Perhaps I’m being difficult, but I’m not deriving pleasure from documentaries the way I used to. I realize I’m speaking in generalities, please humor me.
I find the presentation of most modern docs so hyperdramatic and forced, it detracts from the underlying subject matter.
I would prefer if documentaries tried their best to collect and present information in a fascinating way, and present it as reasonably neutral as possible, with some leeway for the author’s voice. I don’t appreciate it when the superficial presentation constantly tries to cue me emotionally.
I really don’t understand why I have to have violen symphony music playing like it’s the eve of world war 3, and all the nukes are about to be launched, when I’m watching a documentary about snail parasites or particle collider research.
Even though it’s different auditorially, to me it’s the same principle as applying a laugh track to a comedy show. I don’t need it suggested to me when something is funny, and I don’t need to be cued by string orchestra music that something is serious or worrisome. Please trust me to make these judgments on my own!
I think all trends ebb and flow but this one seems to have taken root and it’s doesn’t seem to be letting up.
I wonder if other people feel this way, or if I’m just watching the wrong things?
I’m kind of with you on most American produced documentaries being obnoxiously dramatic. I especially hate when they add sound effects to historical footage. The exception that comes to mind is Ken Burns, emotional but not dramatized the way a History or Discovery channel show is.
Maybe try some of Werner Herzog’s documentary films? They definitely include music and are viewed through the directors artistic lens but they certainly meet your criteria of stylistically different.
Do you have some examples of recent documentaries that you consider good? I’m always on the lookout for good, unconventional documentaries.
Recent, no sadly.
This is at the crux of my grievance, when I watch documentaries that are 20 or 30 years old or more, what I see are raw looks at interesting topics that don’t have this kind of presentation.
I’m scrambling to find anything made in the last 15 years where the presentation is reasonably neutral, and mundanity isn’t presented in a hyper dramatic way. Or where the superficial presentation style completely overwhelms the more sober reality of the underlying topic
I totally agree and have stopped watching many documentaries after just a few minutes usually because of too much heavy handed narration.
I’ve really enjoyed documentaries such as All That Breathes and Honeyland, which have basically no narration. Of course the editing tells a certain story, and if you’re curious you may need to go to Wikipedia or something to answer some questions, but I prefer that to having loaded commentary shoved down my ears.
I appreciate that suggestion, I will definitely look into it! I’m intrigued by the idea of there being little narration.
Just tonight I tried to watch another documentary, and I think it’s what spurred my post. My grievance was exactly what you’re describing.
At one point they were talking about divers collecting a sample from the ocean floor, and the narration was underscoring how critical it was they do the dive while conditions are still safe, and how the waves could increase in intensity, increasing the danger manyfold! And it’s like okay… so what’s really happening is that these guys are taking some scuba tanks and they’re going to go down 30 ft and everything’s going to be fine cuz nothing’s happening here. (Edit: of course, accompanied by pounding string orchestra music)
Yes, the emotion distracts from what’s happening and prevents you noticing your own real reactions and connecting the story.
I just realized those two I suggested are mostly subtitled. I’ve also enjoyed I think it’s DW? Documentaries from Germany I think but covering all kinds of things. Some are short form. They have narration, but less of the discovery channel type. God, have you seen the History Channel. My kid in high school has to watch those, complete garbage
I know a bunch of these do the annoying YouTube thumbnail thing that is very much adjacent to your complaint but I would argue they do a pretty good job of being excited about the topic but not overly dramatic in the presentation during the actual video.
General topics:
https://www.youtube.com/@Wendoverproductions
https://www.youtube.com/@halfasinterestingScience
https://www.youtube.com/@SciShowIf you just want to learn about astrophysics. Many build on each other so you might want to consider watching a bunch of the early ones first.
https://www.youtube.com/@pbsspacetimeEngineering. This guy’s voice annoys me but some of the videos are still quite interesting so I linked this specific one about exactly how train wheels/tracks work. Never would have guessed the level of design involved.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nteyw40i9SoSounds like someones overdue for a re-watch of Alone in the Wilderness. Lol.
I could listen to Dick Proenneke’s matter-of-fact narration for hours.
I agree and find myself not watching as many documentaries because of it. Sweetgrass might be one you would enjoy.
Agnes Varda have some really good documentaries.
I appreciate that recommendation!
This might not be what you’re looking for, but have you watched the show “How it’s made”? I think it was made in Canada or something and it’s just the fascinating process of creation from start to finish of every day things like baseball bat or ice cream sandwich. No showiness, just the cool, interesting facts
That’s a great show actually, and yes it was made in Canada. It was made in Quebec, and I was living in Montreal at the time.
The clunky translation of the title and the French Canadian accent of the narrator were great!
It’s a podcast not a documentary, but I absolutely love Revolutions by Mike Duncan. Every other history podcast I’ve tried has exactly the problem you’re describing here.
The life aquatic?..
Have you tried The Great Courses collection? They aren’t documentaries so much as lectures by an actual professor in the subject. I subscribe to them on Amazon Prime video, but I’m pretty sure you can find it for other platforms.
Hypernormalisation, or anything by Adam Curtis. Also anything by David Attenborough. Planet Earth is fantastic. After a few british documentaries, watch Cunk on Earth/Britain for a satirical take.
Amazing. I feel exactly the same about modern documentaries and I expressed the same dislikes about them just a few weeks ago. Have you checked out DW Documentary Youtube channel? In case you haven’t it has good documentaries and sometimes exceptionally good, very informative and eye opening, all without fancy effects, just the raw subject matter. These two are recent ones that I really liked:
Climate Change - A verting catastrophe
another channel that I like is Veritasium, it’s about science and not really documentaries but worth to check out due to its quality.
Give random long YouTube Videos on oddly specific topics a shot. There’s some real gold there. Whenever I find one, I send them to a friend and so does he.
The documentaries by Frederick Wiseman are very good if somewhat old now. But he had this extremely “neutral” style where it always seemed as though he was just showing things as they were, without even commenting on them. I liked the one about the hospital best, but Blind was also quite good. Otherwise, if you can stomach serious subjects, Claude Lanzmann’s hours-long Shoah is one of the most poignant and simultaneously “dry” documentaries I have ever seen. Or so I remember; it’s been a while.
