Where to Start with Documentaries?
Documentaries are, arguably, the most looked down genre when it comes to film. Teachers love to use them in class, students usually get bored from the slow pace and monotone voice over. These are generally the cliches you'll hear about documentaries growing up, and for a time I was like that too. Why would I want to watch something that happened in real life when I can be in space fighting evil with a laser sword? And the answer is the same one I'd use when asked why I started to read non-fiction books not too long ago; truth is stranger than fiction. Documentaries can be epic, shocking, enlightening, or all three put together. There are no limits to what documentaries can achieve as long as the imagination to carry the audience through it is strong enough, like any fiction based film. So, without further ado, I'm going to discuss five documentaries that are not necessarily the best, but I think are great starting points for folks who are not...excited lets say, for documentaries.
5) Where to Invade Next
Michael Moore is a celebrated documentary director who makes powerful movies, and strong opinions. He picks a side and shows you it, and in his 2015 film "Where to Invade Next" he explores European countries and how their systems, usually government, has better ideas than our country. It's really fascinating to see how other countries care about their workers, giving them more time off, and actually making sure that the food in a kids cafeteria is not only good, but healthy. There are many wonderful scenes where Moore explains how the US does things compared to the country he's visiting, and their shock to our ways matches your shock to their ways. It's a simple, yet brilliant look at what's wrong, and how easy it is to fix our quality of life as a country.
4) I Know that Voice
As an animation fan I'm always fascinated by voice actors. There's plenty of great interviews and comic con panels on Youtube, but this documentary was made by a voice over artist, and shows you exactly how diverse and chaotic, yet very open and fun this line of work can be. Just as the title says you get to realize these people based on their voices, many of whom you'll recognize. It's a wonderful insight, and a film I've watched numerous times, because everyone has a rich story to tell about their field that's incredible. Also, it's a very easy documentary to watch, so I'll always recommend this when I can.
3) Grizzly Man
Grizzly Man is about bear enthusiast Timothy Treadwell, who was tragically killed by the creatures he's loved and protected. This is an incredible disturbing, emotional documentary by Werner Herzog that contains actual footage Timothy shot before his death. There are graphic elements in this doc, but you do not see, or hear, his death. It's about celebrating his life and exploring why bears have this stigma against them while also exploring why such an event happened to him. This is not a documentary for everyone, but it's very powerful and I think important to watch.
2) Dinosaur 13
Out of all the documentaries on this list, Dinosaur 13 is the best example of the truth being stranger than fiction. Honestly, I couldn't believe this actually happened. So, the title refers to the fact that it chronicles the first ever find of a mostly complete T-Rex fossil, and it was the 13th T-Rex fossil ever found. What starts out as a heartwarming discovery with little known paleontologists, soon grows exponentially as the US government steps in, commandeers the T-Rex, and the paleontologists were in courtroom battles for years and years with the FBI, and numerous other affiliates, all while one of the paleontologists is sent to jail. Sounds like an overblown plot from the latest blockbuster? Yeah, this happened, and it's incredible watching it unfold before you. Your jaw will be on the floor throughout the film.
- Blackfish
I know, I know. It's a tad cliche to have this at the number one spot, but hey, it's what got ME into documentaries. Like most on this list, Blackfish is an incredibly powerful documentary. It deals with the tragic Sea World deaths a few years back, and explores not only why it happened, but how the Orcas are treated and live in captivity. There's tons of real footage to look at, and the amount of information you learn will make you angry, sad, and helpless. This is still one of my favorite documentaries, and it uses all sorts of techniques to keep you invested; from interviews, to actual footage, to courtroom quotes, this picture goes the whole nine yards to make you invested, and to get you to understand why and how this happened.
Well, those are my top five films to get you into documentaries. I hope I've convinced some readers to check these out. If you've already dived into documentaries leave a comment down below on how you started and what are your favorites.
