Documentaries have come a long way since the first-ever documentary picture, Nanook of the North (1922). There are documentaries from just about everything, from the exploitation of the creatures of Sea World in Blackfish (2013) to Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal in Citizenfour (2014).
When there's a lot of hype surrounding a documentary, the worst thing to see is a paywall. But for years, YouTube has been a great source for learning with no paywall at all. With the internet at their fingertips, people can learn just about anything. For the highest-quality stories, YouTube's 'Free With Ads' feature is a hidden gem that lets anybody with an internet connection access some of the best documentary film-making around. For fans of documentaries, these are the best that YouTube has for anyone to access.
8 Citizenfour
In January 2013, Laura Poitras, a documentary filmmaker, received an email from a sender that signed off as 'Citizen Four.' This email contained encrypted information about the illegal wire-tapping practices of the NSA. What follows is the incredible story of Citizenfour (2014).
'Citizen Four', as many know, is Edward Snowden. The film unfolds in real-time, with Poitras and her crew getting swept up in an unbelievable political espionage tale that has to be seen to be believed.
7 I Am Not Your Negro
Based on an unfinished manuscript by James Baldwin, an important writer best known for Notes of a Native Son (1955), I Am Not Your Negro (2017) brings to life Baldwin's rage at the unjust conditions of Black people in America.
The documentary/visual essay by Raoul Peck explores the history of race relations in the United States through Baldwin's personal experiences with prominent civil rights leaders, including Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Martin Luther King Jr. It also recounts his own fascinating personal recollections of American history.
6 Stories We Tell
Stories We Tell (2013) is an intimate documentary about the intricate lies surrounding Sarah Polley's family — including one that concerns Polley very personally. Directed by Polley herself, it looks at the relationship between her parents in detail and reveals that her biological father is producer Harry Gulkin, and not the man she grew up calling dad.
Named one of Canada's greatest films of all time by the Toronto International Film Festival, Stories We Tell (2013) is a beautifully made film, and a must-watch for any fans of documentary film-making.
5 Blackfish
Blackfish (2013) is one of the most notorious nature documentaries in the world — perhaps one of the most notorious documentaries of any genre. Released in 2013, the harrowing nature documentary tells the story of Tilikum, a whale held in captivity at Sea World involved in the deaths of three people.
It's a haunting look at the consequences of keeping a wild animal in captivity for its entire life. Blackfish explores the devastating effects of captivity on the orca itself, and how it learns aggression that can't be controlled.
4 Bluebird
Fans looking for a star-studded documentary need to look no further than Bluebird (2019). With an all-star cast including Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, and Kacey Musgraves, this documentary directed by Lance Edmands explores the mythical Bluebird Café, an accidental starmaker.
Following famous alumni and up-and-coming stars, Bluebird (2019) tells the story of the iconic café through charming interviews and stunning footage of the performance space that made so many famous.
3 Sour Grapes
Sour Grapes (2017) is an American crime documentary about a fraudster that conned the wine industry out of millions of dollars. In 2008, 'wine connoisseur' Rudy Kurniawan flooded the American market with fake vintage wines valued at a total of $38 million.
The documentary, which plays out like a crime drama, tells the story of how Kurniawan came to be the counterfeit he is today, featuring interviews from celebrity wine connoisseurs, FBI agents, businessmen, sommeliers, and Kurniawan's defense attorney. Unfortunately for viewers, Kurniawan refused to be interviewed.
2 The Wolfpack
This ground-breaking documentary by Crystal Moselle features perhaps the biggest Pulp Fiction fans of all time. The Wolfpack (2015) centers around the Angulo family, particularly their children. All seven of them were homeschooled and completely confined to their apartment for fourteen years until one of them decided to make an escape.
With no access to the outside world, the Angulo children turned to pop culture for their knowledge of the world. The film documents their exploration of Manhattan as people that have been isolated for over a decade.
1 Life In A Day
Life In A Day (2020) is a crowdsourced documentary and sequel to Life In A Day (2011), a film with the same general concept. The film showcases user-submitted video clips from July 25th, 2020. It highlights the changes in the ten years since the first movie was made, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's more fluid than the standard documentary — there's no particular structure, theme, or goal. The point of the film is to display the full human experience as much as possible in ninety minutes, through clips of people all over the world, all on the same day. The viewer takes what they want from it.