The festival’s loss of so many skilled long-time programmers in 2024 feels evident to me as I wade through this year’s crop of films — whereas I’d normally have tons of gems to recommend by this point in the fest, I’ve been finding the “OMGWOWYOUGOTTASEETHIS!” docs to be somewhat rarer in 2025. Still, I continue to discover terrific titles to add to your to-see list — here are five more!
An American Pastoral (7/8)
The idyllic countryside in the opening frames of director Auberi Edler’s documentary quickly give way to an astonishing and infuriating look at the volatile political conflict in America through the lens of a school-board election in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. With control of local education, along with assorted residents’ rights and freedoms, on the line as five of the nine board seats go up for grabs, Edler’s verité film takes viewers behind closed doors into meetings, classrooms, book clubs — and even far-right-extremist gatherings where members seem to be arming themselves for some kind of Holy War — as it tracks several candidates on both sides of the ideological divide. What results is a jaw-droppingly revealing exposé of the rampant ignorance, bigotry, homophobia and hypocrisy of the Christian Nationalist movement, whose right-wing candidates in this small-town election are representative of a much larger threat to democracy across the nation. A chilling and timely film, the documentary will undoubtedly make your blood boil as it shines a shocking-but-not-really-shocking spotlight on how democracy can be eroded one small-town election at a time.
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore (7/8)
Did you know the world has Marlee Matlin to thank for closed-captioning on TV? That’s just one of the revelations in director Shoshannah Stern’s wonderfully comprehensive, entertaining and honest documentary about the trailblazing — and fabulously ballsy — titular Oscar winner. Packed with a wealth of archival footage and home videos, alongside insights from family, friends and Matlin herself, the film tracks her struggles, triumphs, and evolution from actor to advocate to activist over the past 40 years. Thrust into the spotlight after becoming the first Deaf person to win an Academy Award, Matlin channeled her fame into action, shouldering the sometimes-challenging weight of being the unwitting representative for all Deaf people just because she was famous. Funny and frank (and wearing a distractingly amazing pair of socks throughout!), Matlin reflects on the personal and professional highs and lows — including drug use, a stint in rehab, and her abusive relationship with actor William Hurt — of the past four decades, making this a must-see biographical doc for anyone who’s been a fan of her work on, off and behind the camera over the years.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (8/8)
I. Loved. This. Doc! Every year at the festival, there’s one film that wraps itself around me tightly, and this year it’s this brilliantly winning combination of humor, heart and horror. Borne from years of footage of students and staff filmed at a primary school in a remote town in Russia by its central subject, Pavel “Pasha” Talankin (who’s credited as co-director alongside David Bronstein), it revolves around Talankin, the school’s event coordinator and de-facto videographer — who’s goofy, self-deprecating, and beloved by students — as he witnesses the “militarization” of the curriculum via President Vladimir Putin’s new “Federal Patriotic Education Policy”… which consists largely of anti-Ukraine propaganda and a whole slew of outright lies about life in the West. Initially engaging in small acts of defiance (using his universal remote to turn off TVs airing propaganda in a shop window), Talankin puts his life on the line and begins to document the impact of Putin’s indoctrination efforts on the students, and the community as a whole, knowing that such work is considered treason by the Russian government. Vacillating between lighthearted and heartbreaking, and boasting one of the most hilariously cartoonish villainous characters of any Hot Docs film ever (Mr. Abdulmanov, anyone?), the cautionary film should serve as a warning about how education can devolve — and essentially be destroyed — under an authoritarian regime.
Shifting Baselines (7/8)
It’s unlikely you will see any film at Hot Docs as visually striking as director Julien Elie’s exploration of the social, economic, scientific and environmental impact of a SpaceX base in Boca Chica, Texas. Eschewing a traditional documentary narrative, it’s a contemplative and atmospheric observational film that’s as artistic as it is relevant, and it feels almost like it dropped out of the sky from the space-race-era 1950s. Combining countless beautifully composed shots with conversations between locals, visitors, tour operators, ecologists, scientists and drifters, Elie examines how the base — and its launches — are impacting not only the immediate and surrounding areas, but the world at large. Quiet and moody, the film is a creative commentary on the ramifications of colonizing nature in the name of colonizing space. It also does an amazing job of creating a sense of scale and scope, and has a Denis Villeneuve-like vibe with its enormous silos and rockets towering ominously in the background as an eerie otherworldly score plays…
Widow Champion (7/8)
Everyday heroes making a difference around the world often make for great documentary subjects — not to mention some of my favorite Hot Docs films — and this engaging profile from director Zippy Kimundu is no exception. Training her lens on Kenyan widows’-rights advocate Rodah Nafula, Kimundo explores the issue of land rights under the country’s “widow inheritance” laws — namely, how property is frequently stolen from widows by their in-laws after a husband’s death. The film, shot over several years, chronicles Nafula, an ever-cheerful and determined widow herself, as she assists several rural widows in reclaiming what’s rightfully theirs, and teaches classes to educate and empower other widows on securing title deeds. Heartfelt, moving and buoyed by hope, the film is a reminder that the battle for equality and women’s rights is one that extends to every community around the world. And, more importantly, that there are dedicated warriors quietly taking up the fight on a daily basis.
Check out more of our Hot Docs 2025 coverage here!
