Documentary films are movies that tell a true story with a cinematic edge. Be it a story from history, a personal tale, or an observation of culture, documentaries artfully portray real situations. Originally called “actuality films,” documentaries have grown from one-minute infographics to full-length, sweeping epics of photojournalism. Some, however, truly rise above and become great art. Let’s discover the 20 best documentary films of all time. (And, if you prefer something longer, here are the best TV mini-series of all time.)
To determine the best documentary movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of October 2023, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Directorial credits are from IMDb.
20. The Look of Silence (2014)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (12,449 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (5,454 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (139 reviews)
- Directed by: Joshua Oppenheimer
The film follows Adi, an optometrist who is still haunted by the genocide that swept his country years before. After seeing a documentary about the violence, Adi decides to confront some of the killers and collaborators under the auspices of eye exams. There he will learn more about his country’s haunted past that has shaped his future.
A companion piece to Oppenheimer’s other documentary, “The Act of Killing,” “The Look of Silence” is a haunting, but compelling follow-up. It succeeds much like “The Act of Killing,” showing the viewer that the true monsters often appear like normal, unassuming people.
19. The Thin Blue Line (1988)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (23,849 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (8,714 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (16 reviews)
- Directed by: Errol Morris
The film centers around one night in 1976 when Randall Dale Adams accepts a ride from David Harris. Harris, however, is driving a stolen car, and when police stop the pair, a shootout ensues that leaves the cop dead. Though a jury finds Adams to be the killer, what follows is a disturbing analysis of perjury, misleading witnesses, and police culpability.
“The Thin Blue Line” is a stunning, unnerving look at how the justice system works, or rather fails, many of its citizens. Though the film doesn’t come to any concrete conclusions, its testimony of a murder and the surreal haze surrounding it will leave you questioning everything for days after watching this riveting documentary.
18. The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (23,800 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (15,201 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (142 reviews)
- Directed by: Errol Morris
The film is an unadorned portrayal of Kennedy’s Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War, Robert S. McNamara. Interspersed with archival footage, McNamara attempts to confront his and the government’s actions in Southeast Asia, the horrors of modern warfare, and his legacy.
Another classic from famed documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, “The Fog of War,” is a stark but intimate portrayal of a powerful man forced to reckon with his past and his country’s legacy. Not only does the film effortlessly portray the complicated history of the U.S. in Asia, but it also gives a battle-hardened powerbroker the chance to air his grievances. (Learn about movies so important, they are studied in college.)
17. Apollo 11 (2019)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (24,085 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,081 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (186 reviews)
- Directed by: Todd Douglas Miller
The film follows the lead-up, preparation, and action of the Apollo 11 space flight mission, marking the first time men walked on the moon. Relying entirely on archival footage, “Apollo 11” sticks to the facts, showing but not telling the story of one of mankind’s most pivotal moments.
What makes “Apollo 11” such a great documentary is it requires no commentary to tell its awe-inspiring story. Even though most viewers know how the story ends, the film triumphs by the classic story both fresh and suspenseful. For its achievement, “Apollo 11” won a Peabody Award and the Special Jury Award for Editing at the Sundance Film Festival.
16. When We Were Kings (1996)
- IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (17,322 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (9,096 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (48 reviews)
- Directed by: Leon Gast
The film follows Muhammad Ali as he prepares and undergoes perhaps the biggest boxing match of all time, the “Rumble in the Jungle,” against fellow famed heavyweight, George Foreman. Combining archival footage and new interviews, the film explores the relationship between the African continent and African Americans during the black power era of popular culture.
Considered one of the best documentary films of all time, “When We Were Kings” excels in transporting viewers to that particular time and place in history. It’s an engrossing look at both the fight and the larger cultural and historical context that catalyzed the match into becoming regarded as a classic for the ages.
15. LA 92 (2017)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (6,155 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (204 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (29 reviews)
- Directed by: T.J. Martin & Daniel Lindsay
It is April 1992, and a group of white police officers have just been acquitted of beating black motorist Rodney King. What follows is an unprecedented breakdown of Los Angeles as riots, looting, and indiscriminate violence engulf the city. Over two decades later, filmmakers examine the archival footage and analyze the action and the aftermath of the chaos that overwhelmed Los Angeles.
