The Man with a Camera (1929)
An experimental silent documentary by Dziga Vertov, with probably one of the greatest musical scores. It documents urban life in Odessa and starts out with this statement:
Quote:
"The film Man with a Movie Camera represents
AN EXPERIMENTATION IN THE CINEMATIC TRANSMISSION
Of visual phenomena
WITHOUT THE USE OF INTERTITLES
(a film without intertitles)
WITHOUT THE HELP OF A SCRIPT
(a film without script)
WITHOUT THE HELP OF A THEATRE
(a film without actors, without sets, etc.)
This new experimentation work by Kino-Eye is directed towards the creation of an authentically international absolute language of cinema – ABSOLUTE KINOGRAPHY – on the basis of its complete separation from the language of theatre and literature."
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To Be and to Have (2002)
A documentary portrait of a one-room school in rural France, where the students (ranging in age from 4 to 11) are educated by a single dedicated teacher. -IMDB
It's quite fascinating and engaging, forcing you to become attached to every student in the classroom.
Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)
It's really not very well made, but the story is worth the watch, and it can get very sentimental.
Plot: A filmmaker decides to memorialize a murdered friend when his friend's ex-girlfriend announces she is expecting his son. -IMDB
Babies (2010)
It follows the beginning of 4 babies, from the day they are born to the day they walk their first steps. From Mongolia to Namibia to San Francisco to Tokyo, it's a documentary based on observation, where the baby is in the centre of the action at all times, in different societies and different ways of life.