It has been an eventful year with many shocking and revealing documentaries that unveiled many mysteries beyond the surface. While the list of films and Documentary series is endless, we have curated the 10 best Biographical Documentaries of 2022 that you should definitely check out!

10 Best Biographical Documentaries of 2022

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me

This is one of the recently released documentaries where, after years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light.

The film documents her struggles with fame and her physical and mental well-being in the wake of her diagnosis of lupus and bipolar disorder. It gives us a glimpse into the singer’s life and you can watch it on Apple TV+.

Untold Volume 2

Untold Volume 2 is a collection of four docu-series that brings fresh eyes to epic tales from the wide world of sports. From football to basketball and streetball to sailing, these stories aren’t the ones you’ve heard before, even if you think you have. Each film kicks off at a pivotal moment and then delves deep into what happened beyond the headlines, as told by those who lived it, to reveal the grit, resilience, heartbreak, triumph, violence, comedy and pathos beneath the sweat.

Whether it’s the unknown tale of football star Manti Teo’s online connection, the ref behind the NBA gambling scandal, the rags-to-riches tale of a scrappy company transforming streetball into a phenomenon, or the astonishing Australian upset of the U.S. in America’s Cup, these documentaries get to the heart of the passion and single-mindedness it takes to be a champion and the ways in which the triumphs can be undone off the field.

Watch the Documentary Series on Netflix and read our review here.

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The Princess

The year has been about the royals from Queen’s demise to the Crown Season 5 premiere and now another ongoing documentary about Harry and Meghan. The Princess is an intimate and immersive look at the life of Princess Diana. The relationship between Diana and Charles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, was tabloid fodder for nearly two decades, the subject of almost daily headlines in the 24-hour news cycle.

The documentary draws solely from contemporaneous archival audio and video footage to take audiences back to key events in Diana’s life as they happened, including their seemingly fairy-tale public courtship and wedding, the birth of their two sons, their bitter divorce, and Diana’s tragic and untimely death on August 31, 1997.

Intensely emotional, it is a visceral submersion into Diana’s life in the constant and often intrusive glare of the media spotlight. The film unfolds as if it were in the present, allowing viewers to experience the overwhelming adoration, but also intense scrutiny of Diana’s every move and the constant judgement of her character. Through archival material, the film is also a reflection of society at the time, revealing the public’s own preoccupations, fears, aspirations, and desires.

Watch this film on HBO Max and read our review here.

We Need to Talk About Cosby

The documentary series takes a deeply personal exploration of Bill Cosby’s descent from ‘America’s Dad’ to an alleged sexual predator. Exploring the complex story of Cosby’s life and work, the series invites comedians, educators, journalists and Cosby survivors to have a refreshingly candid, first-of-its-kind conversation about the man, his career and his crimes. It takes an unfiltered look at his legacy and the unexpected ramifications for an industry that enabled him.

The show has been nominated for four Emmy Awards and you can watch this series on Showtime & Hulu.

Capturing the Killer Nurse

Based on The Good Nurse, the best-selling book written by Charles Graeber and dramatized in a Netflix feature film starring Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne that released this fall – this new documentary reveals the twisted story behind Charlie Cullen’s hidden spree of murders.

Using audio from Cullen himself and emotional sit-downs with those closest to the events – including whistle-blower and fellow nurse Amy Loughren, the detectives who cracked the case, author Graeber, and family members of the victims. The film traces how the truth was initially too shocking for anyone to comprehend, and how Cullen’s horrific actions underscore an even bigger danger still lurking in our healthcare system.

Watch this documentary film on Netflix and read our review here.

The Andy Warhol Diaries

This six-part portrait of a legend chronicles the remarkable life of Andy Warhol from the intimate vantage point offered by the artist’s own posthumously published diaries. Beginning with his childhood in Pittsburgh, the series traces Warhol’s almost unbelievably diverse journey fluidly moving between mediums and through eras as an artist, both revered and reviled — director, publisher, TV producer, scene maker, celebrity and much more.

While he was a larger-than-life figure, Warhol was intensely private regarding his personal life. This series truly reveals much about the very complex man through his own words and often in his own voice through the use of cutting-edge AI techniques— and those who worked created, and played alongside him from the subversive to the mainstream, from John Waters to Rob Lowe.

Watch this series on Netflix and read our review here.

Menudo: Forever Young

It is a riveting four-part docuseries chronicling the untold story behind the rise and fall of Menudo, the most iconic Puerto Rican boy band in history. Directed by Angel Manuel Soto and Kristofer Rios, it explores the exhaustion, neglect and sexual abuse the group allegedly suffered under the thumb of Edgardo Diaz, the man who masterminded the boy band.

Watch this documentary series on HBO Max and Apple TV+.

Sidney

From producer Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin, this revealing documentary honours the legendary Sidney Poitier and his legacy as an iconic actor, filmmaker and activist at the centre of Hollywood and the Civil Rights Movement. Featuring candid interviews with Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Robert Redford, Lenny Kravitz, Barbra Streisand, Spike Lee and many more.

Watch this documentary film on Apple TV+.

Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes

This three-part documentary features never-before-heard audio interviews between Dahmer and his defence team, delving into his warped psyche while answering these open questions of police accountability through a modern-day lens.

When Milwaukee police entered the apartment of 31-year-old Jeffrey Dahmer in July of 1991, they uncovered the grisly personal museum of a serial killer: a freezer full of human heads, skulls, bones and other remains in various states of decomposition and display. Dahmer quickly confessed to sixteen murders in Wisconsin over the previous four years, plus one more in Ohio in 1978, as well as unimaginable acts of necrophilia and cannibalism.

The discovery shocked the nation and stunned the local community, who were incensed that such a depraved killer had been allowed to operate within their city for so long. Why was Dahmer, who had been convicted of sexual assault of a minor in 1988, able to avoid suspicion and detection from police as he stalked Milwaukee’s gay scene for victims, many of whom were people of colour – all the questions are explored in the series.

Watch the series on Netflix and read our review here.

Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy

Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy is an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West’s experience, showcasing both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist. Although the current perception and actions of Kanye West might not be something that we would agree to, his rise as an artist is something that we have all admired and the documentary shows the rapper’s life over two decades.

Watch the documentary series on Netflix and read our article here.

Which of the above-mentioned documentaries will you be adding to your watchlist? Let us know in the comment section below.

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