Top 20 Most Controversial Documentaries Ever Made

20 Most Controversial Documentaries Ever Made

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most politically or morally contentious documentaries ever released.

#20: “Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God” (2012)

It seems like we have always known about the crimes committed by and covered up by clergymen. While this documentary, directed by Alex Gibney, is not the first to do so, it perhaps is among the most controversial. The documentary follows four deaf men as they sue the priest who assaulted them at Milwaukee school in the ‘60s. It turned out that this priest abused more than 200. “Mea Maxima Culpa” won a Peabody Award and a few Primetime Emmys. Of course, the Catholic Church has insisted these are isolated incidents. We won’t forget this exposé on systemic abuse in a hurry.

#19: “Kurt & Courtney” (1998)

Nirvana and Kurt Cobain fans know this infamous documentary. Directed by Nick Broomfield, this documentary follows Cobain’s troubled life and death. It also explores the dark theory that Cobain’s wife, Courtney Love, conspired to kill him. Broomfield eventually sided against these conspiracy theories in the film proper, but his eschewing Cobain for an increasingly unflattering character portrait of Love raised many eyebrows. For her part, Love refused to license Nirvana’s music for use in the documentary and perhaps understandably tried to suppress the film. There was little ove for this film and much controversy.

#18: “2016: Obama’s America” (2012)

Political polemics are always predictably contentious. Right-wing provocateur Dinesh D’Souza and John Sullivan created this documentary on the life and career of Barack Obama, drawing parallels between him and D’Souza’s own life and immigrant experiences. Although a sleeper hit, critics lambasted the film as little more than character assassination. The film’s claims that Obama harbored anti-colonialist views from his Kenyan father, whom he had not seen since he was ten, were not looked on kindly either. The film’s low critical ratings and fearmongering make it among the most controversial political documentaries.

#17: “The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer” (1992)

This documentary, part one of a three-part series, follows family man Richard Kuklinski, who claimed to have killed over 200 people in his life. Kuklinski was a hitman working for the mob. Interviewed behind bars while serving a sentence for multiple homicide, Kuklinski details his life, including his difficult childhood raised by his abusive father. Upon running away from home, he fell into a life of crime and was even given a nickname for his cold-blooded approach: The Iceman. Both Kuklinski’s normalcy and his sociopathy make this film a chilling one to watch.

#16: “The Cove” (2009)

Directed by Louie Psihoyos, this film is an exposé of Japanese dolphin hunting practices and the country’s whaling practices in general. Following former dolphin trainer, Ric O’Barry, the crew goes to the port town of Taiji, Japan. They seek to record the dolphin hunting there, only to be dogged and stonewalled by the locals and government officials. Although praised for its edge-of-your-seat thrills, the documentary’s activist leanings were greeted with more skepticism. The film was also met with backlash from Taiji locals and officials. SeaWorld had to confirm they did not purchase any wild dolphins from these hunts.

#15: “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills” (1996)

This film follows the trial of the West Memphis Three, teenage youths accused of a grisly murder, seemingly as part of a satanic ritual. It turns out that one confession by Jessie Misskelley Jr. may have been false, and there was a lack of physical evidence overall. Misskelley quickly recanted his confession, citing coercion by the police, and a key witness also recanted her testimony. Directed by Joseph Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, the film was commended for its exploration of grievous police misconduct, winning an Emmy.

#14: “Citizenfour” (2014)

Talk about controversy. This Laura Poitras documentary is about her first contact with Edward Snowden, an NSA agent turned whistleblower. Upon receiving an encrypted email from Snowden, Poitras agrees to meet him at a Hong Kong hotel, with journalist Glenn Greenwald and intelligence reporter Ewen MacAskill in tow. There, Snowden reveals the illegal wiretapping practices of the NSA and other U.S. intelligence agencies. This shocking documentary received both critical acclaim and backlash. Its producers were even subject to a lawsuit accusing them of aiding and abetting Snowden. It was dropped, but the film clearly hit a nerve.

