15 Best Documentaries Of 2020
The wildest documentaries from 2020.
2020 has been incident filled to say the least, and it stands to reason that a year as unruly as this one has produced some terrific documentaries. With so little else to do, it has been particularly enjoyable to dive into other worlds, and we’ve all had plenty of time to invest in the latest lengthy Netflix series, as well as standalone feature films.
There have been documentaries covering the pressing issues of our time, taking us right up to date on this tumultuous year, and those lifting the lid on the past, shining lights on forgotten pieces of history or reappraising events we think we all know well.
They’ve focussed on a wide range of topics, to wars and events of significant global import to the deeply personal - family relations, singular goals and dreams, individuals worthy of reverence and deep consideration.
These are the 15 documentary movies and series that you need to see from 2020, that are eye opening, moving, hilarious and thrilling in equal measure. They prove, as ever, that truth tends to be a whole lot stranger than fiction.
15. Tiger King
Never has a documentary been released with such fortuitous timing. As we were all sentenced to stay within our homes for the foreseeable, a fascinating new series dropped about a compellingly odd man named Joe Exotic and his obsessive bond with man eating cats.
Tiger King was just what we needed, a compulsively watchable series with something for all tastes. On the surface, it had a freakshow quality, a parade of oddballs engaging in bigamy, running a seriously shady-looking zoo with questionable health and safety practises. Joe Exotic himself has an instantly iconic look, and in any other year would be the go-to Halloween costume once October rolled around.
Then there was Tiger King’s darker side. Exotic has an enemy in Carole Baskin; she seems like a voice of reason, looking out for the tigers, until theories arise as to the fate of her missing husband. There are lawsuits, assassination attempts, FBI intervention - things get very messy, very fast.
Tiger King isn’t a great piece of documentary filmmaking, overstaying its welcome quite badly towards the end of its run, but in 2020, it was just what we needed.