Twelve Terrific Documentaries
I’m often asked to name my favourite documentaries. I’m much too indecisive and changeable to be able to nail down a definitive list. But here are twelve I like a lot. (I was going to do ten, but then I thought of two more…)
A Question of Consent
Superb disturbing doc made by the team that did Cocaine Cowboys, it recounts the alleged rape of a stripper at a fraternity party in Florida, much of which was filmed by the party-goers themselves. I watched it on a plane and had to keep minimizing the screen due to the adult content. I suppose I could have stopped watching but I was too engrossed.
A Letter to Zachary
A posthumous love letter from the filmmaker to his murdered friend, it has one of the most explosive and upsetting twists two thirds of the way through. I recently saw this was on the IMDB as one of the most popular documentaries of all time, it’s number two right after Night and Fog. So it’s not exactly obscure but it is totally riveting.
Thin Blue Line
I love this film. I can still hear the distinctive musical cadences of the principal character, Randall Dale Adams, and his palpable sense of bafflement at the course his life had taken: convicted of killing a cop in cold blood. If you haven’t seen it you’re in for a treat. And this one has a happy ending.
American Movie
Chris Smith followed a filmmaker called Mark Borchardt and his monosyllabic sidekick Mike Shank over the course of several years to create this beautiful portrait of a man attempting to make a low-budget masterpiece. Full of accidental comedy and poignant moments.
The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun
This one’s also about a man with a dream: an eccentric Danish bachelor who wants to convert his house into a home for Russian nuns. I saw it at Sheffield Docs Festival and never heard much about it afterwards. There’s something very special about a film that’s driven simply by actuality as it unfolds, as this one is.
TV Junkie
My friend Freddie Claire turned me onto it. The central character is a news reporter who obsessively documents his own life, to the point of filming his own spiraling drug addiction, the loss of his career and the breakdown of his marriage. The footage he films of his argument with his wife in front of the kids is unbelievably harrowing.
The Queen of Versailles
This is on at the cinema at the moment! Go see it! A wonderful portrait of a family as their dream of building America’s biggest private house crumbles in the wake of the credit crunch. It’s a riches-to-less-riches tale, very humane, very funny.
Don’t Look Back
Dylan’s 1965 gets the cinema verite treatment at the hands of documentary pioneer D.A. Pennebaker. Dylan comes across as both tremendously beguiling and also callow and slightly cruel. It’s black and white and looks beautiful. So many great scenes. I like the fans disagreeing about whether Dylan going electric made him just another pop band.
Hoop Dreams
I remember coming out of a screening of this in New York maybe fifteen years ago and just thinking Wow. The level of intimacy and the filmmaker’s commitment to the lives of their subjects: it’s like a novel.
Catfish
Some people said they found this fake but I bought it. There’s maybe one scene that’s a bit too good to be true, but overall I loved the strangeness of the quest and the amazing reveal when they find what they find. It’s hard to say too much without giving it away but basically it’s about an Internet romance gone awry.
Exit Through The Gift Shop
I used to find Banksy a bit annoying but I had a new respect for him after seeing this. It has that wonderful thing of a contributor slightly taking over the film and going in a strange and unexpected direction.
Deep Water
I just like this story a lot. I read the book when I was a kid, The Strange Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, about the solo round-the-world yachtsman who lost his mind at sea. But I didn’t realize there was so much archive. Very sad, too.
Nice list Louis I’ve only seen one from this list so will be looking them up on your recommendation
Have you seen ‘Dark Days’ about the NY subway and the homeless that live there?
What no Herzog?
Lots I have really enjoyed on this list which makes me want to watch the others too. Thanks.
Hi!
One of the most important documentaries I know, is Paradise lost. Because of that movie three innocent boys was set free this year – after 18 years in prison.
I also would recommend Saving Face, which won an Oscar last year.
From Thomas (30), Oslo, Norway.
Where’s king of kong????
I watched ‘dark days’ when I was at uni and I have to agree it’s pretty amazing. The soundtrack is by DJ Shadow which makes it even cool.
All that aside, if you can’t trust a recommendation from a guy named ‘catspew’ then who can you trust?!
Hi, I only saw Catfish and loved it..I will try to view the other recommendations, Peace..
Where’s The Story of Anvil !!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anvil!_The_Story_of_Anvil
Funniest, most touching doc on a band ever.
I second King of Kong!!!!!
I watched ‘question of consent’, ‘letter to zachary’ and ‘deep water’ after reading your list. Fantastic recomendations – thankyou!
I found Deep Water in partticular to be utterly engrossing and brilliantly made. inspiring, thought provoking and completely heartbreaking. I’d never come across the story before so all new to me.
Thanks for the suggestions, great list!
Thanks for the recommendations, Louis! Had already seen three, have now watched two more, can’t wait to get all 12 down!
Any word on new content from you? You’re a brilliant documentarian, you always make me think which is more than can be said for most. Though US television seems to be averse to you for whatever reason.
Although — A Letter to Zachary is actually called Dear Zachary. And where can I find a watchable copy of The Monastery? Seems to barely even exist everywhere I’m looking.
The Thin Blue Line and American Movie are available on Netflix (in the UK) now. I’m trying to decide which to watch first…
ps – A State of Mind is also a great documentary.
KING. OF. KONG.
