Documentaries About People That Give You Hope For Humankind

Errol Morris's 1978 masterpiece Gates of Heaven, which is about pet cemeteries and the people who operate them, sounds like it would be depressing. It's the complete opposite. The film starts off homing in on Floyd McClure, a man whose dog was run over by a car when he was a boy, launching his dream of opening a pet cemetery that would honor what animals mean to their owners. He succeeded, but when his business went bankrupt, 450 animals had to be dug up. That's when the film switches to Cal Herberts, the man who brought those exhumed animals to his own cemetery. He's more business-minded, realizing there's money to be made from helping pet owners through their grief. Due to its odd concept and the fact that documentaries were largely confined to arthouses and college film societies in the late '70s, Gates of Heaven likely would have faded into obscurity were it not for critics Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, who tirelessly trumpeted the movie on their TV show, helping it gain recognition. They praised the film for its empathy and compassion, but also for the way Morris gets his subjects to reveal their deepest, most eccentric thoughts about pets, life, and everything in between. In his print review, Ebert said Gates of Heaven “is so rich and thought-provoking, it achieves so much while seeming to strain so little, that it stays in your mind for tantalizing days.” Incidentally, fellow documentary filmmaker Werner Herzog was so skeptical that Morris would finish the movie that he made an unusual bet, offering to eat his own shoe if he lost. He made good on the bet, consuming part of a boot during Gates of Heaven's premiere.

A good documentary makes you feel like you personally know the subjects after it's over. Iris is one of those. This 2014 work from legendary documentarian Albert Maysles introduces viewers to Iris Apfel, a noted fashion designer still doing her thing as a centenarian. Apfel is known for her embrace of wild fashion, mixing styles and colors in unique ways. She also demonstrates a love for costume jewelry. In fact, her motto on that count is practically “the more the better.” Part of Iris is a history of the woman at its center, and the rest shows her continuing to work at an advanced age. The big takeaway is there's something deeply admirable about taking chances. Apfel believes in using fashion as a personal statement. She sees nothing wrong with being bold and taking fashion risks in the name of individuality. Iris celebrates that outlook. As film critic Alonso Duralde wrote in his review, “you’ll be charmed and delighted - and maybe even inspired to try something risky next time you get dressed up.”

You're never too old to try something new. That's a lesson imparted in the 2008 documentary Gotta Dance, which introduces us to 12 senior citizens who formed a hip-hop dance team that performs at New Jersey Nets basketball games. Director Dori Berinstein follows them as they audition, practice the routines, and eventually make their big debut at center court. We get to know the dancers in the process, learning about their lives and the reasons behind their desire to dance. Most of us have at least a little trepidation about tackling something outside our wheelhouse. It can be scary to fail. The subjects of Gotta Dance push through that. They don't want to be seen as a gimmick; they want to be the best hip-hop dance team possible. Watching them dedicate themselves to the grueling process of mastering the moves is inspiring, proving to viewers that you can, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks. When you see them in action, you'll become a true believer.

From the time it had its world premiere at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, Lily Topples the World had critics raving. It puts viewers up close and personal with Lily Hevesh, a domino artist and YouTube star who puts together some of the biggest, most elaborate domino structures imaginable. She does things with dominoes that most people probably didn't even know were possible. The movie shows her at work, creating her phenomenal structures and working with a toy company to fulfill the dream of getting her own line of dominoes off the ground. A large part of the pleasure in Lily Topples the World is seeing Hevesh's set-ups hypnotically fall. This is truly a jaw-dropping film in that respect. Beyond that, you get to see what a kind person she is, traveling the world to share her love of dominoes with others, especially kids. There are even lessons to be learned from watching her, as patience, precision, and perseverance are the keys to her success. The film is guaranteed to make you feel good.

