In a year marked by groundbreaking stories and powerful truths, 2023 delivered documentaries that not only captured the zeitgeist but also challenged, inspired, and moved audiences worldwide. From intimate portraits of resilience and artistry to hard-hitting exposés on corruption and courage, these films stand as the definitive chronicles of our times-unmissable guides to what to watch in documentary filmmaking this year.
The same was true in the world of nonfiction film. Half of the movies on this list were directed by filmmakers already responsible for some of the best documentaries of this era: reliable old hands like Frederick Wiseman, Errol Morris, Matthew Heineman, Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss. and again, Martin Scorsese. Perhaps there’s a greater sense of urgency as the planet veers from crisis to crisis. Our best cinematic artists don’t have time to make anything too frivolous.
Some venerable documentarians just missed the cut for this list, like Hoop Dreams director Steve James, whose film A Compassionate Spy (streaming on Hulu, about the long aftermath of the Manhattan Project) would make a fine companion piece both to Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Morris’ The Pigeon Tunnel. See also: Wham! (streaming on Netflix), the excellent doc about ’80s pop heroes George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley from Chris Smith, the great director behind American Movie, Fyre, and Tiger King.
As is the case most years, many of 2023’s best documentaries were about visual artists and musicians. But even the movies here not specifically about art are still about how humans try to order and understand their world – and themselves.
10. The Pigeon Tunnel
“The Pigeon Tunnel” (2023), directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Errol Morris, is a compelling documentary that delves into the life and career of John le Carré, the legendary British spy novelist. The film features le Carré’s final and most personal interview, spanning six decades and blending rare archival footage with dramatized reenactments. It explores how his real-life experiences as a British intelligence officer shaped his iconic espionage novels, while also blurring the lines between fact and fiction. With a captivating narrative style and a haunting score by Philip Glass and Paul Leonard Morgan, the documentary offers a deeply human and engaging portrait of the man behind the stories. Premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and highly acclaimed by critics, “The Pigeon Tunnel” is a must-watch for fans of le Carré and documentary cinema alike.
Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
Writer David Cornwell, known to the public by his pen name, John le Carré, died in 2020. But in the last years of his life, he consented to be interviewed at length by Errol Morris, the renowned documentarian famous for his ability to keep his subjects talking until they revealed hidden truths. Given that Cornwell worked for the British intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6 – and wrote bestselling spy novels – Morris had his work cut out for him. But as The Pigeon Tunnel goes through the details of Cornwell’s life, the film poignantly captures an old man’s regrets at the broken international order his generation helped create.
9. American Symphony
American Symphony is a deeply intimate 2023 documentary by Matthew Heineman that follows musician Jon Batiste as he composes a symphony while his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, battles leukemia. The film captures a year in their lives, blending Batiste’s creative journey with the emotional and physical challenges of cancer treatment. It offers a rare, unfiltered look at their resilience, love, and artistic process, set against a rich musical backdrop that fuses diverse American sounds. Praised for its emotional depth and artistry, American Symphony premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and is available on Netflix, earning critical acclaim and multiple award nominations, including an Oscar nod for Best Original Song.
Where to watch: Netflix
Director Matthew Heineman is known for hard-hitting political documentaries like Cartel Land and Retrograde, but he shifts easily into a more sentimental mode with American Symphony, a touching, inspiring film about a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste. Heineman and his crew were around as Batiste experienced both the career highs of winning an armful of Grammys (including Album of the Year) and the personal lows of watching his wife, author and journalist Suleika Jaouad, endure leukemia. This is a story about creative people turning all the stuff of life – their pasts, their joys, their heartbreaks – into art that breathes and bleeds.
8. Personality Crisis: One Night Only
“Personality Crisis: One Night Only” is a captivating concert documentary directed by Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi that captures David Johansen’s intimate cabaret performance at New York City’s Café Carlyle in January 2020, just before the pandemic lockdowns. The film interweaves live footage with archival clips from Johansen’s days as the glam-punk frontman of the New York Dolls, revealing his chameleonic artistry and deep ties to New York’s vibrant cultural history. Far from a traditional biography, it offers a reflective and joyous look at Johansen’s enduring influence, blending jazz, blues, and punk with storytelling that honors lost friends and a bygone era. This one-night-only event is a heartfelt tribute to a resilient artist at peace with his past and excited for the future.
