The Act of Killing - it's hard to even describe the premise. Its a present-day (2012) profile on participants in the 1960s mass killings in Indonesia. An absolutely brutal look into human nature.
This, extremely interesting and unique documentary.
Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
281–290 of 568 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#282Into the Inferno - Werner Herzog. Documentary on volcanoes where the director allows the filming locations to bring other topics to the forefront. Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World - Werner Herzog. Film about the internet. The Thin Blue Line - Erol Morris. Film about a murder of a police officer that comes to a different conclusion than the court did about who the murderer is and led to the release of an…
Came here to see who else likes The Thin Blue Line. But please, do not reveal the outline. I went in completely unawares and was kept on the edge throughout.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#283Time to throw in some controversy:
- tfw no gf https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nefjHr6Btas
- Alex's war https://www.alexswar.com/
Recommend watching them, although you might not agree with the message being sent.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#284"Ring of Fire, an Indonesian Odyssey" is at the top of my list. An incredible journey spanning 10 years. Allegedly bankrolled by Ringo Starr who was captivated by the premise, and had faith in the brothers who set out to trace the steps of naturalist Alfred Russell Wallace.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire:_An_Indonesian_...
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#285From the last four years: (I'm a professional critic, thus watch almost everything)
1. Gunda. A mother pig.
2. An insignificant man. Politics in India.
3. Mr Bachmann and his class. A teacher.
4. Icarus. The doping scandal.
All time:
https://letterboxd.com/rurban/films/ratings/genre/documentar...
Gunda, The real dirt on Farmer Joe, Models (Seidl), Warheads (Karmakar), The Land of the Enlightened, Close-Up (Kiarostami), The Wild Parrots of Telegraf Hill, ...
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#286"Stripped". It's about the comic book industry. It's also one of the few times that Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, has been recorded.
This resonated with me due to the pressure on cartoonists to constantly produce.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#287Dear Zachary was written, directed, produced, and edited by one guy (Kurt Kuenne) and its budget was incredibly low even for indie film standards. However, I can think of very few documentaries that come close to what it achieved and how it made me feel when watching it. Kurt put every fiber of his being into making it, and it shows. However, it's not an easy watch and I'd be hesitant to watch it again all the way th…
> not an easy watch
Quite the understatement. Just thinking about this documentary makes me sick.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#288The movie "A Point in Time: The Corona Story" about the Corona spy satellite program. So many failures before success, and the program paved the way for so many better known later space launches.
> The CORONA[1] program was a series of American strategic reconnaissance satellites produced and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Directorate of Science & Technology with substantial assistance from the U.S. Air Force. The CORONA satellites were used for photographic surveillance of the Soviet Union (USSR), China, and other areas beginning in June 1959 and ending in May 1972.
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#289I saw that no one mentioned American Factory
So, American Factory, the best I’ve seen about globalization and its less glamorous results
Re: Ask HN: What are some of the best documentaries you've seen?
#290Formula 1 Drive to Survive https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8289930/