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The Best Biographical Documentaries Ever Made — IndieWire Critics Survey

David ehrlich.

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Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post).

This past weekend saw the release of “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda,” the latest in a recent string of impressively strong and commercially successful biographical documentaries (other recent standouts include “RBG” and “Won’t You Be my Neighbor?”). 

This week’s question: What is the best biographical documentary ever made?

Siddhant Adlakha (@SidizenKane), Freelance for The Village Voice, /Film

The best and arguably most important documentaries ever made are complimentary pieces by Joshua Oppenheimer, “The Act of Killing” (2013) and “The Look of Silence (2015). They’re set against the backdrop of Indonesia’s 1965-66 genocide, believed to be sponsored by the C.I.A., but they’re each rooted in the lives of singular subjects and their diametrically opposed journeys.

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The cleansing, of an estimated three million ethnic Chinese, changed the face of the nation in terrifying ways, created a longstanding socio-political status quo that deifies its perpetrators while continuing to villainize its victims to this day. The first film, “The Act of Killing,” follows mass murderer Anwar Congo over the course of seven years, exploring the personal cognitive dissonance that permeates the culture around him. Congo, an avowed American film fan, re-enacts each of his many killings in stylized manner akin to the genre films he grew up on. Though as he reflects on his actions through a lens of cinema, his bizarre cinematic journey results in the peeling back of the layers of his humanity until he’s forced, as if by something within, to face up to what he’s done.

Its sequel, “The Look of Silence,” tells the story of traveling optometrist Adi Rukun, Oppenheimer’s guide during the production of the first film. Adi sits across from the various people responsible for the murder of his brother in ’65-’66, from local prison guards to people at the highest levels of government in an attempt to find closure. All it would take is those responsible for the massacre owning up to their deeds fifty years after the fact, but the collective dissonance and cultural justifications for the genocide prevent Adi, his blind father (who keeps re-living the horrors of the past) and his culture at large from healing.

Both films feel like impossible feats of filmmaking; watching them feels like being dangerously privy to the darkest parts of the human soul. They are, however, explorations of character, time and place that feel necessary for any person or culture trying to reckon with their past.

Christopher Campbell (@thefilmcynic), Nonfics, Film School Rejects, Thrillist

The best biographical documentaries that mostly look back on a life tend to be based on books. The top three are: “The Kid Stays in the Picture,” about Hollywood mogul Robert Evans; “Life Itself,” about film critic Roger Ebert, and “Man on Wire,” about high-wire legend Philippe Petit. Each of those also benefit from their subjects being alive at the time of filming (or most of the filming) to add an extra level or chapter to the story — even Evans manages to give his story a little extra simply by narrating his own life. I also highly recommend “The Internet’s Own Boy,” which is impressive for how quickly it was made following subject Aaron Swartz’s death.

But the greatest biographical documentaries for me are the two films about Aileen Wuornos made by Nick Broomfield. The first one, “Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer,” is more about her life leading up to the making of the film, told through interviews as well as her murder trial. The second doc, “Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer,” revisits Wuornos as she’s about to be executed. Both documentaries also, as most of Broomfield’s do, contain an autobiographical element on the part of the filmmaker. And between the two of them, we see Broomfield as a more complex character than ever before, particularly as he’s dealing with the fate of Wuornos and the documentarian/subject relationship. It’s a fascinating twofer in that way, and emotionally difficult to come to terms with as a viewer.

Max Weiss (@maxthegirl), Baltimore Magazine

Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle), Freelance for FreshFiction, SassyMamaInLA

Carl Broughton II(@Carlislegendary), Editor-in-chief for thefilmera.com

The documentary will always be relevant not because it is about a music artist with immense talent dying young, but because of the underlying problems that led to her death. The toxic relationship with her boyfriend, the drugs, and the mental problems she suffered due to the prior mentioned subjects are things we are still tackling as a society. Amy Winehouse will always be a prime example of what happens when we make a spectacle and joke of serious problems. “Amy” is a little longer than 2 hours, but by the time it is over you not only feel you got her full story, but come out appreciating what she did for the music world. Overall Amy is the perfect documentary to showcase that people accept the love they think they deserve.

Deborah Krieger (@debonthearts) BUST Magazine, Paste Magazine

Pedro Strazza (@pedrosazevedo), B9

What it stands from the documentary for me, though, is the way it reveals the truth (or at least the version that it is trying to build) about the real Cássia, fighting some generalizations and prejudices that were made about the singer even on the wake of her death. Killed by a sudden heart attack that latter was attributed to an excess of work load (she did one hundred shows in seven months, according to her manager), Eller’s decease at the time was falsely linked to drugs by some news magazines, which contributed to a legal dispute about the fate of her son, Francisco – it was the musician’s wish that his caring would be assumed by her partner, Maria Eugênia, if anything happened, but the parents of the biological father tried to intervene. This way, it’s fascinating to me how “Cássia” in the end poses itself as some sort of justice corrector of mistakes made in the past, a feeling that in my judgment is present on the best productions of the genre.

Luke Hicks (@lou_kicks), Film School Rejects, Birth.Movies.Death., Chicago Reader

Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui), /Film

For the 40 years that they had been married, artist Noriko Shinohara lived in the shadow of her husband Ushio Shinohara, a gifted artist whose use of boxing gloves in his art had him declared one of the most promising artists of the ’70s New York art scene. But as the elderly couple struggles to make their rent while Ushio bemoans his feverish glory days, Noriko begins to tire of always supporting the genius. She starts telling her story through her alter ego “Cutie,” a talented and abused young artist whose life plays out in surreal illustrations which are sprinkled throughout Zachary Heinzerling’s documentary. “Cutie and the Boxer” is a touching and slightly tragic portrait of a pair of artists whose love has been defined and hindered by art. It’s a beautiful little example of how behind every “brilliant artist,” there’s a just as brilliant woman.

