15 Most Powerful Documentaries Of The Decade (So Far)

11. Into The Abyss

Another legendary German film director, Werner Herzog, continued his fascination with the documentary format in 2011 with the film Into The Abyss, a meticulously crafted film about the prison system in America, describing it as "a gaze into the abyss of the human soul." On the surface, Into The Abyss is about a triple homicide and the experiences of those involved - but this is more of a framing device for deeper philosophical questions about the nature of violence in society and the nature of psychopathology in a system which allows state-sanctioned murder via execution. As with most of Herzog's documentaries, Into The Abyss packs an emotional punch just as it makes you question the perceived orthodoxy of a political and social structure which includes capital punishment, ultimately drawn to the living and breathing human beings who come under its sway.