Best Documentaries 2023

Critics Consensus: Poignant and profound, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie offers a captivating inside look at the life and career of a beloved entertainer.

Synopsis: The film, which will incorporate documentary, archival and scripted elements, will recount Fox's extraordinary story in his own words -- the improbable tale of an... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Tracy Pollan, Andrew Barber, David Diamond

Directed By: Davis Guggenheim

Critics Consensus: Kokomo City is a rousing docu effort that illuminates trans lives within a world of adverse circumstance and invariable optimism.

Synopsis: In the wildly entertaining and refreshingly unfiltered documentary KOKOMO CITY, filmmaker D. Smith passes the mic to four Black transgender sex workers in Atlanta and... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, Dominique Silver

Directed By: D. Smith

Critics Consensus: 20 Days in Mariupol offers a grueling but vital look at the devastating impact of war.

Synopsis: As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war's... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mstyslav Chernov, Evgeniy Maloletka

Directed By: Mstyslav Chernov

Critics Consensus: As ambitious and provocative as its subject, The Disappearance of Shere Hite is a fascinating glimpse of a remarkable life.

Synopsis: Shere Hite's 1976 bestselling book, The Hite Report, liberated the female orgasm by revealing the most private experiences of thousands of anonymous survey respondents. Her findings... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Dakota Johnson

Directed By: Nicole Newnham

Critics Consensus: A documentary that feels like a thriller, Beyond Utopia is a gripping -- and frightening -- glimpse of life under oppression.

Synopsis: A suspenseful, riveting portrait of the lengths people will go to gain freedom, BEYOND UTOPIA follows various families as they attempt to flee North Korea,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lee So-yeon, Barbara Demick, Sung-eun Kim, Hyeonseo Lee

Directed By: Madeleine Gavin

Critics Consensus: A Disturbance in the Force pulls back the curtain on an infamous chapter from a beloved franchise in delightfully entertaining fashion.

Synopsis: In 1977, "Star Wars" became a cultural phenomenon that single-handedly revitalized a stagnant film industry, and forever changed how films were sold, made, and marketed.... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Seth Green, Weird Al Yankovic, Paul Scheer, Taran Killam

Directed By: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak

Critics Consensus: While fittingly echoing Yogi Berra's famously sunny disposition, It Ain't Over persuasively makes the case for his incredible achievements on and off the baseball diamond.

Synopsis: An intimate portrait of a misunderstood American icon, this emotional and uplifting documentary about Yogi Berra takes us beyond the caricatures and "Yogisms," and into... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Billy Crystal, Bob Costas, Willie Randolph, Derek Jeter

Directed By: Sean Mullin

Critics Consensus: Enthralling for fans as well as those who've never read one of his bestsellers, The Pigeon Tunnel pulls back the curtain on a master of the espionage thriller.

Synopsis: Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris pulls back the curtain on the storied life and career of former British spy David Cornwell -- better known as... View Full Synopsis

Starring: John le Carré, Jake Dove, Charlotte Hamblin, Alan Mehdizadeh

Directed By: Errol Morris

Critics Consensus: Woooo! An engaging tribute to the rock pioneer, Little Richard: I Am Everything should shut up anyone who doubts the title's veracity.

Synopsis: LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING tells the story of the Black queer origins of rock n' roll, exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Jones, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Little Richard

Directed By: Lisa Cortes

Critics Consensus: Absorbing purely as a chronicle of her remarkable career, Joan Baez I Am a Noise is also moving as a depiction of one woman's personal journey from pain to peace and forgiveness.

Synopsis: Neither a conventional biopic nor a traditional concert film, JOAN BAEZ I AM A NOISE is a raw and intimate portrait of the legendary folk... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Joan Baez, Mimi Fariña, Bob Dylan, David Harris

Directed By: Miri Navasky, Karen O'Connor, Maeve O'Boyle