The Best Documentaries of 2014 So Far: ‘Actress,’ ‘The Case Against 8,’ and ‘Concerning Violence’ Join the List

Throughout 2014, members of Indiewire’s Criticwire Network — comprised of nearly 500 critics from around the world — have been adding their grades and reviews to our database of film pages. Below is a collection of those films released in theaters during that time that have a) received 10 or more reviews and b) maintained a grade average of “B+” or higher. (A complete list of all the top-rated films can always be found here.) We’ll update this list as new additions surface and as fresh waves of feedback arrive. Averages and totals are subject to change (grade totals listed in italics below have changed since the last update), but for now, these are the titles that many members of the Criticwire Network suggest you should watch.

READ MORE: The Best Indies of 2014 So Far

It’s been a big year for director Robert Greene. Following his editing work on the acclaimed “Listen Up Philip,” his well-received documentary “Actress” premiered last Friday in New York. (The film is still playing a handful of festivals before the end of the year.) Following the performer Brandy Burre, the film examines how her career is mirrored in her life off the screen. Indiewire’s Eric Kohn wrote about the film after it premiered at this year’s True/False Film Festival, describing how it “isn’t just focused on dashed hopes of show business aspirations. Instead, it funnels them into an absorbing expression of daily struggles irrespective of their context.” It debuts on our list with an A- average.

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Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s “The Case Against 8” has had an interesting run since its first showing at Sundance back in January. Filtering the gay marriage debate through the eyes of those fighting the existing legal precedent in the American judicial system, “The Case Against 8” examines some unlikely heroes working within the mechanics of that battle. The most positive reviews of the film have emphasized how the film’s unabashed one-sidedness on the central issue doesn’t prevent engaging storytelling. Intense focus on legal workings at the expense of a more comprehensive overview is a choice that hasn’t worked for all critics, but the strongest praise has come from those who find the film’s choice of characters and battleground the most effective. It currently has a B+ average in our network.

“The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975” was one of the most acclaimed documentaries of 2011, having played at Sundance and earned a spot at New Directors/New Films. This Friday, Swedish director Göran Hugo Olsson returns with “Concerning Violence,” a look at revolution against colonial rule in Africa during that same time period. Many critics have pointed out that, through its presentation of archival footage and narration by Lauryn Hill, the film isn’t designed purely to provoke — instead, it examines a chapter in recent global history in danger of being overlooked.

Our overall list now stands at 34 films. The year’s best-reviewed docs are all gathered below:

The Top-Rated Documentaries of 2014

1. Life Itself (Film Page), directed by Steve James (2014 Sundance Film Festival; July 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (53 grades)

2. Tim’s Vermeer (Film Page), directed by Teller (2013 Toronto International Film Festival; January 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (41 grades)

3. Citizenfour (Film Page), directed by Laura Poitras (2014 New York Film Festival; October 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (30 grades)

4. The Missing Picture (Film Page), directed by Rithy Panh (2013 Cannes Film Festival; March 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (29 grades)

5. The Overnighters (Film Page), directed by Jesse Moss (2014 Sundance Film Festival; October 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (28 grades)

6. Manakamana (Film Page), directed by Stephanie Spray and Pacho Velez (2013 Locarno Film Festival; April 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (25 grades)

7. The Last of the Unjust (Film Page), directed by Claude Lanzmann (2013 Cannes Film Festival; February 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (23 grades)

8. 20,000 Days on Earth (Film Page), directed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard (2014 Sundance Film Festival; September 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (21 grades)

9. Rich Hill (Film Page), directed by Andrew Droz Palermo & Tracy Droz Tragos (2014 Sundance Film Festival; August 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (20 grades)

10. The Kill Team (Film Page), directed by Dan Krauss (2013 Tribeca Film Festival; July 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (18 grades)

11. Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me (Film Page), directed by Chiemi Karasawa (2013 Tribeca Film Festival; February 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (17 grades)

11. WHITEY: United States of America v. James J. Bulger (Film Page), directed by Joe Berlinger (2014 Sundance Film Festival; June 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (17 grades)

13. National Gallery (Film Page), directed by Frederick Wiseman (2014 Cannes Film Festival; November 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (16 grades)

14. Actress (Film Page), directed by Robert Greene (2014 True/False Film Festival; November 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (14 grades)

14. Last Days in Vietnam (Film Page), directed by Rory Kennedy (2014 Sundance Film Festival; September 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (14 grades)

14. Maidentrip (Film Page), directed by Jillian Schlesinger (2013 SXSW Film Festival; January 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (14 grades)

17. Code Black (Film Page), directed by Ryan McGarry (2013 Los Angeles Film Festival; June 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (12 grades)

17. Concerning Violence (Film Page), directed by Göran Hugo Olsson (2014 Sundance Film Festival; December 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (12 grades)

17. Particle Fever (Film Page), directed by Mark Levinson (2013 Sheffield Doc/Fest; March 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: A- (12 grades)

20. Jodorowsky’s Dune (Film Page), directed by Frank Pavich (2013 Cannes Film Festival; March 2014 theatrical release)
Average Criticwire Rating: B+ (40 grades)

21. The Unknown Known: The Life and Times of Donald Rumsfeld (Film Page), directed by Errol Morris (2013 Telluride Film Festival; April 2014 release date)
Average Criticwire Rating: B+ (38 grades)