The 50 best Documentary movies

Ranked by weighted audience rating: among 169 movies with at least 300 votes on TMDb, the formula balances the score with the vote count, so a barely-rated title cannot leap past a classic. Senna leads, rated 7.2 (2010). The average release year on the list is 2010. The list is recalculated weekly; each title links to its full page, including where to watch in Brazil.

Page updated on 09/20/2026.

1

Senna (2010)

directed by Asif Kapadia · 105 min · 8.1 1,233 votes
2

Free Solo (2018)

directed by Jimmy Chin · 100 min · 7.9 1,567 votes
3

One Direction: This Is Us (2013)

directed by Morgan Spurlock · 100 min · 8.2 1,079 votes
4

Blackfish (2013)

directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite · 83 min · 7.9 1,213 votes
5

Friends: The Reunion (2021)

directed by Ben Winston · 104 min · 7.8 1,374 votes
6

Citizenfour (2014)

directed by Laura Poitras · 113 min · 7.7 1,443 votes
7

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

directed by Pippa Ehrlich · 85 min · 7.9 1,080 votes
8

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (2022)

directed by Alek Keshishian · 95 min · 8.5 620 votes
9

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

directed by Malik Bendjelloul · 86 min · 7.9 1,064 votes
10

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022)

directed by Joe Pearlman · 103 min · 7.3 3,564 votes
11

The Social Dilemma (2020)

directed by Jeff Orlowski · 89 min · 7.5 1,841 votes
12

Baraka (1992)

directed by Ron Fricke · 96 min · 8.2 717 votes
13

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

directed by Michael Moore · 120 min · 7.5 1,735 votes
14

Amy (2015)

directed by Asif Kapadia · 128 min · 7.6 1,331 votes
15

Samsara (2011)

directed by Ron Fricke · 102 min · 8.1 704 votes
16

The Salt of the Earth (2014)

directed by Juliano Ribeiro Salgado · 110 min · 8.1 692 votes
17

Night and Fog (1956)

directed by Alain Resnais · 33 min · 8.3 582 votes
18

Waltz with Bashir (2008)

directed by Ari Folman · 90 min · 7.7 1,084 votes
19

Inside Job (2010)

directed by Charles Ferguson · 105 min · 7.7 1,069 votes
20

BTS World Tour: Love Yourself - Japan Edition (2019)

139 min · 9.2 335 votes
21

Koyaanisqatsi (1983)

directed by Godfrey Reggio · 86 min · 7.9 795 votes
22

The Cove (2009)

directed by Louie Psihoyos · 92 min · 8.0 694 votes
23

Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

directed by Dziga Viértov · 68 min · 7.8 824 votes
24

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

directed by Kurt Kuenne · 94 min · 8.1 603 votes
25

Apollo 11 (2019)

directed by Todd Douglas Miller · 93 min · 7.9 728 votes
26

13th (2016)

directed by Ava DuVernay · 100 min · 7.8 813 votes
27

David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)

directed by Alastair Fothergill · 83 min · 8.4 459 votes
28

BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky (2020)

directed by Caroline Suh · 79 min · 8.2 529 votes
29

Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)

directed by Frank Pavich · 87 min · 7.8 772 votes
30

Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018)

directed by Morgan Neville · 95 min · 8.0 615 votes
31

Bring the Soul: The Movie (2019)

directed by Park Jun-soo · 105 min · 8.3 463 votes
32

Before the Flood (2016)

directed by Fisher Stevens · 95 min · 7.7 828 votes
33

Squid Game: Making Season 2 (2025)

28 min · 8.3 459 votes
34

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

directed by David Gelb · 83 min · 7.7 797 votes
35

Paris Is Burning (1991)

directed by Jennie Livingston · 77 min · 8.0 566 votes
36

They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)

directed by Peter Jackson · 99 min · 7.8 695 votes
37

The Act of Killing (2012)

directed by Joshua Oppenheimer · 166 min · 7.7 779 votes
38

Burn the Stage: The Movie (2018)

directed by Park Jun-soo · 84 min · 8.3 435 votes
39

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)

directed by Alex Gibney · 119 min · 7.6 885 votes
40

Icarus (2017)

directed by Bryan Fogel · 121 min · 7.6 851 votes
41

Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)

directed by Banksy · 86 min · 7.5 994 votes
42

Miss Americana (2020)

directed by Lana Wilson · 85 min · 7.8 654 votes
43

Grizzly Man (2005)

directed by Werner Herzog · 100 min · 7.5 985 votes
44

Ennio (2022)

directed by Giuseppe Tornatore · 156 min · 8.3 390 votes
45

This Is It (2009)

directed by Kenny Ortega · 111 min · 7.4 1,101 votes
46

Stop Making Sense (1984)

directed by Jonathan Demme · 88 min · 8.3 387 votes
47

Money Heist: The Phenomenon (2020)

directed by Luis Alfaro · 57 min · 7.4 1,086 votes
48

Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)

directed by Brett Morgen · 132 min · 7.6 761 votes
49

Home (2009)

directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand · 95 min · 7.8 572 votes
50

Man on Wire (2008)

directed by James Marsh · 94 min · 7.4 994 votes