The Best HBO Max Documentaries
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- 1The Perfect Weapon is a 2020 American documentary film directed by John Maggio. Based on the book of the same name by David E. Sanger, the film details the rise of cyberwarfare and cyber spying on an international scale.
- The Art of Political Murder is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Paul Taylor, based on the book by Francisco Goldman. It follows the murder of Juan José Gerardi Conedera, a human rights activist who was murdered after presenting a damaging report of atrocities committed during the Guatemalan Civil War.
- 3Film (2021)Filmmakers Rex Miller and Sam Pollard chronicle Arthur Ashe's many contributions to the sport of tennis and his human rights activism.
- 4FilmJagged is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Alison Klayman. Centers on the life and work of Canadian singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette while making her breakout album 'Jagged Little Pill.'
- 5TV Program (2015)Investigating a series of unsolved crimes and the man suspected of being at the center of them.
- Paradise Lost 2: Revelations is the 2000 sequel to the documentary film Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, about the trial and conviction of three teenagers known as the West Memphis Three accused of murdering three young boys in a Satanic ritual abuse.
- 7Film (2011)New DNA evidence sheds light on the case of the West Memphis 3, a trio of men who were convicted in 1994 of murdering three suburban Arkansas Cub Scouts.
- 8
There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
Film (2011)There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane is a 2011 documentary television film directed by Liz Garbus. The film profiles Diane Schuler, who caused the fatal car accident, through interviews with her family members and friends, and attempts to piece together Schuler's actions on the day of the accident, in order to determine why the accident took place. The primary interviewees are Schuler's husband, Daniel, and sister-in-law, Jay, who are convinced that the toxicology report showing Schuler's high level of alcohol and THC intoxication was inaccurate, or that Schuler did not knowingly consume the intoxicants. - Three teenagers are accused of this horrific crime of killing three children, supposedly as a result of involvement in Satanism. As in their previous documentary, things turn out to be more complex than initial appearances and this film presents the real-life courtroom drama to the viewer, as it unfolds.
- 10Film (2021)Our Towns is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan. A documentary that paints a remarkable picture of America and how the rise of civic and economic reinvention is transforming small cities and towns across the country. Based on journalists James and Deborah Fallows' book Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America, the film spotlights local initiatives and explores how a sense of community and common language of change can help people and towns find a different path to the future.
- 11FilmFake Famous is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Nick Bilton. It is a social experiment involving three non-famous people who attempt to become social media influencers by "faking" fame. They use tactics such as buying followers and faking a luxurious lifestyle. The documentary follows their progress and discusses issues related to social media.
- 12Film (2016)Beware the Slenderman is a 2016 American documentary film directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky. The film discusses the incident in which two girls attempted to murder one of their friends in an attempt to appease Slender Man, a fictional monster who originated from a "creepypasta".
- 13
Mommy Dead and Dearest
Film (2017)Mommy Dead and Dearest is a 2017 documentary film directed by Erin Lee Carr. In this documentary, the murder of Dee Dee Blancharde by her daughter Gypsy Rose is explored, as well as the circumstances leading up to the event. - 14Listening to Kenny G is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Penny Lane. An examination of the most popular instrumentalist of all time, Kenny G, and why he is polarizing to so many.
- 15Film (2021)Getting an intimate look into the life of late hip hop star Juice WRLD.
- 16Film (2009)Prompted by a question from his young daughter, comic Chris Rock sets out to explore the importance of hair in black culture. Rock interviews celebrities such as Ice-T and Raven Symone, and visits hair salons, stylist competitions and even an Indian temple to learn about hair culture.More Good Hair
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- Bobby Fischer Against the World is a documentary feature film that explores the life of the late chess Grandmaster and 11th World Champion Bobby Fischer. It incorporates interviews with chess players Anthony Saidy, Larry Evans, Sam Sloan, Susan Polgar, Garry Kasparov, Asa Hoffmann, Friðrik Ólafsson, Lothar Schmid and others. It includes never-before-seen footage from the World Chess Championship 1972.
- 18
Just, Melvin
Film (2000)In this documentary focusing on his own tortured family tree, James Ronald Whitney chronicles an evil that seems too pure to be real: Melvin Just. Over the span of three generations, Just, who married Whitney's grandmother and was later convicted of child molestation, is revealed to have abused his stepchildren from two marriages. Whitney not only explores the unspeakable acts perpetrated by his grandfather, but also the legacy of self-destructive behavior that can all be traced back to Just. - 19Leaving Neverland is a 2019 documentary film directed and produced by British filmmaker Dan Reed. Leaving Neverland describes how Michael Jackson allegedly began relationships with two young fans, then aged 7 and 10, and their families.More Leaving Neverland
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- 20Film (2021)Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Garret Price. Woodstock 99, a three-day music festival promoted to echo unity and counterculture idealism of the original 1969 concert but instead devolved into riots, looting and sexual assaults.
- Dig Deeper...Behind The Scenes Of How Woodstock '99 Went Off The Rails
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- 21Film (2018)Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Marina Zenovich. A funny, intimate and heartbreaking portrait of one of the world’s most beloved and inventive comedians, Robin Williams, told largely through his own words. Celebrates what he brought to comedy and to the culture at large, from the wild days of late-1970s L.A. to his death in 2014.
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- 22Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is a 2015 documentary film directed by Alex Gibney. Deconstructing the church's claims by presenting a condensed history of Scientology and its founder, L. Ron Hubbard, the film also examines how celebrities interact with the church and highlights the stories of a number of ex-members and of the abuse and exploitation that they described seeing and experiencing.
- 23Filmmaker Alex Gibney examines reports of pedophilia within the Roman Catholic Church, focusing specifically on a group of men who alleged that they were abused as boys by a priest at a Milwaukee school for the deaf.
- 24Film (2013)Snowboarder Kevin Pearce suffers a traumatic brain injury while training for the 2010 Winter Olympics. His family stands by his side as he struggles through rehab, but they object when he expresses his desire to return to his favorite sport.
- 25TV ProgramHurricane Katrina impact in New Orleans.
- 26The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley is 2019 American documentary film, directed and produced by Alex Gibney. The story of Theranos, a multi-billion dollar tech company, its founder Elizabeth Holmes, the youngest self-made female billionaire, and the massive fraud that collapsed the company.
- 27Film (2018)The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Judd Apatow. Featuring Michael Cera reading various excerpts from personal diaries, the film looks at the life and career of stand-up comedian and actor, Garry Shandling.
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- 28FilmI Am Evidence is an 2017 American documentary film, directed by Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir. It focuses on an investigation into thousands upon thousands of rape kits sitting in storage in various police departments being untested.
- Sinatra: All or Nothing at All is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Alex Gibney. An up-close and personal examination of the life, music and career of the legendary entertainer.
- 30Film (2015)Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck is a 2015 documentary film directed by Brett Morgen. The documentary chronicles the life of Kurt Cobain from his birth in Aberdeen, Washington in 1967, through his troubled early family life and teenage years and rise to fame as front man of Nirvana, up to his death in April 1994 in Seattle at the age of 27.
