8 EXCITING DOCUMENTARIES

BY: Amanda Jane Stern

At PROVOKR, we love an excellent documentary. Here are eight upcoming documentaries we look forward to seeing:

ASSASSINS

Distributor: Magnolia Pictures

Premise: Ryan White‘s documentary tracks the trial of two women convicted of assassinating Kim Jong-un’s half brother, Kim Jong-nam. The film strives to uncover whether the women were ruthless killers or just political pawns caught up in a deadly game.

BEASTIE BOYS STORY

Distributor: Apple TV+

Premise: Spike Jonze‘s documentary features Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz and Mike Diamond discussing the band’s history and their friendship while paying tribute to the late Adam Yauch. The movie was filmed entirely at Brooklyn’s Kings Theater and is more like a TED talk than a traditional documentary.

Release Date: in Imax Theaters April 3, online April 24

CRAZY, NOT INSANE

Distributor: TBD

Premise: Alex Gibney‘s new documentary was supposed to premiere at SXSW, but since the festival’s cancellation, it’s not known when it will premiere. The movie follows psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Lewis who works with violent criminals. The doc includes footage of interviews she’s conducted with prison inmates to ask why do people kill?

DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD

Distributor: Netflix

Premise: In Kirsten Johnson‘s documentary, the filmmaker grapples with her father Dick’s illness. He is in the early stages of dementia and facing impending death. Johnson stages different, witty ways in which he can die. The film premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance Film Festival.

THE DISSIDENT

Distributor: TBD

Premise: Bryan Fogel‘s documentary, another Sundance premiere, dives into the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi officials. It details the Saudi government’s efforts to quell dissension.

GRETA

Distributor: Hulu

Premise: This documentary, from Nathan Grossman, follows Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. He’s followed her since 2018 and the doc opens with Greta’s climate strike at age 15. The film follows her to the present day and showcases her continued fight.

LEAP OF FAITH: WILLIAM FRIEDKIN ON ‘THE EXORCIST’

Distributor: TBD

Premise: William Friedkin‘s 1973 movie The Exorcist is an acclaimed horror movie. Alexandre O. Philippe‘s new documentary explores the making of this frightening classic and includes interviews with the filmmaker. It’s called a cinematic essay instead of a more traditional “making of” documentary.

VIVOS

Distributor: Cinephil

Premise: Artist and filmmaker Ai Weiwei‘s documentary investigates the circumstances surrounding 49 students who were murdered or “forcibly disappeared” in Mexico in 2014 after a police raid. It follows the families of the 49 victims, six who died and the remaining 43 who “disappeared.”