Sometimes real life is more dramatic than even the most inventive fiction. The headlines each day are full of “you can’t write this stuff” twists. But what makes the news only scratches the surface. There are innumerable unseen and little-known dramas unfolding in lives, cultures, and contexts every day, all over the world. Some of them are sad. Some are triumphs. Most are a mix.
Documentaries are one way we can go deeper in listening to these stories, appreciating their nuances, and processing their lessons. Like a good book, a good documentary can cultivate empathy and foster love of neighbor, as well as stir our hearts to love God more.
Like a good book, a good documentary can cultivate empathy and foster love of neighbor, as well as stir our hearts to love God more.
In recent decades the documentary genre has veered in didactic directions (essentially movie-length op-eds in support of some argument). This is regrettable. I prefer documentary filmmakers who may tackle important subjects but do so out of curiosity to learn rather than zeal to teach. The best documentaries are those truly interested in the story of some person, place, or thing—leaving the viewer feeling awed rather than yelled at. Thankfully, there are plenty of documentaries like this.
If you’re feeling depressed by the news or discouraged about the state of the world, consider watching some of the documentaries below. They run the gamut in terms of topic but share a redemptive sensibility—depicting growth, restoration, sacrifice, virtue, and creativity in its many forms. I’ve grouped them by streaming platform below. Whichever streaming site you prefer, there are good options to add to your queue. Enjoy!
Tubi (free)
Faces Places (2017): Documentaries about artists are easy fodder for inspiration, and here we get two for the price of one. French filmmaker Agnès Varda and street artist JR team up to bring high art (literally) to everyday people in small towns across France. Rated PG.
Facing Darkness (2017): This Samaritan’s Purse documentary about Kent Brantly and the West Africa Ebola outbreak is a moving account of countercultural, Christ-like service: going into a deadly outbreak to bring healing, risking one’s own life to help others. Not rated.
Bobbi Jo: Under the Influence (2021): The power of repentance and restoration is on beautiful display in this film about a woman who escapes addiction and prostitution on the streets of Kansas City. She goes on to help thousands of others get off the streets and start paths of faith-fueled rehabilitation. Rated PG-13.
The Overnighters (2014): Exploring a North Dakota Lutheran pastor’s compassionate response to the region’s influx of migrant oil workers, The Overnighters is a moving and surprising look at grace, forgiveness, and faith. Rated PG-13.
Rivers and Tides (2001): It’s pure joy to watch British artist Andy Goldsworthy create unexpected art out of the raw materials and processes of God’s beautiful creation. Rivers and Tides is nature documentary meets art museum. Not rated.
Kanopy (free with library card)
For Sama (2019): Set in Aleppo during the Syrian war, this film is harrowing yet honoring of the preciousness of life even in a culture of death. Rated TV-PG.
Sweetgrass (2009): A visually stunning chronicle of shepherding in the American West, this film celebrates the beauty of vocation, tradition, and harmonious stewardship of the land given to us. Not rated.
The Work (2017): Set in Folsom Prison group therapy sessions, this intense but inspiring film shows the gritty process of emotional rehabilitation unfold in real time. Not rated.
Netflix (subscription)
Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020): Funny and tragic in equal measure, Kirsten Johnson’s film about her father’s impending death honestly and tenderly engages questions of memory, loss, and faith. Rated PG-13.
Final Account (2021): Featuring interviews with the last surviving people who lived under Hitler’s Third Reich, this film shows that repentance is beautiful. But the opposite—making excuses for sin—is ugly. Rated PG-13.
Recovery Boys (2018): Following four opioid addicts on their rehabilitation journeys, this film shows the beauty of growth and the pain of sin’s persistent grip, and contains helpful applications for Christian discipleship. Rated TV-MA.
Undefeated (2011): One of many sports-related docs I could have included, this one stands out as a stirring portrait of the personal and collective growth that’s possible when a good coach shepherds a team well. Rated PG-13.
Prime Video (subscription)
Gleason (2016): Chronicling the ALS diagnosis of former NFL defensive back Steve Gleason, this moving film is less a lament for the degenerative effects of disease as it is a celebration of the preciousness of life and family. Rated R.
