Summary
- Documentaries have the power to captivate audiences with real-life stories, revealing the most thrilling and jaw-dropping moments.
- From shocking confessions to disturbing crimes, these fifteen documentaries offer real-life plot twists that will surprise, disturb, and uplift viewers.
- Whether it's uncovering a fraudulent identity in "The Imposter" or questioning the limits of nature vs. nurture in "Three Identical Strangers," these documentaries showcase the variety and complexity of true stories.
The truth is definitely stranger than fiction in these fifteen documentaries with real-life plot twists. From catching a killer’s confession in The Jinx to unraveling the dark underbelly of tickling competitions in Tickled, documentaries remind audiences that the most thrilling moments in cinema can come from other people’s real lives. Sometimes the most jaw-dropping scenes are not in the latest blockbuster but in someone’s decade-old story being documented for the first time. Viewers searching to be swept away by someone else’s life and surprised by how events unfold should watch these fifteen documentaries.
Documentaries have the powerful ability to observe life, capture moments in time, and tell a story as it unfolds. There are countless fascinating cultures, crimes, and stories happening around the world, and the joy of watching documentaries is reflective of the variety of life itself. From two boys playing basketball in Hoop Dreams to questioning if a husband truly killed his wife in The Staircase, documentaries have a unique capacity to engage audiences because their stories are true. Here are fifteen documentaries that have shocked, disturbed, or uplifted viewers based on their real-life plot twists.
15 The Jinx
The Jinx documents conversations with real-estate developer Robert Durst, a millionaire who was charged with the murder of his ex-wife, a neighbor, and writer Susan Berman. The Jinx reenacts Durst’s version of events and questions his changing story while he’s facing trial for the murder of Berman. In the finale, Durst asks to use the restroom during an interview where he unknowingly confesses to all three murders while still having his mic on him. The recorded confession was used as evidence in his trial, and Durst essentially sealed his own prison sentence.
14 Icarus
In Icarus, filmmaker Brian Fogel wanted to explore how accessible doping is in professional cycling. Fogel’s chance interview with Russian scientist Grigory Rodchenkov led Fogel to uncover that Rodchenkov oversees a state-sponsored doping program that helps Russia win games in the Olympics. Rochenkov explains how Russia’s doping has been able to by drug tests for decades and also agrees to testify about his to the U.S. government. Icarus puts both Fogel and Rodchenkov in danger in Russia but reinforces how crucial the truth is in documentary filmmaking.
13 Abducted in Plain Sight
Abducted in Plain Sight depicts the true-crime story of the Brobergs, a naive, church-going family whose daughter Jan Broberg gets kidnapped by their neighbor. After five weeks, Jan returns and claims that nothing malicious happened to her. The disturbing facts of the kidnapping and the family’s gullibility reach shocking and frustrating heights when Jan is kidnapped for a second time by the same neighbor.
12 Three Identical Strangers
Edward Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran have never met, but they look exactly alike. Three Identical Strangers follows identical triplets separated at birth who stumble upon each other and share their personality similarities. While the documentary starts as a sweet story, the three brothers discover their separation was caused by a scientific experiment that tested the limits of nature vs. nurture. The triplets were intentionally separated to test if they would still share personality traits if they grew up in three different socioeconomic households. Three Identical Strangers covers where the triplets are now, but what starts as a feel-good story becomes a grim cautionary tale of science gone too far.
11 The Overnighters
The Overnighters documents a North Dakota Oil boom and the influx of migrants who come to Williston to seek work and the American Dream. Filmmaker Jesse Moss initially traveled to Williston to hear these workers’ stories but became more intrigued by a local pastor who personally housed more than 1,000 migrants. The pastor, Jay Reinke, goes to noble and reckless lengths to protect these men and faces increasing scrutiny by his small town, which puts his family in danger. The Overnighters’ climax shows Reinke making a teary confession to his wife after the local news discovers Reinke was having an affair with a man.
10 The Imposter
The Imposter unravels the mouth-dropping true story of a Texas family who believes they found their teen son after four years of him being missing. The peculiar part of the discovery is that their supposed son was found in Europe, looks physically different, and now has an accent. The Barclays insist that this person is their son and accept him back into their San Antonio home, but later find out that this man is a serial impostor who adapts the identities of hundreds of people, some fictional and others missing.
9 Dear Zachary
Dear Zachary may have the most heartbreaking end to a documentary in recent memory. Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne produced, directed, shot, edited, and scored the documentary that details the death of his close friend, Andrew Bagby. Bagby was murdered by his partner, Shirley Turner, who was also pregnant with Bagby’s child. Dear Zachary explores the flaws in Canada’s legal system as Andrew’s parents fight for custody of their grandchild from the woman who murdered their son. The documentary takes one final tragic turn as Shirley is released from prison and gains custody of the child.
8 Tickled
Tickled starts as a quirky documentary showcasing the world of competitive tickling. Viewers may think Tickled is the story of a peculiar sport, but the film takes a dark turn as it focuses on Jane O’Brien Media. The mysterious media company buys videos of young men getting tickled and threatens to blackmail the men with these videos if they don’t continue to make more. Tickled gets stranger and more scandalous as it details that Jane O’Brien Media doesn’t actually exist and is, instead, the creation of one wealthy man, David D’Amato. After the documentary was released, D’Amato confronted the filmmakers at a public screening of Tickled and accused them of lying.
7 Weiner
Weiner is a documentary intended to cover disgraced politician Anthony Weiner’s career comeback, but Weiner takes a twist when another sex scandal breaks during filming of the documentary. Weiner provides insight into political campaigning and depicts a politician's self-destructive and egotistical behavior unlike any documentary. The documentary’s access into Anthony Weiner’s personal life becomes a disaster that’s difficult to look away from as Weiner’s second scandal eventually results in his arrest.
6 Hoop Dreams
Released in 1994, Hoop Dreams developed as a documentary about basketball culture in the inner city but became a harrowing story about two boys’ dreams of playing professional basketball. Director Steve James’ 30-minute sports short morphed into a 3-hour drama that followed teens William Gates and Arthur Agee through high school. Unlike other documentaries known for dark and shocking twists, the surprises in Hoop Dreams are uplifting and can inspire anyone who has felt like an underdog.
