Louis Theroux's Top 12 Documentaries

BaZmO*

Just noticed this on his Facebook page and thought it was interesting to see where he gets his inspiration from, or at least some of it.

I actually haven't seen any of them myself but I plan to get through them in the next while.

I’m often asked to name my favourite documentaries. I’m much too indecisive and changeable to be able to nail down a definitive list. But here are twelve I like a lot. (I was going to do ten, but then I thought of two more…)

"A Question of Consent"
Superb disturbing doc made by the team that did Cocaine Cowboys, it recounts the alleged rape of a stripper at a fraternity party in Florida, much of which was filmed by the party-goers themselves. I watched it on a plane and had to keep minimizing the screen due to the adult content. I suppose I could have stopped watching but I was too engrossed.


"A Letter to Zachary"
A posthumous love letter from the filmmaker to his murdered friend, it has one of the most explosive and upsetting twists two thirds of the way through. I recently saw this was on the IMDB as one of the most popular documentaries of all time, it’s number two right after Night and Fog. So it’s not exactly obscure but it is totally riveting.


"Thin Blue Line"
I love this film. I can still hear the distinctive musical cadences of the principal character, Randall Dale Adams, and his palpable sense of bafflement at the course his life had taken: convicted of killing a cop in cold blood. If you haven’t seen it you’re in for a treat. And this one has a happy ending.


"American Movie"
Chris Smith followed a filmmaker called Mark Borchardt and his monosyllabic sidekick Mike Shank over the course of several years to create this beautiful portrait of a man attempting to make a low-budget masterpiece. Full of accidental comedy and poignant moments.


"The Monastery: Mr. Vig and the Nun"
This one’s also about a man with a dream: an eccentric Danish bachelor who wants to convert his house into a home for Russian nuns. I saw it at Sheffield Docs Festival and never heard much about it afterwards. There’s something very special about a film that’s driven simply by actuality as it unfolds, as this one is.


"TV Junkie"
My friend Freddie Claire turned me onto it. The central character is a news reporter who obsessively documents his own life, to the point of filming his own spiralling drug addiction, the loss of his career and the breakdown of his marriage. The footage he films of his argument with his wife in front of the kids is unbelievably harrowing.


"The Queen of Versailles"
This is on at the cinema at the moment! Go see it! A wonderful portrait of a family as their dream of building America’s biggest private house crumbles in the wake of the credit crunch. It’s a riches-to-less-riches tale, very humane, very funny.


"Don’t Look Back"
Dylan’s 1965 gets the cinema verite treatment at the hands of documentary pioneer D.A. Pennebaker. Dylan comes across as both tremendously beguiling and also callow and slightly cruel. It’s black and white and looks beautiful. So many great scenes. I like the fans disagreeing about whether Dylan going electric made him just another pop band.


"Hoop Dreams"
I remember coming out of a screening of this in New York maybe fifteen years ago and just thinking Wow. The level of intimacy and the filmmaker’s commitment to the lives of their subjects: it’s like a novel.


"Catfish"
Some people said they found this fake but I bought it. There’s maybe one scene that’s a bit too good to be true, but overall I loved the strangeness of the quest and the amazing reveal when they find what they find. It’s hard to say too much without giving it away but basically it’s about an Internet romance gone awry.


"Exit Through The Gift Shop"
I used to find Banksy a bit annoying but I had a new respect for him after seeing this. It has that wonderful thing of a contributor slightly taking over the film and going in a strange and unexpected direction.


"Deep Water"
I just like this story a lot. I read the book when I was a kid, The Strange Voyage of Donald Crowhurst, about the solo round-the-world yachtsman who lost his mind at sea. But I didn’t realize there was so much archive. Very sad, too.

archie199

I saw A Question of Consent before, highly recommend it. Tough viewing!

Da Shins Kelly

BaZmO* wrote: »

"TV Junkie"
My friend Freddie Claire turned me onto it. The central character is a news reporter who obsessively documents his own life, to the point of filming his own spiralling drug addiction, the loss of his career and the breakdown of his marriage. The footage he films of his argument with his wife in front of the kids is unbelievably harrowing.

I watched this. There are some tough scenes on it and at times it's very difficult to have any sympathy for the guy, but ultimately he seems like a decent enough guy who is just seriously messed up. Good one.

Zascar

Nice find Baz, I've seen a few of these and all excellent, will deffo give the rest a watch

BaZmO*

I've only managed to see "A Question of Consent"

Harrowing stuff, it really twists your opinion back and forth. It's crazy how candid everybody involved are.

