The 10 most surprising documentaries I watched in 2022

The ubiquity of streaming services gave new life to old films ... and overlooked ones

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As host of the podcast Talking Documentary, I watch quite a few documentaries. And by quite a few, I mean way too many. My Letterboxd account confirms the astounding tally from last year: 153 films. I’m not kidding.

That’s what a good, solid Omicron wave will do for you—along with access to far too many streaming services.

I encountered all sorts of films on the road to 153. Many were good, a handful were great, and a few were … not so great. You might assume I carefully hunt for films that are acknowledged to be great—or at least very good—but that’s actually not the case. No, I’m on the hunt for films with the potential to surprise me. The surprising films come in many shapes: the ones on Tubi.tv with amateurish poster images; the ones with worrisome IMDB ratings; the ones on rando subjects.

What those films have in common is their potential to exceed expectations. And when they do, the experience is delightful.

So here they are: the 10 films that surprised and delighted me. (Note: I am not including films whose directors I interviewed for the Talking Documentary podcast.)

Los Reyes (2018): A Chilean skate park is the setting for this charming observational doc. Two charismatic street dogs are the stars here, with humans providing a thematic—and mostly aural—backdrop. Some films work in an ineffable way. Los Reyes is one of them. If you don’t fall deeply in love with Chola and Football, I’m going to assume you’re a cat. Directors: Bettina Perut, Iván Osnovikoff

Dark Days (2000): More than two decades ago in New York City, a resilient band of homeless created a parallel universe beneath the surface of the city. The denizens of Dark Days are laid low by the usual problems of the homeless, but the industriousness with which they transform their dank underworld will leave you cheering. Director: Marc Singer

The Joneses (2016): There has been a surge of transgender films in recent years, and the best ones present their stars as complex humans who just so happen to have switched genders. This is the case with The Joneses. Yes, there is plenty here about the path 74-year-old Jheri Jones walked to become a woman. But this is ultimately a story about family and love, and it’s there that the film shines. Director: Moby Longinotto

Minding the Gap (2018): Hollywood created a sub-genre from the coming-of-age story, but its offerings are often a bit too tidy. Minding the Gap gazes a bit more deeply at the process of growing into adulthood. The cinematography is stirring and elegiac, but don’t be fooled. There is struggle at the heart of this film, and a bit of darkness, too. But director Bing Liu, filming his own friends, does not flinch. Director: Bing Liu

Saint Cloud Hill (2019): A homeless encampment is many things. Visually sumptuous is not one of them. Saint Cloud Hill renders an unrepentant band of Nashville down-and-outers on a richly hued canvas, but never romanticizes the hardships they face. Homeless people are often portrayed as helpless and embittered, but in Saint Cloud Hill they are fierce, resourceful and independent. Directors: Sean Clark, Jace Freeman

Aspie Seeks Love (2015): There aren’t many films about Asperger’s Syndrome, arguably because the affected are not typically expressive or charismatic. Enter David Matthews, who lives life on the spectrum but is nonetheless sly, funny and self-aware. In Aspie Seeks Love, Matthews is on the prowl for a woman who can see the loving soul behind his stiltedness. We wince and cheer as he proceeds. Director: Julie Sokolow

Santoalla (2016): A film that smolders more than crackles and doesn’t build tension so much as unpack it slowly, carefully. This is a story of neighbors gone wrong in the most uncomfortable of settings. The film’s northwestern Spain setting is rendered initially as picturesque and benign, but morphs over 83 minutes into a scene of menace. Santoallo whispers a simple truth: What we don’t know is more terrifying than what we do. Directors: Andrew Becker, Daniel Mehrer

Nobody’s Business (1996): Back when documentaries were still the province of PBS and film festivals, Alan Berliner made a remarkable film. This is ostensibly a film about a son pursuing the story of his father’s life, but it’s Berliner’s manic energy that distinguishes the film. The story is fine and the father-son pairing entertaining, but the filmmaking is indelible. This film would still be edgy and daring in 2023. Director: Alan Berliner

Who Let the Dogs Out (2019): Doc films generally fall into two categories: films that document stories as they unfold, and films that tell stories already completed. Who Let the Dogs Out is a master class in the latter. Brett Hodge carefully spools out the story of a five-word musical phenomenon and the meandering backstory that preceded it. Hodge knows exactly where he’s going, and you don’t. The result is a triumph of construction. Index cards were harmed in the making of this film. Director: Brett Hodge

Last Days of Chinatown (2017): A meditation on the remaking of a Detroit neighborhood (and not for the better). Nicole McDonald’s narration is lyrical, her distress poignant. In Last Days of Chinatown, McDonald decries the siren song of urban redevelopment and the invisible toll it takes. Every shiny new building harbors a dark secret, and McDonald is here to take names and tell tales. Director: Nicole McDonald