swap_horiz The Nightmare Alternatives

1

Apollo 11

'Apollo 11' is a breathtaking immersive experience that uses never-before-seen footage and audio recordings to recreate...

Technology Exploration History Science

9.0 Excellent

2

Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse

Hearts of Darkness is a 1991 documentary about the troubled making of Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now in the Phili...

Film 1990S Production Hollywood

8.6 Great

3

An Inconvenient Truth

The documentary An Inconvenient Truth examines the scientific evidence surrounding climate change. Al Gore presents exte...

Educational Activist Science Climate Change

8.5 Great

4

Connections

Connections is James Burke's 1978 BBC documentary series showing how scientific and technological developments link acro...

Technology History Science Bbc

8.5 Great

5

Los Angeles Plays Itself

Los Angeles Plays Itself is Thom Andersen's 2003 essay documentary about how Los Angeles has been depicted and disguised...

Film 2000S Los Angeles Essay

8.4 Great

6

Fire of Love

'Fire of Love' is a breathtaking documentary about the extraordinary love story between volcanologists Katia and Maurice...

Nature Adventure Exploration Passion

8.3 Great

7

The Story of Film: An Odyssey

The Story of Film: An Odyssey is Mark Cousins's 2011, 15-part documentary history of world cinema, notable for its wide...

History Global Series Film

8.3 Great

8

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

The Devil and Daniel Johnston is Jeff Feuerzeig's 2005 documentary about musician Daniel Johnston, notable for winning S...

Music Mental Health Film Biography

8.3 Great

9

Blackfish

Gabriela Cowperthwaite's 'Blackfish' examines the controversy surrounding SeaWorlds orca captivity program. The film pre...

Conservation Environment Film Ethics

8.2 Great

10

Burden of Dreams

Burden of Dreams is a 1982 documentary by Les Blank about Werner Herzog's difficult production of Fitzcarraldo in the Am...

Film 1980S Production Jungle

8.2 Great

11

A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies

A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies is a 1995 documentary in which Scorsese surveys Hollywoo...

History American Film 1990S

8.2 Great

12

The Farthest

The Farthest is a 2017 Irish documentary about NASA's Voyager probes, launched in 1977 and still traveling beyond the ou...

Science Space Nasa 2010S

8.1 Great

13

Häxan

Häxan, directed by Benjamin Christensen in 1922, examines the history of witchcraft beliefs from the Middle Ages to the...

Fantasy Horror Movie Silent

8.0 Great

14

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

The Most Dangerous Man in America is a 2009 documentary about Daniel Ellsberg and the 1971 Pentagon Papers leak; it late...

History Politics Journalism Film

8.0 Great

15

Is That Black Enough for You?!?

Is That Black Enough for You?!? is a 2022 Netflix film essay by Elvis Mitchell, notable for reframing 1970s Black cinema...

History Netflix Film 2020S

8.0 Great

16

Jodorowsky's Dune

Jodorowsky's Dune is a 2013 documentary about Alejandro Jodorowsky's unmade 1970s film adaptation of Frank Herbert's nov...

Film Cult Science Fiction 2010S

7.9 Good

17

Encounters at the End of the World

Encounters at the End of the World is Werner Herzog's 2007 documentary on Antarctica, notable for profiling scientists a...

Nature Science 2000S Antarctica

7.8 Good

18

The Eagle Huntress

The Eagle Huntress is Otto Bell's 2016 documentary about Aisholpan Nurgaiv, a 13-year-old Kazakh girl entering Mongolia'...

Youth Film Sports Mongolia

7.8 Good

19

The Weather Underground

The Weather Underground is a 2002 documentary by Sam Green and Bill Siegel about the U.S. radical group; it was Oscar-no...

History Politics Film Radicalism

7.8 Good

20

Trouble the Water

Trouble the Water is a 2008 US documentary by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal about Hurricane Katrina survivors, notable for wi...

Film Race Disaster Katrina

7.8 Good