#13: “The Thin Blue Line” (1988)

This seminal documentary, even marked for preservation by the Library of Congress, was directed by Errol Morris. The film follows the trial of Randall Dale Adams, accused of shooting and killing Robert W. Wood, a Dallas police officer. Morris even discovers the real murderer, David Harris, proving Adams’ innocence. The documentary was controversial for its use of dramatic re-enactments and film score, unusual for documentaries at the time. It was even disqualified for the category and thus unable to be considered for an Academy Award. Regardless, “The Thin Blue Line” went on to win several awards, inspiring other filmmakers.

#12: “Abducted in Plain Sight” (2017)

This true crime documentary about an Idaho minor kidnapped in the 1970s by a neighbor is one of many twists and turns. Jan Broberg was abducted by family friend Robert Berchtold, who groomed her into accepting her assault. Not only that, but Berchtold blackmailed her parents into signing an affidavit claiming he had gotten permission from them to take Jan. Berchtold then kidnapped Jan a second time for even longer before the FBI finally put him behind bars for good. How did Berchtold manage all this? He convinced the Broberg family that alien abductions and UFOs existed. It’s a shocking tale of not just abuse, but denial as well.

#11: “Catfish” (2010)

It seems that “catfish” as a term has been around forever, but it was really this documentary that coined it. Photographer Nev Schulman becomes online friends with Abby, an 8-year-old prodigy artist, and starts a romance with her older half-sister, Megan. Of course, things aren’t always what they seem. Schulman and his siblings quickly find out about the lies spun by the mother, Angela Wesselman-Pierce, who was the one creating separate fake Facebook accounts. Since its release, the documentary has been accused of being fake, although Angela Wesselman-Pierce’s family and life were confirmed to be real. It’s all very strange.

#10: “Capturing the Friedmans” (2003)

This grim documentary, directed by Andrew Jarecki, follows Arnold Friedman and his son, Jesse, in their criminal trial. This duo, who taught computer classes to young children, was accused of sexual violence against them. Although the Friedmans pleaded guilty, they claimed they had done so under fear of going to trial and getting harsher sentences, and that no crime had been done. Did they abuse anyone? Was this a case of moral panic run amok? Jarecki’s even-handed impartiality received criticism, as well as the director’s eventual belief in the pair’s innocence. Plus, when the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, some of Friedman’s alleged victims protested. It’s a riddling case, all right.

#9: “Jesus Camp” (2006)

Chilling and sinister, this documentary about a charismatic Christian summer camp is scarier than most horror films. The documentary follows children Levi, Rachael, and Tory as they attend Kids on Fire, run by Becky Fischer and her ministry. Fischer is open about her attempts to indoctrinate children into conservative Christian beliefs, employing tactics used by Islamic fundamentalists. These include the denial of evolution among other scientific theories, as well as hateful preaching against homosexuality and abortion. The outrage and controversy over this camp following the documentary led to its shutting down. Sadly, questions about indoctrination being a form of abuse are still relevant.

#8: “Nanook of the North” (1922)

One of the first feature-length documentaries, Robert J. Flaherty’s film proved contentious. Initially beginning as a travelogue, the resulting film focuses on the life and practices of an Inuit family, led by the titular Nanook, in the Canadian Arctic. Soon, however, accusations of fictionalizing, staged events, and even falsification arose. Nanook was actually named Allakariallak, and his wife was actually Flaherty’s. And although the Inuit had already begun using guns and other Western technology, Flaherty encouraged them to hunt traditionally for the purposes of the film. Despite its technical achievement, the controversy over Indigenous representation—and misrepresentation—continues on.

#7: “Blackfish” (2013)

Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, this film follows orca Tilikum, and the plight of orcas at SeaWorld in general. Captured and harassed by his fellow orcas, Tilikum developed patterns of aggression, even attacking and killing trainers. The documentary also captures harrowing footage of orcas being captured and taken away. SeaWorld was also scrutinized for its practices and claims, including that their orcas had a lifespan comparable to those in the wild. The theme park came out against the film, claiming inaccuracy, exaggeration, and even exploitation. Who is exploiting whom? Valid exposé or not, it is a film searing in its condemnation.

