Nanook of the North (1922)

Man with a Movie Camera (1929) | Director Dziga | 1 hr 8 min
Vertov presents a “day in the life” of a Soviet city, relying on no overt narrative throughline. In a variety of staged and vérité scenes, the film depicts Soviet urbanites performing daily routines, the cameraman’s documentation of those activities, the editor’s manipulation of the cameraman’s footage, and an audience’s viewing of the film. Utilizing experimental techniques, atypical for most film production at the time, the film exhibits self-reflexivity, playfulness, and rapture over the camera’s ability to capture, represent, and manipulate. While rooted in Marxist ideology, the film moves beyond the urban worker to investigate the abilities and affect of the fledgling art of cinema.

The Plow that Broke the Plains (1936)

Titicut Follies (1966) | Frederick Wiseman | 1hr 24 min
An unflinching look at patients inside the Bridgewater State Hospital in Massachusetts, a mental institution housing both the “criminally insane” and those being evaluated. Wiseman got permission from the hospital administrators to follow inmates around and film them for twenty-nine days; the title refers to a variety show the inmates were expected to perform for the staff. His surrealistically-edited film depicts various mental patients and their experiences, often bullied and mistreated by guards and psychiatrists. In addition, seemingly competent and articulate people (including a Russian man, raising political implications) appear to be held against their will and overmedicated. However, Wiseman refrains from didactically spelling out his views and eschews any narration, letting the viewer come to their own conclusions by ingeniously editing and intercutting contrasting and powerful scenes of the patients and the people in charge.

Don’t Look Back (1967) | D.A. Pennebacker | 1hr 36 min
A documentary film about Bob Dylan that was written, directed, and produced by D.A. Pennebacker.  The film uses archival footage, interviews, and active shots of the singer dealing with friends, the press, and fans during a 1965 tour of England.  The film’s use of handheld cameras along with quick cuts and intimate close-ups gives the viewer a sense of being a part of Dylan’s entourage.  The climax of the film is not footage of Dylan performing, but his constant confrontations with individuals who want to define his sound and label him in a certain way.

High School (1968)

Hearts and Minds (1974) | Peter Davis | 1hr 52 min

The Last Waltz (1978)

This is Spinal Tap (1984) | Rob Reiner | 1hr 22 min
This is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary film based on a rockumentary format that was written by and stars Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer.   Rob Reiner plays a documentarian, Marti Di Bergi, who follows the fictional British band “Spinal Tap” around the United States for a 1982 tour.  The film uses heavy doses of satire to mock the pretensions of rock stars as well as the rockumentary genre that had served to mythologize musicians.  The film’s adherence to the documentary and rockumentary formats makes it one of the most convincing mockumentaries ever made.

The Thin Blue Line (1988) | Errol Morris | 1hr 43 min
Director Errol Morris investigates the story of Randall Adams, a man convicted of the 1976 murder of a policeman in Dallas County, Texas. The film presents interviews with several key players in Adams’ arrest and conviction: Adams, David Harris (a more likely suspect), homicide detectives assigned to the case, Adams’ defense attorneys, trial witnesses, and the presiding judge. As each new piece of information is revealed, Morris stages several competing reenactments throughout the film, slowly undermining the official story about the events of November 27, 1976. Leaning heavily on a stellar Philip Glass score, the film ratchets the tension of Adams’ impending death sentence in the face of overwhelmingly circumstantial evidence and suggested corruption, leaving viewers unsettled at the film’s conclusion. (Spoiler: because of the film, Adams was eventually granted a new trial and charges were dropped.)

Curse of the Blair Witch (1999)

Fog of War (2003) | Errol Morris | 1hr 47 min
Fog of War is an anti-war documentary film featuring former Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, who served under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and was influential in U.S. policies responsible for the escalation of the Vietnam War.  The film was directed by Errol Morris and released as the U.S.-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan intensified.  Morris brilliantly weaves stylized historical footage, interviews with McNamara, audio recordings, and a score by Philip Glass to create a somber film that unveils the wanton decision-making during WWII and Vietnam.  Although prodded by direct questions from Morris, McNamara is unwilling to fully accept responsibility for his decisions and instead, attributes his actions to the chaos of war.

Citizenfour (2014) | Laura Poitras | 1hr 54 min
This film chronicles the events surrounding whistleblower Edward Snowden’s release of classified documents detailing the NSA’s surveillance apparatus. Much of the film takes place in Snowden’s Hong Kong hotel room, as filmmaker Laura Poitras records interviews by journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill. Seemingly reluctant to make himself part of the story, Poitras and Greenwald eventually capture pieces of Snowden’s personality, allowing the film to incorporate elements of character study into the larger narrative of the leaks. However, for all his initial reticence, Snowden’s character is the true focus of the film. A highly polished piece of political cinema, obviously planned by Snowden, Greenwald, and Poitras to “get out in front” of the story and prevent Snowden falling prey to attacks similar to the ones that crippled Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning. Winner of the 2015 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.