25 of the Best Documentaries You Can Stream Right Now

The late, great filmmaker Albert Maysles once explained the power of nonfiction moviemaking by saying, “When you see somebody on the screen in a documentary, you’re really engaged with a person going through real life experiences, so for that period of time, as you watch the film, you are, in effect, in the shoes of another individual. What a privilege to have that experience.”

A privilege, yes, and a privilege that’s outsized for us today. We now have access to thousands of documentaries online, allowing us all kinds of shapes and sizes of shoes to step into, to extend our personal knowledge of human experience. These films form small windows into lives that aren’t our own. Below are 25 of the best documentaries that you can stream right now.

Brats (2024)

Directed by Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy, this documentary explores the rowdy teen movie stars that dominated 1980s coming-of-age films, striving for truth amid the tabloid branding. McCarthy’s interviews with Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, and others have an intimate feel, offering a unique fly-on-the-wall effect as the actors delve into their memories of the era. Most interesting is McCarthy’s challenge to the Brat Pack label itself, claiming it profoundly impacted how the public saw the young actors and, in turn, how they acted.

Where to watch it: Hulu

The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)

On January 28, 1985, almost 50 of the world’s biggest pop stars gathered in a single recording studio to each sing a line or two of what would become “We Are The World,” a song meant to raise funds for and draw attention to mass starvation in Ethiopia. Spearheaded by Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, and Michael Jackson, USA For Africa featured so many famous musicians that dozens of the most notable artists at the time were turned away and didn’t participate. Bao Nguyen's documentary delves into the chaos of gathering so many A-listers in one spot, as well as the messy fights that ensued despite the “check your ego at the door” sign and the true impact of the charity single.

Where to watch it: Netflix

The Contestant (2023)

The Truman Show debuted in 1998, but earlier that year, a young man named Tomoaki Hamatsu unwittingly starred in the reality TV series Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, in which he was challenged to live in isolation, naked, surviving only on mail-in sweepstakes winnings. The bizarre challenge pushed him to the brink of sanity and was a massive hit with fans who tuned in by the millions. Through direct interviews and archival footage, Clair Titley’s film uncovers the harrowing cruelty of the spectacle, connecting the dots to the exploitative nature of other reality shows.

Where to watch it: Hulu

Amy (2015)

With the release of the biopic Back to Black in May 2024, it’s an excellent time to revisit Asif Kapadia’s masterful documentary covering the life and art of Amy Winehouse. The film, which earned an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2016 (and a slew of other awards), offers unparalleled access to the inner world of an influential musician bedeviled by personal demons and tabloids and explores the impact of her tragic death at 27 from alcohol poisoning. The result of over 100 extensive interviews and previously unseen archive footage, the documentary juxtaposes the teenage Winehouse singing alongside friends with her rise to international stardom.

Where to watch it: Max

"Sr." (2022)

Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. He’s also the son of an acclaimed absurdist filmmaker. (Hence the “Jr.” part.) Directed by Chris Smith with lots of tenderness, sarcasm, and vulnerability, “Sr.” features the son getting to know the father by chronicling his life and asking hard questions. It’s a stirring tribute, not only about their relationship but also as a reminder of why it’s so important to cherish loved ones, given how little time we have with them.

Where to watch it: Netflix

13th (2016)

Following the breakout prestige of Selma, Ava DuVernay constructed an exploration of the criminalization of Black individuals in the United States, crafting a throughline from slavery to the modern private prison boom. Eschewing an overdramatized style, DuVernay calmly, patiently lays out facts and figures that will drop your jaw only until you start clenching it.

Where to watch it: Netflix

Becoming (2020)

The life of former first lady Michelle Obama is chronicled in this documentary that examines her activism during her book tour for Becoming.

Where to watch it: Netflix

Val (2021)

The life and career of mercurial actor Val Kilmer is chronicled in this documentary that draws upon thousands of hours of footage shot by Kilmer himself. Between behind-the-scenes shots from 1986’s Top Gun and 1993’s Tombstone, we get glimpses of Kilmer’s struggles as both a seemingly misunderstood artist and a man now struggling with the loss of his voice due to illness. It’s a soul-baring look at a unique kind of stardom.

Where to watch it: Amazon Prime

Best of Enemies (2015)

Both quaint and prescient, the televised debates between William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal during the 1968 Republican National Convention show us a midpoint between idealized civic discussion and the worst instincts of modern punditry. This sly documentary explains the force of this rivalry, its ironic popularity as televised circus, and the aftermath of all the clever insults.

Where to watch it: Amazon Prime

Quincy (2018)

If you’ve listened to any music at all over the past half-century, you’ve been impacted by the work of Quincy Jones. The storied life of the music producer is profiled in this affectionate film co-directed by Alan Hicks and Rashida Jones, Quincy’s daughter.