The 2015 documentary Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is based on a book of the same name. Its subjects are Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala, two guys who became obsessed with Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark after seeing it in 1981, when they were 11 years old. In fact, they were so obsessed that a year later they decided to remake the film, scene-for-scene, using a VHS home video camera and casting it with themselves and their friends. It took years to complete, but they actually did it. The fun of the documentary comes in seeing the footage they filmed and hearing how they employed creativity to re-create some of the more challenging scenes. Building a homemade boulder for the famous opening was especially challenging, and at one point, they accidentally set someone on fire trying to replicate a scene. Although the idea of remaking Raiders may sound bonkers, witnessing the dedication these kids put into their production is inspiring. They ended up making a movie that is far more than a knockoff; it's a love letter to a classic piece of cinema.

If you regularly watch animated fare, you've probably thought the voices on different shows sounded familiar. I Know That Voice tells you why. This 2013 documentary interviews some of the top names in the field. Among them are Tom Kenny, E.G. Daily, and Tara Strong. You may not know their names, but if you've watched SpongeBob SquarePants, Rugrats, Teen Titans Go, Ben 10, or literally dozens of other cartoon shows, you've definitely encountered their work. I Know That Voice helps viewers build an appreciation for cartoon voicework. The actors don't just stand in front of a microphone and recite dialogue; they give full-bodied performances, often acting out their scenes as if doing something in live-action. There's also illumination into how they create the signature voices for the characters they play, working to ensure that the vocals and the visuals go together. Stereotyping voice actors as “not real actors” is easy. After seeing this film, no one will ever make that mistake again.

If you like birds, 2003's The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill will delight you. If you don't, you'll be riveted anyway, thanks to the man at the center. He's Mark Bittner, an intermittently homeless musician who discovers a flock of parrots in San Francisco. What makes the parrots special is that they're South American, and no one knows how they made their way to California. Bittner forms a bond with them, to the point where they almost become like his children in some ways. When circumstances threaten to put him out of the cottage where he's been staying free of charge, his concern is as much with the birds as it is with himself. The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill spends a fair amount of time on the birds, a couple of whom have stories that Bittner relates. They're undoubtedly beautiful to look at. The true focus, however, is Bittner himself, a man who sees more in these birds than you would expect. To him, they represent life, hope, optimism, and inspiration. He's got serious financial problems, yet forming a connection to the birds makes his often difficult life a little happier. This is a fantastic documentary to watch the next time you want to feel uplifted.

Maiden is a great human spirit documentary, as well as a great sports documentary. This 2018 release tells the story of the first all-female crew to compete in the Whitbread Round the World Race (now called The Ocean Race), a well-respected event that, as the name implies, requires sailing around the globe. Skipper Tracy Edwards and her team appear on camera to talk about how they came to participate in a male-dominated sport, and how the inherent misogyny in the sailing community became their motivation to endure difficult conditions, including subzero wind chills when going through the Antarctic. Astonishing footage the woman filmed on their trek helps convey the enormity of their achievement. While it's true that Maiden honors the power of women, it's equally a great tale of teamwork. Edwards and crew were out at sea for weeks at a time, with no one to rely on but themselves. The movie illustrates how they cared for one another and lifted each other up whenever the situation started to wear on somebody. Maiden is an entertaining, captivating reminder that glass ceilings were made to be shattered.

Parking lot attendants have thankless jobs. People drive up, hand them the keys to their cars, and probably don't think twice about them. They're the kind of “invisible” workers who serve us anonymously. The Parking Lot Movie, released in 2010, gives these professionals their due. Director Meghan Eckman took her cameras to the Corner Parking Lot in Charlottesville, VA, to interview current and past employees about their jobs, their lives, and their outlooks on the world. What she found is surprising. Working the job has turned them into street anthropologists, with unique, colorful views on humankind, all built from watching the customers whose cars they park. You wouldn't think you could tell much about a person from the car they drive or how they pull into a lot, but the film's subjects prove otherwise. The Parking Lot Movie also has several very humorous moments in which the workers talk about ways they got revenge on customers who acted like jerks to them. The movie is a terrific reminder that people doing the jobs we take for granted can actually be fascinating if we spend time getting to know them.

