Underrated Documentaries You Need To Watch

Documentaries have long been the medium for filmmakers looking to tell interesting and non-fictional stories. In recent years, largely symbiotic with the rise of home video and streaming, documentaries have moved from the back shelf to the limelight and are becoming increasingly popular. Indeed, the bigger streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video all have large portions of their catalogs dedicated to documentary films and series.

Nowadays, there are documentaries that cover pretty much everything, from in-depth explorations of the physical and natural sciences to historical dramas tracing ancient mysteries that were long forgotten before they were remembered again. While we have all undoubtedly heard of docs like "Tiger King" and "Britney vs. Spears," there are many more fantastic features that have not gotten nearly the same attention.

This list focuses on documentaries that might not be as well known as those mentioned above but still deliver highly compelling and very worthwhile stories. These are the underrated documentaries you need to watch.

As you can probably guess from the title, the 2006 documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" is all about heavy metal music. The film is written, directed, and produced by Sam Dunn, a lifelong metalhead and trained anthropologist. His goal with the film is to explore heavy metal through an anthropological framework, studying the cultural and social characteristics of the metalhead community. The film begins by looking at some of the first metal bands in the 1970s, like Black Sabbath, and traces the evolution of metal through the early 2000s.

Dunn interviews a ton of different metal musicians in the documentary, including legends like Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, and Bruce Dickinson. His approach to the film, attacking metal from an anthropological perspective, comes across very well and really allows Dunn to probe through the vast web of metal subgenres and obscure niches. One of the most interesting parts of the documentary is when Dunn delves into the connections between musicians playing extreme black metal in Norway, and a series of church burnings they committed in the early 1990s.

"Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" won a 2007 Gemini award for "Best Writing in a Documentary Program or Series," but it has largely escaped mainstream attention. However, it has a 90% critics score and 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, showing it was a big hit with audiences who have seen it. If you're a fan of heavy metal, you're definitely going to want to check this one out.

The 2002 documentary "Comedian" is one of the unknown gems of the documentary world. The film largely focuses on two stand-up comedians, veteran Jerry Seinfeld and the up-and-coming Orny Adams, as they navigate the changing world of stand-up comedy. Seinfeld is working on creating an entirely new stand-up act with all-new material to follow his enormously successful TV show and recently aired HBO special. Meanwhile, Adams is trying to learn what it takes to make it as a professional comic and is touring around trying to soak up advice from professionals when he can.

Other comics who either provide interviews or are shown doing stand-up include legends like Chris Rock, Colin Quinn, Jim Norton, and Greg Giraldo. It is a very humanizing look at the stand-up comedy industry, showing the intense pressure and expectations many participants are under to deliver quality material on a nightly basis to wildly different crowds.

While it might not have won any awards when it was released, "Comedian" was hugely influential to many young comics who watched it and went on to try their hand at stand-up comedy. Decades since its release, "Comedian" is still just as relevant, and funny, as it was back in 2002.

One of the more obscure entries on our list is the 1997 documentary "Hands on a Hardbody." Directed and produced by S.R. Bindler, the film profiles a 1995 "Hands on a Hardbody" competition being held at a Nissan dealership in Longview, Texas. The competition involves 24 contestants who compete to see who can keep their hand touching a "hardbody" pickup truck the longest, with the winner getting the truck as a reward.

The film doesn't just cover the competition, but also looks into the backstories of many of the competitors and explores their reasons for participating. For many of them living in economically depressed Longview, the truck is a gateway to a new job and potentially a much better life. Several of them have competed in the contest before, including a former winner who comes back to try and win again –- much to the chagrin of the competition. Tensions start to roil at one point after accusations about unfair judging and cheating, but for the most part, the competition is kept civil.

The documentary currently has a 91% audience score from Rotten Tomatoes, and in 2013 was adapted into a Broadway musical, with Trey Anastasio of Phish and Amanda Green writing the music. The documentary is a lighthearted mix of comedy and drama, and definitely worth a watch.

