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ tells the story of Oliver O’Grady, the most famous pedophile in the history of the modern church.
For twenty years, he used his charisma in the communities of Northern California to which he belonged to rape and sexually abuse dozens of children from Catholic families.
The Roman Church did everything it could to discredit the complainants while moving O’Grady from one parish to another. One of the worst moments of the documentary shows how he raped, harassed, and abused with the full knowledge of his superiors.
‘I Am Not Your Negro’ (2016): IMDb Score: 7.9
Nominated in 2017 for the Oscar for Best Documentary and featuring the voice of Samuel L. Jackson as narrator, ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ tops the Rotten Tomatoes list as the best documentary in history.
In it, the writer James Baldwin tells the story of the African-American movement for their rights in 20th-century America as if it were an extension of ‘Remember This House,’ an unfinished book. Racism is the main subject in a film that narrates the lives and subsequent murders of three great activists and friends of the writer: Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, and Malcolm X.
‘Night and Fog’ (1956): IMDb Score 8.6
Prepare to be left completely moved and without tears when you watch one of the best documentaries in history: this film from 1955. Its barely 30 minutes are absolutely devastating, with shocking details about the Holocaust.
Alan Resnais directs this documentary narrated by Jean Cayrol, a survivor who leaves his mark on the images of a current Auschwitz, abandoned and decaying, but which still preserves the traces of the massacre.
‘Night and Fog’ imprints throughout its footage a ghostly and atrocious sensation and places particular emphasis on how human beings were capable of carrying out the experiments of the Nazi doctors.
‘The Thin Blue Line’ (1988): IMDb Score 8
Errol Morris directed it in 1988, and he saved a man’s life with his work. MorrisThe documentary set out to tell the story of Randal Adams, a Dallas man who was sentenced to death in the US for a crime he did not commit.
The impact of the documentary was such that the case was reviewed, and the accused was eventually released. However, more than 25 years later, no one has managed to stop the US (considered by many to be the most civilized country in the world) from killing prisoners.
‘Man On Wire’ (2008): IMDb Score 7.7
Ten years ago, British director James Marsh (‘The Theory of Everything’) dared to tell in the most poetic way possible the feat of tightrope walker Philippe Petit, who in 1974 dared to walk with his pole between the two Twin Towers and, in addition, danced on the wire for no less than an hour.
It is the complete narration of a feat that has also taken on a special status as one of the best testimonies of the urban significance of the World Trade Center. In 2015, Robert Zemeckis shot ‘The Walk,’ a film about the same feat, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Petit.