Hummingbirds (2013): Of all the awesome nature documentaries I’ve seen in the last decade (and there have been many), this one stands out. If you have any doubt that a Creator exists and that he is good, learn more about hummingbirds as just one of the mind-boggling creatures ingeniously made to flourish in this world. Not rated.
One Child Nation (2019): Nanfu Wang returns to her home country to explore the devastating ramifications of China’s one-child policy (1979–2015). Refreshingly, the film doesn’t sugarcoat the reality that abortion is one of the world’s most egregious humans rights atrocities. Rated R.
Disney+ (subscription)
Free Solo (2018): The wonders of Alex Honnold’s climbing achievements are one thing, but this film prompts us to think even more about the merits of risk and what our obsessions cost our communities. Rated TV-PG.
The Rescue (2021): A riveting chronicle of the 2018 cave rescue of a Thai soccer team, The Rescue celebrates the beauty of volunteerism, cooperation, and heroic sacrifice. Rated TV-14.
Summer of Soul (2021): In this Oscar-winning documentary, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson does us all a service by sharing beautiful lost footage from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival and asking good questions about what history remembers or chooses to forget. Rated PG-13.
Hulu (subscription)
20 Feet from Stardom (2013): Backup singers get their moment in the spotlight in this fascinating film, which celebrates and dignifies talent even when it doesn’t translate into celebrity (which is most talent). Rated PG-13.
Amazing Grace (2018): Essentially a “found footage” concert film, Amazing Grace presents spellbinding footage recorded in 1972 as a young Aretha Franklin performs gospel music at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles over two nights. Not rated.
The Biggest Little Farm (2018): The beauty of what’s possible in a thriving farm ecosystem, by God’s good design, is on full display in this uplifting film about a couple’s efforts to transform a dead patch of dirt into a vibrant plot of cultivated land. Rated PG.
Honeyland (2019): Set in a place (Macedonia) most of us will never visit and exploring a profession (beekeeping) most of us know little about, Honeyland exemplifies the horizon-broadening potential of documentary filmmaking—showing us worlds and ways of life we didn’t know existed. Not rated.
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018): Morgan Neville’s moving portrait of Fred Rogers (a.k.a. “Mister Rogers”) is predictably inspiring, celebrating the faith-inspired mission of the man whose gentleness, curiosity, and compassion captivated generations of children. Rated PG-13.
BritBox (subscription)
The Up Series (1964–2019): One of the greatest achievements in the history of documentary filmmaking, this British series (from Amazing Grace director Michael Apted) follows a group of children as they grow up, checking in every seven years with a new documentary (Seven Up!, 7 Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, and so forth). The series has so far spanned 56 years, offering fascinating glimpses inside the twists, turns, and seasons that make up a life. Take a week (or a month) to work your way through this series. You won’t be disappointed. Not rated.
Rent or Purchase
Buck (2011): Cindy Meehl’s film about horse trainer Buck Brannaman—who was abused as a child but grew up to become a successful “horse whisperer”—is an encouraging reminder that even if past pain can’t be undone, it can be overcome and channeled into redemptive work. Rated PG.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010): Any number of Werner Herzog documentaries could have made this list, but this one—about 32,000-year-old cave paintings recently discovered in France—is especially fascinating and thought-provoking. Rated G.
Emanuel (2019): From the director of The Drop Box (another redemptive documentary), this film is a difficult but essential look at the horrific shooting at Charleston’s historic “Mother Emanuel” church. The film reminds us of the ongoing pain of racism and the often scandalous power of forgiveness. Rated 13+.
Free Burma Rangers (2020): One part war documentary, one part missionary profile, this film is a provocative and moving portrait of how the gospel motivates believers to flee comfort and run toward danger, dodging bullets and bombs to be conduits of healing and hope. Rated 13+.
Planet Earth (2006) and Planet Earth II (2017): The gold standard of nature documentaries, the Planet Earth series puts God’s glorious creation in high-def close-up. You can’t watch it and not be awed by the genius of our Creator. Rated TV-PG.
The Salt of the Earth (2015): Wim Wenders’s documentary about Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado captures the beauty, diversity, and resilience of God’s creation in a manner that fits within the aesthetic I’ve described as the “Christ-like gaze.” Rated PG-13.
The Gospel Coalition