#6: “The Bridge” (2006)

Inspired by a 2003 article of the same theme, this grisly film follows jumpers off the Golden Gate Bridge, most of whom die in the process. Director Eric Steel filmed the bridge for a full year, avoiding publicity to lessen the chances of notoriety jumps, and even interviewing one survivor. The film did save people from jumping when they could, with the trained film crew successfully preventing six jumps. Still, bridge officials accused Steel of lying to them about his project, with Steele defending himself, saying it would have been rejected if he had told the truth. After the documentary, there have been reports of an increase in jumping. Exposure is always a double-edged sword.

#5: “Titicut Follies” (1967)

This Frederick Wiseman exposé on mental health hospitals and institutions is undoubtedly a controversial one. Following inmates at Bridgewater State Hospital, the film captures horrific scenes of cruelty, including force-feeding, nudity, barren cells, and even bullying from members of staff. Even before Wiseman’s film was released, the Massachusetts state government tried to prevent its release, claiming the documentary violated the privacy and dignity of the inmates. Then in 1987 the families of seven inmates sued both the hospital and the state for abuses. The film was allowed to be seen by health care professionals and finally released in 1992 to the public on TV. This one really touched a nerve.

#4: “Super Size Me” (2004)

One of the most well-known documentaries of the early aughts is also one of the most contentious. The film follows director Morgan Spurlock in his experiment; eating only from McDonald’s three times a day for one month. Spurlock captured his deteriorating health for that month in a dazzling exposé on the fast food industry. What the documentary didn’t disclose was the director’s heavy drinking during its filming. Other people have attempted to replicate Spurlock’s experiment with much less dramatic results—as in, some even lost weight while on this diet. McDonald’s retired the super size option even while defending themselves against the director’s claims. It’s a mixed bag, but this documentary’s influence cannot be denied.

#3: “The Act of Killing” (2012)

This film follows the Indonesian coup of 1965, which led to the killing of communists and others opposed to the new regime. Director Joshua Oppenheimer went to Medan to interview some of the participants in the slaughter, who either brag about the killings or deny it altogether. He even asked two of them, Anwar Congo and Herman Koto, to re-enact their killings. This searing insight into these murderers inevitably sparked criticism, specifically, on indulging the killers’ twisted perspectives. Congo and Koto have come out to say the film was honest and true. This provocative take on these familiar crimes shows the psychology of killing.

#2: “Fahrenheit 9/11” (2004)

Michael Moore had already generated massive criticism for the alleged inaccuracies in his documentary, “Bowling for Columbine,” about the Columbine school shooting. But this award-winning film about the Bush presidency proved to be even more controversial, especially among conservative groups. The documentary posited that the reasons for the U.S. invasion of Iraq ultimately followed the logic of American oil interests rather than the tragedy of the 9/11 attacks. The documentary’s claim that the Bush administration flew members of bin Laden’s family out of the country was also contentious. Although many of its claims are largely tame today, its conclusions still have the power to unsettle.

#1: “Triumph of the Will” (1935)

No documentary, however inaccurate or grisly, can ever come close to this infamous one. This beautifully shot film is also an ugly propaganda piece on the Nazi Party in Germany. Directed by Leni Riefenstahl, with Adolf Hitler himself as the unofficial producer, the film follows the Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg in 1934. Needless to say, the film was criticized, mocked, and lampooned almost from its inception. Riefenstahl herself was a participant at the rally, although she claimed she didn’t know about the Nazis’ antisemitism. Apart from its obviously despicable politics, many just deemed the documentary boring and unconvincing to anyone but a true believer. Still, its influence in filmmaking, with its use of now-standard cinematic techniques, lives on.

Which other documentary do you know stirred some major controversy? Let us know in the comments down below!