The 21 Best Documentaries and Documentary Series of 2024
As Timothee Chalamet likely wheezes at some point in “A Complete Unknown,” the times they are a-changin’. While decidedly not a documentary (even the songs are recorded anew), the Bob Dylan biopic and its oft-leaned-upon lyric do speak to the modern moment as well (and as widely) as they ever have. Here, they reference a doc world in disruption. In Hollywood, the streamers are tightening their once-elastic belts. Theatrical releases are too few and far between. The demand for documentaries remains, but the distribution paths aren’t as robust or reliable as they were even a few years ago.
Unique obstacles surfaced in 2024. Despite the year being dominated by debate over the November election, political documentaries faced a wary marketplace and thus struggled to reach audiences in a timely fashion. Cold feet (or, in some cases, cowardice) proved to be an unfortunate trend. The year’s best-reviewed documentary film, “No Other Land,” has yet to secure distribution, most likely because it focuses on Palestinian communities being wiped out by Israeli forces and buyers are afraid to be seen taking sides. Meanwhile, streamers continue to show a strong appetite for celebrity-driven documentaries — including many where the subject is also a producer — but their stomachs may be too big for their eyes, so to speak: There just aren’t enough famous subjects left to follow.
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Despite all this, because of all this, amid all that keeps coming and has come before, filmmakers persevered. Festivals, critics, and audiences rallied around documentaries that were only screened in a handful of venues over a smattering of weeks. Streaming series thrived on passionate word of mouth, thoughtful acclaim, and, of course, the astute insights built-in by their creators. Stories are meant to be shared, and great stories make you want to shout them from the rooftops.
TV highlights included new discoveries, like “Ren Faire” and “Anatomy of Lies,” as well as returning favorites in “Couples Therapy” and “The Jinx.” Some cast well-known subjects under fresh light (Ken Burns’ “Leonardo da Vinci”) and others introduced us to individuals we won’t soon forget (“Pop Star Academy: Katseye”). The best documentary films followed similar, wide-ranging patterns, whether we were once again visiting Martha Stewart’s unbelievable life through a screen or reconnecting with Pharrell via LEGO pieces. Everything may be changing, all the time, sometimes, seemingly, all at once, but this year’s best docs continue to adapt, to push ahead, and to bring us closer to ideas, feelings, and people than ever before.
Christian Blauvelt, Wilson Chapman, Marcus Jones, Ryan Lattanzio, Tony Maglio, Sarah Shachat, Erin Strecker, and Brian Welk also contributed to this list.
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