Documentaries
by bageltoes | created - 31 Mar 2019 | updated - 14 Feb 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. What's My Name: Muhammad Ali (2019)
TV-14 | 165 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
One of the most iconic figures in athletic history, Muhammad Ali's incredible story from world champion boxer to inspiring social activist is explored through his own voice and never-before-seen archival material.
Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Bill Cosby, Jim Brown, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Diana Ross
Votes: 2,440
2. Andy Irons: Kissed by God (2018)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary
Bipolar disorder and addiction as seen through the life of three-time world champion surfer Andy Irons. The untold story of Andy's life serves to tear down the myths associated with these two ferocious diseases.
Directors: Steve Jones, Todd Jones, Josh Taft | Stars: Bruce Irons, Lyndie Irons, Kelly Slater
Votes: 876
3. Momentum Generation (2018)
TV-14 | 103 min | Documentary
A group of teenagers in Hawaii enter the world of professional competitive surfing in the 1990s and rise to super stardom.
Directors: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist | Stars: Jeannie Chesser, Tom DeLonge, Shane Dorian, Fletcher Dragge
Votes: 1,350
4. The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (2019)
TV-14 | 119 min | Documentary, Crime
The story of Theranos, a multi-billion dollar tech company, its founder Elizabeth Holmes, the youngest self-made female billionaire, and the massive fraud that collapsed the company.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Alex Gibney, Elizabeth Holmes, Dan Ariely, Roger Parloff
Votes: 15,210
5. Leaving Neverland (2019)
TV-MA | 240 min | Documentary
At the height of his stardom, the world's biggest pop star, Michael Jackson, began long-running relationships with two young boys, aged between seven and ten, along their families. They now allege that he sexually abused them.
Director: Dan Reed | Stars: Michael Jackson, Wade Robson, Joy Robson, Chantal Robson
Votes: 31,129
6. Free Solo (2018)
PG-13 | 100 min | Documentary, Adventure, Sport
Alex Honnold faces the biggest challenge of his career, climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He pursues it Free Solo, which means climbing without a rope and alone.
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Cheyne Lempe
Votes: 77,473 | Gross: $17.54M
7. The Dawn Wall (2017)
Not Rated | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
In an unbelievable story of perseverance, free climber Tommy Caldwell and climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson attempt to scale the impossible 3000ft Dawn Wall of El Capitan.
Directors: Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer | Stars: John Branch, Tommy Caldwell, Kevin Jorgeson
Votes: 21,241 | Gross: $1.08M
8. Meru (2015)
R | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
Three elite climbers struggle to find their way through obsession and loss as they attempt to climb Mount Meru, one of the most coveted prizes in the high stakes game of Himalayan big wall climbing.
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | Stars: Conrad Anker, Grace Chin, Jimmy Chin, Amee Hinkley
Votes: 19,064 | Gross: $2.33M
9. Surviving R. Kelly (2019–2023)
TV-MA | 306 min | Documentary, Crime, Music
A six-part series about the controversial R&B star R. Kelly which features several women making allegations of abuse by him.
Stars: Andrea Kelly, Tarana Burke, Touré, Candice Norcott
Votes: 5,738
10. The Clinton Affair (2018)
TV-14 | 301 min | Documentary
A series of exclusive interviews and archival footage examining Bill Clinton's political scandal of the 1990s and its lasting influence in the United States.
Stars: Monica Lewinsky, Ken Starr, Lucianne Goldberg, Michael Isikoff
Votes: 927
11. Divide and Conquer (2018)
Not Rated | 107 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentary that explores the rise and fall of the late Roger Ailes, from his early media influence on the Nixon presidency to his controversial leadership at Fox News.
Director: Alexis Bloom | Stars: Tony Waag, Babette Bombshell, Catherine Corcoran, John Reardon
Votes: 647 | Gross: $0.04M
12. McQueen (2018)
R | 111 min | Documentary, Biography
The life and career of fashion designer Lee Alexander McQueen: from his start as a tailor, to launching and overseeing his eponymous line and his untimely death.
