Documentaries have been becoming increasingly popular over the last decade or so. The rise of Netflix and has helped documentaries skyrocket into the mainstream. Here are a few documentaries that all film lovers should watch.
This 1988 crime doc is viewed as one of the most important documentaries of the 1980s. The documentary is about a name named Randall Dale Adams who was sentenced to death for a murder he did not commit. In November of 1976, Adams was driving in Dallas Texas when his car ran out of gas. A man named David Ray Harris who was 16 at the time picked him up in a stolen car armed with a pistol and shotgun. He picked up Adams and the 2 spend the next day drinking and doing drugs.
The following day the 2 are stopped by a police officer for a traffic violation. As the officer approaches the car she is shot multiple times by either Adams or Harris. The 2 men flee and an investigation ensues. After a faulty testimony from the dead officer’s partner, Adams is arrested. The film explains both sides of the story to figure out what really happened that night in 1976.
As the film progresses you find out the police did not do a great job with their investigation. It was based on faulty testimony and assumptions more than fact. The Thin Blue line actually uncovers the truth and exposes David Ray Harris as the killer after he admits killing the officer in an interview. Adams is released after nearly 10 years in prison and Harris is sentenced to death for the crime.
The movie was very influential by being one of the first documentaries to use reenactments to help tell the story of the murder. It has won many awards and shows some of the flaws in the justice system. If you are a fan of crime documentaries you will love The Thin Blue Line.
This next documentary is not for the faint of heart but is viewed as one of the best docs ever made after the turn of the century. The Act of Killing is a 2012 documentary that tells the story of what happened during the Indonesian genocide during 1965 and 1966. You follow a man named Anwar who was a gangster hired by the Indonesian military to be in charge of a death squad during the genocide. He is highly regarded in Indonesia because he helped kill over a thousand people accused of being a communist. He is making a movie about his time as a death squad leader but takes the role of his victims. He eventually questions his violent actions and realizes how evil his actions were during the genocide.
The Act of Killing is a very powerful and disturbing film. You learn that the American government backed the Indonesian military during the time of the mass killings. Anwar’s transformation is also very shocking. At the beginning of the film, he is bragging about all the terrible things he did because he believed it was for a good cause. At the end of the film, Anwar becomes physically ill and emotional after realizing the pain and suffering he caused.
The film was nominated for best documentary at the 86th Academy Awards and has won over 20 awards worldwide. A sequel was released a few years later titled The Look of Silence which also critically acclaimed. If you can deal with the heavy subject matter, The Act of Killing is a must-watch.
The Salesman is a 1969 documentary that follows a traveling door to door salesman named Paul Brennan who struggles to make a living selling expensive bibles to middle-class citizens. He must compete with 3 other salesmen who are much more successful than himself. As he is rejected more and more, you can see it is taking a toll on him as he transforms into a depressed and desperate man.
This documentary gives views a glimpse into the stressful life of a 1960s salesman before certain regulations were put into place. It is very emotional as you feel sympathy for Paul as he does his best to stay afloat in the cutthroat business. The Salesman is a very important film in the documentary film industry and helped bring attention to the overshadowed genre. Even though the film is older, it still holds up today as one of the best documentaries about the American working man.
Hoop Dreams is a very powerful doc that follows 2 young boys from Chicago as they try to make their dreams of playing in the NBA a reality. The 2 boys are recruited to St. Joseph Highs School which is known for their amazing basketball program. The school was also where legendary basketball player Isiah Thomas played before making it to the big leagues. The 2 boys are from very poor backgrounds and have to travel many hours in order to attend St Joseph. You see the boys progress from Freshman year to Sean or year with all the ups and downs of their high school career.
The movie took over 4 years to make and had 250 hours of film before it was edited. It was originally supposed to be a short 30 minute documentary for PBS but the filmmakers thought the subject was too important to cover in just 30 minutes. Hoop Dreams is a very powerful film You see the struggles of each boy as they try to get out of the ghetto through basketball. One of the boy’s fathers becomes addicted to crack for example. The film won over 10 awards and was the only documentary ever to nominated by the Academy Award for best editing. It is a very moving picture and a true documentary classic
Titicut Follies was so controversial during the time of its scheduled release 1967, that it was banned until 1991. It is also the most important documentary on this list. The film takes viewers inside of the Bridgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane in southeastern Massachusetts. You see how the inmates/patients are mistreated and over-medicated by the staff as if they were cattle. Titicut Follies’ goal was to expose the mistreatment and show the problems of the justice system (somewhat like Thin Blue Line).
In the film, you see an inmate being force-fed through a feeding tube through his nose, how some of the staff bullied the mentally ill, and the lack of compassion the health care professionals had towards their patients. Most were given an absurd about of medication just so the staff wouldn’t have to deal with them. The film is truly shocking even though it 50 years old.
The film was banned before it was released in 1967 by the Massachusetts state government. They tried to accuse the film of violating the patients’ privacy and dignity even though the director, Frederick Wiseman, got permission from all the patients and the hospital superintendent. They also said Wiseman breached the oral contract allowing the Massachusetts state government to edit the film. The court agreed with the state government and had all the copies of the movie recalled and destroyed.
7 of the inmates featured in the film died and in 1987 their families sued the Bridgewater Hospital and the state of Massachusetts. They believed if the film was released, the hospital would have had to change its policies and the inmates would still be alive. This brought attention to the film and in 1991, Titicut Follies was finally released. The film and medical students now watch the film as part of their college curriculum. The film is very important for not just film students, but for showing the dark history of the medical field to medical students. It also shows the issues with censorship and is overall one of the most important documentaries ever made.
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