Reading a book is obviously wonderful, but the presentation of documented information in the form of a film is often much better (or at least accessible). With visual aids, narration, and interviews, sometimes it's best to learn about complicated subjects through cinema. Journalists utilize the documentary genre in order to explicitly show the content of their reporting. Sometimes written words just aren't adequate in conveying the gravity of the subject.
In the world of documentaries, there are endless choices. You can test out your new speaker system with live performances of your favorite band's concert doc, watch a biopic of your favorite author, or sit and watch hours of archival footage detailing one of the great wars. There are hardly any wrong choices when it comes to picking your next documentary to watch, however, this article will focus on a select few great documentaries that help explain otherwise very complex subjects.
5 Citizenfour
Maybe you have heard of Edward Snowden or know about how his name became famous, or even seen Joseph Gordon-Levitt play him in a movie, but if you're interested in knowing more about him or his whistleblowing saga (and the state surveillance the NSA does on every citizen) then this is the documentary for you. Starting with his initial disclosure and leak and then capturing the events that followed in almost breathless real time, Citizenfour details Snowden's reasons for disclosure and the lengthy process that was involved in releasing classified information to the public.
Directed by Laura Poitras (who won an Oscar for this film), Citizenfour takes place in Hong Kong, mostly in a hotel room where Snowden works with reporter Glenn Greenwald to figure out how exactly to present the leaked information given by Snowden. During this process, Snowden details how he came upon the information and why exactly he deems it to be important enough to break the law. Although the Snowden disclosures are specific in nature, this documentary opens the door to many questions surrounding privacy, global surveillance, and the rightful authority of state agencies in the internet era.
4 The Money Masters
The Money Masters gives a detailed look into the machinations behind the Federal Reserve and raises questions regarding problems of FIAT currency when it's always controlled by a centralized organization. The film gives its viewers a detailed look at the historic relationship between governments, the people, and bankers long before The Big Short and Inside Job tried to do the same. This necessary context is followed by a more contemporary look at concepts like taxes, fractional-reserve banking, and the bond market. If you have any interest in learning more about monetary policy and the sometimes frustrating economics of capitalism, this film does an incredible job of breaking down complicated information and presenting it in an understandable and captivating way for all to see.
3 13th
The incredibly necessary and well-done documentary 13th takes an in-depth look at the prison system in the United States. It tells a compelling story about the history of racial inequality and the systematic oppression that many bBlack Americans face with incarceration amidst a system that just penalizes rather than reforms.
Directed by Ava Duvernay in one of her rare non-fiction features, this film tells the tragically familiar-to-many story about the American prison system, its effects on those in and outside the system, and its relationship with America at large. It features a handful of compelling and informative interviews including ones with professor and activist Angela Davis as well as U.S. Senator Cory Booker. If you're interested in learning more about the incredibly convoluted system that is the American prison system, and how 'the naked fist of power' often corrupts justice with a racial bias, then this film from Ava DuVernay should be a definitive addition to your watch-list.
2 Manufacturing Consent
This documentary directed by Mark Achbar and Peter Wintonick details the message of the brilliant professor and political dissident (and linguist, and philosopher, and historian, and cognitive scientist, et cetera) Noam Chomsky. Often considered the father of modern linguistics, Chomsky issues a warning in this documentary about the corporate media’s role in information dissemination. He asserts that the concentration of news media into so few outlets leads to something more than mere bias, but rather a selective framing of the events taking place in our world. Like many of his warnings (including the climate-related ones) it was depressingly accurate, and Americans can see how his prophecy has come to fruition thirty years later.
Chomsky is a renowned lecturer. He is a Laureate Professor of linguistics at University of Arizona and an Institute Professor Emeritus at MIT. However, this information-packed documentary is so much more than just a lecture (which is more than can be said about Michel Gondry's beautifully animated but largely dull documentary about Chomsky). Filled with artistic cinematography and effects throughout, along with meticulously detailed archival footage, Manufacturing Consent is both incredibly captivating and informative. The film purposefully has no copyright, and can be viewed for all to see.
1 Shoah
Calling this documentary a film is a bit of an understatement. Claude Lanzman, the foremost documentarian of the atrocities of war, tells the story of the Holocaust without using a single frame of archival footage. Through almost 600 minutes film, he interviews survivors, witnesses, and ex-Nazis with incredibly chilling and specific interview questions, all of which helps Lanzman create an accurate and thorough account of the horrific events of the Nazi's genocide.
Shoah is a collection of interviews, startling visuals, and poetic narration which serves as a truly honorable and genuine memorial to the millions of lives ruined and lost in the Holocaust. With an estimated 350 hours of footage originally captured, the editing process alone took a staggering five years. A project for which the scale is hard to even grasp, this sorrowful documentary is a necessary watch if you wish to try to understand not only one of the darkest periods in modern human history, but the most complicated subject of all-- the human psyche. Shoah is truly one of the greatest films ever made.