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Upton Sinclair, Bob Woodward, and Carl Bernstein may have set the standard for muckraking in the 20th century, but their heirs apparent are as likely to pick up a video camera as they are a pen when they fight the battles of the 21st. Technical advances have put professional tools into the hands of amateurs, but they explain only part of the reason that so much muckraking has moved from newspapers to video.
Living in an information-rich society, we’ve all become skimmers. Reading a book from cover to cover, is a luxury that fewer people indulge in, yet the headlines, sound bites, viral videos, and tweets that season our daily ambiance don’t have the depth to help us understand an increasingly complex world. Bridging that paradox is the documentary film: short enough that it doesn’t require a major commitment but long enough to make a complex argument without interruption.
Whether you think they’re full of holes or iron-clad, films like An Inconvenient Truth, Sicko, Bowling for Columbine, Expelled, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, The Corporation, and The Fog of War—all made in the past decade—present arguments that develop only with time and concentration.
And where the problems are too complex for even 90 minutes, a hybrid approach can work. The best example is the recent film Food, Inc., which opened many eyes to the major problems of the country’s food supply, mostly by skimming ideas that are probed more deeply in the books of Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser. Having seen the film, newly engaged viewers, energized by its potent, condensed content, might next turn to the books themselves, and maybe the authors’ blogs, for more information, letting the media work in tandem.
Given the troubled state of theatrical distribution, many documentaries are more likely to be seen at home than the mall. But who will finance them? Even with so many outlets—from traditional theaters and aging broadcast television to new and unproven avenues like SnagFilms, YouTube, and Netflix Instant—most documentarians are unlikely to earn enough to keep working. It’s a gap that’s yet to be bridged: the distance between the obvious value of hard-nosed reporting and the cost of getting the results in front of an audience. Robert Davis
25. Food, Inc. (2009)
Director: Robert Kenner
Starring: Eric Schlosser, Michael Pollan
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
Instead of filling his film with scary, hard-hitting footage, Kenner made a well-reasoned documentary that politely pushes you towards its viewpoint. This lack of radicalism has made the film one of the most effective propellers for expanding the farm-to-table movement.
24. Dig! (2004)
Director: Ondi Timoner
Starring: Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Anton Newcombe
Studio: Palm Pictures
Chronicling seven years of the turbulent, fast-paced career of The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dig! reveals the gritty, messy details of the ’90s rock scene and complicated friendships and ambitions that formed it. The film goes beyond footage of sex and drugs to tell the urgent and compelling story of two bands seeking fame and radical musical revolution. Plus, the whole thing is available to view for free at Hulu.com. Caroline Klibanoff [You can watch the full movie by clicking the video above, thanks to SnagFilms]
23. Gleaners and I (2000)
Director: Agnès Varda
Starring: Bodan Litnanski, François Wertheimer
Studio: Zeitgeist Films
The law of the ancient Israelites commanded farmers not to be overzelous in harvesting so that some crops would remain for travelers and the poor to collect (Leviticus 19:9-10). This tradition of gleaning from the fields—and even from urban environments—continues in France, where director Varda follows the various gleaners in the city and country. Josh Jackson
22. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2006)
Director: Jeff Feuerzeig
Starring: Daniel Johnston
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
A haunting profile of a man obsessed with the devil and plagued by mental illness, and the transcendent music he made throughout his life. Daniel Johnston captured the hearts of critics and fans while being shuffled in and out of mental hospitals, burdened by his demons and liberated by his piano keys. Caroline Klibanoff
21. No End In Sight (2007)
Director: Charles Ferguson
Starring: Campbell Scott
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
After several years of fine and varied documentaries on Iraq, Ferguson came along to sum up the American side of the debacle—the fear, hubris and missed opportunities—with great efficiency. It’s an especially good, if infuriating primer for those who’ve grown exhausted of following daily reports from the Persian Gulf. Robert Davis
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For those who are wondering. American Movie came out in 1999.
Movies that deserve mention:
• The Education of Shelby Knox
• FrontRunners
• Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster
• Speedo
• Word Wars
• Darkon
I'm surprised 'Danielson: a Family Movie' didn't make the list, given Paste's infatuation with Sufjan Stevens.
This is an exceptional list, but I'm surprised that THE story of the decade, 9/11, wasn't represented by at least one film.
No "I am trying to break your heart"?
Great list. I am shocked, however, that "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" was not included. I expected to see it as #1.
great list. so happy to see king of kong.
surprised not to see 'trouble the water' or 'who killed the electric car'.
A good list (so happy to see King of Kong on here), but I'd add:
-War Dance
-Deep Water
-My Kid Could Paint That
Dig should have been much higher!!!!
"King Of Kong" is a horrible movie.