Where to watch: Paramount Plus with Showtime
Killers of the Flower Moon understandably drew a lot of Martin Scorsese fans’ attention this year, but for those pining for the director’s “New York stories” side, Personality Crisis should fill that need. Co-directed with and edited by David Tedeschi – Scorsese’s creative partner on most of his recent documentaries – the film uses a David Johansen cabaret performance as the anchor for a loose, discursive look at the wild adventures of the legendary New York Dolls frontman. In interviews, on the stage, and in archival footage, Johansen describes in funny, colorful, and at times surprisingly emotional terms how the flowering of underground art in the 1960s led to proto-punk in the ’70s and to modern queer culture.
7. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
“Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” (2023), directed by Anna Hints, is a captivating documentary that delves into the intimate and spiritual tradition of the Estonian smoke sauna. Within the smoky, dimly lit sauna, a group of women gather to share their deepest secrets and personal stories, cleansing not only their bodies but also the shame and pain they carry. The film beautifully captures this ritual as a space of vulnerability, healing, and sisterhood, where women find strength and solidarity through their shared experiences. Visually stunning and atmospherically rich, the documentary combines close-up shots of the women’s bodies with evocative sound design and seasonal landscapes, creating a meditative exploration of womanhood, community, and resilience. It won the Directing Award at Sundance and stands out as a profound and lyrical portrayal of female empowerment and connection.
Where to watch:Currently in select theaters
Deep in a wintry Estonian forest, a group of women gather in and around a homemade sweat lodge, where they alternate long sessions in sweltering steam with vigorous exercises in the frosty outdoors, all while completely nude. Director Anna Hints moves the camera in tight on these ladies as they soak and scrub in the twinkling, misty sunlight, and as they talk about getting older, dealing with changing family dynamics, and navigating a culture that often reduces them to their bodies alone. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a lovely, delicate exercise in intimacy, getting close to people who are so physically and emotionally bare that they are awake to every sensation. (YouTube won’t embed the trailer here because it’s age-restricted, but it’s viewable at the site.)
6. Aurora’s Sunrise
“Aurora’s Sunrise,” directed by Inna Sahakyan, is a powerful animated documentary that recounts the harrowing true story of Aurora Mardiganian, a survivor of the Armenian Genocide. At just 14, Aurora endures unimaginable atrocities before escaping to New York, where her memoir and subsequent starring role in the 1919 silent film “Auction of Souls” bring international attention to the genocide. The film blends vivid animation, archival footage, and interviews with Aurora herself to depict her trauma and resilience, highlighting the emotional toll of reliving such horrors while serving as a spokesperson for her people. “Aurora’s Sunrise” is both a tribute to Aurora’s courage and a poignant reminder to never forget the atrocities of the past.
Where to watch:Streaming free through PBS.org through Jan. 21, 2024
A remarkable new entry in the small subgenre of animated documentaries, Aurora’s Sunrise tells the story of Aurora Mardiganian, who became a minor celebrity in the early 20th century by serving as a living witness to the atrocities visited on Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. Director Inna Sahakyan has some interview footage of Mardiganian from late in her life, and some clips from the mostly lost 1919 film Auction of Souls, starring Mardiganian and based on her memoir. But mostly, Sahakyan relies on painterly animated sequences (guided by illustrator Gediminas Skyrius) that recreate a world which no longer exists, while also illustrating the ongoing nightmare of a woman who spent her life repeatedly describing its demise.
5. The Disappearance of Shere Hite
The Disappearance of Shere Hite is a 2023 documentary directed by Nicole Newnham and narrated by Dakota Johnson that chronicles the life and legacy of Shere Hite, an American-born German sex educator and feminist whose groundbreaking research on female sexuality challenged societal taboos. The film explores Hite’s rise to fame with her bestselling “The Hite Report,” which revealed intimate experiences of thousands of women, sparking both acclaim and fierce backlash. Despite facing relentless criticism and even hostility on platforms like Oprah’s show, Hite remained a pioneering voice in sexual liberation before eventually renouncing her U.S. citizenship and relocating to Germany. Through archival footage, interviews, and Hite’s own writings, the documentary offers a powerful and nuanced portrait of a trailblazer whose work remains relevant to ongoing discussions about gender, sexuality, and equality.
