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

7.6/10

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.

6.

Avicii: True Stories

4.8

7.6/10

Documentary about the arena-packing Swedish DJ, chronicling his explosive rise to fame and surprising decision to retire from live performances in 2016.

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.

I Am Heath Ledger

4.6

7.4/10

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

10.

Team Thor: Part 2

4.6

7.6/10

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.

11.

Gaga: Five Foot Two

4.6

7.1/10

Go behind the scenes with pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a bold new album and prepares for her Super Bowl halftime show.

12.

Long Strange Trip

4.3

8.3/10

The tale of the Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead.

13.

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.

14.

Chasing Coral

4.2

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.

15.

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.

16.

Batman & Bill

4.2

8.1/10

Everyone thinks that Bob Kane created Batman, but that’s not the whole truth. One author makes it his crusade to make it known that Bill Finger, a struggling writer, actually helped invent the iconic superhero, from concept to costume to the very character we all know and love. Bruce Wayne may be Batman’s secret identity, but his creator was always a true mystery.

17.

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.

18.

George Michael: Freedom

4.1

7.7/10

This documentary covers the span of George Michael's entire career, concentrating on the formative period in the late Grammy® Award winner’s life and career, leading up to and following the making of his acclaimed, best-selling album “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1” and his subsequent, infamous High Court battle with his record label that followed, while also becoming poignantly personal about the death of his late partner and first love, Anselmo Feleppa.

19.

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.

20.

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.