Political Docos
Due to the great influx of socio-political documentaries over the last couple of years, Alice thought it was time they had a section of their own. Included here are political bios ('Comandante', 'Mahatma Gandhi: Pilgrim of Peace'); films dealing with the mechanics of politics ('Rats in the Ranks', 'The War Room'); and those dedicated to political issues as diverse as homelessness ('It Was A Wonderful Life'), the death penalty ('Mr Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A Leuchter Jr'), corporate depletion of natural resources ('End of Suburbia'); civil rights ('4 Little Girls') and corruption ('Fahrenheit 911). Undoubtedly two stars of the genre are two very different men, extroverted funnyman, Michael Moore ('Roger and Me') and soft-spoken professor, Noam Chomsky ('Manufacturing Consent'), pictured.
McLibel (1998)
6.8/10
Director: Ken Loach, Franny Armstrong
Starring: Dave Morris, Helen Steele, John Safran, Rob Newman
When McDonald's decided to sue two young English protestors for libel, they didn't expect to be in court for years on end. The true story of England's... Read more
Merkel (2022)
7/10
Interviews and archival materials paint a portrait of the enigmatic former German chancellor, Angela Merkel, from her East German youth to her unparal... Read more
Michael Moore Hates America (2004)
5/10
Director: Michael Wilson
Starring: Penn Jillette
Is the nonfiction filmmaker who purports to advocate for 'the people' concealing an elitist lifestyle and an anti-American agenda? Filmmaker Michael W... Read more
Mondovino (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Jonathan Nossiter
An epic and fascinating documentary tracing the effects of globalisation on the world's wine regions, from France to Argentina to the Napa Valley. Fi... Read more
Money Wars (2010)
5.6/10
The economic transformation of America remains one of the defining issues of recent times. Money Wars casts a scrutinising eye over the slow erosion o... Read more
Move On: Storming the Gate (2010)
5.8/10
Director: Alex Jordanov, Scott Stevenson
The inspiring and unlikely story of MoveOn.org, the biggest and most formidable progressive grass-roots movement since the 1960s. Started in 1998 by o... Read more
Mr Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A Leuchter, Jr (1999)
7.5/10
Director: Errol Morris
Starring: Fred A Leuchter, Caroline Leuchter
Continuing his fascination with the most unlikely of documentary topics, filmmaker Errol Morris turns his camera on a quiet man who made dying his lif... Read more
My Year With Helen (2017)
8/10
Director: Gaylene Preston
Kiwi filmmaking legend Gaylene Preston follows former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark as she runs for UN Secretary General. My Year with Helen... Read more
No End in Sight (2007)
8.3/10
Director: Charles Ferguson
This powerful documentary offers a critical analysis of the mistakes made by the United States government during the Iraq War. Focusing on the events... Read more
No Other Land (2024)
8.3/10
Director: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal
Starring: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal
Basel Adra, a young Palestinian activist from Masafer Yatta, has been fighting his community's mass expulsion by the Israeli occupation since childhoo... Read more