What is the best documentary you have ever seen?

[Anonymous]

The Woman who wasn't there.

The Thin Blue Line

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

[Anonymous]

It's a girl. A documentary about gender selection in India and China. A very painful experience to watch but added new dimensions to the understanding of the issue.

[Anonymous]

I feel like I should start a s/o ... But I'd never heard of a Dear Zachary until this thread. I love documentaries (not sure how this one slipped by). Is it that brutal? FWIW I have 2 under 3 and gravitate towards non fiction bc I love the human experience. But can't watch kids in pain since having my DDs. Will watching this be a bad decision?

[Anonymous]

So this weekend, because of this thread, I watched Just, Melvin (more boring than I expected) and Aunt Diane.

Just, Melvin was creepy and I agree with another posted who said he was probably still abusing his "favorite" daughter. Just the way she reacted to him at the hospital... ew ew ew. I was really turned off by the filmmaker, though. At the end, I was expecting him to run and in and "expose" everything, like he seemed to be promising he would do. When it was over, I felt the story was incomplete. I wanted a clear timeline and some information, rather than random in and out conversations that seemed to be his attempts to craft a story that was too confusing. The people were really interesting. I wanted to hear more from them!

There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane... with just the facts of the case, I would 100% believe that the family was in denial and that the driver was plastered. But the security footage and witness testimony just keeps me doubting. I really would not be surprised if some new info came out later that explained the autopsy results without alcohol.

I've seen Blackfish a few times, and I think it's a good doc if you understand the context and that there is some manipulation involved. A lot of the people interviewed had very little actual contact with Tilikum, and "footage" that the viewer assumes is associated with the whales in question is actually not. Knowing that (I did, before I watched it) I think it's worth watching. I do not think SeaWorld is a heartless monster, but I would not go there as long as they have whale shows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like I should start a s/o ... But I'd never heard of a Dear Zachary until this thread. I love documentaries (not sure how this one slipped by). Is it that brutal? FWIW I have 2 under 3 and gravitate towards non fiction bc I love the human experience. But can't watch kids in pain since having my DDs. Will watching this be a bad decision?

I would not watch it without knowing the story. I knew the story before I saw it, and it was still very good, interesting, but sad. But still really, really good! Something very sad happens, but you've probably figured that out. I've tried a few times to describe here what happens without giving it away, but I can't. Just read the Wikipedia article and decide for yourself whether to watch. I walked away being sad, but really struck by the amazing and wonderful people in the movie. Andrew Bagby is a great example of an ordinary guy whose legacy is just being a really great person that everybody loved (the filmmaker made the movie about Andrew, his recently deceased friend, so that's not a spoiler). We should all strive for such a life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like I should start a s/o ... But I'd never heard of a Dear Zachary until this thread. I love documentaries (not sure how this one slipped by). Is it that brutal? FWIW I have 2 under 3 and gravitate towards non fiction bc I love the human experience. But can't watch kids in pain since having my DDs. Will watching this be a bad decision?

I would not watch it without knowing the story. I knew the story before I saw it, and it was still very good, interesting, but sad. But still really, really good! Something very sad happens, but you've probably figured that out. I've tried a few times to describe here what happens without giving it away, but I can't. Just read the Wikipedia article and decide for yourself whether to watch. I walked away being sad, but really struck by the amazing and wonderful people in the movie. Andrew Bagby is a great example of an ordinary guy whose legacy is just being a really great person that everybody loved (the filmmaker made the movie about Andrew, his recently deceased friend, so that's not a spoiler). We should all strive for such a life.

Most suggest not reading anything about it before watching. To get the full impact the documentary filmmaker wants to make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So this weekend, because of this thread, I watched Just, Melvin (more boring than I expected) and Aunt Diane.

Just, Melvin was creepy and I agree with another posted who said he was probably still abusing his "favorite" daughter. Just the way she reacted to him at the hospital... ew ew ew. I was really turned off by the filmmaker, though. At the end, I was expecting him to run and in and "expose" everything, like he seemed to be promising he would do. When it was over, I felt the story was incomplete. I wanted a clear timeline and some information, rather than random in and out conversations that seemed to be his attempts to craft a story that was too confusing. The people were really interesting. I wanted to hear more from them!

There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane... with just the facts of the case, I would 100% believe that the family was in denial and that the driver was plastered. But the security footage and witness testimony just keeps me doubting. I really would not be surprised if some new info came out later that explained the autopsy results without alcohol.

I've seen Blackfish a few times, and I think it's a good doc if you understand the context and that there is some manipulation involved. A lot of the people interviewed had very little actual contact with Tilikum, and "footage" that the viewer assumes is associated with the whales in question is actually not. Knowing that (I did, before I watched it) I think it's worth watching. I do not think SeaWorld is a heartless monster, but I would not go there as long as they have whale shows.

So much this.

[Anonymous]

Most suggest not reading anything about it before watching. To get the full impact the documentary filmmaker wants to make.

Yes, which is why nearly everyone on this thread has said the movie was traumatic. If one is on the fence about watching it because of this, I would argue that watching it while knowing the story is better than avoiding it all together.

[Anonymous]

My favorites have been:

We Were Here (AIDS activism)
The Dark Matter of Love (Russian adoption)
Hot Girls Wanted (Current teen porn)

Also enjoyed most food/conspiracy related docs and Blackfish.

Paris is Burning is the ULTIMATE documentary for me. I adore the characters. I never knew that so much of contemporary drag/gay culture grew out of that scene.

[Anonymous]

Born into Brothels
My Kid Could Paint That
Queen of Versailles

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Woman who wasn't there.

The Thin Blue Line

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Also, How to Die in Oregon.

[Anonymous]

Harlan county usa

[Anonymous]

Recently watched Brave Miss World on Netflix. It was very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Spellbound (about the national spelling bee)
Mad hot ballroom ( NYC Kids learning ballroom dancing )

Wild wonderful whites of West Virginia. - talk about a train wreck! A crazy family of tap dancing outlaws. I think I've rewatched it 5 times.

All 3 of these are GREAT!

[Anonymous]

The crash reel was good
I don't watch many so no other suggestions sorry! But will watch some suggested on here