I also didn't think it'd be so graphic either.

im invisible

the most unbelieveable twist two thirds of the way through,

i stopped reading here, but by then i fear it was too late...

MagicMarker

Letter to Zachary is incredible, I don't think I'll ever forget the impact it had on me.

Lizabellem

"Catfish"
Some people said they found this fake but I bought it. There’s maybe one scene that’s a bit too good to be true, but overall I loved the strangeness of the quest and the amazing reveal when they find what they find. It’s hard to say too much without giving it away but basically it’s about an Internet romance gone awry.

Cat Fish is a metaphor - by the doubt and the question arising from it, 'is it real or fake?', it forces us to examine the examine and content of whats on the internet. 'is it real or fake?'
It is a really good doco.

maximoose

Have only seen Catfish and Exit through the Giftshop of these, will def give the rest a look

I love you Louis!

ElleEm

Thanks for this, OP.

I am a big fan of Theroux, and have seen a few of these documentaries. Will aim to watch some of them over Christmas!

HelloGiggles

My boyfriend actually introduced me to Louis Theroux's work. I absolutely love his approach.

I've seen "Don’t Look Back" "Hoop Dreams" "Catfish" "Exit Through The Gift Shop"- All great- although i'd be weary of CATFISH:rolleyes:

My favorite documentaries would be:

Hell and back again by Danfung Dennid
Fantastic film.

Frank and Cindy by G.J. Echternkamp

Stevie-By Steve James
Theres no trailer on line but here's the description:
In 1995, filmmaker Steve James returns to Pomona, a beautiful rural hamlet in Southern Illinois to reconnect with Stevie Fielding, for whom James once served as an advocate Big Brother. He finds that the once difficult, awkward child has become ten years later an angry and troubled young man. Part way through filming, Stevie is arrested and charged with a serious crime. He confesses to the crime and then later recants. The filmmaker himself is drawn into the film as he tries to sort out his own feelings, past and present, about Stevie and how to deal with him in the wake of his arrest. What was to be a modest profile of Stevie, turns into an intimate four and a half year chronicle of a dysfunctional family's struggle to heal.


Hit so hard

and what's number 5 hmmmnnn:rolleyes:

well, I'm still looking for number 5 :P

mikom

High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell documents 18 months in the lives of three crack addicts in Lowell, Massachusetts.
One of the crack users in it is Boxer Dick Eklund who was also the subject of the film The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.
Be warned, it's fairly full on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djsttW52Iuo

SubBusted

BaZmO* wrote: »

I actually haven't seen any of them myself but I plan to get through them in the next while.

A lot of those are not TV anyway, they got released in the cinemas. Salesman and Olympiad are two others worth checking out.

BaZmO*

SubBusted wrote: »

A lot of those are not TV anyway, they got released in the cinemas.

Yeah I know. I don't get your point

BaZmO*

Just noticed that Catfish is on Channel 4 now. It started 45mins ago but it'll be on Channel 4 +1 in 15 minutes. I have it on record.

maximoose

I watched Dear Zachary at the weekend and I really recommend it, it does look a little dated but the story is incredible.

BaZmO*

I watched 3 over the weekend.

Catfish: Really good but I can see how people thought it was fake. The production is really slick and almost "ad like" so it gives it a real fake/too good to be true vibe. Great story though.

A Letter to Zachary: Fantastic documentary, and a real emotional rollercoaster. Extremely sad and uplifting at the same time.

Thin Blue Line: Incredible stuff. It reminded me of a real life "My Cousin Vinny" without all the funny stuff. It's crazy that so many can be involved in a situation like this.

Cora Mahoney

"A Letter to Zachary"
A posthumous love letter from the filmmaker to his murdered friend, it has one of the most explosive and upsetting twists two thirds of the way through. I recently saw this was on the IMDB as one of the most popular documentaries of all time, it’s number two right after Night and Fog. So it’s not exactly obscure but it is totally riveting.

I just watched this now and I cried almost through the entire movie. Unbelievable story, the parents must be made of pure gold, just so much evil and pure love in one film, simply amazing. I am emotionally wrung out, but yet inspired. Might be the best doc I have ever seen, can't believe I'd never even heard of it until your thread....so thank you so much for passing it on. An absolute must-see for anyone who hasn't caught it yet, man or woman. This ain't no "chick flick" (so don't be put off by my cryin )

BaZmO*

Watched "Exit Through The Gift Shop" over the weekend. Great documentary. I was actually surprised how good this was. It went in a totally different direction than I had imagined.