Best documentaries of 2022

BMG Often overlooked in favor of narrative features, documentary films can be just as engaging–if not more so. If you’re someone who doesn’t normally watch documentaries but is curious to check out a few good ones, 2022 was a banner year for nonfiction filmmaking. These include films from all over the world, wide-ranging in content, style, and creator, often award-nominated and award-winning. You could learn about the assassination attempt on a Russian presidential candidate (“Navalny”), the life of two ordinary dairy cows (“Cow”), or the history of an underground network of women who provided access to low-cost and free abortion (“The Janes”). Documentaries allow us to expand our understanding of the world in a riveting way, opening our minds to something we might never have thought to seek out. It is cinema that offers tangible discovery. If you’re looking to find a great documentary film to throw on, Stacker has you covered with a list of the 25 best documentaries that came out in 2022. Stacker used Metacritic data on all movies released in the U.S. in 2022 to rank the top 25 nonfiction films. Data is current as of Dec. 2, and ties were broken internally by digging deeper into the data from Metacritic. You may also like: 100 greatest movie songs from 100 years of film #25. Nothing Lasts Forever Kilo Films – Director: Jason Kohn – Metascore: 79 – Runtime: 87 minutes Taking a close look at a secretive industry, “Nothing Lasts Forever” reveals the unseen conflicts rising within the world of diamonds, and director Jason Kohn ends up discovering a widespread conspiracy that threatens the value of all diamonds. The film won the Sidewalk Film Festival’s special jury prize for Best Documentary Feature. Kohn’s previous documentary, “Love Means Zero,” was nominated for a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Long Sports Documentary. #24. Cow BBC Films – Director: Andrea Arnold – Metascore: 80 – Runtime: 94 minutes This compassionate documentary takes a look at the life of two dairy cows in an attempt to grant humans a greater understanding of this often misunderstood and beautiful creature. The film was nominated for Best Documentary at the BAFTA Awards. “Cow” is director Andrea Arnold’s first documentary feature, having previously directed critically acclaimed narrative films such as “Fish Tank” and “American Honey.” #23. Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues