10 documentaries that delighted me in 2023

And so it was. Another year of searching for documentary gems. It was a tougher job than in years past. I burned through so many films in the pandemic years that the pickings seemed thinner in 2023. Granted, that may seem hard to believe, what with the seemingly infinite doc offerings available for streaming. But once you filter out the band docs, celebrity docs, issue docs, and crime docs—as I tend to do—the list thins out pretty quick. I have nothing against bands, celebrities, or issues, but those categories are less likely to surprise and delight. So I look elsewhere.

Where did I find this year’s gems? Primarily Tubi.tv and the doc channels on Amazon Prime (Topic and Docurama, if I recall). But others came by way of a savvy publicist, YouTube, and a small underrated service called TrueStory.

But let’s get on with it. Here are 10 off-the-radar docs that delighted me in 2023. (Note: Films discussed in the Talking Documentary podcast are not included. My affection for those films is already established, I hope.)

Zo Reken (2021): A film set inside of an SUV moving through the streets of Port-au-Prince. Director Emanuel Licha blurs the lines of documentary by deploying his fixer as a local aid driver at the wheel of one of the most powerful and reviled symbols in Haiti: the Toyota Land Cruiser. Picasso said art is a lie that enables us to see the truth. In Zo Reken, Licha’s semi-choreographed interactions with real Haitians captures a reality that a dozen TV news crews never could. Director: Emanuel Licha.

Tchoupitoulas (2012): The Ross Brothers strike again with a film that’s half documentary, half lucid dream. The beauty of small moments is on full display here, as are the fleeting days of youth. The stars of Tchoupitoulas are three young boys roaming New Orleans in an all-nighter that would make Richard Linklater proud. The boys supply innocence and wonder; the Big Easy supplies everything else. The scene of the boys exploring an abandoned ship might stay with you forever. Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross

City of Trees (2015): A quiet monument to a critical aspect of a good documentary: access through trust. Brandon and Lance Kramer patiently follow a D.C. non-profit whose visible purpose is to refoliate the city’s barren parks, but whose underlying mission is to provide second chances to residents who’ve already blown through a few. It’s impossible not to fall in love with these young men as they strive toward lives of purpose and respect. Directors: Brandon Kramer, Lance Kramer.

Canners (2015): Decades ago, director Manfred Kirchheimer explored the wordless, unpeopled backdrops of New York’s subway system. In Canners, Kirchheimer adds words and people to the mix, aiming his camera on New Yorkers who collect and sell recyclable cans for a living. His subjects are charismatic and upbeat, and their views on life strikingly perceptive. Director: Manfred Kircheimer.

Art and Craft (2014): There are so many documentaries about art hoaxes that we might need to create a new sub-genre. But Art and Craft stands apart from the others. Its premise is as sly as its antagonist. Or … is he actually the protagonist? You’ll have to decide for yourself. Painter Mark Landis does not deceive for material benefit. His payoff is more complicated than that. Directors: Mark Becker, Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman.

Mall City (1983): This is not a documentary so much as a time capsule. The year is 1983, the setting Long Island. A group of NYU film students descends on Roosevelt Mall with camcorders, and a slice of American history is captured forevermore. Mall City provides ample opportunity to celebrate (or lament) the myriad ways American culture has changed over the last 40 years. It’s also serves as an inadvertent love letter to the once dominant, slowly vanishing suburban mall. Director: Hugh Kinniburgh.

Carts of Darkness (2008). Subcultures are fertile ground for documentary, and Carts of Darkness checks that box in a big way. The film’s focus is the aimless men who race grocery carts down the impossibly steep hills of north Vancouver. But this is really a film about addiction, homelessness, community, and the social constructs we buy into … or don’t. Carts of Darkness is gritty, unpretentious, and strangely inspiring. Director: Murray Siple.

The Penny Black (2021): A genre-busting film involving a rare stamp collection and a disappearing neighbor. The Penny Black is a film about a mystery, and a film about the film itself. The two combine better than you might expect. The behind-the-scenes conversations that occur in a typical documentary production become, in this case, the bulk of the film itself. The result is fresh and engaging. Director: Joe Saunders.

Gramma and Ginga: The Movie (2021): The shortest film on this list and also the funniest. In Gramma and Ginga, sister centenarians bicker and badger, trade stories about the past, and become unlikely celebrities in the final chapter of their lives. It’s a bittersweet viewing experience. We know these colorful ladies are not long for the world; these 15 minutes are their final 15 minutes. But they seize their moment and we are powerless but to laugh along with them. Director: Jennifer Steinman Sternin.

Havana, From On High (2019): A bookend to the first film on this list. Whereas Zo Reken views a chaotic Port-au-Prince through the windshield of an SUV, Havana, From On High trains its lens on Cubans who live on rooftops. The streets below teem with traffic and tourists, but the rooftops are a peaceful stratum between earth and sky, and the people up there are thoughtful, even philosophical. Havana is a ruminative film where topics and themes only marginally overlap. The setting is the common thread, and it’s a sublime one to boot. The cinematography and vibes are otherworldly. Director: Pedro Ruiz.