Where to watch: Currently in select theaters
The title of Nicole Newnham’s The Disappearance of Shere Hite has the ring of true crime, but there’s no grim mystery here. The documentary’s subject, the late American sex researcher and bestselling author Shere Hite, merely faded from public view after moving to Germany in the ’90s. Still, the wealth of footage of Hite in this movie – sharing her controversial findings about female and male sexuality on TV talk shows in the 1970s and ’80s – becomes cumulatively haunting. Hite was a prominent public figure who forced people to rethink their preconceptions about sex. This stirring film shows how the outraged reaction to her books drove her – but not her ideas – into exile.
4. Judy Blume Forever
Judy Blume Forever is a heartfelt 2023 documentary that explores the life, career, and lasting impact of the trailblazing author Judy Blume. Known for her radical honesty about puberty, sexuality, and adolescence, Blume’s work has resonated with generations of readers while also sparking controversy and censorship battles. The film features intimate interviews with Blume herself, her family, and notable fans like Lena Dunham and Molly Ringwald, alongside archival footage and animations that bring her story to life. It not only celebrates Blume’s literary legacy but also highlights her ongoing fight against book banning, making it a compelling tribute to a cultural icon whose influence remains vital today.
Where to watch: Prime Video
When directors Davina Pardo and Leah Wolchok started making this moving documentary about beloved YA author Judy Blume, they likely had no idea that all the old stories about outraged parents banning Blume’s novels would become more relevant in 2023 than ever. Judy Blume Forever isn’t an overtly political film; it’s more of a gentle, sweet biography of a low-key American hero. But watching it may remind older people of how bracing it was a kid to read books like Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and Blubber, and to feel that finally an adult was telling the truth about growing up. As this movie makes clear, that’s an experience no child should be denied.
3. The Mission
In 2023, documentary filmmakers embraced bold missions that went beyond storytelling, delving into urgent social issues, personal journeys, and global crises. From the harrowing rescue operations in “In the Rearview,” which chronicles the evacuation of Ukrainian civilians during the Russian invasion, to the courageous escapes depicted in “Beyond Utopia,” where families risk everything to flee North Korea, these films spotlighted acts of resilience and hope under extreme pressure. Other documentaries, like “American Symphony,” captured deeply personal missions, following Jon Batiste as he balances artistic ambition with supporting his partner through illness. Whether documenting life-saving interventions, personal transformation, or societal reckonings, the best documentaries of 2023 were united by their unwavering commitment to illuminate the human spirit’s drive to overcome adversity and pursue change.
Where to watch: Hulu/NatGeo
One distinguishing characteristic in the documentaries of Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss (who previously collaborated on Boys State) is their empathy for decent people whose good intentions sometimes lead them to embrace questionable ideologies and make terrible mistakes. In The Mission, McBaine and Moss tell the story of the Christian missionary John Allen Chau, who in 2018 became a cautionary tale (and the butt of more than a few cruel internet memes) after being killed by the residents of a remote island. The film puts Chau’s willingness to violate international law in the context of missionaries throughout history, examining how religious fervor can be both personally satisfying and socially disastrous.
2. Close to Vermeer
The documentary Close to Vermeer offers an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the largest Vermeer exhibition ever mounted at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It follows curator Gregor Weber and his team as they navigate the complex process of gathering Vermeer’s scarce works, negotiating with museums worldwide, and debating the authorship of contested paintings. The film not only showcases Vermeer’s exquisite art in stunning detail but also delves into the meticulous scholarship and passionate disputes among experts, revealing the human story behind the masterpieces. Through this lens, viewers gain a deeper appreciation of Vermeer’s unique technique and the enduring mystery surrounding his life and work.
