2018 Best Documentaries
by fabriziogarraffo | created - 19 Oct 2018 | updated - 20 Nov 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. 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: 77,438 | Gross: $17.54M
2. Dark Money (2018)
TV-14 | 99 min | Documentary
DARK MONEY, a political thriller, examines one of the greatest present threats to American democracy: the influence of untraceable corporate money on our elections and elected officials. ... See full summary »
Director: Kimberly Reed | Stars: Jon Tester, Debra Bonogofsky, Jim Peterson, Ellie Hill
Votes: 935 | Gross: $0.21M
3. Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Biography, History
An exploration of the life, lessons, and legacy of iconic children's television host Fred Rogers.
Director: Morgan Neville | Stars: Fred Rogers, Margaret Whitmer, Tom Junod, Joanne Rogers
Votes: 27,122 | Gross: $22.84M
4. Minding the Gap (2018)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Sport
Filmmaker Bing Liu searches for correlations between his skateboarder friends' turbulent upbringings and the complexities of modern masculinity.
Director: Bing Liu | Stars: Kent Abernathy, Mengyue Bolen, Nina Bowgren, Keire Johnson
Votes: 10,467 | Gross: $0.01M
5. 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: 35,102
6. Hitler's Hollywood (2017)
Not Rated | 105 min | Documentary, History
Rüdiger Suchsland examines German cinema from 1933, when the Nazis came into power, until 1945 when the Third Reich collapsed.
Director: Rüdiger Suchsland | Stars: Rüdiger Suchsland, Rike Schmid, Hans Henrik Wöhler, Udo Kier
Votes: 848 | Gross: $0.04M
7. Crime + Punishment (2018)
112 min | Documentary
A group of brave NYPD officers risk it all to expose the truth about illegal quota practices in police departments.
Director: Stephen Maing | Stars: Manuel 'Manny' Gomez, Sandy Gonzales, Rukia Lumumba, Edwin Raymond
Votes: 697 | Gross: $0.02M
8. RBG (2018)
PG | 98 min | Documentary, Biography
The exceptional life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon.
Directors: Julie Cohen, Betsy West | Stars: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ann Kittner, Harryette Helsel, Nina Totenberg
Votes: 15,065 | Gross: $14.02M
9. Hal (2018)
90 min | Documentary, Biography
Hal Ashby's obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Harold and Maude (1971), Shampoo and Being There. But as contemporaries Francis Ford Coppola... See full summary »
Director: Amy Scott | Stars: Hal Ashby, Norman Jewison, Haskell Wexler, Louis Gossett Jr.
Votes: 681 | Gross: $0.05M
10. Elvis Presley: The Searcher (2018)
TV-PG | 205 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Elvis Presley's evolution as a musician and a man.
Director: Thom Zimny | Stars: Steve Allen, Ann-Margret, Chet Atkins, Chris Bearde
Votes: 2,696
11. John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (2018)
95 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary set at the final of the 1984 French Open between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl at a time when McEnroe was the world's top-ranked player.
Director: Julien Faraut | Stars: John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Mathieu Amalric, Gil de Kermadec
Votes: 829 | Gross: $0.09M
12. David Bowie: The Last Five Years (2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary about David Bowie's final two albums "The Next Day" (2013) and "Blackstar" (2016) and Broadway musical "Lazarus".
Director: Francis Whately | Stars: David Bowie, Earl Slick, Gail Ann Dorsey, Gerry Leonard
Votes: 2,866
13. Whitney (2018)
R | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
An in-depth look at the life and music of Whitney Houston.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Whitney Houston, Ellen White, Michael Houston, Cissy Houston
Votes: 7,874 | Gross: $3.03M
14. The Fourth Estate (2018)
TV-MA | 243 min | Documentary, History
A look at how The New York Times covered President Trump's controversial first year in office.
Stars: Dean Baquet, Elisabeth Bumiller, Maggie Haberman, Jeremy Peters
Votes: 822
15. Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018)
R | 128 min | Documentary
Filmmaker Michael Moore examines the current state of American politics, particularly the Donald Trump presidency and gun violence, while highlighting the power of grassroots democratic movements.
Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Jim Acosta, Roger Ailes, Brooke Baldwin, Ashleigh Banfield
Votes: 20,398 | Gross: $6.35M
16. Believer (I) (2018)
TV-14 | 101 min | Documentary, Music
Believer.
