Best Documentary Movies of 2017

1.

I Am Not Your Negro

5.8

7.8/10

Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.

2.

Icarus

5.6

7.9/10

While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program.

3.

What the Health

5.5

7.7/10

Filmmaker Kip Andersen uncovers the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases, and he investigates why the nation's leading health organizations doesn't want people to know about it.

4.

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

5.5

7.7/10

Offbeat documentarian Chris Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon.

7.

Spielberg

4.7

7.7/10

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

9.

Team Thor: Part 2

4.6

7.7/10

A continuation of the documentary spoof of what Thor and his roommate Darryl were up to during the events of "Captain America: Civil War". While Cap and Iron Man duke it out, Thor tries to pay Darryl his rent in Asgardian coins.

10.

LA 92

4.3

8.2/10

Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen archival footage.

11.

Chasing Coral

4.3

8.1/10

Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called “coral bleaching”—a sign of mass coral death—has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater.

12.

Jane

4.2

7.8/10

Drawing from never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives, director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.

13.

Cuba and the Cameraman

4.2

8.2/10

This revealing portrait of Cuba follows the lives of Fidel Castro and three Cuban families affected by his policies over the last four decades.

14.

Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami Who Started It All

4.1

9.5/10

"Hare Krishna!" is a documentary on the life of Srila Prabhupada, the 70-year-old Indian Swami who arrives in America without support or money and ignites a worldwide spiritual phenomenon, now known as the Hare Krishna Movement.

15.

Earth: One Amazing Day

4.1

7.8/10

An astonishing journey revealing the awesome power of the natural world. Over the course of one single day, we track the sun from the highest mountains to the remotest islands to exotic jungles.

16.

The Work

4.1

7.9/10

Set entirely inside Folsom Prison, The Work follows three men during four days of intensive group therapy with convicts, revealing an intimate and powerful portrait of authentic human transformation that transcends what we think of as rehabilitation.

17.

Abducted in Plain Sight

4.1

6.8/10

In 1974, 12-year-old Jan Broberg is abducted from a small church-going community in Idaho by a trusted neighbour and close family friend.

18.

Little Mix: Glory Days - The Documentary

4.0

9.4/10

A documentary following a year in the life of Little Mix. Shows the positives and negatives of being the worlds biggest Girlband!

19.

Unrest

4.0

7.8/10

When Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea is struck down at 28 by a fever that leaves her bedridden, doctors tell her it’s "all in her head." Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families' stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot.

20.

Chasing Trane

4.0

7.3/10

The film explores the global power and impact of the music of John Coltrane and reveals the passions, experiences and forces that shaped his life and revolutionary sounds.