The 30 Most Controversial Documentaries of All Time
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- DirectorKiyotaka TsurisakiStarsFroilan OrozcoA Documentary about the grim work of an embalmer in one of the poorest and most dangerous parts in Colombia.
- DirectorDavid FarrierDylan ReeveStarsDavid FarrierDylan ReeveDavid StarrJournalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn't stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction.
- DirectorRobinson DevorStarsCoyoteJenny EdwardsJohn EdwardsA look at the life of an Enumclaw, Washington man who died as a result of an unusual encounter with a horse.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsBob FlanaganSheree RoseKathe BurkhartDiagnosed with cystic fibrosis from a young age, performance artist Bob Flanagan shared his life and pain in his art, usually through sadomasochistic practices.
- DirectorTodd VerowStarsAnonymous AnonymousA cinema verite documentary about a man living in New York City determined to have raw sex with as many men as possible in a year and meticulously keeping count of the number of 'loads' he takes.
- DirectorJoshua OppenheimerAnonymousChristine CynnStarsAnwar CongoHerman KotoSyamsul ArifinA documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreCharlton HestonMarilyn MansonFilmmaker Michael Moore explores the roots of America's predilection for gun violence.
- DirectorAndrew JareckiStarsArnold FriedmanJesse FriedmanDavid FriedmanDocumentary on the Friedmans, a seemingly typical, upper-middle-class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest son are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
- DirectorEric SteelStarsEric GeleynseChris BrownSusan GinwallaFilmmakers use hidden cameras to capture the various suicide attempts at the Golden Gate Bridge - the world's most popular suicide destination. Interviews with the victims' loved ones describe their lives and mental health.
- DirectorMichael MooreStarsMichael MooreGeorge W. BushBen AffleckMichael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsPaul HaggisJason BegheSpanky TaylorA documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
- DirectorJoshua OppenheimerStarsAdi RukunM.Y. BasrunVolker HanischA family that survived the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
- DirectorRithy PanhStarsKhieu 'Poev' ChesYeay CheuNhem EnA unique documentary on the notorious S-21 prison, today the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with testimony by the only surviving prisoners and former Khmer Rouge guards.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsMike PapantonioLou EngleBecky FischerA documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
- DirectorHeath CozensShintaro is a Tokyo janitor who moonlights as a pro wrestler in an underground league called Doglegs. He's had 20 glorious years in the ring but now he's getting old and wants to pursue his regular-Joe dream: success at work, and hopefully, settling down with his secret dream-girl, but Kitajima, the group's volunteer organizer, has other plans. Shintaro's oldest rival, 'Antithesis' Kitajima, is billed as "the man who has beaten up the disabled for twenty years". He believes that sparing the kid gloves is a sign of respect. Shintaro challenges Kitajima for one last fight. Kitajima accepts, on one condition: that the winner, and only the winner, can retire - no easy feat considering how far back Shintaro's losing streak against Kitajima stretches. Meanwhile, another Doglegs regular is facing his own challenge. L'Amant ('the Lover') has severe cerebral palsy and near-total paralysis. He spends his days self-medicating with alcohol despite the protestations of his able-bodied wife and son. But in Doglegs, he's a showy, cross-dressing legend. He lives for Doglegs - and wants to die fighting, but right now, the bottle has the upper hand. And then there's the man pouring his drinks: his carer, Yuki Nakajima. Nakajima looks normal, but the scars on his body hint at self-mutilation. He is clinically depressed. He, too, gets in the ring - to get recognition for his invisible condition. Nakajima wants to win over his skeptical peers... but clinical depression and wrestling can be a volatile mix. Doglegs is an emotional and thrilling experience that poses deeper questions about autonomy and our place in the world. As the climatic match between Shintaro and his mentor draws nearer, Doglegs challenges the audience to ask: what is disability...and who gets to decide?
- DirectorLiz GarbusStarsJesse TempleBrad KatinasDiane SchulerThis documentary explores the depth behind the case of a woman whose vehicle collision killed numerous people, including herself. Was she really the reckless drunk, or the perfect suburban mother?
- DirectorNick BroomfieldBarney BroomfieldMarc HoeferlinStarsNick BroomfieldLonnie David Franklin Jr.DonnaNick Broomfield digs into the case of the notorious serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper, who terrorized South Central Los Angeles over a span of twenty-five years.
- DirectorLouie PsihoyosStarsRichard O'BarryLouie PsihoyosHardy JonesUsing state-of-the-art equipment, a group of activists, led by renowned dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, infiltrate a cove near Taijii, Japan to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health.
- 2006–20075 epsTV-MA8.5 (4.8K)TV Mini Series89MetascoreStarsDarleen AsevedoJay AsevedoShelton Shakespear AlexanderAn examination of the U.S. government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
- DirectorGabriela CowperthwaiteStarsTilikumDave DuffusSamantha BergA documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales.
- DirectorNanfu WangJialing ZhangStarsNanfu WangZaodi WangZhimei WangAfter becoming a mother, a filmmaker uncovers the untold history of China's one-child policy and the generations of parents and children forever shaped by this social experiment.
- DirectorVitaliy ManskiyStarsLee Zin-MiYu-YongHye-YongA propaganda documentary about North Korea that reveals a few hidden facts because the director continues filming between the scripted scenes.
- DirectorJason OsderStarsBirdie AfricaRamona AfricaWilson GoodeA history of the conflict of the City of Philadelphia and the Black Liberation organization, MOVE, that led to the disastrously violent final confrontation in 1985.
- DirectorSteven OkazakiStarsHarold AgnewShuntaro HidaKiyoko ImoriUsing extensive interviews with survivors and archival footage, an examination reveals the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- DirectorAlex GibneyStarsAlex GibneyTerry KohutGary SmithAlex Gibney explores the charged issue of pedophilia in the Catholic Church, following a trail from the first known protest against clerical sexual abuse in the United States and all the way to the Vatican.
- DirectorKirby DickStarsAndrea PinoAnnie ClarkClaire PotterAn exposé of rape crimes on U.S. college campuses, their institutional cover-ups, and the devastating toll they take on students and their families.
- DirectorMads BrüggerStarsMads BrüggerHeather SchmidDanish journalist Mads Brügger goes undercover as a Liberian Ambassador to embark on a dangerous yet hysterical journey to uncover the blood diamond trade in Africa.
- DirectorAmy BergStarsJason BaldwinDamien Wayne EcholsJessie MisskelleyAn examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three.
- DirectorPeter RichardsonStarsHarry BrutonRay CarnayCody CurtisIn 1994 Oregon became the first state to legalize a terminally ill person's request to end his or her life with medication. At the time, only Belgium, Switzerland, and the Netherlands had legalized the practice. 'How to Die in Oregon' tell the stories of those most intimately involved with the practice today -- terminally ill Oregonians, their families, doctors, and friends -- as well as the passage of a similar law in Washington State.
- DirectorMarc SilverStarsLucia McBathRon DavisMichael David DunnIn 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets, two lives intersected and were forever altered.