Consisting entirely of archival footage that weaves a linear story out of the chaos, “LA 92” is one of the most hair-raising, action-packed documentaries ever. It’s harsh, unforgiving, chaotic, and utterly prescient to the racial problems that still plague the United States. For its success, “LA 92” won the Primetime Emmy Award for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking.
14. Free Solo (2018)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (59,716 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (3,005 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (156 reviews)
- Directed by: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
The film follows an idiosyncratic but highly decorated professional rock climber named Alex Honnold as he prepares for his biggest challenge ever. The challenge is the first free solo climb of El Capitan’s 900-meter vertical rock face in Yosemite National Park.
Touching on everything from the hero’s journey to the passion that drives championship athletes, “Free Solo” is a transfixing, heart-stopping tale of one man’s almost pathological drive to transcend the impossible. Bolstered by innovative film techniques and a humanizing portrayal of its main character, the movie won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
13. They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (36,943 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (2,371 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (156 reviews)
- Directed by: Peter Jackson
Using state-of-the-art technology and unprecedented access to BBC and Imperial War Museum archives, Peter Jackson creates a film where the story of World War One and life on the front of the action is told through the voices and memories of the soldiers who lived through it.
Technically dazzling yet charmingly intimate, “They Shall Not Grow Old” succeeds in its ability to magically transform the past into the present. The film is haunting, hyperreal, and compelling in its reanimation of the past and acts as a tribute to the untold sacrifices of a generation. (Click here for the best WWII movies of all time.)
12. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (5,964 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (4,094 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
- Directed by: Rob Epstein
The film follows Harvey Milk, owner of a camera store in San Francisco’s Castro District and a political hopeful. After finally being elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors, Milk became California’s first openly gay elected official. There he meets fellow Supervisor Dan White, a homophobic and disgruntled ex-fireman. Their increasingly complicated relationship results in White assassinating both Milk and the city’s mayor.
One of the best documentary films of all time, “The Times of Harvey Milk” uses archival footage to tell a complicated yet utterly humane tale of triumph and defeat. For its success, the film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.
11. The Cove (2009)
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (48,775 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (25,751 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (133 reviews)
- Directed by: Louie Psihoyos
In Taiji, Japan, a group of fishermen secretly capture and slaughter dolphins. When activist and former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry finds out, he joins forces with filmmakers and the Ocean Preservation Society. From there, they risk life and limb to expose this brutal practice.
What makes “The Cove” one of the best documentary films of all time is how perilous and thrilling the journey of espionage and activism the filmmakers undergo to expose the dolphin killing to the wider world. Though one-sided, the film uses expert techniques to craft an impeccable story of activism. For its success, “The Cove” won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. (Discover the best TV shows about war and other conflicts.)
10. Senna (2010)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (67,368 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (17,996 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (122 reviews)
- Directed by: Asif Kapadia
The film focuses on famed racer Ayrton Senna. Following Senna from his racing beginnings, the documentary portrays his rise to fame from winning three Formula One championships and becoming Brazil’s national hero before his untimely death at the age of 34.
What makes Senna one of the best documentary films of all time is that you don’t even have to like racing to get into the story. Its adept use of archival footage turns the film into an action drama, weaving heart-stopping moments with a deeply human portrayal of the man behind the wheel. For its success, “Senna” won the World Cinema Audience Award for Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.
9. Woodstock (1970)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (16,713 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (9,343 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
- Directed by: Michael Wadleigh
The film follows a group of half a million people as they descend on a little patch of earth in upstate New York for a music festival. What follows, using detailed archival footage and interviews with the musicians, is an unflinching retelling of an iconic moment from American cultural history.
Like all great documentary films, “Woodstock” succeeds in transporting the viewer to a very particular time and place. It’s a beautiful film, moving, absurd, and full of both human foibles and might. A true testament to youth and promise, “Woodstock” intimately captures the spirit of the time.
8. The Last Waltz (1978)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (17,111 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (13,902 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (50 reviews)
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
More of a concert film than a classic documentary, famed director Martin Scorsese captures the last concert by The Band in San Francisco. Featuring more than a dozen special guest performers, as well as interviews with musicians, “The Last Waltz” is a testament to a magical era in American music.
Considered one of the best documentary films of all time, if not the greatest concert film ever, “The Last Waltz” is both a look at a transcendental time and a portrayal of a great band operating at the height of their talents. Besides routinely making top documentary lists, Rolling Stone called the film the “Greatest Concert Movie of All Time.”
