The best documentary films, according to hackers
17 documentary films recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.
- Most recommendedYou Can See Everything39 people recommend it
- Least regretIt's Quieter in the Twilight12 recommend, 0 criticize
- Free and lovedThe Thinking Game15 people recommend it
All documentary films
- You Can See EverythingPraised for layered, unsettling form and revealing portrayal of Holmes; critics call it deceptive and say the final third is too long.39recommend
- The Thinking GameRecommended as an inspiring look at DeepMind's origins, the AlphaFold win and the Move 37 moment. Common caveat: critics call it a puff piece that skips technical depth.15recommend
- HyperNormalisation by Adam CurtisRecommended as a go-to Adam Curtis starting point, praised for tying recent history into a theory of political power. One viewer found it entertaining but less enlightening.14recommend
- It's Quieter in the TwilightRecommended as a documentary about the aging engineers who still run the Voyager missions and keep them operating.12recommend
- BBS: The DocumentaryA free, Creative Commons documentary on the BBS scene, praised especially for its Fidonet episode and its coverage of BBS subculture and the warez era.11recommend
- Listers documentaryPeople recommend it as a fun, endearing documentary that gives a clear look at competitive birdwatching and gets viewers into birding.11recommend
- Plane Crazy PBS documentaryRecommended for its charming portrait of Robert X. Cringely trying and failing to build a composite airplane. Caveat: it got little distribution.9recommend
- C++: The DocumentaryFree documentary on C++'s history with famous contributors and early-days stories; critics say it feels promotional, with few critical voices.8recommend
- Steve Jobs: The Lost InterviewRecommended as the best Steve Jobs interview, with insight that still applies today and is worth rewatching for inspiration.8recommend
- The Act of Killing by Joshua OppenheimerA documentary following former Indonesian death squad members as they reenact their 1960s killings, praised as haunting and deeply unsettling; critics raise no recurring complaint.6recommend
- General Magic documentaryA fly-on-the-wall documentary about the early 1990s General Magic company, recommended as a dramatic, well-told look at a prescient tech effort.6recommend
- Cave of Forgotten DreamsHerzog's 2010 documentary on early human cave paintings, praised as excellent, amazing and unexpectedly spiritual by viewers.6recommend
- Disney's Living Characters: A Broken Promise by DefunctlandA long YouTube documentary on Disney's living characters that commenters call delightful and worth returning to over several sittings. One critic found its four-hour length and editing weak.6recommend
- Clojure: The DocumentaryA documentary about the Clojure programming language, recommended for honoring its contributors and community history and for sparking interest in learning Clojure.6recommend
- Grizzly ManPeople recommend it as a unique piece of art and a respectful, in-depth character study, with scenes that stay with viewers.5recommend
- Happy People: A Year in the TaigaPeople recommend it for showing seasons and practical work in the taiga, and prefer the original cut. Critics say Herzog's edit lost accuracy.5recommend
- Jerry's MapRecommended as a terrific YouTube documentary by People Make Games, praised for showing how a creative system pushes work forward.5recommend