Released in 2014, "An Honest Liar" is a biopic about the life of James "The Amazing" Randi. Randi was born in 1928 and went on to become one of the world's most famous magicians and escape artists, before turning into a prominent scientific skeptic and debunker of paranormal claims. Much of the film's focus is the second half of Randi's career, when he would publicly expose other magicians and celebrities who were claiming to have psychic or other paranormal abilities.

Also profiled in the film is Randi's longtime partner José Alvarez, as well as various celebrity magicians and skeptics who were influenced by Randi during his career. The list of interviewees includes Penn and Teller, Bill Nye, Adam Savage, and Alice Cooper — who once employed Randi during his 1973 tour when he famously simulated decapitating himself onstage.

Though "An Honest Liar" did not make much at the box office, it is widely praised by critics and audience members. It is "Certified Fresh" by Rotten Tomatoes with a 98% critics score and 88% audience score. Trust us, if you enjoy scientific skepticism, you will love "An Honest Liar."

In the world of music, the 2019 documentary "Between Me and My Mind" gives an intimate look at the life and career of musician and Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. The filming for the documentary takes place from 2017 to 2018, during which Anastasio is preparing for upcoming Phish concerts while also writing a new album titled "Ghosts of the Forest." The film chronicles Anastasio and Phish as they prepare for two stints at Madison Square Garden, one over the summer of 2017 and another during the 2018 New Year's celebration.

Much of the film consists of Anastasio reflecting on his past career with friends and family members, including his wife and two daughters. The film also covers the heartbreaking loss of his lifetime friend Chris "C-Cott" Cottrell from cancer. There are copious live performances from Anastasio solo and with Phish, including incredible theatrics during their 2017 to 2018 New Year's Eve run at Madison Square Garden.

On Rotten Tomatoes, "Between Me and My Mind" currently has a 100% audience score with more than 100 audience reviews. It is an incredibly insightful and interesting look at one of rock's most innovative and creative songwriters, and well worth a watch — or two.

Jumping into the world of professional wrestling, the 2018 HBO documentary "André the Giant" takes a look at the former wrestler and his short but illustrious career. The film follows André's entire life, starting with his childhood in France and going through his wrestling career, finally ending with his tragically young death at the age of 46. While André is portrayed as a larger-than-life figure by his contemporaries and family members, his unfortunate physical and emotional struggles are also covered. Though his large stature made him a huge draw for wrestling, it was due to a condition known as acromegaly.

Former wrestlers who worked with André, including Hulk Hogan, Jerry Lawler, and Ric Flair, as well as his former boss Vince McMahon, all give in-depth interviews about him for the film. Also chronicled is his famous role in "The Princess Bride," with several of his castmates from the film also giving interviews for the documentary.

"André the Giant" is a very intimate and touching look at the former wrestler, and it currently has a 90% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Even if you're not a wrestling fan, it's still a very interesting documentary to watch.

Peter Davis released one of the most influential documentaries about the Vietnam War in 1974, called "Hearts and Minds." Filmed during the war and released between the Paris Peace Accords in 1973 and the Fall of Saigon in 1975, "Hearts and Minds" came out when there were still thousands of American personnel stationed in Vietnam. The film looks at the war from many different perspectives and has interviews with dozens of Vietnam veterans who had just recently returned home, as well as many Vietnamese people living through the war in North and South Vietnam.

One of the most powerful moments of the film involves an interview with the former commander of U.S. troops in Vietnam, General William Westmoreland. The film shows Westmoreland talking callously about how the Vietnamese people did not put the same value on life as Americans, interspersed with scenes from Vietnamese funerals showing agonized and grieving family members. The film was incredibly popular when it was released, winning the 1975 Oscar for best documentary.

In 2018, "Hearts and Minds" was added to the National Film Registry. Though it was made multiple decades ago, "Hearts and Minds" is still a very relevant documentary today. It might not still get the attention it once did, but it is a more than worthwhile watch.

