As I do every year, I separate documentaries into their own Best of the Year list, not because I feel they should be judged any differently than narrative films, but because I want to call attention to as many great docs as I possibly can. If I tried to incorporate these films into my Best of the Year narrative list, it would become unwieldy (well, more unwieldy than it already is).
I get such a charge from a great documentary, whether it’s on a subject I know a great deal about or if it covers ground I’d never even contemplated in terms of perspective, information, or fuel for outrage or celebration.
Part of the thrill of being a living, thinking, evolving human being is absorbing new information and experiences, as well as allowing this newness to inspire fresh ideas and points of view. That’s the standard to which I hold documentaries: don’t just teach me, but move me or alter my DNA in some fundamental way.
Here are 20 titles that did just that in 2025…
1. The Perfect Neighbor (Dir: Geeta Gandbhir)
Award-winning filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir’s Sundance hit reveals the fatal consequences that can occur when individuals feel emboldened by the law to act on their fear and prejudices. For years, disgruntled neighbor Susan Lorincz calls the police on the children who play in the vacant land next to her Florida home. Initially, the kids and parents commiserate with local law enforcement about Lorincz’s complaints. But her calls continue, with increasing hostility, culminating in a devastating crime.
With striking humanity and riveting clarity, The Perfect Neighbor is told almost entirely through police bodycam footage, bearing witness to a close-knit community contending with their ongoing nightmare. The chilling escalation of events led to Lorincz shooting Ajike “AJ” Owens, a mother of four and a vibrant, beloved community figure. The killing of Owens sparked a reckoning throughout the United States about Florida’s controversial “stand your ground” law, which can allow individuals to use deadly force if they feel their life is in danger, even if they can retreat to safety and they are outside their homes. Without expressing an opinion on the footage, the filmmaker stirs up a cacophony of emotions within the viewer—from heartbreak to outrage—all of it righteous.
2. Cover-Up (Dirs: Laura Poitras & Mark Obenhaus)
3. Orwell: 2+2=5 (Dir: Raoul Peck)
4. The Stringer: The Man Who Took the Photo (Dir: Bao Nguyen)
5. André Is An Idiot (Dir: Tony Benna)
6. Deaf President Now! (Dirs: Davis Guggenheim & Nyle DiMarco)
7. Secret Mall Apartment (Dir: Jeremy Workman)
8. Pee Wee As Himself (Dir: Matt Wolf)
9. Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted (Dirs: Isaac Gale, David McMurry & Ryan Olson)
10. It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (Dir: Amy Berg)
11. Grand Theft Hamlet (Dirs: Sam Crane & Pinny Grylls)
12. Predators (Dir: David Osit)
13. Folktales (Dirs: Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady)
14. Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) (Dir: Amir “Questlove” Thompson)
15. Are We Good? (Dir: Steven Feinartz)
16. Move Ya Body: The Birth of House (Dir: Elegance Bratton)
17. Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (Dir: Shoshannah Stern)
18. John Candy: I Like Me (Dir: Colin Hanks)
19. Below the Clouds (Dir: Gianfranco Rosi)
20. Mistress Dispeller (Dir: Elizabeth Lo)
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