Classic Documentaries to Watch If You're Getting Into Nonfiction
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If you’ve never spent much time watching documentaries, nonfiction films may initially sound boring, but the truth is that some of the true stories are even more engaging and entertaining than even the most thrilling Hollywood blockbusters. Documentaries are meant to explore, question, educate, and inspire, and these classic films are the best of the best. Dive into worlds you never even knew existed and relate to people from all over the world, from every walk of life, all from the comfort of your living room.
The Last Waltz
Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed 1978 documentary tells the story of famed rock group, The Band, on the day of their final performance in San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving Day in 1976.
Super Size Me
Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock explores the impact of McDonald’s food on the body by committing to eating meals exclusively from the fast food titan for an entire month.
Bowling for Columbine
Famed documentarian Michael Moore investigates the factors and circumstances that contributed to the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School and the American obsession with firearms.
Gimme Shelter
This 1970 documentary by Albert and David Maysles chronicles the story surrounding a free concert performed by The Rolling Stones in San Francisco in 1969, an event that ended in devastating violence.
Grey Gardens
Grey Gardens follows Edie Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie, two eccentric, shut-in relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onasis, throughout their day to day goings on as they share tales of love, loss, and the lives they led before they became so reclusive.
Hoop Dreams
Hoop Dreams tells the story of two Black high school students from Chicago, Arthur Agee and William Gates, in pursuit of their shared dream of becoming professional basketball players.
The Thin Blue Line
Errol Morris’s iconic 1988 film documents the trial and subsequent conviction of Randall Dale Adams for a shooting he did not commit.
Buena Vista Social Club
Wim Wender’s acclaimed film follows legendary guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, throughout a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba to record an album with a coterie of the world’s top musicians.
The September Issue
The September Issue, directed by R J Cutler, follows Anna Wintour throughout the process of assembling the year’s most critical issue of Vogue.
Restrepo
Restrepo tells the story of a U.S. platoon station in Afghanistan in the aftermath of losing one of their own, medic Juan “Doc” Restrepo.
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