Where to watch it: Netflix

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (2020)

Barack and Michelle Obama produced this look inside a revolutionary 1980s summer camp for attendees with disabilities in New York’s Camp Jened.

Where to watch it: Netflix

Casting JonBenet (2017)

This isn’t the documentary you’d expect it to be. Kitty Green took an experimental approach that’s less about rehashing the true crime sensationalism of the headline-owning murder of a child beauty queen and more about how many stories can be contained within a single story. Green auditioned actors from JonBenét Ramsey’s hometown and, in the process of making several dramatizations, interviewed them about what it was like living in the area during the 1996 investigations (and what they think really happened).

Where to watch it: Netflix

Batman & Bill (2017)

While artist Bob Kane often took credit for creating Batman, it was collaborator Bill Finger who introduced many of the Dark Knight’s most enduring details. The film details the efforts of comics historian Marc Tyler Nobleman to finally get Finger the credit he deserves.

Where to watch it: Hulu

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

A filmmaker living in South Africa forms an unlikely bond with an octopus in this fascinating look at human and animal communication.

Where to watch it: Netflix

Life Itself (2014)

Film critic Roger Ebert finally gets a movie of his own in this look at the Pulitzer Prize-winning writer’s career as a media personality and husband.

Where to watch it: Amazon Prime

Too Funny to Fail: The Life and Death of the Dana Carvey Show (2017)

Following his successful run on Saturday Night Live and films like 1992’s Wayne's World, Dana Carvey could do no wrong. For his 1996 variety series The Dana Carvey Show, he enlisted future stars like Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell. So why was it canceled after just eight episodes? This funny and sharp autopsy explains all.

Where to watch it: Hulu

Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017)

It’s incredibly honest. At least, as much as an inside look into the life of a global pop superstar can be. Lady Gaga (real name Stefani Germanotta) spends a healthy amount of the movie standing around without makeup, waxing wise and humorously before jumping face-first into her work. The film focuses on her time crafting her Joanne album and her Super Bowl halftime show, but they could make one of these every few years without it getting stale: Gaga is a tower of magnetism.

Where to watch it: Netflix

RBG (2018)

The life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has seen her involved in seminal decisions on everything from abortion to equal rights. The film details her journey from law school to setting precedent on some of the nation’s most pressing issues—and becoming a role model in the process.

Where to watch it: Hulu

Summer of Soul (2021)

Questlove directs this look back at the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which was hailed as one of the greatest music concerts of all time but never received the attention of Woodstock or other gatherings.

Where to watch it: Hulu

Joshua: Teenager Vs. Superpower (2017)

When someone tells you it can’t be done, show them this documentary. The simple title both celebrates and belies the smallness of one person fighting a system. Joe Piscatella’s doc follows the explosive growth of the Hong Kong protest movement engaged by teen activist Joshua Wong when the Chinese government refused to act on its promise of granting autonomy to the region. It’s a dose of pure inspiration.

Where to watch it: Netflix

WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021)

Office collaborative business WeWork was poised to become a billion-dollar firm—then the founder was forced out after its initial public offering and things went downhill from there.

Where to watch it: Hulu

My Scientology Movie (2017)

An absurdist rabbit chase and a deliberate provocation, writer/star Louis Theroux’s punk documentary poked the bear of the infamous religion in order to get access to it. They auditioned young actors to recreate real-life events described by ex-members, got denounced by the church, and even got into a “Who’s On First”-style argument with a member (“You tell him to turn the camera off then I’ll tell him to turn the camera off!”). Serious subject matter by way of Borat.

Where to watch it: Hulu

Free Solo (2018)

Free-climber Alex Honnold has only one goal in mind: To reach the summit of El Capitan 3200 feet in the air, and to do it without the use of cables or safety equipment. One of the most physically and mentally demanding tasks is captured in this fascinating—and unnerving—documentary that will have you feeling as though you’re dangling right next to him.

Where to watch it: Disney+

Three Identical Strangers (2018)

Separated at birth, three identical triplets are well into adulthood before discovering they each have one—make that two—doppelgangers in the world. Their joy soon turns to confusion as they search for answers about why they were split apart in a story so unbelievable it probably wouldn’t work as fiction.

Where to watch it: Hulu

Tig (2015)

When you get diagnosed with cancer, the natural thing is to perform a stand-up act about it the same day, right? Comedian Tig Notaro became famous overnight when her set confronting her diagnosis went viral, and this documentary from Kristina Goolsby and Ashley York focuses on the year that followed—one that deals with death, a new career chapter, a new relationship, and possibly a new child. It’s ok to laugh through the tears.

Where to watch it: Netflix

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A version of this story was originally published in 2023 and has been updated for 2024.