Every good film has something special, something that can change our vision of the real world. And the best documentaries of 2020 can do it. All new items (both full-length and mini-series from Netflix) can already be watched on various online platforms. Some of them will tell true stories about famous people and events exciting the world community, about the careers of superstars, failures and successes of ordinary people, whose contribution to world history is not so noticeable, but incredibly strong!
Miss Americana
- USA
- Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music
- Director: Lana Wilson
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.4, IMDb - 7.4
A look at iconic pop artist Taylor Swift during her transformational period as she finally accepts her role as singer and songwriter and harnesses the full power of her voice.
Taylor Swift is one of the best-selling and most popular artists of the 21st century. But few people know that she tightly controlled her public image since adolescence. This makes the Netflix documentary even more epic. In the film, Swift talks about the songwriting process, dealing with an eating disorder (Eating Disorder) and his decision to make a public statement.
HIV in Russia
- Russia
- Genre: Documentary
- Director: Yuri Dud, Evgeny Statsenko
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 8.2
“HIV in Russia is an epidemic that they don't talk about” - this social video was released on February 11 on VDud, the YouTube channel of the famous journalist and blogger Yuri Dud. In the first three days alone, the video was watched by more than 10 million viewers (at the time of this writing - 18 million views). As soon as the film came out, it was found that the number of searches on Google "where to buy an HIV test" has increased dramatically by 5500%. It is known that the number of people willing to take HIV tests anonymously in St. Petersburg has doubled at once. Similar statistics were observed in the Invitro laboratory network.
"A lot of people walk around and think that it doesn't concern them."
Yuri Dud decided to talk to the audience about one of those problems that people in Russia “either do not want to talk about or are shy about”. The video highlights the stories of completely different people living with HIV. The film explains in detail the following:
- What is the difference between HIV and AIDS (based on expert opinions and the experience of the patients themselves).
- How can you get HIV.
- Are HIV-positive people able to have completely healthy children?
- How to live a full life with such a diagnosis.
- Why the fight against HIV in Russia is not as effective as in other countries.
- Why schoolchildren need to be educated and incorporate sex education lessons into the school curriculum.
Some activists talk about the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Russia, but certainly not ordinary people. And if you pretend that there is no problem, then maybe it's time to change the situation with other methods?
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
- USA
- Netflix
- Genre: Documentary, Biography, Crime
- Director: R. Chaiklin, E. Good
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.6, IMDb - 7.6
Even during the documentary boom, not many projects got as big of a surge as this Netflix series. It examines the little-known American big cat fancier community, a group of reserve owners, collectors, and roadside zoo owners. The film also follows a rivalry between tiger breeder Joe Exotic and preserve owner Carol Baskin, which escalated into attempted murder.
Project "Self-isolation" / Spaceship Earth
- USA
- Genre: Documentary
- Director: Matt Wolfe
- Rating: IMDb - 6.5
A true adventure of eight science fiction volunteers who, since 1991, have spent two years in quarantine inside their own engineering replica of the Earth's ecosystem called Biosphere-2. The implication was that researchers should lock themselves in a so-called greenhouse and almost never open the door for two years. The controversial experiment was an attempt to find out: is it possible for people to build their own self-sustaining ecosystems on other planets, because humanity is already facing the threat of environmental disaster. Spoiler alert - the project has largely failed!
It's a strange yet cautionary tale, an encouraging lesson about how a small group of dreamers can potentially reimagine a new world. Nearly 30 years later, this documentary reexamines the failed utopia.
The story of Juan Manuel Fangio (A Life of Speed: The Juan Manuel Fangio Story)
- Argentina
- Netflix
- Genre: Documentary, Biography, Sports
- Director: Francisco Macri
- Rating: IMDb - 6.7
The first official documentary about the life of five-time Formula 1 world champion Juan Manuel Fangio. The feed is based on a 2016 study by the University of Sheffield that found Juan Manuel Fangio to be the best Formula 1 driver in history.
The filmmakers seek to penetrate the legend's consciousness throughout his career and personal life to understand what caused him and other drivers to risk their lives by racing in cars that flew at the same speeds as today, but with minimal measures. security. At the same time, everyone knew that it was possible not to live until the end of the season.
A Secret Love
- USA
- Netflix
- Genre: Documentary
- Director: Chris Bolan
- Rating: IMDb - 8.0
After falling in love in 1947, two women, Pat Henschel and professional baseball player Terry Donahue, embark on a 65-year journey of loving and overcoming prejudice. Terry and Pat fell in love and entered into a relationship (it lasted six decades), hiding the truth of their romance from friends and loved ones in the face of rampant homophobia. This film was created by the couple's nephew Chris Bolan, who traces their lives together, painting a moving portrait of their later years. You might think you have strong nerves if the trailer hasn't touched the strings of your soul. But we assure you, no one can sit through the entire film without tears ...
