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These ten documentaries and documentary series offer a varied way into 2025’s nonfiction storytelling, from reporting under political pressure to intimate portraits of artists and musicians. This is a curated watchlist, not a definitive ranking: the selections reflect subject range, distinct storytelling approaches, and recognition in year-end coverage—not a universal measure of quality.
How this 2025 documentary list is selected
Year-end lists do not agree on one definitive top ten. The Los Angeles Times and Vogue offer editorial roundups, TheWrap focuses on streaming documentaries, and Rotten Tomatoes uses an awards formula based on ratings and review counts. This selection brings together titles highlighted across that coverage, balancing political history, biography, music, journalism, and conflict reporting. It is not ranked, and a film’s inclusion is not a claim that every viewer will consider it one of the year’s best.
![Eclipse Series 49: Five Radical Documentaries by Kazuo Hara and Sachiko Kobayashi (The Criterion Collection) [Goodbye CP / Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 / The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On / A Dedicated Life / Sennan Asbestos Disaster] [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41VurCX24ML._SL160_.jpg)
![Rebecca (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41g-ImlPrvL._SL160_.jpg)
![David Lynch: The Art Life (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+JQX4186L._SL160_.jpg)
Political history, democracy, and reporting
My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow
Julia Loktev follows young Russian journalists labeled “foreign agents” as pressure on independent reporting grows after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Los Angeles Times describes the documentary as five hours long and notes its patient pace as it depicts a society slipping into fear. Joshua Rothkopf, reviewing the film for the Los Angeles Times, wrote: “This is a five-hour documentary that takes its time (maybe too much of it) telling a story about how easy it is for a society to slip into fear.”
Orwell: 2+2=5
Directed by Raoul Peck, this film connects George Orwell’s life and writing to propaganda and authoritarianism. Damian Lewis narrates as Orwell. The Los Angeles Times reported the film was available on VOD; that is a source-reported route, not confirmation of its current availability.
Apocalypse in the Tropics
Petra Costa examines the role of evangelical Christianity in the rise of Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency in Brazil. Interviews with political figures on different sides help frame the political forces the film investigates.
The Encampments
Michael T. Workman and Kei Pritsker document the 2024 Gaza solidarity movement on U.S. college campuses, including perspectives from student participants. It is a choice for viewers interested in recent protest movements and the people involved in them.
Rank #2
2000 Meters to Andriivka
Mstyslav Chernov follows a Ukrainian platoon fighting to liberate Andriivka from Russian occupation in 2023. TheWrap describes much of the footage as captured by soldiers’ body cameras, placing viewers close to the experience of the advance.
Artists, music, and personal history
My Mom Jayne
Mariska Hargitay investigates the public image and private life of her mother, actor Jayne Mansfield. The film uses personal history to look beyond the familiar “blonde bombshell” persona.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
This two-part portrait, directed by Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin, follows Billy Joel’s life and career through his albums. It also includes material about his first wife and former manager, Elizabeth Weber.
Mr. Scorsese
Rebecca Miller’s five-part series traces Martin Scorsese’s life and filmmaking through interviews, archival footage, and recollections from colleagues. Its series format allows room for a broader account than a single feature-length portrait.
Rank #4
![Crumb (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Nj1XpOPlL._SL160_.jpg)
- Shrink-wrapped
Pee-wee as Himself
Matt Wolf’s two-part documentary explores Paul Reubens’s life and career, including the creation of Pee-wee Herman and Pee-wee’s Playhouse. It suits viewers curious about both the performer and the character that became his most recognizable work.
Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson examines Sly Stone and the influence of Sly and the Family Stone while considering the pressures and barriers Black artists face. It pairs music history with a wider look at the conditions surrounding artistic achievement.
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Choose by subject and viewing format
| If you want… | Start with | Format or viewing note |
|---|---|---|
| Journalism under political pressure | My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow | The Los Angeles Times describes it as five hours long. |
| Political history and democracy | Orwell: 2+2=5 or Apocalypse in the Tropics | One connects Orwell’s work to propaganda and authoritarianism; the other examines evangelical Christianity and Brazilian politics. |
| Protest and contemporary conflict | The Encampments or 2000 Meters to Andriivka | One follows U.S. campus activism in 2024; the other documents a Ukrainian platoon’s fight in 2023. |
| Music and cultural history | Billy Joel: And So It Goes or Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) | Billy Joel: And So It Goes is two parts; Sly Lives! examines Sly Stone’s influence and the pressures faced by Black artists. |
| A multi-part artist portrait | Mr. Scorsese or Pee-wee as Himself | Mr. Scorsese is five parts; Pee-wee as Himself is two. |
What awards and rankings can—and cannot—tell you
Rotten Tomatoes says its 2025 awards winners are determined by an adjusted weighted formula using a film or show’s Tomatometer or Popcornmeter score and the number of reviews. Its eligibility rules require movies to have been released in the United States between January 1 and December 31, 2025, and to be Certified Fresh on the Tomatometer. Those rules explain that publisher’s awards; they are not a neutral definition of the best documentaries.
The Critics Choice Documentary Awards provide another perspective: the association’s current site identifies The Perfect Neighbor as the leading winner of its 2025 awards, with nominees and winners preserved in its archive. The International Documentary Association’s 2025 awards page lists feature, short, and craft categories. Awards can signal recognition, but they cannot establish a universal top ten or determine which film best fits an individual viewer.
Where to watch these documentaries
Availability changes over time and varies by region, so check an official distributor or service listing before watching. TheWrap’s 2025 list reported Mr. Scorsese on Apple TV, Sly Lives! on Hulu, and 2000 Meters to Andriivka on PBS Documentaries on Prime Video. The Los Angeles Times also identified Apple TV for Mr. Scorsese and VOD for Orwell: 2+2=5. These are reported viewing routes, not verified current listings.
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