Best Documentary Movies of 2017

The highest-rated documentary films from 2017, ranked by MovieMagicScore based on authentic viewer ratings.

Documentary 2016 Documentary 2018 All Time Documentary

Action Comedy Drama Horror Science Fiction Thriller Romance Animation Fantasy Crime

Nude

2017

NUDE explores perceptions of nudity in art by chronicling the creative process of photographer David Bellemere as he's commissioned by NU Muses founder Steve Shaw to shoot a fine art calendar of nude photographs.

9.4

Icarus

2017

While investigating the furtive world of illegal doping in sports, director Bryan Fogel connects with renegade Russian scientist Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov—a pillar of his country’s “anti-doping” program. Over dozens of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections, Fogel and Rodchenkov grow closer despite shocking allegations that place Rodchenkov at the center of Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program.

7.7

The Dawn Wall

2017

The definitive film on the climb that captured headlines and ignited imaginations worldwide. Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson ascend the hardest big wall of all time: a 19 day ascent of The Dawn Wall, on the 3,000 foot vertical face of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park. The film travels deeper than the climb, digging into the history of the climbers and painting an intimate portrait of Caldwell's harrowing life experiences that culminated in a single-minded drive to complete this impossible climb. The Dawn Wall is a heart-warming and inspiring movie that celebrates perseverance, camaraderie, and the universal spirit of dreaming big, and never giving up.

8.1

Avicii: True Stories

2017

Documentary about the arena-packing Swedish DJ, chronicling his explosive rise to fame and surprising decision to retire from live performances in 2016.

8.0

I Am Not Your Negro

2017

Working from the text of James Baldwin’s unfinished final novel, director Raoul Peck creates a meditation on what it means to be Black in the United States.

7.7

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

2017

Offbeat documentarian Chris Smith provides a behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of Man on the Moon.

7.5

Faces Places

2017

Director Agnès Varda and photographer/muralist JR journey through rural France and form an unlikely friendship.

7.6

Gaga: Five Foot Two

2017

Follow pop provocateur Lady Gaga as she releases a new album, preps for her Super Bowl halftime show, and confronts physical and emotional struggles.

7.4

Kedi

2017

A profile of Istanbul and its unique people, seen through the eyes of the most mysterious and beloved animal humans have ever known, the Cat.

7.5

#10

Spielberg

2017

A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.

7.6

#11

Earth: One Amazing Day

2017

An astonishing journey revealing the awesome power of the natural world. Over the course of one single day, we track the sun from the highest mountains to the remotest islands to exotic jungles.

7.8

#12

Speak Up

2017

Raise the voice, speak eloquently, construct and argue a discourse. Tools so necessary in life as exciting to build. In Paris, the date of Eloquentia, an oratory contest where young people —not exactly privileged— will measure their strength, is approaching.

7.8

#13

AlphaGo

2017

The ancient Chinese game of Go has long been considered a grand challenge for artificial intelligence. Yet in 2016, Google's DeepMind team announced that they would be taking on Lee Sedol, the world's most elite Go champion. AlphaGo chronicles the team as it prepares to test the limits of its rapidly-evolving AI technology. The film pits man against machine, and reveals as much about the workings of the human mind as it does the future of AI.

7.8

#14

Mommy Dead and Dearest

2017

Child abuse, mental illness, and forbidden love converge in this mystery involving a mother and daughter who were thought to be living a fairy tale life that turned out to be a living nightmare.

7.4

#15

I Am Heath Ledger

2017

The life and career of an actor, artist, and icon. His own journey through his own camera.

7.4

#16

LA 92

2017

Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen archival footage.

7.7

#17

Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated

2017

A personal and intimate look into Demi Lovato's life as not only a regular 25 year old, but also one of the biggest pop stars in the world.

7.6

#18

Chasing Coral

2017

Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called “coral bleaching”—a sign of mass coral death—has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater.

7.7

#19

Diana: In Her Own Words

2017

Using home videos recorded by her voice coach, Diana takes us through the story of her life.

7.7

#20

Jane

2017

Drawing from never-before-seen footage that has been tucked away in the National Geographic archives, director Brett Morgen tells the story of Jane Goodall, a woman whose chimpanzee research revolutionized our understanding of the natural world.

7.5

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Best Documentary Movies of 2017

This ranking features the top documentary movies released in 2017, sorted by MovieMagicScore viewer ratings. Looking for more? Browse all genres from 2017 or see the best documentary movies of all time.