Also anything with Ross Kemp (including Enders).
i found “The Net” really inspiring: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Netz
Thank you for having The Monastery on your list. You didn’t know what happened to the film afterwards. Well it won 14 first prices around the world, including the major award at IDFA, the worlds largest documentaryfilm festival in the world, and The Cinema Eye in NY and a Spirit Award in Los Angeles. It was shown on over 90 filmfestivals in the world, and broadcastet in 22 countries. You can get the film VoD on http://www.danishdocumentary.com. And if you recomment it to your friends by sharing the link from our webpage, every time your friends download it from this link, you earn 10 procent. You are welcome to share…
Chicken Ranch – Nick Broomfield
Driving Me Crazy – Nick Broomfield
Tattooed Tears – Nick Broomfield
Obsessive Compulsive Hoarder – Christian Trumble
When We Were Kings – Leon Gast
The Beatles Anthology – Bob Smeaton
Gimme Shelter – Maysles Bros.
The War Room – D.A. Pennebaker
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple – Stanley Nelson
Superior Firepower: The Making of ‘Aliens’ – Charles de Lauzirika
Forgive me Louis, but you’re one of them people that I like listening too. On your advice, I recently bought the book ‘The People who Eat Darkness’. I’ve only just started it however I am already engrossed.
While I do find your above list of 12 favourite documentaries interesting, is there any chance you could do the same for your favourite books?
Keep up your good work too.
All The Best,
John McBride
Louis, you should watch Into The Abyss, Deliver Us From Evil and Paradise Lost – if you haven’t seen them!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01b65lr
I watched the documentary San Francisco’s Year Zero: We Were Here on BBC 4 earlier this year.
It is the closes I have come to tears watching TV (with no real previous interest in the subject).
I would be fascinated to know if Louis has seen this one and if so what he thought.
Getting through your list. Watched and loved ” catfish”. When can we see you back on tv.
Capturing the friedmans
Searching for Sugarman.
Rodriguez was the soundtrack to revolution in Apartheid South Africa. We thought he was a global superstar, turns out no-one else heard of him. Incredible story, incredible music, incredible man.
Agree with Alessandra Peach – Into the Abyss is great and also The Cove
Loved your American doc on autism. My son is autistic, although not as severe as those kids, but found it very touching.
A few to mention:
‘King of Kong’ (as mentioned above), people gone mad.
‘Dark Days’ and ‘Anvil’ (as mentioned) two really great documentaries, touching.
The Decline of Western Civilization II (a great Penelope Spheeris film) on heavy metal. The scene with Chris Holmes (WASP) and his mother is pretty sad.
Heavy Metal Parking Lot (short but true).
There is also a great documentary on Dave Davies (of the Kinks) which was shown on the BBC, and his drift away from the rock lifestyle into new age.
Grey Gardens, a 1975 film about 2 relatives of Jackie Kennedy who lived in the ruins of their crumbling once magnificent mansion has to be one of the most surreal and fascinating documentaries ever made. The Maysles made a truly great film.
i definitely think .. a documentary called ” god grew tired of us ” could be in that list… it follows the lost boys of sudan as they try and adapt in a foreign country …. truely amazing…….. also i really like the documentary called the ” dolphin boy”
Exit through the gift shop… such a good documentary.
without a doubt one of my favourite films…
Wasteland
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1268204/
No Herzog? Being a documentarian yourself, I doubt you haven’t seen them, but just in case: Land of Silence and Darkness, The White Diamond, Encounters at the End of the World, Little Dieter Needs to Fly are some superb ones.
Not in an entirely bad way, I actually couldn’t finish watching one of his latest ‘Into the Abyss’ as it made me rather depressed frankly.
As always, looking forward to your next endevour!
What no Herzog?
Or did you not mention Werner’s great docs because he’s kind of popular anyway?
Loved TV Junky – found the guy in it to be so charming – a madman but charming.
The Broomfield film on the cockle pickers was fascinating.
Nothing of Adam Curtis, who I think is the greatest doc maker going at the moment. Along with master LT himself.
When is Louis going to do his great Herzogesque road movie documentary going to the dark of the UK?
Great list Louis!
“You’re gonna miss me” is a phenomenal documentary:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0791268/
An American Family ?
You do realise that Exit Through the Gift Shop is actually a very clever fake designed to take the piss out of consumer culture and the ‘art’ scene?
I thought it was obvious but I know loads of people who didn’t realise.
Streetwise (1984)
Documentary following the lives of street kids in Seattle in the 80s.
Incredible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aj7UM-KWJS8&feature=related
Louis, LOVE your style! Watched everything you have made so far I think! Also, your doc list is spot on…adding of course one of the most amazing is The Last Word which is the Johnny Frank Garrett story who was executed in Texas only to not have done as charged…but there is more…he predicts the deaths of those who did this to him and it comes TRUE.. AMAZING, along the lines of thin blue line but more powerful. ANYWAY, thanks for the GREAT WORK you do…LOVE IT!
Agree with Alessandra. ‘Deliver us from evil’ is one of the best Doco I have watched. Disturbing but very good. Love your work Louis.
‘Lift’ by Marc Isaacs is a tremendous 25 minute piece taking place with documentary maker and camera in an East London tower block lift over a period of time, slowly getting to know the residents. Short but very sweet.
‘Burma VJ’ and ‘Manda Bala’ are both fantastic too.
I’d only seen one on that list!? cheers for the heads up, will have to check out some of those. Also, I really enjoyed ‘in the shadow the moon’ which documents the moon landing. Some of the footage is exceptional, It still amazes me what those guys actually achieved! Keep up the good work