Exploring Reality: A Curated List Of Documentary Films

Diego Santillán
Diego SantillánSeptember 15, 2025
Documentary films have a unique ability to captivate and educate audiences, offering a glimpse into the lives and experiences of others. From the fascinating stories of individuals to the exploration of complex social issues, documentaries provide a platform for storytelling and discussion.

The world of documentary filmmaking is diverse and ever-evolving, with new stories and perspectives emerging all the time. Whether it's a behind-the-scenes look at a beloved franchise, an in-depth examination of a social issue, or a profile of a fascinating individual, documentaries have the power to inspire, inform, and challenge our assumptions.

This curated list of documentary films showcases a range of topics and styles, from the intimate and personal to the expansive and thought-provoking. With a focus on quality and thematic relevance, these films offer a compelling and engaging viewing experience.

From the world of music and art to the realms of science and social justice, these documentaries invite viewers to explore new ideas, meet extraordinary people, and gain a deeper understanding of the world around us. Whether you're a seasoned documentary enthusiast or just discovering the genre, this list has something for everyone.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish
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Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

#1

Vulgar, taunting texts blow up the phones of a teen and her boyfriend. Who's sending them — and why? This twisty documentary reveals the shocking answer.

202594 min
Documentary
7.0
107 votes
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
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Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me

#2

After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.

202295 min
DocumentaryMusic
8.5
481 votes
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
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Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

#3

An enchanting making-of story told through all-new in-depth interviews and cast conversations, inviting fans on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time.

2022103 min
Documentary
7.3
3428 votes
Waste Land
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Waste Land

#4

An uplifting feature documentary highlighting the transformative power of art and the beauty of the human spirit. Top-selling contemporary artist Vik Muniz takes us on an emotional journey from Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, to the heights of international art stardom. Vik collaborates with the brilliant catadores, pickers of recyclable materials, true Shakespearean characters who live and work in the garbage quoting Machiavelli and showing us h

201090 min
Documentary
7.6
121 votes
X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All Time
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X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All Time

#5

The evolution of adult cinema through the most influential films in history, a journey that begins in the 1970s and ends nowadays. An in-depth analysis of the success of the most prestigious erotic films, their impact on industry and society, and their influence on cinema and contemporary culture.

201594 min
Documentary
6.5
190 votes
Grizzly Man
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Grizzly Man

#6

Werner Herzog's documentary film about the "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in one man's attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.

2005103 min
Documentary
7.5
892 votes
Winnebago Man
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Winnebago Man

#7

Jack Rebney is the most famous man you've never heard of - after cursing his way through a Winnebago sales video, Rebney's outrageously funny outtakes became an underground sensation and made him an internet superstar. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer journeys to the top of a mountain to find the recluse who unwittingly became the "Winnebago Man".

201085 min
DocumentaryComedy
6.6
91 votes
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years
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The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years

#8

The Beatles stormed through Europe's music scene in 1963, and, in 1964, they conquered America. Their groundbreaking world tours changed global youth culture forever and, arguably, invented mass entertainment as we know it today. All the while, the group were composing and recording a series of extraordinarily successful singles and albums. However the relentless pressure of such unprecedented fame, that in 1966 became uncontrollable turmoil, led to the decision to stop touring. In the ensuing y

2016106 min
DocumentaryMusic
7.5
375 votes
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese
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Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese

#9

Part documentary, part concert film, part fever dream, this film captures the troubled spirit of America in 1975 and the joyous music that Dylan performed during the fall of that year.

2019142 min
DocumentaryMusic
7.1
139 votes
Nude
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Nude

#10

NUDE explores perceptions of nudity in art by chronicling the creative process of photographer David Bellemere as he's commissioned by NU Muses founder Steve Shaw to shoot a fine art calendar of nude photographs.

201789 min
Documentary
9.4
163 votes
Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds
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Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds

#11

This remarkable journey across our planet and universe explores how meteorites, shooting stars, and deep impacts have awoken our wonder about other realms—and make us rethink our destinies.

202098 min
Documentary
6.6
91 votes
Waking Sleeping Beauty
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Waking Sleeping Beauty

#12

By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle or a magic spell could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney reg

200986 min
Documentary
7.2
109 votes
Jane Fonda in Five Acts
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Jane Fonda in Five Acts

#13

Girl next door, activist, so-called traitor, fitness tycoon, Oscar winner: Jane Fonda has lived a life of controversy, tragedy and transformation – and she’s done it all in the public eye. An intimate look at one woman’s singular journey.

2018133 min
Documentary
7.3
64 votes
Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th
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Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th

#14

Taking inspiration from Peter M. Bracke's definitive book of the same name, this seven-hour documentary dives into the making of all twelve Friday the 13th films, with all-new interviews from the cast and the crew.

2013400 min
Documentary
7.9
104 votes
Memory: The Origins of Alien
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Memory: The Origins of Alien

#15

The untold origin story behind Ridley Scott's Alien - rooted in Greek and Egyptian mythologies, underground comics, the art of Francis Bacon, and the dark visions of Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger. A contemplation on the symbiotic collaborative process of movie-making, the power of myth, and our collective unconscious.

201995 min
Documentary
6.3
101 votes
Untold: Malice at the Palace
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Untold: Malice at the Palace

#16

Key figures from an infamous 2004 incident between players and fans at an NBA game in Michigan discuss the fight, its fallout, and its lasting legacy.

202169 min
DocumentaryCrime
7.2
114 votes

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