Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "social-documentary"

1. Whore 2 (1994)

R | 85 min | Drama

Jack sets himself up in the Hotel St James to work on his book on prostitution in New York. Along the way he meets and grows fond of Mary Lou.

Director: Amos Kollek | Stars: Nancy McPherson, Pat 'Delightful' Kelly, Sylvia Hill, Mari Nelson

Votes: 293

2. Take Care of Maya (2023)

TV-14 | 103 min | Documentary

As a medical team tries to understand 10-year-old Maya Kowalski's rare illness, they begin to question her parents. Suddenly, Maya is in state custody - despite a family desperate to bring their daughter home.

Director: Henry Roosevelt

Votes: 9,652

3. Häxan (1922)

Not Rated | 91 min | Documentary, Fantasy, Horror

Fictionalized documentary showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion with hysteria in Eastern Europe.

Director: Benjamin Christensen | Stars: Benjamin Christensen, Elisabeth Christensen, Maren Pedersen, Clara Pontoppidan

Votes: 16,736

4. The Leather Boys (1964)

Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Romance

An immature teenager marries a young biker but becomes disenchanted with the realities of working-class marriage--and her husband's relationship with his best friend.

Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Rita Tushingham, Colin Campbell, Dudley Sutton, Gladys Henson

Votes: 1,030

5. Sex Life (2019– )

TV-MA | Documentary

Voyeuristic documentary series about titillating sexual and erotic experiences.

Stars: Rev Rucifer, Natasha Estrada, Vera Duffy, Barbara Ann Duffy

Votes: 293

6. This Place Rules (2022)

TV-MA | 82 min | Documentary, Crime, History

Follows events and characters surrounding the January 6th, 2021 insurrection of the U.S. Capital Building in the days preceding the attack.

Director: Andrew Callaghan | Stars: Andrew Callaghan, Joker Gang, Gum Gang, Brittany

Votes: 6,522

7. Baraka (1992)

Not Rated | 96 min | Documentary

A collection of expertly photographed scenes of human life and religion.

Director: Ron Fricke | Star: Patrick Disanto

Votes: 40,996 | Gross: $1.33M

8. American Experience (1987– )

TV-PG | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, History

A series showcasing documentaries on American history.

Stars: David McCullough, David Ogden Stiers, Michael Murphy, Oliver Platt

Votes: 2,205

9. An Idiot Abroad (2010–2012)

TV-14 | 43 min | Documentary, Adventure, Comedy

British comedy duo Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant send their simple and closed-minded friend Karl Pilkington on a trip around the world to experience a variety of people and cultures.

Stars: Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Richard Yee

Votes: 34,340

10. Bad Faith (2024)

89 min | Documentary

Exposes how Christian Nationalism has become the most powerful anti-democratic force in America. Leaders join forces to defend our country from this march to fascism, but American citizens seem unaware of the threat.

Directors: Stephen Ujlaki, Christopher Jacob Jones | Stars: Steve Schmidt, William J. Barber II, Randall Balmer, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove

Votes: 52

11. Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones (2023)

TV-14 | 39 min | Documentary, Adventure

Travel around the world with author Dan Buettner to discover five unique communities where people live extraordinarily long and vibrant lives.

Stars: Dan Buettner, Marion Nestle

Votes: 3,198

12. Intervention (2005– )

TV-14 | 44 min | Documentary, Drama

Addicts try to overcome their addictions with the help of their families and others.

Stars: Candy Finnigan, Jeff VanVonderen, Ken Seeley, Donna Chavous

Votes: 3,032

13. Flee (2021)

PG-13 | 89 min | Documentary, Animation, Biography

FLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.

Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Stars: Daniel Karimyar, Fardin Mijdzadeh, Milad Eskandari, Belal Faiz

Votes: 19,510

14. Man with a Movie Camera (1929)

Not Rated | 68 min | Documentary

A man travels around a city with a camera slung over his shoulder, documenting urban life with dazzling invention.

Director: Dziga Vertov | Stars: Mikhail Kaufman, Elizaveta Svilova

Votes: 27,998

15. Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012– )

TV-PG | 53 min | Documentary, Biography, History

Before the popularity of AncestryDNA, journalist and cultural critic Henry Louis Gates, Jr. divulges the family trees of various celebrities, many times with stunning revelations.

Stars: Henry Louis Gates Jr., CeCe Moore, Anita Hill, Ty Burrell

Votes: 1,640

16. Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)

R | 122 min | Documentary, Drama, War

Michael Moore's view on what happened to the United States after September 11 and how the Bush Administration allegedly used the tragic event to push forward its agenda for unjust wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Director: Michael Moore | Stars: Michael Moore, George W. Bush, Ben Affleck, Stevie Wonder

Votes: 132,400 | Gross: $119.19M

17. Paris Is Burning (1990)

R | 78 min | Documentary

A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality.