I think it might be a questionable choice, but I was hoping to see 'Stevie' make the list. This was a doc by Steve James about his former involvement with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. You might remember Steve James as the documentarian behind 'Hoop Dreams.' 'Stevie' is a challenge to a lot of people watching because it almost forces you to get behind a despicable person who may or may not have done something abhorrent. It's a tearjerker in so many different ways, but it's still an amazing piece of work.
Ditto on the "I'm trying to break your heart" omit. It should be there because it not only documented a great band in Wilco but it also captured a key moment of discussion about the crumblings an turmoil of the music industry.
If you're going to put Spellbound on the list than you should also put:
The Gits
Screamers
Scratch
Dirty Racing
Boy Interupted
Which Way Home
Let's just say it was a great decade for documentaries! ;)
American Hardcore (2006) should be on the list too.
It seems that a lot of the films mentioned are more recent. What about STARTUP.com from 2001? It captured the tech money go-go years of the late 90s spot on.
Michael Moore? C'mon!
Where is 51 Birch St.? The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez?
And I guess you have to include Inconvenient Truth for its influence. But there may have never been a more overrated, ponderous, didactic, snooze of a doc.
Shelby Knox?
Two Towns of Jasper?
You are though forgiven all ommissions for your own choice not to list Fahrenheit 9/11.
Yeah, agree with the 9/11 comment. It seems like, by definition, the 9/11 film done by the French brothers would have to be the best documentary ever. Two guys living with and filming a doc about a New York fire department when history happens - and they're right in the middle of it. One of them actually caught the first plane impact on film. You'd gotten to know all of the firefighters at the station and neither brother even knew whether the other was safe. Unbelievable stuff - a true historical document.
I'd also agree that Bigger, Stronger, Faster should be on there. Great list though.
Taxi to the Dark Side
Man On Wire the best documentary of the decade??
I understand that a list like this will always, inherently, produce countless "how could you possibly leave off ______-" gripes, but... Seriously, where is "Darwin's Nightmare?" An utterly brutal, overwhelming, disorienting film that sends you into a fog for days afterwards and can't help but change your vision of the world, no matter how well versed on human suffering and the tragedies suffered by the poor as a result of globalization you may be.
"Darwin's Nightmare" is, in my mind, on the ten best films of the decade overall. But, fine, I know I won't be seeing that on many- if any- of these decade's end lists.
But to not show up on a top 25 docs list??
Criminal. Criminal.
Wow, you guys really dropped the ball on this list..
Where's :
'Touching The Void'
'Why We Fight'
'In The Shadow of The Moon'
All of these are simply breathtaking.
Food Inc? Average TV Stuff. HUH?
Guys seriously, these 3 films are the stuff of legends:
'Why We Fight'
'Touching The Void'
'In The Shadow of The Moon'
WATCH THEM NOW.
one more I forgot about that you definitely missed listing :
'The Bridge' Amazingly Entertaining and Actually FUNNY. If you can believe that considering the subject matter!
I'll help you on 'Why We Fight' :
WATCH IT: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9219858826421983682#
Tell me why it's not #1 ahead of 'Man on a Wire'. Every American should watch this movie.
Man On A Wire? Are you kidding Me?
'The Bridge' was much better than 'Man on a Wire'!!
Here's the REAL TOP DOCUMENTARIES of this decade (order/entries are tentative):
1. 'Why We Fight' 2005
2. 'Touching The Void' 2003
3. 'In The Shadow of The Moon' 2007
4. 'March of the Penguins' 2005
5. 'The Bridge' 2006
6. 'Anvil: The Story of Anvil' 2008
7. 'Home' 2009
8. 'Wake Up Call' 2008
9. 'Sicko' 2007
10. 'Super Size Me' 2004
11. 'Waltz with Bashir' 2008
12. 'An Inconvenient Truth' 2006
13. 'Fahrenheit 9/11' 2004
14. 'Soldiers Of Conscience' 2007
15. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room '2005'
United States of Amnesia is Right!
Two movies that I wish I'd see more "Best-Of decade" documentary lists are Doug Pray's "Scratch" and Marc Singer's "Dark Days"
What about Georgia's own Darius Goes West?? 28 film festival awards? It at least deserves an honorable mention.
While I haven't seen all of the movies on this list, I have to agree that Bigger, Stronger Faster was an amazing documentary and could possibly have been on the list. However, I am glad to see that Fahrenheit 9/11 was left off the list.
I completely agree with Man on Wire. Absolutely.
I can't believe the unforgettable "Daughter from Danang" isn't on this list.
Glad to see Grizzly man on the list!
....and not to be like everyone else...but War Dance and Darius Goes West are pretty glaring omissions in my book.
Thanks for the post!