Life in a Day was directed by Kevin Macdonald, but it was made by hundreds of people from around the world. This ambitious 2011 film focuses on a single day, July 24, 2010. Ordinary people were recruited to film something happening in their lives that day and submit it for consideration. Macdonald and his editing team sorted through the submissions and figured out which ones they wanted to use. Those chosen clips were then assembled into the final work. Many of the clips are only a few seconds long, but put together, they provide a collective portrait of our world. Some people filmed landscapes or animals. Others captured weddings, births, depressive episodes, illnesses, poverty and wealth, adventure, and fun. The effect of Life in a Day is that it reminds us how varied life actually is, and how many different things we experience over the course of it. Even without a traditional narrative, the movie makes an emotional impact because there's something in here to touch everybody. It additionally reminds us of the humanity we all share.

What were you doing when you were 12 years old? Emily Hagins was making a horror movie. The 2009 doc Zombie Girl: The Movie - which is streaming on Kanopy - follows this scrappy, determined young girl as she makes Pathogen, a feature-length zombie flick. Emily's mom watches over the process, serving not just as a parent but also as a producer and overall manager. They alternately clash and collaborate. As the documentary goes on, we get to witness many of the struggles that come with DIY filmmaking. Making a movie is hard for adults. Being a kid and making one is almost impossible. Zombie Girl: The Movie is a tribute to Emily Hagins's dedication. Sure, she could go hang out with friends, or play video games. That's not what she wants, though. She wants to make a movie. Seeing her overcome obstacles to fulfill her vision gives you hope for the young people who are out there changing the world every day. On a larger scale, the film is also a great primer on the challenges of indie filmmaking.

Perhaps you've done crossword puzzles, but have you ever stopped to think about the people who come up with them? It's a challenging task, and Will Shortz is the master of it. He's the primary subject of 2006's Wordplay. Director Patrick Creadon follows Shortz and other crossword creators to learn what it takes to construct a puzzle and concoct good clues. The film also features interviews with famous crossword buffs like comedian Jon Stewart and former President Bill Clinton, who expound upon the joys of correctly deciphering a clue. Finally, the film takes us to the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, which Shortz created, where we meet some of the competitors, watching how they simultaneously bond over a shared love and compete to win. Wordplay is a celebration of a small thing that brings so much joy to so many people. Crosswords provide fun, relaxation, and mental stimulation. In spending 90 minutes with people who create and consume them, we get a chance to scrutinize one of life's simple pleasures. What comes off from Shortz, in particular, is that a strong sense of creativity goes into making a good puzzle - one the audience picks up on and appreciates. Walking away from Wordplay, it's impossible not to recognize what an art form crossword-making is.

Errol Morris is one of the great documentarians of our time, and his 1997 film Fast, Cheap & Out of Control is one of his most noteworthy works. In it, he casts his gaze upon four men - a topiary gardener, an expert on hairless mole rats, a lion tamer, and a robotics designer. His goal is to explore their obsessions, to figure out what makes them so determined to pursue their esoteric interests. Through his self-invented camera technique known as the Interrotron - which allows the subject to look directly at the interviewer, thereby encouraging greater openness in answering questions - he gets them to explain the whys of what they do. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control therefore becomes an investigation into passion. It could be argued that Morris has no greater point with the film; he's simply interested in what drives people to take on uncommon pursuits. The approach works well as a meditation on the things that keep us distracted and/or occupied in life. As critic Roger Ebert put it in his four-star review, “To watch the movie is to reflect that no matter how hard we work, our lives are but a passing show.” Morris's four subjects put on a wildly entertaining show.

Craigslist Joe, released in 2012, is very modern in its subject matter. As the title implies, it revolves around Craigslist, that online hub of classified ads. The subject is 29-year-old Joseph Garner, who has the idea to abandon traditional life for a month, hitting the road and existing solely on things he acquires from Craigslist. He finds his rides, meals, and entertainment all through the website. For example, he gets a free lunch in exchange for helping install a television. This puts him in contact with an eclectic group of strangers. Watching Joe do this for a month illuminates an important point - a real person is behind every single Craigslist ad. The internet affords, for better or worse, a certain amount of anonymity. Craigslist Joe pulls the curtain back on that, showing the actual human beings looking to deal with other actual human beings in one form or another. Often funny, sometimes touching, the movie is an examination of those temporary connections we make with other people.