10 Greatest Music Documentaries of All Time

Todd Haynes creates an unconventional, non-linear biographical portrait of Bob Dylan’s life. Six different people star as Dylan in the film; Marcus Carl Franklin plays an iteration, as well as Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger (the final film released during his lifetime), Richard Gere, and Ben Wishaw. The film toys with form and space to tell the life story of the Minnesota-born icon, “inspired by the music and many lives of Bob Dylan,” the film’s title comes from a deep-cut Dylan track that wasn’t officially released until the film's debut. 

Haynes, director of Dylan’s 'I'm Not There', returns to the music documentary scene to tell the story of the '60s psychedelic band—headed by Lou Reed—The Velvet Underground. Deeply enmeshed in the art scene of the 1960s, Haynes adds another narrative layer to the film, composed of never-before-scene archival footage.

This concert film done by Spike Lee is a recording of David Byrne's Broadway Musical of the same name, working through selects from the album 'American Utopia' as well as music throughout Byrne's life and career as the frontman for Talking Heads. 

Premiering at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, 'Amy' (dir. Asif Kapadia) is a raw and honest depiction of Amy Winehouse’s struggle with substance abuse, before and after her meteoric rise to fame. The portrait does not solely focus on her struggles with sobriety but ensures that the sheer amount of talent and stardom that she possessed is untangled from the topic, and honoured in its own right. 

A film by Beyoncé: written, directed, and executive produced. 'Homecoming' follows Beyoncé as she prepares for her 2018 Coachella performance. The film takes us through her performance from the beginning at its conception, down through to the execution at the festival, and everything in between in a rare and intimate look at the inner workings of the most talented person on earth.

Another raw and intimate portrait of an artist. 'Five Foot Two' (Dir. Chris Moukarbel) allows us to see inside the character of Lady Gaga—the curtain is pulled back on the persona, and we are met with Stefani Germanotta, the Italian New Yorker who comes from a close family. It follows Gaga through 2016 as she rehearses to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show and through the recording of her fifth studio album, Joanne.

The most insightful documentary surrounding Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and the first approved by his estate, 'Montage of Heck' is dense in archival material which makes way for a detailed and penetrating portrait of Cobain from his childhood and into his stardom. 

Directed by Grant Gee, 'Meeting People is Easy' follows the same vein as many music documentaries—and the proper ethos of Radiohead—being famous sucks. It follows them throughout 1997, as they promote their third studio album, Ok Computer.

After the release of her tour documentary following her Reputation tour, Taylor Swift released an intimate and private look at her life as 'Miss Americana'. Since the release of Reputation, Swift has grown into an increasingly private person. This documentary sheds light on her process as a musician and gives viewers a rare look into her personal life. 

Done in conversation with Chuck Klosterman, a pop-culture author and essayist, director James Murphy examines the retirement of LCD Soundsystem as they prepare to play what they claimed to be their final show at Madison Square Garden.