Crip Camp / Disability Revolution
- USA
- Netflix
- Genre: Documentary
- Director: James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnam
- Rating: IMDb - 7.8
Down the road from Woodstock, revolution blossomed in a decrepit summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, changing their lives forever. This incredible story is directed by Emmy Award winner Nicole Newnham. It is also the last documentary to be produced by Barack and Michelle Obama's production company.
The tape received universal praise from critics and viewers. It tells the story of the Jened camp for young people with disabilities, which became a hotbed of gathering of activists in the 1970s and helped start the movement for the rights of people with disabilities. The film makes extensive use of archival material and is directed and commented by James Lebrecht, himself a former camper.
How To Fix A Drug Scandal
- USA
- Netflix
- Genre: documentary, crime
- Rating: IMDb - 6.9
In 2013, Massachusetts State Police arrested 35-year-old forensic chemist Sonia Farak for forging evidence. And that was just the beginning of the story. Over time, it turned out that Farak was actually using the drugs she was assigned to test. Anyone knew what was going on? And when did they find out?
The extent of Farak's drug addiction and the number of people convicted as a result of her drug testing are finally revealed despite repeated attempts to hide the evidence in the case. Created by Erin Lee Carroe, this exciting 4-part documentary explores an important but obscure part of the criminal justice system. Through several interviews with lawyers and experts, it is shown how the actions of a single forensic laboratory employee can affect tens of thousands of lives.
Disclosure
- USA
- Genre: Documentary
- Director: Sam Feder
- Rating: IMDb - 8.3
This is an in-depth look at the portrayal of Hollywood transgender people and the impact of these stories on transgender life in modern society and American culture in general. In this film, trans celebrities, activists, and academics explore the history of popular descriptions of trans and non-gender people and chart the path to a more inclusive future. It is noteworthy that actors from the series took part in the project Sex in Another City: Generation Q (2019) Leo Sheng and Jamie Clayton.
Cases of the Innocent (The Innocence Files)
- USA
- Netflix
- Genre: Documentary, Drama, Crime
- Director: Roger Ross Williams, Jed Rothstein, Sarah Dowland, etc.
- Rating: IMDb - 8.0
The 60-minute episodes of the miniseries in detail shed light on the innumerable personal stories of eight incidents of lawlessness. As we watch, we will see that Project Innocence and the Innocence Network project have worked tirelessly to harm innocent people. The nine-episode series consists of three parts: Evidence, The Witness, and The Accusation. These stories reveal the hard truth about the state of America's deeply flawed criminal justice system. The series shows that the condemnation of the innocent often turns into the destruction of not one, but many lives. Families, victims of crime and trust in the system are also diminished.
Hillary
- USA
- Genre: Documentary, Biography
- Director: Nanette Burstein
- Rating: IMDb - 6.2
The film provides a glimpse into the life and work of Hillary Rodham Clinton, intertwining biographical chapters of her life with behind-the-scenes footage of her 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. We are approaching an extremely important presidential election, so there is no better time to reckon with the latest. In the spring of 2020, Hulu premiered a 4-episode documentary about the life and career of the former presidential candidate and first lady, including the 2016 national election nightmare.
Russian Georgians. First film
- Russia
- Genre: history, documentary
- Director: Sergey Nurmamed
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 8.0
In detail
A two-chapter film about the historical role of people of Georgian nationality in the political, cultural and scientific spheres of Russia and the Soviet Union. The main characters were: Bagration and Shevardnadze, Pirosmani and Danelia, Balanchine and Andronikov.
Particular attention is paid to the role of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, a statesman and party leader with ideology and habits that to a greater extent shaped the mentality of Russians, and with which many of them still live. The film examines the question of the interpenetration of two different cultures, imperial ideology and violence against the individual by the state.
Farewell to Stalin (State Funeral)
- Netherlands, Lithuania
- Genre: Documentary, History
- Director: Sergey Loznitsa
- Rating: KinoPoisk - 7.3, IMDb - 7.2
In detail
A unique, largely unpublished archival footage dated March 1953, depicts Joseph Stalin's funeral as the culmination of the dictator's personality cult. The news of the death of the General Secretary on March 5, 1953 shocked the entire Soviet Union. The funeral ceremony was attended by tens of thousands of mourners.
We watch every stage of the funeral performance, which the Pravda newspaper calls “The Great Farewell”. We get unprecedented access to the dramatic and absurd experience of life and death under Stalin's rule. The film is dedicated to the problem of Stalin's personality cult as a form of illusion caused by terror. It provides insight into the nature of the regime and its legacy still haunting the modern world.
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
- USA
- Genre: Documentary
- Director: Donick Carey
- Rating: IMDb - 7.5
Perhaps the most entertaining and unusual among the new documentaries of 2020 was the project by director Donick Carey. Combining comedy with an in-depth study of psychedelics, The Good Trip explores the pros and cons, scientific perspective and history, present and future, pop culture influences, and the cosmic possibilities of hallucinogens. Watch the trailer and decide whether to watch the whole movie - should you start your movie trip?