Where to watch:Amazon, Vudu, and other digital retailers
It may not seem like there’s much to this documentary, which in 78 brisk minutes covers the efforts to mount the most comprehensive Vermeer exhibition to date, at Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum. But director Suzanne Raes finds a lot of fascinating wrinkles here, watching as the curators deal with the challenges of borrowing artwork, and as they face the possibility that some paintings credited to Vermeer may actually be by someone else. As the title suggests, long stretches of Close to Vermeer consist of art experts peering at canvases, discussing technique, and contemplating the concept of authorship. What starts as a kind of curatorial procedural develops into a thoughtful meditation on what makes art art.
1. Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros
Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros is a 2023 French documentary by Frederick Wiseman that offers an immersive, four-hour exploration of the legendary Troisgros family and their three Michelin-starred restaurants in central France. The film intimately captures the meticulous daily operations at Le Bois sans Feuilles, the family’s flagship restaurant, as well as visits to farms, markets, and vineyards that supply their ingredients, highlighting their commitment to sustainability and culinary artistry. Without narration or interviews, Wiseman’s observational style reveals the passion, precision, and collaboration behind the scenes, as the third and fourth generations of the Troisgros family continue their legacy of innovative, farm-to-table French cuisine. This patient and richly detailed portrait celebrates not only the food but the people and ecosystem that sustain one of the world’s finest dining institutions.
Where to watch:Currently in select theaters
At 93, Frederick Wiseman delivers a late-career masterpiece with this four-hour film about a restaurant in France that’s rated among the best in the world. Working in his usual quietly observational style, Wiseman immerses the audience in long scenes with no contextual narration or on-screen titles, urging us to watch patiently and raptly as a family of great chefs and their staff shop for ingredients, debate recipes, prep elements, arrange plates, and guide their guests through a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Viewers can draw their own conclusions about the meaning of all this, though one chef’s offhand comment about the ongoing refinement of dishes offers one interpretation. Even an old master like Wiseman has to keep tinkering, finding a sense of purpose in the hundred tiny details that go into an act of creation.
What makes the top documentaries of 2023 stand out this year
The top documentaries of 2023 stand out for their rigorous scrutiny, unique perspectives, and razor-sharp editing that rise above the noise of vanity projects and overstretched stories prevalent in the industry. Many of these films blend innovative storytelling techniques, such as hybrid documentary-drama forms and intimate personal narratives, allowing subjects significant control over their stories, which adds depth and authenticity. They also tackle urgent and often underrepresented topics-from the struggles of North Korean defectors to the lives of Black trans sex workers-offering eye-opening, heartwrenching, and sometimes humorous insights that challenge viewers’ perceptions. Additionally, the year’s best documentaries benefit from strong festival and critical support, showcasing breakthroughs alongside works from established filmmakers, thus capturing the cultural zeitgeist with both boldness and emotional resonance.
What storytelling techniques set 2023’s top documentaries apart
The top documentaries of 2023 distinguish themselves through a variety of innovative storytelling techniques that deepen emotional engagement and enhance narrative impact. Key methods include:
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Archetypal Story Structures: Many use classic story archetypes like “Overcoming the Monster” or “Rags to Riches,” framing real-world issues or personal journeys in compelling, universally relatable narratives that heighten stakes and inspire hope.
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Strong Narration and Interviews: Effective narration acts as a guiding voice, weaving together interviews and visuals to create a cohesive story, while interviews provide authenticity and human connection by letting subjects tell their own stories.
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Creative Visual Approaches: Filmmakers employ a range of visual techniques such as archival footage, reenactments, animation, and evocative imagery to complement and amplify the storytelling, making complex or abstract topics more accessible and emotionally resonant.
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Emotional Hooks and Memorable Moments: Opening with striking visuals, provocative questions, or raw emotional scenes captures immediate attention and creates lasting impressions that keep viewers engaged throughout.
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Non-linear and Character-driven Narratives: Some documentaries break traditional chronological order or focus intensely on individual characters to reveal deeper truths and maintain narrative tension.
Together, these techniques allow 2023’s best documentaries to transcend mere presentation of facts, crafting immersive, thought-provoking experiences that resonate long after viewing.