Directors: Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui | Stars: Alexander McQueen, Joyce McQueen, John Hitchcock, Danny Hall
Votes: 8,420 | Gross: $1.26M
13. All This Mayhem (2014)
Not Rated | 104 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Brothers Tas and Ben Pappas become the kings of professional skateboarding, but their hedonistic ways lead to a hard fall from grace.
Director: Eddie Martin | Stars: Tas Pappas, Ben Pappas, Tommy Caudill, Lance Conklin
Votes: 3,788
14. The Crash Reel (2013)
Not Rated | 108 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Fifteen years of verite footage show the epic rivalry between half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce, childhood friends who become number one and two in the world leading up to the ... See full summary »
Director: Lucy Walker | Stars: Kevin Pearce, Shaun White, Mason Aguirre, Daniel Amen
Votes: 5,080
15. It's a Hard Truth Ain't It (2018)
TV-MA | 74 min | Documentary, Animation
[HBO] HD. A companion to HBO Films' "O.G.," this documentary is co-directed by 13 incarcerated men who reflect on their lives.
Directors: Madeleine Sackler, Dennis Brown, Marshaun Bugg, Al'Jonon Coleman, James Collins, Franklin Cox, Brandon Crider, Clifford Elswick, Quentis Hardiman, Joseph Henderson, Charles Lawrence Sr., Herb Robertson, Rushawn Tanksley, Mark Thacker | Stars: Marshaun Bugg, Clifford Elswick, Madeleine Sackler
Votes: 414
16. The Cold Blue (2018)
TV-PG | 101 min | Documentary, War
A tribute to one of the world's great filmmakers and the men of the 8th Air Force who flew mission after suicidal mission in the Second World War.
Director: Erik Nelson | Stars: V.G. Alexander, Paul Haedike, Mort Kimmel, William Toombs
Votes: 1,005 | Gross: $0.42M
17. Mann V. Ford (2010 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 105 min | Documentary
Follows the Ramapough Indians and their legal team as they take on Ford and the EPA.
Directors: Maro Chermayeff, Micah Fink | Star: Wayne Mann
Votes: 205
18. I'll Be Gone in the Dark (2020–2021)
TV-MA | 50 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
Gripping examination of the unsolved crimes of the Golden State Killer who terrorized California in the 1970s and 1980s.
Stars: Patton Oswalt, Paul Haynes, Amy Ryan, Lauren Orlando
Votes: 8,862
19. I Am Evidence (2017)
TV-MA | 89 min | Documentary
An investigation into the way sexual assault cases are handled by police departments across the United States.
Directors: Trish Adlesic, Geeta Gandbhir | Stars: Gail Abarbanel, Richard Bell, Joe Biden, Carol Blass
Votes: 750
20. At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal (2019)
TV-MA | 88 min | Documentary, Crime, Sport
USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar is convicted of serial sexual abuse of young athletes.
Director: Erin Lee Carr | Stars: Simone Biles, Scott Blackmun, Richard Blumenthal, Aimee Boorman
Votes: 3,446
21. On Tour with Asperger's Are Us (2019– )
Documentary, Comedy
Six-part docuseries follows the first comedy troupe comprised entirely of people with Asperger Syndrome on their first ever cross-country tour, as the team of four cram into a relic of an ... See full summary »
Stars: Noah Britton, Jack Hanke, Ethan Finlan, New Michael Ingemi
Votes: 113
22. The Central Park Five (2012)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary, Crime, History
A documentary that examines the 1989 case of five black and Latino teenagers who were convicted of raping a white woman in Central Park. After having spent between 6 and 13 years each in prison, a serial rapist confessed to the crime.
