People love watching documentaries to learn, kill time, kill boredom and out of passion for a subject. I often find myself watching documentaries on the most random subjects you could imagine. After spending some time thinking about the ones that changed my perspective the most. I've come to the conclusion that these are my top 5 documentaries you MUST see before you die!
Special Mention - Jiro Dreams of Sushi
From the very beginning the story and life lessons presented were gripping. True respect for the dedication, hard work and absolute presence of mind to clear away all the minutiae that many of us get caught up in to focus on the details that are so very important. In the basement of a Tokyo office building, 85 year old sushi master Jiro Ono works tirelessly in his world renowned restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. As his son Yoshikazu faces the pressures of stepping into his father's shoes and taking over the legendary restaurant, Jiro relentlessly pursues his lifelong quest to create the perfect piece of sushi.
#5 Blackfish
The documentary "Blackfish" just premiered at Sundance to much deserved rave reviews. It's a compelling story of a 12,000 pound orca who has been in captivity since 1983 when he was captured at the age of two. New footage and interviews with trainers who worked at SeaWorld (and left disillusioned) add dynamic interest to the overall question of whether or not these wild intelligent sentient animals should be kept in captivity. This is a story that will have you questioning what you thought you knew. See "Blackfish" if you're interested in orcas; see it if you're interested in the truth; see it for no other reason than to find out why SeaWorld doesn't want you to see it. This film moves with the fluidity of a wild orca in the ocean. Don't miss out on seeing "Blackfish" because it's going to change the way you think.
#4. The Thin Blue Line
The last few years have been a golden age for documentaries. For better or worse, Michael Moore and his undeniable ability for manipulating the cinematic medium have brought this endangered genre into theaters and living rooms across the country. Most of today's casual moviegoers are relatively new to the non-fiction feature. In the case of director Errol Morris' The Thin Blue Line (1988), one film not only managed to free an innocent man from a lifetime in prison, but it also elicited a confession from the guilty party.
#3. Shoah
Claude Lanzmann directed this 9 1/2 hour documentary of the Holocaust without using a single frame of archive footage. He interviews survivors, witnesses, and ex-Nazis (whom he had to film secretly since they only agreed to be interviewed by audio). His style of interviewing by asking for the most minute details is effective at adding up these details to give a horrifying portrait of the events of Nazi genocide. He also shows, or rather lets some of his subjects themselves show, that the anti-Semitism that caused 6 million Jews to die in the Holocaust is still alive and well in many people who still live in Germany, Poland, and elsewhere.
#2. The Day Before Disclosure
The Extra Terrestrial presence in our world is no longer a question of IF, but rather a question of WHO, WHY and FROM WHERE. Air pilots, astronauts, radar personnel, flight controllers, military officials, security personnel and thousands upon thousands of eyewitnesses confirm that the ET and UFO phenomena are real. A look upon remains from our ancient history tells the same. And the new sciences within quantum physics and cosmology defines a new concept of reality where intelligent life in the universe is most likely predominant, appearing in abundance, - a reality where space travel between stars and galaxies has no theoretical barriers.
#1. Planet Earth
Emmy Award-winning, 11 episodes, 5 years in the making, the most expensive nature documentary series ever commissioned by the BBC, and the first to be filmed in high definition. Each 50 minute episode features a global overview of a different biome or habitat on Earth (Polar, Mountain, Cave, Desert, Plains, Fresh Water, Seas, Ocean, Forest), followed by a ten-minute featurette which takes a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges of filming the episode. If you haven't seen this prepare to the Planet in a way you've never seen it before!
There you have it, my top 5 documentaries you MUST see before you die! Let me know what you think of the list in you comment section! Would have changed anything?
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sources - http://www.imdb.com/