The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland List: Best Documentaries of 2025

How often do you sit there thinking about what to watch? You might have an endless watchlist that keeps piling up (I certainly have one myself). Sometimes you are just in the mood for a type of film or a certain filmmaker or actor and want to take yourself into a deep dive. As someone who watches so many movies, I have people asking me for recommendations all the time. One of the best feelings as a cinephile is recommending a film and that person loves it. Take this wealth of cinematic knowledge and experience and enjoy some recommendations on me. Genre. Subgenre. Filmmaker. Actor. Composer. Writer. Genre. Story. Trope. Cliché. Any other cinematic elements or them. Here is The Wasteland List:   

Best Documentaries of 2025 

Billy Joel: And So It Goes 

This sprawling documentary captures the scale and influence of Billy Joel’s decades long career told through the context of his iconic music as Joel himself explores the darkest moments in his life through the highs of performing in front of stadiums full of people.

No Other Land 

An Israeli and a Palestinian come together to shine a light on the horrors occurring in the West Bank with harrowing footage and unnerving moments that make this film so powerful and so controversial.

Blur: To the End 

The Blur reunites to create a new album and put on a dream Wembley Stadium show as it is documented in this powerful documentary with electric performances, a peek into the creative process, and the real tensions that threaten to tear it all down.

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk 

A film that takes such a simple idea as it captures a developing dynamic between a documentarian and a Palestinian woman through video calls and then delivers a compelling and engrossing look into the events of Gaza today.

The Dark Money Game: Wealth of the Wicked 

This new HBO Documentary Films effort explores the history of big Christian money and how, over the course of decades, has slowly been crafting a plan to spread their hate and discrimination through political influence. 

Room to Move 

Dancer Jenn Freeman explores a recent autism diagnosis and channels this exploration of her identity into a powerful and moving dance piece that comes to life on screen while audiences are treated to a deeply intimate exploration of Freeman’s life and identity.

Cutting Through Rocks 

Sara Shahverdi becomes the first female councilor in her small Iranian town and this film captures the struggles she faces to support young women in her community as audiences are forced to witness the deep-rooted sexism and abuse present in her life.

Endless Cookie

Two Canadian brothers, one white and one indigenous, deliver a creative and abstract animated experience that gives this documentary so much personality as it navigates uniquely Canadian experiences and other dynamic elements from their creative minds.

Come See Me in the Good Light 

Moving, emotional, and powerful, this new documentary is a fascinating character piece of queer poet Andrea Gibson as death looms and their relationship is captured in the most vulnerable and raw perspective that will move you to the core.

Among Neighbors 

A documentary where the past meets the present, this bold and powerful film leverages animation and archival footage to explore a small Polish town where their dark history rises to the top as a young Jewish boy has gone missing.

My Mom Jayne 

Mariska Hargitay explores the legacy of her mother, Jayne Mansfield, as she navigates a deep personal journey as she connects with her siblings, explores their rich and powerful emotions, and delivers quite the compelling twists and turns in Mansfield and Hargitay’s lives.

Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 

Few documentaries highlight just how cyclical and influential history can be in capturing the rising tides of all things in society, including fascism, as this compelling cinematic essay explores the works of George Orwell and how prophetic he turned out to be.

Ocean with David Attenborough 

Few voices in the history of film have been so powerful, influential, and engaging as David Attenborough, who takes audiences on a journey into the ocean which boasts some of the most engrossing and poignant footage they could muster.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore 

This new biopic documentary dives into the life and career of Marlee Matlin who has been a trailblazer for deaf actors as this documentary gives a voice to so many who don’t and captures the evolution of dear individuals in film.

It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley 

This new music documentary captures the poetic nature of Buckley’s music which gives this film a deeply emotional and moving atmosphere as it navigates his artistic successes as well as the tragic places where his life took him.

Depeche Mode – M 

One of the most thematically rich and atmospheric concert films in recent memory, Depeche Mode tears the house down with its massive and passionate audience and the fiery and high energy performance from this iconic and influential band. 

Chain Reactions

A fascinating video essay about one of the most iconic and influential horror films of all time, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, through the eyes and perspectives of talented actors, filmmakers, and writers which deepens the meaning of this iconic film.

 Testimony 

This shocking indictment on the shady and horrific actions of Magdalene Laundries and Mother and Baby Homes as a group of survivors take actions to the courts to find justice for all the pain and suffering levied on innocent women of Ireland.

Clemente 

A powerful and well-constructed documentary that captures the immense impact of Roberto Clemente who was one of the greatest talents to grace the field of baseball and all of the great impact of his work for others around the world.

Soul of a Nation

A raw and poignant exploration of Israel and the diversity that makes this nation so tumultuous and divided with a wide perspective of individuals from all walks of life who give their perspective over the conflict between the Israeli government and Palestinians.

Hung Up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary 

An engaging and well-told documentary that captures the impact, artistry, and influence of The Zombies as it tells the ups and downs of their career as well as capturing the greater history context of the British Invasion of music.

I Was Born This Way 

A joyous and moving documentary about the impact of Archbishop Carl Bean and the powerful impact of a 70s disco anthem that would go on to become a beacon for LGBTQIA+ rights and pride whose influence is still felt today through artists like Lady Gaga.

AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex 

A well-told and engaging music documentary about one of the most enigmatic and charismatic music artists of a generation, this highlights the influence of Marc Bolan & T. Rex on the world of glam rock and revolutionary musical movements.

Trains 

One of the most deceptively poignant and powerful documentaries of the year that, through impressive and sharp photography, captures the wonder of trains and slowly shows the cultural impact and horrific uses of this impressive transportational advancement.

The Devil is Busy 

A surprising and moving documentary short that tells the story of a woman who reckons with her religious beliefs while fighting for the rights of women to make a choice about abortions while her clinic is besieged by protestors questioning her work.