While a lot of people have heard of the 2011 Oscar-nominated "Restrepo," many are not as familiar with its 2014 sequel "Korengal." "Korengal" takes place directly following the events of "Restrepo,” and is mainly filmed in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, where the U.S. Army's Second Platoon, Battle Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team was stationed. Filmed by the same people who did the first film, it also largely features the same soldiers.

The film explores the daily lives of the troops stationed in the Korengal Valley, which is where the film gets its name, and includes both combat footage and interviews with the soldiers. The interviews are incredibly interesting, as the soldiers discuss the emotional and psychological toll the war takes on them and their families back home.

"Korengal" has an 87% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, and though it is not as heralded as its predecessor, it is still a very interesting and historically valuable film.

One of the most entertaining yet underrated documentaries is the 2009 film "The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia." The documentary was produced by Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine from MTV's "Jackass" series and follows the White family from Boone County, West Virginia. The Whites are an impoverished family living in an economically depressed area, and they largely rely on illegal activities and government subsidies to stay alive.

The family also struggles with addiction to drugs and alcohol, as various members are shown engaging in excessive amounts of drug use and drug dealing. At one point, one of the family members loses her newborn child to child protective services after she was discovered to have been born with illegal drugs in her system. The family patriarch, D. Ray White, had been briefly famous in the early 1990s as a mountain dancer, and his son Jesco (pictured above with Johnny Knoxville) also found fame through dancing as "The Dancing Outlaw."

While the family's struggles are notable, the film also explores their deep connections with each other and their unflinching loyalty. It is definitely a unique look at Boone County, West Virginia, but also one that is unforgettable.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Following the life of marathon swimmer Martin Strel and the highs and lows of celebrity, 2009's "Big River Man" is one part Werner Herzog, one part Chris Smith. Strel seems like a jovial guy — until the prolonged effect of swimming up the Amazon begins to take a toll on him, leaving him ill, sweaty, and dazed. By the time he's proclaimed a god by the local citizenry, anything seems possible and one is left to wonder if he'll make his way to safety and glory after all.

Director John Maringouin sinks us into Strel's mindset and takes us deep into the dark heart of Brazil as Strel struggles through miles of vine-filled, dirt-brown water, perhaps in search of a fresh beginning for himself. It's a primordial, tough-as-nails movie about what it's like to survive the slings and arrows of Mother Nature, fate, and your own hubris. It's a fascinating — and ultimately harrowing — watch.

9/11 was a nightmare for everyone who was there, and it's hard to imagine that anyone might want to claim they were at Ground Zero on that harrowing day. But most people aren't Tania Head. In this startling 2012 National Geographic documentary, "The Woman Who Wasn't There," Head's lies about losing a fiancé and escaping death itself begin to unravel: even more terrible, she's the head of the World Trade Center Survivors' Network. The scandal that results ended in widespread attention, ultimately making Head infamous.

Director Angelo J. Guglielmo Jr. doesn't give his subject any quarter as he examines the people Head hurt, her need to make up such a monstrous falsehood, and the people who were hurt and bamboozled by her lies. The treatment is a shocking peek into what unrestrained hunger for attention, approval, and affection can do to a person when they're up against the ropes. 

What an audacious idea for a documentary. 2022's "My Old School" tells the tale of 32-year-old Brian MacKinnon, who poses as a teenager and reenters his old school under a false identity. His goal: retake his higher exams. His other goal: get into medical school, which will not accept anyone over the age of 30. He finds himself being taught by some of the same teachers, none of whom recognize him.

Jono McLeod, a documentarian, happened to have attended school with MacKinnon the first time around, and here he tells his classmate's story with humor, verve and uniqueness. MacKinnon agreed to be interviewed for the documentary but declined to appear on camera, so actor Alan Cumming "plays" MacKinnon and lip-syncs to the man's pre-recorded remarks. McLeod has fun untangling the situation, but doesn't hesitate to point out the downright weirdness and discomfit the whole scenario caused. It's a masterclass in deconstructing fraud and all of its insidious influences.