Director: Jennie Livingston | Stars: Brooke Xtravaganza, André Christian, Dorian Corey, Paris Duprée

Votes: 17,617 | Gross: $3.78M

18. 13th (2016)

TV-MA | 100 min | Documentary, Crime, History

An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

Director: Ava DuVernay | Stars: Melina Abdullah, Michelle Alexander, Cory Booker, Dolores Canales

Votes: 37,684

19. The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari (2022)

PG-13 | 98 min | Documentary

Portrays human bravery and resilience after a tragic volcano disaster in New Zealand.

Director: Rory Kennedy | Stars: Mark Inman, Hazel Osborne, Pouroto Ngaropo, Andy McGregor

Votes: 8,302

20. X-Rated: The Greatest Adult Movies of All Time (2015 TV Movie)

TV-MA | 95 min | Documentary

A look at a plethora of pornographic films ranging from the 1970s to the 2010s and a commentary about their lasting impacts on the adult industry and the world.

Director: Bryn Pryor | Stars: Chanel Preston, Nina Hartley, Raylin Joy, Herschel Savage

Votes: 821

21. Catching Killers (II) (2021– )

TV-MA | 40 min | Documentary, Crime, Mystery

The investigators behind infamous serial killer cases reveal the harrowing, chilling details of their extraordinary efforts in this true crime series.

Stars: Charles Coffey, Jim McIntyre, John Ingram, Debbie Harris

Votes: 5,462

22. Escaping Utopia (2024)

Documentary

New Zealand's most extreme religious cult, Gloriavale, and the true stories of people attempting to break free, including current and former members that have never gone on record before.

Votes: 50

23. Locked Up Abroad (2007– )

TV-14 | 90 min | Documentary, Drama

Survivors share their stories and experience of survival abroad.

Stars: Natalie Dunne, Max Wrottesley, Manuel Villasenor, Jerry Murillo

Votes: 2,234

24. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (2023)

TV-14 | 53 min | Documentary

March 8th, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared from radar. 239 people went missing, a global investigation into this greatest mystery Despite reports, countless theories, and searches for evidence, nothing. What Are We Missing?

Stars: Intan Othman, Jeff Wise, Danica Weeks, Ghislain Wattrelos

Votes: 14,187

25. Clusterf**k: Woodstock '99 (2022)

TV-MA | 47 min | Documentary, History, Music

Woodstock 1969 promised peace and music, but its '99 revival delivered days of rage, riots and real harm. Why did it go so horribly wrong?

Stars: Ananda Lewis, Heather Eason Liposky, Colin Speir, John Scher

Votes: 21,487

26. Victim/Suspect (2023)

R | 90 min | Documentary, Crime

Young women tell the police they've been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they're charged with the crime of making a false report, arrested, and even imprisoned by the system they believed would protect them.

Director: Nancy Schwartzman | Stars: Lisa Avalos, Dyanie Bermeo, Rachel de Leon, Carlton Hershman

Votes: 2,049

27. The Way Down (2021–2022)

TV-MA | 44 min | Documentary, Crime

Follows the Remnant Fellowship Church, exploring the fame and power of its leader Gwen Shambling Lara as a diet guru and church leader, and the truth behind her carefully-curated image, detailing the church's controversial practices.

Stars: Natasha Pavlovich, Glen Wingerd, Carey Wingerd, Paul Morantz

Votes: 3,434

28. God Forbid (2022)

TV-MA | 109 min | Documentary

Giancarlo Granda, former pool attendant at the Fontainebleau Hotel, shares the intimate details of his 7-year relationship with a charming older woman, Becki Falwell, and her husband, the Evangelical Trump stalwart Jerry Falwell Jr.

Director: Billy Corben | Stars: Tom Arnold, Michael Cohen, Ted Cruz, Nicole Cunliffe

Votes: 2,311

29. TIME: The Kalief Browder Story (2017)

TV-MA | 43 min | Documentary, Biography

After his arrest at age 16, Kalief Browder fought the system and prevailed, despite unthinkable circumstances. He became an American hero.

Stars: Jay-Z, Kalief Browder, Venida Browder, Paul Prestia

Votes: 2,905

30. Nuclear Now (2022)

105 min | Documentary

An investigation into the possibility of addressing climate change with a move away from fossil fuels to nuclear power.

Director: Oliver Stone

Votes: 868

31. The Elephant Whisperers (2022)

PG | 41 min | Documentary, Short

Bomman and Bellie, a couple in South India, devote their lives to caring for an orphaned baby elephant named Raghu, forging a family like no other that tests the barrier between the human and the animal world.

Director: Kartiki Gonsalves | Stars: Bellie, Bomman

Votes: 9,807

32. Missing: Dead or Alive? (2023– )

TV-MA | 45 min | Documentary, Crime

Follow officers from a South Carolina sheriff's department as they urgently search for individuals who've disappeared under troubling circumstances.

Stars: Vicki Rains, Heidi Jackson, J.P. Smith, Nina Mauldin

Votes: 1,827

33. How to Change Your Mind (2022)

TV-MA | 53 min | Documentary

It showcases what psychedelics teaches people about consciousness, dying, addiction, depression and transcendence.