7. Hoop Dreams (1994)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (25,513 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (12,623 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (60 reviews)
- Directed by: Steve James
Shot over five years, “Hoop Dreams” follows African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee. Both boys travel over an hour each way to St. Joseph’s High School, a predominantly white school with an excellent basketball program. There, the two boys pursue their dreams of NBA stardom.
“Hoop Dreams” is one of the best documentaries of all time because it uses the backdrop of high school basketball to tell a layered story about America, race, class, education, and fame. It’s a rich, heartbreaking, but ultimately rewarding portrayal of life in America and the pursuit of greatness. For its achievement, “Hoop Dreams” won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.
6. Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse (1991)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (20,132 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (9,399 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (27 reviews)
- Directed by: Eleanor Coppola, Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper
The film follows the making of another film, what would become the classic “Apocalypse Now.” Shot by Francis Ford Coppola’s wife Eleanor, “Heart of Darkness” depicts, through monsoons and heart attacks, the seemingly cursed production of what is now considered one of the greatest war films ever made.
What makes “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse” such a good watch is that it manages to find a movie within a movie. Utterly meta and profoundly chaotic, the film also gives a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse at Hollywood Legends risking everything to pull off making the picture. (Discover the best war movies of all time.)
5. Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (5,463 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (2,842 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (17 reviews)
- Directed by: Barbara Kopple
The film follows a group of coal miners who after joining a union, are refused the ability to work. The contractors bring in scab workers as the miners go on strike. The strike, lasting more than a year, resulted in multiple violent, armed conflicts that ultimately left one of the miners dead.
What makes “Harlan County U.S.A.” one of the best documentary films of all time is its expressive, yet unassuming portrayal of the miners as they fight for their jobs. The film is a moving, powerful testament to a group of people’s pursuit of dignity and rights. For its success, the film won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
4. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
- IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (24,538 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (4,439 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (255 reviews)
- Directed by: Morgan Neville
The film portrays the life and legacy of children’s television show host, Fred Rogers. While it focuses on Roger’s life and ascent from stardom to cultural hero, the film also examines his legacy of kindness, fairness, and adherence to the special sanctity of childhood.
What makes “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” succeed is it takes a patient and measured look at a man who embodied those two qualities. Beyond that, the film is funny yet touching, crafting a timeless portrayal of the rare person who never fell victim to hate or prejudice, and in turn, acted as an example for us all.
3. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
- IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (35,106 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (7,185 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (51 reviews)
- Directed by: Kurt Kuenne
After Dr. Andrew Bagby is found murdered by his pregnant ex-girlfriend, who absconds to Canada, Bagby’s parents undergo a campaign to try to convict their son’s killer and get his son back. Pairing home movies with interviews, the film attempts to show his young son what kind of person Bagby was.
“Dear Zachary” is a touching tribute to a fallen friend and a heart-wrenching, devastating look at miscarried justice. The film will bring tears of love, pain, and shock as it uncovers unexpected twists and disturbing turns in an attempt to tell Bagby’s story. Though ostensibly a story of remembrance, the documentary is also a hair-raising thriller.
2. Stop Making Sense (1984)
- IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (14,518 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (7,290 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (41 reviews)
- Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Though a concert film, “Stop Making Sense” depicts a classic, hallucinatory show by the band Talking Heads at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. What starts as a normal concert is quickly carried away by the art-rock band’s antics, resulting in a rapturous display of rhythm, harmony, and energy.
What makes “Stop Making Sense” such a great documentary is how fun its portrayal of a concert turns out to be. Though a straightforward concert film, it is imbued with an energy and frolicking sense of wonder that elevates the songs to an almost divine level of rhythm and worship. For its achievement, “Stop Making Sense,” was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.
1. O.J.: Made in America (2016)
- IMDb user rating: 8.9/10 (18,693 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98% (1,747 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (53 reviews)
- Directed by: Ezra Edelman
The film depicts the rise and fall of Orenthal James Simpson. He starts as a world-class football player, transitioning into an actor and celebrity before he is put on trial for the murder of his wife. Though O.J. is ultimately acquitted of the crimes, the film follows his slow fall to caricature and later-convicted criminal.
What makes “O.J.: Made in America” the best documentary of all time is how masterfully it portrays the capturing of the American dream before falling prey to tragedy. Composed with meticulous detail and expert pace, the film is exciting, heartbreaking, and deeply human. For its success, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. (Discover the highest-grossing movies based on true stories.)