This is our latest batch of 5 amazing documentaries you need to watch.
The Act Of Killing
A documentary by Joshua Oppenheimer and Christine, The Act Of Killing is a haunting examination of men who personally served as executioners and directors of death squads, later hailed as national heroes for their actions.
The filmmakers impossibly have these men recreate the executions in the style of their favorite Western genres. The result is a cinematic fever-dream that is every bit captivating as it is ghoulish. The Act Of Killing is a documentary that questions what’s left of humanity when, as the film aptly states, war crimes are defined by the winner.
Blackfish
Blackfish is less a prejudiced exposé on SeaWorld than it is a cautionary tale on the mental health of animals living in captivity. Following the case of Dawn Brancheau, a 40-year-old trainer killed by a bull orca, director Gabriela Cowperthwaite creates a powerful and suspenseful experience.
Blackfish suggests most animals, particularly whales with higher levels of intelligence, are vulnerable to developing psychosis when left to live in confined spaces.
Restrepo
With the feel of a true to life Hurt Locker, filmmakers Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington spent a year in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley to deliver arguably the most accurate depiction of the US conflict.
Audiences follow the Second Platoon, a squadron tasked with fortifying Restrepo – an inundated base encampment named for a fallen comrade and located in a veritable hotbed of conflict. Restrepo carries a weight and uneasiness to it just short of being on the front lines.
Searching for Sugar Man
In a story almost too predicated from Hollywood to be a documentary, Searching for Sugar Man follows the legend of Rodriguez – considered the greatest ‘70s rock icon that never was. After being discovered in a Detroit bar, Rodriguez recorded an album that would inevitably flop in America.
Unbeknownst to the artist himself however, Rodriguez grows more popular than Elvis Presley in South Africa after a bootleg recording finds its way to the region. Although the filmmakers are told Rodriguez committed suicide, the truth is far more than they ever anticipated.
20 Feet From Stardom
A tribute of sorts to the relatively unsung legends of the music industry, Morgan Neville ushers some of the most recognized voices out of the shadows and into the spotlight. 20 Feet From Stardom follows several female backup singers living in the shadows of legendary artists like the Rolling Stones, an emotional blend of jubilant fame and the heartache that results from a fleeting dream.