Stars: Michael Pollan, Erika Gagnon, Kathleen Kral, Paul Daley

Votes: 3,294

34. Pepsi, Where's My Jet? (2022)

TV-MA | 39 min | Documentary, History

When a 20-year-old attempts to win a fighter jet in a Pepsi sweepstakes, he sets the stage for a David versus Goliath court battle for the history books.

Stars: John Leonard, Todd Hoffman, Michael Patti, Jeff Mordos

Votes: 12,351

35. Jesus Camp (2006)

PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary

A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.

Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | Stars: Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer, Ted Haggard

Votes: 28,779 | Gross: $0.90M

36. Trial 4 (2020)

TV-MA | 55 min | Documentary, Crime

Charged as a teen in the 1993 killing of a Boston cop, Sean K. Ellis fights to prove his innocence while exposing police corruption and systemic racism.

Stars: Sean Ellis, Rosemary Scapicchio, Edward McNelley, Mary Jackie Ellis

Votes: 2,376

37. McMillions (2020)

TV-14 | 57 min | Documentary, Crime, History

A detailed account of the McDonald's Monopoly game scam during the 1990s as told by the participants in the case, including the prizewinners and the FBI agents involved.

Stars: Chris Graham, Doug Mathews, Amy Murray, Janet Pellicciotti

Votes: 9,205

38. Never Seen Again (2022– )

Documentary, Drama

Each episode a member of a different family will recount the last time they saw their loved ones before they vanished into thin air. Following missing sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, boyfriends or girlfriends.

Stars: Katie Kaplan, Ginger Allen, Chad Diehl, Kelsy Mittauer

Votes: 214

39. Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)

PG | 103 min | Documentary

A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.

Director: Barbara Kopple | Stars: John L. Lewis, Carl Horn, Norman Yarborough, Logan Patterson

Votes: 6,634

40. Kokomo City (2023)

R | 73 min | Documentary

A raw depiction of the lives of four black trans sex workers as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves.

Director: D. Smith | Stars: Daniella Carter, Dominique Silver, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell

Votes: 981

41. Human Planet (2011)

TV-PG | 50 min | Documentary

A cinematic experience bringing you the most amazing human stories in the world. Humans and wildlife surviving in the most extreme environments on Earth

Stars: John Hurt, Roger Munns

Votes: 27,800

42. The Principles of Pleasure (2022)

TV-MA | 152 min | Documentary

Sex, joy and modern science converge in this eye-opening series that celebrates the complex world of women's pleasure - and puts old-fashioned myths to rest.

Stars: Michelle Buteau, Supriya Ganesh, Annie Pisapia, Julia Zou

Votes: 1,692

43. News from Home (1976)

85 min | Documentary

Impersonal and beautiful images of Akerman's life in New York are combined with letters from her loving but manipulative mother, read by Akerman herself.

Director: Chantal Akerman | Star: Chantal Akerman

Votes: 2,810

44. The Pharmacist (2020)

TV-MA | 54 min | Documentary, Crime

Dan Schneider, a small-town pharmacist in Louisiana, makes effort to identify his son's killer, which leads to his gathering of evidence against a prolific "pill mill" doctor in New Orleans.

Stars: Dan Schneider, Annie Schneider, Jack Stephens, M.

Votes: 8,681

45. The Innocence Files (2020)

TV-MA | 64 min | Documentary, Crime

Cases of wrongful conviction that the Innocence Project and organizations within the Innocence Network have worked to highlight and overturn.

Stars: Peter Neufeld, Barry Scheck, Michael West, Gary Wells

Votes: 3,113

46. El Caballo Español, el origen (2023)

70 min | Documentary

The history of the Spanish horse told from the point of view of different experts and protagonists who live their day-to-day lives alongside it. A visual and sound document that takes a closer look at the culture of the horse world.

Director: Francisco Javier Fernández Bordonada

Votes: 26

47. The Century of the Self (2002)

59 min | Documentary

A documentary about the rise of psychoanalysis as a powerful means of persuasion for both governments and corporations.

Stars: Adam Curtis, Robert Reich, Ann Bernays, Alfred Pritz

Votes: 6,362

48. Cartel Land (2015)

R | 100 min | Documentary

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman examines the state of the ongoing drug problem along the U.S.-Mexican border.

Director: Matthew Heineman | Stars: Tim Foley, José Manuel 'El Doctor' Mireles, Paco Valencia, Chaneque

Votes: 18,829 | Gross: $0.70M

49. Trial by Media (2020– )

TV-MA | 61 min | Documentary, Crime

In our modern media landscape where real courtroom dramas have increasingly been transformed into a form of entertainment, this series reflects on some of the most dramatic and memorable trials in recent history.

Stars: Al Sharpton, Curtis Sliwa, Patti Blagojevich, Donald Watkins

Votes: 3,560

50. Lakota Nation vs. United States (2022)

PG-13 | 120 min | Documentary, History

A chronicle about how the Lakota Indians fight to reclaim control of the Black Hills. Will investigate how the sacred land was stolen in violation of treaty agreements and feature interviews with Indigenous citizens.

Directors: Jesse Short Bull, Laura Tomaselli | Stars: Candi Brings Plenty, Phyllis Young, Krystal Two Bulls, Nick Tilsen

Votes: 261