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Best Documentary Movies After A Breakup From The 2020S That Will Mess With Your Mind

These documentary films were selected by the Moviepiq editorial team for after a breakup. Popularity and critic scores don't factor in here. Emotional fit does.

The best documentary movies after a breakup from the 2020s that will mess with your mind. Includes Won't You Be My Neighbor?, Free Solo, 13th and more - cura...

Post-breakup viewing is its own art form. You don't want to be preached at. You want to be absorbed into something that has nothing to do with your current situation.

The early 2020s are already proving themselves. The best films from this decade will hold up. These are among them.

The best documentaries don't just inform - they change how you see something you thought you already understood.

Won't You Be My Neighbor? movie poster
1
2018 · ★★★★☆ 8.4/10

An intimate look at America's favourite neighbor and the life, lessons, and legacy of Fred Rogers.

Free Solo movie poster
2
2018 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

Follow Alex Honnold as he attempts to become the first person to ever free solo climb Yosemite's El Capitan.

13th movie poster
3
2016 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

An in-depth look at the US prison system and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.

Searching for Sugar Man movie poster
4
2012 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock musician Rodriguez.

Amy movie poster
5
2015 · ★★★½☆ 7.8/10

The story of Amy Winehouse, in her own words, featuring archival footage and recordings.

A great documentary doesn't tell you what to think. It shows you something true and gets out of the way.

Man on Wire movie poster
6
2008 · ★★★½☆ 7.7/10

A look at tightrope walker Philippe Petit's daring, and illegal, high-wire routine performed between the World Trade Center's twin towers in 1974.

Icarus movie poster
7
2017 · ★★★½☆ 7.9/10

When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his project into a geopolitical thriller.

The Act of Killing movie poster
8
2012 · ★★★★☆ 8.2/10

A documentary about the 1965-66 Indonesian mass killings, in which former paramilitary leaders re-enact their crimes.

20 Feet from Stardom movie poster
9
2013 · ★★★½☆ 7.8/10

Backup singers discuss their careers and relationships with the stars they support.

Bowling for Columbine movie poster
10
2002 · ★★★★☆ 8.0/10

Michael Moore explores the culture of guns and violence in the United States.

Films that mess with your mind work best when they've earned your trust first. The disorientation only lands if you were fully in. These get you in.

After watching a great documentary, the world looks slightly different. That's not a small thing.

From the Blog

READ Movies That Changed How People See the World
READ Movies When You Just Got Dumped
READ Movies When You're Bored & Tired

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