Directors: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon | Stars: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Kharey Wise, Raymond Santana
Votes: 7,937 | Gross: $0.27M
23. Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000 TV Movie)
Unrated | 130 min | Documentary, Crime
The case of the West Memphis Three, its questionable circumstances and the parties involved are followed up years later.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Damien Wayne Echols, Melissa Byers, Norris Deajon, Tim Sullivan
Votes: 9,661
24. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)
Not Rated | 150 min | Documentary, Crime
A horrific triple child murder leads to an indictment and trial of three nonconformist boys based on questionable evidence.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Tony Brooks, Diana Davis, Terry Wood, Dick Clay
Votes: 18,159
25. Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011)
Not Rated | 121 min | Documentary, Crime
A further followup of the case of the West Memphis Three and the decades long fight to exonerate them that finally gained traction with new DNA evidence.
Directors: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky | Stars: Gary Gitchell, Todd Moore, Dana Moore, Pam Hobbs
Votes: 10,873
26. The Staircase II: The Last Chance (2013)
Not Rated | 130 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
Explosive developments - implicating both the forensics laboratory of the police department of North Carolina, and Duane Deaver, its chief - recently saw the convicted subject of 'The ... See full summary »
Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade | Stars: Caitlin Atwater, Bradley Bannon, Freda Black, Lori Campbell
Votes: 2,369
27. The Staircase (2004–2018)
TV-MA | 629 min | Documentary, Crime, Drama
The high-profile murder trial of American novelist Michael Peterson following the death of his wife Kathleen Peterson in 2001.
Stars: Michael Peterson, David Rudolf, Ron Guerette, Martha Ratliff
Votes: 27,233
28. An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase (2017–2018)
TV-14 | 42 min | Documentary, Crime
Investigators discover novelist Michael Peterson clutching his dead wife Kathleen, in a pool of blood at the bottom of their back staircase. Michael insists that her death is the result of a tragic fall, but investigators believe otherwise
Stars: Beth Karas, Jim Hardin, Laurence James Sargent, Candace Zamperini
Votes: 2,971
29. Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist (2018)
TV-MA | 48 min | Documentary, Crime
The extraordinary story of the "pizza bomber heist" and the FBI's investigation into a bizarre collection of suspects.
Stars: Trey Borzillieri, Jerry Clark, Jason Wick, Lamont King
Votes: 31,033
30. Abducted in Plain Sight (2017)
TV-14 | 91 min | Documentary, Crime
The twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.
Director: Skye Borgman | Stars: Jan Broberg, Bob Broberg, Mary Ann Broberg, Susan Broberg
Votes: 22,259
31. Wild Wild Country (2018)
TV-MA | 67 min | Documentary, Crime
When Osho, the world's most controversial guru, builds an Utopian city deep in the Oregon country, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.
Stars: Ma Anand Sheela, Philip Toelkes, Jane Stork, George Meredith
Votes: 35,119
32. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann takes a detailed look at the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from the seaside resort of Praia de Luz in Portugal, while on holiday with her family.
Stars: Anthony Summers, Maria João Vaz, Gonçalo Amaral, Robbyn Swan
Votes: 11,664
33. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015–2024)
TV-14 | 45 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki examines the complicated life of reclusive real estate icon Robert Durst, the key suspect in a series of unsolved crimes.
Stars: Robert Durst, Andrew Jarecki, J. Patrick Burns, Dick DeGuerin
Votes: 51,752
34. Making a Murderer (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Documentary, Crime
Filmed over a 10-year period, Steven Avery, a DNA exoneree who, while in the midst of exposing corruption in local law enforcement, finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
Stars: Steven Avery, Dolores Avery, Laura Nirider, Allan Avery
Votes: 102,897
35. The Keepers (II) (2017)
TV-MA | 62 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
A seven-part docuseries about the unsolved murder of a nun and the horrific secrets and pain that linger nearly five decades after her death.
Stars: Gemma Hoskins, Abbie Schaub, Virginia Anzengruber, Jean Hargadon Wehner
Votes: 25,075
36. Deliver Us from Evil (2006)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Crime
Documentary about Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who was relocated to various parishes around the United States during the 1970s in an attempt by the Catholic Church to cover up his rape of dozens of children.
