Best movies — documentaire on Apple TV+ : our Top 20

2018 · Jimmy Chin

Alex Honnold embarks on a daring attempt to be the first climber to free-solo Yosemite’s sheer 3,000-foot El Capitan. Ascending without ropes or protective equipment, he pursues what many consider a pinnacle achievement in the history of rock climbing.

With Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell, Jimmy Chin, Sanni McCandless, Mikey Schaefer, Cheyne Lempe and Mark Synnott

2014 · Juan Álvarez Neme

In a half-built theater, a neglected national ballet company lingers in obscurity until the arrival of Julio Bocca — a legendary dance figure whose presence ignites their discipline, ambition, and belief in a second chance. What was once an abandoned rehearsal space becomes a crucible of renewal, pushing each dancer to confront past failures and reach for a daring rebirth.

With Julio Bocca

1978 · Martin Scorsese

Facing imminent execution for the killing of a young couple, a condemned man on death row seeks spiritual counsel from a local nun during the last days before his sentence is carried out.

With Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson, Eric Clapton and Neil Diamond

2008 · Ari Folman

An Israeli filmmaker speaks with fellow veterans of the 1982 Lebanon invasion, collecting their testimonies to piece together and come to terms with his own memories of serving in that war.

With Ari Folman, Mickey Leon, Ori Sivan, Yehezkel Lazarov, Ronny Dayag, Shmuel Frenkel and Zahava Solomon

2006 · Davis Guggenheim

This film traces Al Gore’s determined effort to thrust climate change into the global spotlight, blending archival footage, personal interviews and behind-the-scenes access to chronicle his speeches, advocacy and the international movement that grew from his campaign.

With Al Gore, Billy West, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush

2012 · Joshua Oppenheimer

Former leaders of Indonesian death squads stage reenactments of their mass killings, each shot in the stylistic language of a different film genre. As these choreographed scenes unfold, the boundary between lived violence and theatrical performance collapses, turning atrocity into spectacle. The film examines the enduring wounds of Indonesia’s 1965–66 anti-communist purge and probes the moral and psychological landscape of those who carried out the killings, raising unsettling questions about memory, complicity and the ways societies narrate and normalize violence.

With Anwar Congo, Herman Koto, Syamsul Arifin, Ibrahim Sinik, Yapto Soerjosoemarno, Safit Pardede and Jusuf Kalla

2011 · Ron Fricke

Captured on 70mm over nearly five years and filmed across twenty-five countries on five continents, Samsara presents a visual odyssey through consecrated sites, regions marked by catastrophe, vast industrial landscapes, and the planet’s most awe-inspiring natural scenes.

With Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi, Puti Sri Candra Dewi, Putu Dinda Pratika, Marcos Luna, Hiroshi Ishiguro, Olivier De Sagazan and Ladyboys of Cascade Bar

2009 · Michael Moore

Michael Moore returns to the central question of his work, examining how unchecked corporate power corrodes the everyday lives of ordinary Americans—and, by extension, people around the world.

With Michael Moore, Elijah Cummings, Marcy Kaptur, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Thora Birch and Baron Hill

2003 · Kevin Macdonald

Based on real events, two climbers set out in 1985 to conquer the forbidding 6,344 m west face of Siula Grande in Peru's Cordillera Huayhuash; after an avalanche leaves one of them gravely injured, their descent becomes a harrowing struggle to survive, forcing impossible choices and pushing friendship and endurance to the brink.

With Brendan Mackey, Nicholas Aaron, Ollie Ryall, Joe Simpson, Richard Hawking and Simon Yates

2022 · Brett Morgen

Featuring previously unseen archival footage, the film traces David Bowie's artistic evolution and the musical experiments that shaped his singular career.

With David Bowie, Lou Reed, Tina Turner, Russell Harty, Dick Cavett, Mick Ronson and Trevor Bolder

1972 · Živko Nikolić

Against the fading echoes of its epic past, Zivko Nikolic paints a Montenegrin village in the wake of legend, exposing a stark present inhabited by the poor, the marginalized, and people with intellectual disabilities—lives neglected and left out of the grand heroic narratives.

