10 Most Controversial Documentaries Ever Made

WatchMojo

From propaganda films to shocking exposés, these documentaries pushed boundaries and sparked intense debates. Join us as we explore the most controversial non-fiction films ever made, examining works that challenged societal norms, revealed disturbing truths, and sometimes crossed ethical lines.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most shocking, disturbing

00:10or otherwise questionable documentaries ever released.

00:13Some spoilers to come.

00:18This grim documentary, directed by Andrew Jurecki, follows Arnold Friedman and his son, Jesse,

00:40in their criminal trial.

00:42This duo, who taught computer classes to young children, were accused of sexual violence against

00:47them.

00:48While the Friedman's pleaded guilty, they claimed they had done so under fear of going

00:51to trial and getting harsher sentences, and that no crime had been done.

01:04Did they abuse anyone?

01:06Was this a case of moral panic run amok?

01:08Jurecki's even-handed impartiality received criticism, as well as the director's eventual

01:13belief in the pair's innocence.

01:18If you do it, you don't plead guilty.

01:20I never understood it.

01:22Plus, when the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, some of

01:27Friedman's alleged victims protested.

01:29It is a riddling case, alright?

01:32You know, without Daddy in this case, I can't see any reason why we shouldn't go to the

01:39media with this.

01:40of the film.

01:41The film was the only two videos that were on the other side of the film, and the film

01:42is the only one in the film.

01:43It was the most likely to be in the film.

01:44The documentary follows children Levi, Rachel and Tory as they attend Kids on Fire, run by

02:01Becky Fisher and her ministry.

02:12Fisher is open about her attempts to indoctrinate children into conservative Christian beliefs,

02:17employing tactics used by Islamic fundamentalists.

02:21These include the denial of evolution, among other scientific theories, as well as hateful

02:25preaching against homosexuality and abortion.

02:37The outrage and controversy over this camp following the documentary led to its shutting

02:42down.

02:43Sadly, questions about indoctrination being a form of abuse are still relevant.

02:47One of the first feature-length documentaries, Robert J. Flaherty's film proved contentious.

03:11Initially beginning as a travelogue, the resulting film focuses on the life and practices of an

03:16Inuit family, led by the titular Nanook, in the Canadian Arctic.

03:26Soon, however, accusations of fictionalising, staged events and even falsification arose.

03:32Nanook was actually named Alakari Alak and his wife was actually Flaherty's wife.

03:37And although the Inuit had already begun using guns and other Western technology, Flaherty

03:41encouraged them to hunt traditionally for the purposes of the film.

03:50Despite its technical achievements, the controversy over indigenous representation and misrepresentation

03:56continues on.

04:08Directed by Gabriella Cowperthwaite, this film follows orca Tilikum, and the plight of orcas

04:13at SeaWorld in general.

04:25Captured and harassed by his fellow orcas, Tilikum developed patterns of aggression, even

04:29attacking and killing trainers.

04:31The documentary also captures harrowing footage of orcas being captured and taken away.

04:36SeaWorld was also scrutinised for its practices and claims, including that their orcas had

04:40a lifespan comparable to those in the wild.

04:52The theme park came out against the film, claiming inaccuracy, exaggeration and even exploitation.

04:58I mean, who is exploiting whom?

04:59Valid expose or not, it is a film searing in its condemnation.

05:04And in the end, you know, he basically just completely mutilated that poor girl.

05:21Inspired by a 2003 article of the same theme, this grisly film follows jumpers off the Golden

05:26Gate Bridge, most of whom die in the process.

05:29Director Eric Steele filmed the bridge for a full year, avoiding publicity to lessen the

05:44chances of notoriety jumps, and even interviewing one survivor.

05:48The film did save people from jumping when they could, with the trained film crew successfully

05:53preventing six jumps.

05:54Still, bridge officials accused Steele of lying to them about his project, with Steele defending

06:00himself, saying it would have been rejected if he had told the truth.

06:04After the documentary, there have been reports of an increase in jumping.

06:07Exposure is always a double-edged sword.

06:13This Frederick Wiseman expose on mental health hospitals and institutions is undoubtedly a

06:27controversial one.

06:28Following inmates at Bridgewater State Hospital, the film captures horrific scenes of cruelty,

06:33including force-feeding, nudity, barren cells, and even bullying from members of staff.

06:45Even before Wiseman's film was released, the Massachusetts state government tried to prevent

06:50its release, claiming the documentary violated the privacy and dignity of the inmates.

06:54Then, in 1987, the families of seven inmates sued both the hospital and the state for abuses.

07:04The film was allowed to be seen by healthcare professionals, and finally released in 1992 to the public on TV.

07:11This one really touched a nerve.

07:13One of the most well-known documentaries of the early aughts is also one of the most contentious.

07:34The film follows director Morgan Sparlock in his experiments, eating only from McDonald's

07:39three times a day for one month.

07:48Sparlock captured his deteriorating health for that month in a dazzling expose on the

07:52fast-food industry.

07:53What the documentary didn't disclose was the director's heavy drinking during its filming.

07:58Other people have attempted to replicate Sparlock's experiment with much less dramatic results,

08:02as in, some even lost weight while on this diet.

08:15McDonald's retired the super-sized option, even while defending themselves against the

08:19director's claims.

08:20It is a mixed bag, but this documentary's influence cannot be denied.

08:26This film follows the Indonesian coup of 1965, which led to the killing of communists and

08:41others opposed to the new regime.

08:44Director Joshua Oppenheimer went to Medan to interview some of the participants in the slaughter,

08:49who either brag about the killings or deny it altogether.

09:02He even asked two of them, Anwar Kongo and Herman Koto, to re-enact their killings.

09:07This searing insight into these murderers inevitably sparked criticism, specifically on indulging

09:12the killer's twisted perspectives.

09:19Kongo and Koto have come out to say the film was honest and true.

09:22This provocative take on these familiar crimes shows the psychology of killing.

09:27I understand that my dreams of a jelek has come from my work.

09:36Michael Moore had already generated massive criticism for the alleged inaccuracies in his

09:50documentary Bowling for Columbine, about the Columbine school shooting, but this award-winning

09:55film about the Bush presidency proved to be even more controversial, especially among conservative

10:01groups.

10:02The documentary posited that the reasons for the US invasion of Iraq ultimately followed

10:13the logic of American oil interests, rather than the tragedy of the 9-11 attacks.

10:18The documentary's claim that the Bush administration flew members of Bin Laden's family out of the

10:22country was also contentious.

10:24Although many of its claims are largely tamed today, its conclusions still have the power

10:29to unsettle.

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10:54No documentary, however inaccurate or grisly, can ever come close to this infamous one.

11:13This beautifully shot film is an ugly propaganda piece on the Nazi Party in Germany.

11:25Directed by Lenny Riefenstahl, with Adolf Hitler himself as the unofficial producer, the film

11:29follows the Nazi Party congress in Nuremberg in 1934.

11:34Needless to say, the film was criticised, mocked, and lampooned almost from its inception.

11:49Riefenstahl herself was a participant at the rally, although she claimed she didn't know

11:53about the Nazi's antisemitism.

11:55Apart from its obviously despicable politics, many just deem the documentary boring and

12:00unconvincing to anyone but a true believer.

12:03Still, its influence in filmmaking, with its use of now-standard cinematic techniques, lives

12:08on.

12:17So, which other documentary do you know was hugely controversial?

12:20Let us know in the comments down below.

12:30And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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