Director: Don Argott | Stars: Dan Reynolds, Aja Volkman, Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman
Votes: 941
17. Bisbee '17 (2018)
PG | 112 min | Documentary, History, Western
An old mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border finally reckons with its darkest day: the deportation of 1200 immigrant miners exactly 100 years ago. Locals collaborate to stage recreations of their controversial past.
Director: Robert Greene | Stars: Mike Anderson, Charles Bethea, Chris Dietz, Mary Ellen Dunlap
Votes: 714 | Gross: $0.12M
18. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (2018)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary
A kaleidoscopic and humanistic view of the Black community in Hale County, Alabama.
Director: RaMell Ross | Stars: Latrenda 'Boosie' Ash, Karmyn Bryant, Korbyn Bryant, Kyrie Bryant
Votes: 2,126 | Gross: $0.11M
19. Shirkers (2018)
TV-14 | 97 min | Documentary
A woman explores the events surrounding a film she and her friends began making with a mysterious stranger decades ago.
Director: Sandi Tan | Stars: Jasmine Kin Kia Ng, Philip Cheah, Sophia Siddique Harvey, Sharon Siddique
Votes: 5,673
20. Of Fathers and Sons (2017)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary, War
Talal Derki returns to his homeland where he gains the trust of a radical Islamist family, sharing their daily life for over two years.
Director: Talal Derki | Stars: Tia Alkerdi, Yara Ibrahim, Abu Osama, Ayman Osama
Votes: 2,741 | Gross: $0.01M
21. Sky and Ground (2018)
86 min | Documentary
A compelling, ground-level immersion into the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time, Sky & Ground accompanies the Nabi clan, a large, extended Syrian-Kurdish family, as they ... See full summary »
Directors: Joshua Bennett, Talya Tibbon | Stars: Abdallah Sheikh Nabi Guevara, Heba Souleiman, Leila Souleiman, Rawshan Souleiman
Votes: 30
22. The Silence of Others (2018)
96 min | Documentary
The Silence of Others reveals the epic struggle of victims of Spain's 40-year dictatorship under General Franco, who continue to seek justice to this day. Filmed over six years, the film ... See full summary »
Directors: Robert Bahar, Almudena Carracedo | Stars: María Martín, Francisco Franco, Adolf Hitler, José María Galante
Votes: 2,368 | Gross: $0.07M
23. United Skates (2018)
TV-14 | 89 min | Documentary
America's roller rinks are bastions of regional African-American culture, music and dance.
Directors: Tina Brown, Dyana Winkler | Stars: Salt-N-Pepa, Reggie Premier Brown, Coolio, Vin Rock
Votes: 657
24. Three Identical Strangers (2018)
PG-13 | 96 min | Documentary, Biography, Drama
In 1980 New York, three young men who were all adopted meet each other and find out they're triplets who were separated at birth. But their quest to find out why turns into a bizarre and sinister mystery.
Director: Tim Wardle | Stars: Robert Shafran, Michael Domnitz, Howard Schneider, Ellen Cervone
Votes: 39,790 | Gross: $12.32M
25. Quincy (2018)
TV-MA | 124 min | Documentary, Biography
An intimate look into the life of icon Quincy Jones. A unique force in music and popular culture for 70 years, Jones has transcended racial and cultural boundaries; his story is inextricably woven into the fabric of America.
Directors: Alan Hicks, Rashida Jones | Stars: Quincy Jones, Rashida Jones, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Clarence Avant
Votes: 5,166
26. Science Fair (I) (2018)
PG | 90 min | Documentary
Nine high school students from disparate corners of the globe navigate rivalries, setbacks, and hormones on their quest to win the international science fair. Only one can be named "Best in Fair."
Directors: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster | Stars: Jack Andraka, Anjali Chadha, Serena McCalla
Votes: 676 | Gross: $0.28M
27. On Her Shoulders (2018)
95 min | Documentary, Biography
Nadia Murad, a 23-year-old Yazidi, survived genocide and sexual slavery committed by ISIS. Repeating her story to the world, this ordinary girl finds herself thrust onto the international stage as the voice of her people.
Director: Alexandria Bombach | Stars: Nadia Murad, Murad Ismael, Simone Monasebian, Michelle Rempel
Votes: 516 | Gross: $0.03M
28. 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: 21,236 | Gross: $1.08M
29. Into the Okavango (2018)
88 min | Documentary
A passionate conservation biologist brings together a river bushman fearful of losing his past and a young scientist uncertain of her future on an epic, four-month expedition across three ... See full summary »
Director: Neil Gelinas | Stars: Chris Boyes, Jack Boyes, Steve Boyes, Adjany Costa
Votes: 579
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