Director: Amy Berg | Stars: Oliver O'Grady, Thomas Doyle, Adam, Jeff Anderson
Votes: 10,831 | Gross: $30.58M
37. TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (2017)
TV-MA | 43 min | Documentary, Biography
After his arrest at age 16, Kalief Browder fought the system and prevailed, despite unthinkable circumstances. He became an American hero.
Stars: Jay-Z, Kalief Browder, Venida Browder, Paul Prestia
Votes: 2,906
38. The Look of Silence (2014)
PG-13 | 103 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer | Stars: Adi Rukun, M.Y. Basrun, Volker Hanisch, Amir Hasan
Votes: 13,889 | Gross: $0.11M
39. The Act of Killing (2012)
Not Rated | 117 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
Directors: Joshua Oppenheimer, Anonymous, Christine Cynn | Stars: Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik
Votes: 40,823 | Gross: $0.49M
40. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
R | 87 min | Documentary, Comedy, Crime
Following the style of some of the world's most prolific street artists, an amateur filmmaker makes a foray into the art world.
Director: Banksy | Stars: Banksy, Mr. Brainwash, Space Invader, Debora Guetta
Votes: 68,835 | Gross: $3.29M
41. Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
PG-13 | 86 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.
Director: Malik Bendjelloul | Stars: Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey, Mike Theodore
Votes: 72,926 | Gross: $3.97M
42. The Cove (2009)
PG-13 | 92 min | Documentary, Biography, Crime
Using state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
Director: Louie Psihoyos | Stars: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos, Hardy Jones, Michael Illiff
Votes: 51,457 | Gross: $0.87M
43. Blackfish (2013)
PG-13 | 83 min | Documentary
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite | Stars: Tilikum, Dave Duffus, Samantha Berg, Dean Gomersall
Votes: 72,479 | Gross: $2.07M
44. Icarus (2017)
TV-MA | 120 min | Documentary, Sport
When Bryan sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller.
Director: Bryan Fogel | Stars: Bryan Fogel, Dave Zabriskie, Don Catlin, Grigory Rodchenkov
Votes: 54,732
45. Citizenfour (2014)
R | 114 min | Documentary, Biography
A documentarian and a reporter travel to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden.
Director: Laura Poitras | Stars: Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, William Binney, Jacob Appelbaum
Votes: 57,992 | Gross: $2.80M
46. Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary
A documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Spanky Taylor, David Miscavige
Votes: 40,920
47. Tickled (2016)
R | 92 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery
Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn't stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.
Directors: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve | Stars: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve, David Starr, Kevin Clarke
Votes: 20,751 | Gross: $0.61M
48. Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)
G | 90 min | Documentary, History
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France and captures the oldest known pictorial creations of humanity.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Werner Herzog, Jean Clottes, Julien Monney, Jean-Michel Geneste
Votes: 17,796 | Gross: $5.23M
49. Grizzly Man (2005)
R | 103 min | Documentary, Biography
A devastating and heart-rending take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzly bears in Alaska.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Timothy Treadwell, Amie Huguenard, Werner Herzog, Carol Dexter
Votes: 61,925 | Gross: $3.17M
50. Inside Job (2010)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary, Crime
Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.
Director: Charles Ferguson | Stars: Matt Damon, Gylfi Zoega, Andri Snær Magnason, Sigridur Benediktsdottir
Votes: 78,995 | Gross: $4.31M
51. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)
R | 110 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary about the Enron corporation, its faulty and corrupt business practices, and how they led to its fall.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: John Beard, Tim Belden, Barbara Boxer, George W. Bush
Votes: 20,119
52. The Dust Bowl (2012)
TV-PG | 229 min | Documentary, History
A documentary about the 1930s drought of North American prairie farm land, and its consequences during the great depression.
Stars: Dorothy Williamson, Donald Worster, Timothy Egan, Pamela Riney-Kehrberg
Votes: 2,111
53. Prohibition (2011)
60 min | Documentary, History
The story of the American activist struggle against the influence of alcohol, climaxing in the failed early 20th century nationwide era when it was banned.