2005 · David LaChapelle

This documentary by David LaChapelle delves into Clowning and Krumping, two electrifying street dance forms rooted in Los Angeles' economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Through candid conversations with the crews and striking on-the-street footage, the film traces how these expressive movements developed as creative escapes and constructive alternatives to the drugs, guns, and gang violence surrounding them. Unvarnished and immediate, it chronicles a burgeoning American subculture and the young people reshaping their futures through dance.

With Christopher Toler, Tommy the Clown, Miss Prissy, Dragon, Ceasare Willis, La Niña and Larry Berry

2012 · Lisanne Pajot

A raw, intimate portrait of game creators as they shape ideas into playable worlds and push them out into the market. More than a behind-the-scenes look at programming and production, it probes the emotional cost of creation—the compromises, anxieties and courage required to reveal yourself through your work.

With Jonathan Blow, Phil Fish, Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes

2010 · Jacques Perrin

In 1890, a Pony Express rider and his faithful mustang, Hidalgo, travel to the Arabian desert to enter a hazardous, long-distance race with a vast prize at stake—an ordeal that propels both horse and man on a globe-spanning, life-threatening adventure.

With Pierce Brosnan, Lancelot Perrin and Jacques Perrin

2013 · Leslie Small

A high-energy concert film that follows Kevin Hart's 2012 Let Me Explain tour, blending uproarious stand-up, electric live performances and behind-the-scenes chaos from shows in 80 cities across 10 countries, a run that generated more than $32 million in ticket revenue.

With Kevin Hart, David Terrell, David Jason Perez, Justine Herron, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells and William Horton

2022 · Alek Keshishian

After years in the spotlight, Selena Gomez reaches extraordinary levels of fame, only to be blindsided by an unforeseen crisis that plunges her into a dark, uncertain period. This raw, intimately observed documentary traces six years of struggle, healing, and the gradual emergence into a renewed sense of self.

With Selena Gomez, Raquelle Stevens and Ashley Cook

2001 · Jacques Perrin

A cinematic portrait of migratory birds as they embark on seasonal odysseys between temperate breeding grounds and tropical latitudes near the equator, covering thousands of miles and steering by celestial cues and instinct. These relentless journeys are essential to the birds’ survival, driven by the need for milder climates and reliable food supplies; along the way they face daunting obstacles—vast ocean crossings, predators, illness and injury—that push their endurance to the limit. Though departures and flights are often communal, once they arrive birds break into smaller family groups to nest and recuperate. The film shows how these movements ripple across the globe: every continent hosts migratory species at least part of the year, connecting distant ecosystems through a shared cycle of travel.

With Philippe Labro and Jacques Perrin

2009 · Michel O. Scott

A Union cavalry force is dispatched deep into Confederate territory to wreck a vital rail supply hub. Alongside them travels a physician whose prickly rapport with the unit’s commander sparks instant friction. When a young Southern woman accidentally overhears their secret plan, the troopers are compelled to bring her with them to ensure her silence, igniting a tense journey of mistrust, clashing loyalties, and escalating peril as the mission unfolds.

With Simon Baron-Cohen, Temple Grandin, Roy Richard Grinker, Rowan Isaacson, Rupert Isaacson and Kristin Neff

2010 · Jeff Tremaine

Johnny Knoxville leads a riotous crew in a feature-length showcase of outrageous physical comedy and gross-out stunts. They rampage through Japan in panda costumes, turn a once-refined golf course into utter chaos, and even stage daring routines involving live alligators, building into an escalating, no-holds-barred spectacle.

With Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jason Acuña and Preston Lacy

2002 · Jeff Tremaine

Johnny Knoxville and his crew make their theatrical debut with an adrenaline-fueled showcase of outrageous pranks and jaw-dropping stunts. From roaming Japan in panda costumes to turning a once-pristine golf course into utter chaos and staging perilous encounters with live alligators, the film delivers nonstop shock humor, physical mayhem, and increasingly audacious dares.

With Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Ryan Dunn, Jason Acuña and Preston Lacy