BY: Georgia Davis

Documentaries have always been provocative. They turn your brain on in ways that we can’t comprehend. Some give us a glimpse into someone else’s world, and some give us insight into our own world. They also defy genre and format. 2026’s best documentaries are no different. From showing us things we’ve never seen to being daring enough to film a person going to prison, these are the best and most provocative documentaries we’ve seen this year.

YOU CAN SEE EVERYTHING

Perhaps you’ve heard of this new project from cringe-humorist Nathan Fielder? In his boundary-pushing documentary You Can See Everything, Fielder and co-director Lance Oppenheim step into the life of Theranos founder and fraudster Elizabeth Holmes as she prepares for prison. It changes what a documentary can be and will be the topic of every discussion.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM

Prolific Civil Rights documentarian William Greaves had unreleased footage of surviving Harlem Renaissance artists gathering in 1972. Greaves died in 2014, but his son, David Greaves, has released the footage this year for Once Upon a Time in Harlem. It’s an important historical text that makes you wonder why more of these stories aren’t covered.

THE HISTORY OF CONCRETE

The History of Concrete is about more than just the stuff you walk on; it’s a documentary about movies. Director John Wilson hilariously goes to a workshop about how to write and pitch a Hallmark movie. When he’s done, he applies the formula to a documentary about—you guessed it—concrete.

OASIS: DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER

Some of the best documentaries uncover stories about people we revere. Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger does just that as somewhat estranged brothers Liam and Noah Gallagher prepare for a show on their reunion tour in 2025. The documentary shows unseen footage and documents the rise of their stardom. It’s one you don’t want to miss.

EVEREST: THE OTHER SIDE

From the documentarians who brought you Free Solo (Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin), Everest: The Other Side chronicles one couple’s ambition to climb and ski the north face of the iconic mountain. The film also uncovers the Sherpa People’s experiences taking people of with this much time and money on these grueling expeditions.

THE CRASH

Now, we couldn’t leave our true crime lovers hanging. The Crash is the most daring true crime documentary of the year. It breaks format in a captivating way by showing you the different angles of a tragic story. Time to watch, PROVOKRs.