Stars: Peter Coyote, Pete Hamill, Catherine Gilbert Murdock, Michael Lerner
Votes: 3,426
54. Lynch: A History (2019)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary
A video collage featuring professional American Football player Marshawn Lynch.
Director: David Shields | Star: Marshawn Lynch
Votes: 53
55. One Child Nation (2019)
R | 83 min | Documentary, History
After becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China's one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.
Directors: Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang | Stars: Nanfu Wang, Zaodi Wang, Zhimei Wang, Tunde Wang
Votes: 7,207 | Gross: $0.18M
56. Step Into Liquid (2003)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Surfers and secret spots from around the world are profiled in this documentary.
Director: Dana Brown | Stars: Laird Hamilton, Layne Beachley, Dan Malloy, Robert August
Votes: 2,785 | Gross: $3.67M
57. Monterey Pop (1968)
Not Rated | 78 min | Documentary, History, Music
A film about the greatest pre-Woodstock rock music festival.
Director: D.A. Pennebaker | Stars: Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Ravi Shankar, Country Joe McDonald
Votes: 4,930 | Gross: $0.00M
58. Woodstock (1970)
R | 184 min | Documentary, History, Music
Oscar-winning musical chronicle that brilliantly captures the three-day rock concert and celebration of peace and love that became a capstone for the Sixties.
Director: Michael Wadleigh | Stars: Joan Baez, Richie Havens, Roger Daltrey, Joe Cocker
Votes: 18,471 | Gross: $50.00M
59. Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton (2017)
Not Rated | 118 min | Documentary, Sport
Filmmaker Rory Kennedy examines the career of American Laird Hamilton, a man who has spent his life conquering untameable walls of water and changed the sport of big wave surfing forever.
Director: Rory Kennedy | Stars: Nick Carroll, Darrick Doerner, Laird Hamilton, Gabrielle Reece
Votes: 710 | Gross: $0.18M
60. Where's My Roy Cohn? (2019)
PG-13 | 97 min | Documentary
Roy Cohn personified the dark arts of American politics, turning empty vessels into dangerous demagogues - from Joseph McCarthy to his final project, Donald J. Trump.
Director: Matt Tyrnauer | Stars: Roy M. Cohn, Ken Auletta, Marie Brenner, Robert Cohen
Votes: 1,210
61. Boys State (2020)
PG-13 | 109 min | Documentary
A thousand 17-year-old boys from Texas join together to build a representative government from the ground up.
Directors: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss | Stars: Ben Feinstein, Steven Garza, Robert MacDougall, René Otero
Votes: 5,732
62. Framing John DeLorean (2019)
Unrated | 109 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
Who was the real John DeLorean? To some, he was a renegade visionary who revolutionized the automobile industry. To others, he was the ultimate con man.
Directors: Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce | Stars: John DeLorean, Alec Baldwin, Josh Charles, Morena Baccarin
Votes: 2,551 | Gross: $0.15M
63. Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes (2018)
Not Rated | 95 min | Documentary, Sport, Talk-Show
The life and times of Muhammad Ali, as shown through the lens of his numerous appearances on The Dick Cavett Show (1968).
Director: Robert S. Bader | Stars: Dick Cavett, Muhammad Ali, Woody Allen, Jimmy Breslin
Votes: 346
64. Facing Ali (2009)
R | 100 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.
Director: Pete McCormack | Stars: George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, George Foreman, Joe Frazier
Votes: 3,775
65. When We Were Kings (1996)
PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport
Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.
Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown
Votes: 19,139 | Gross: $2.79M
66. All.I.Can. (2012)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary, Sport
All.I.Can is a stunning exploratory essay that compares the challenges of big mountain skiing to the challenges of global climate change. Shot on 6 continents over 2 years, the world's best... See full summary »
Directors: Eric Crosland, Dave Mossop, J.P. Auclair | Stars: Mark Abma, J.P. Auclair, Ingrid Backstrom, Cody Barnhill
Votes: 803
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