Kristen Lopez (@Journeys_Film), Culturess, The Young Folks

Director Kurt Kuenne started out making a documentary about his best friend, Andrew Bagby and his murder. What Kuenne ended up doing was memorializing his best friend and Bagby’s young son who never knew his father. There’s a lot of sadness that runs throughout the film that, at times, makes you hurt. You hurt at what could have been, at what will never be known. In the end, all that’s left is what remains on-screen, family and friends telling the audience (and Zachary himself) about the man Andrew Bagby was. It’s a story that will make you cry because the guy sounded so average, he could have been anyone and it’s a shame that the circle of death that swirled around him is what made him famous. But, at the same time, if these tragic events had never happened, audiences would never know his name. It’s a movie that leaves you with questions not just about the nature of life and death, parentage and paternity, but how film narrative creates immortality.

Sean Mulvihill (@NotSPMulvihill), FanboyNation.com

Completely removed from any hopes of working within the modern studio system and knowing that his legacy is secure thanks to a critical reevaluation, the Brian De Palma shown in “De Palma” is a filmmaker with plenty of entertaining stories and no need to play nice. The result is a film that takes into the creative process of a great filmmaker, rife with amusing anecdotes about his famous collaborators and moments of earnest reflection about his critical and commercial flops.

Of course, almost all biographical documentaries have an element of hagiography to them. These are the type of movies that would exist without having some kind of myth to build upon, and “De Palma” only bucks this trend because Paltrow and Baumbach allow Brian De Palma to build his own myth in his own words without inserting their own commentary on their subject’s claims. When compared to the similar and saccharine portrait of a filmmaking legend, “Spielberg,” “De Palma” stands out so much because it takes on the unvarnished attitude of its subject, becoming a perfect reflection and distillation of his body of work. It’s that style that pulls De Palma devotees, like myself, further and further into the film. He’s talented. He’s prickly. He’s egotistical. He’s one of cinema’s greatest. Holy mackerel!

Ethan Warren (@ethanrawarren), Bright Wall/Dark Room

Emily Sears (@emily_dawn), Birth.Movies.Death., Fandor

Joel Mayward (@joelmayward), Cinemayward.com, Freelance

The film’s title reminds us that we often leave an art gallery or museum through their gift shop with an expectation to buy a trinket to remind us of our experience. The art is not simply there to be enjoyed and appreciated; it is now a commodity to be purchased and consumed. Whether we like it or not, our consumer culture defines value monetarily. This is nothing new; for hundreds of years and across divergent cultures, artists have needed wealthy patrons to fund projects. What is new is how technology, social media, marketing, and the American economic system have all intensified this process. Bizarre, subversive, and often hilarious, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” questions and critiques celebrity culture, capitalism, and Western culture itself in the best way: by making interesting art and inviting us to consider it.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed (@chrisreedfilm), Hammer to Nail/Film Festival Today

In that spirit, I’d like to go back over 20 years and cast my ultimate vote for Ruth Ozeki Lounsbury’s 1996 “Halving the Bones,” which similarly challenges the conventions of documentary filmmaking. In the movie, Lounsbury traces her family history on the maternal side, following the titular bones (those of her grandmother) on their journey from Japan to America, a trip that allows her to revisit the immigrant saga of her mother, as well as her own life as a biracial woman. Mixing real archival footage with reenactments – all blended together in one exciting whole – Lounsbury creates an evocative and poignant tribute to her foremothers, and to her own indomitable will as cineaste and historian.

Daniel Joyaux (@thirdmanmovies), Freelance for Vanity Fair, The Verge, MovieMaker Magazine, and The Independent

“Jane” gets all of this in a way that overwhelms me. The restored and color-corrected footage (shot by Hugo Van Lawick in the ’60s and ’70s) is simply gorgeous, and the Philip Glass score that emotes it is powerful. There’s a final, climactic montage where the score reaches operatic heights, and those flickering images moved me to watery eyes both times I saw the film. One of my critic friends didn’t like “Jane” because he said it devolved into hagiography and never mentioned the valid criticisms of her work. Maybe he’s right, I don’t know. I’ll embarrassingly admit I knew very little about Goodall before seeing the film. But I also think the relative success or failure of “Jane” as a perfect portrayal of its subject misses the point. Regardless of how well it embodies great journalism, it absolutely embodies great cinema.

Luiz Gustavo (@luizgvt), Cronico de Cinema

But he knows that that’s the path to make João Bérnard in nothing but an echo, a shadow of itself, in the film. To know someone like him is, actually, to know what touched him deeply. That’s why, as we learn about his life and work, we’re also walking through the movies that he loved the most: Lubitsch’s “The Shop Around the Corner”, Mankiewicz’s “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” and, of course, Ray’s “Johnny Guitar”. It is very hard not to fall in love with these movies, like the title foreshadows. The final line, a frase used by João Bénard da Cost when writing about Kiarostami’s “Taste of Cherry”, encapsulates the whole spirit of this very delicate film: “Fundamental é a vida. A vida continua sempre. É de vida que fala este filme de morte” (“Life is fundamental. Life goes on forever. It is about life that this movie of death speaks of”). After watching this documentary, those words will haunt you forever.

Carlos Aguilar (@Carlos_Film), Freelance

Miyazaki’s grumpy, humorous, and at times bleak observations about the world are interspersed with archival footage from his early days in animation. “Kingdom” is as much a documentary about the studio itself, as it is about the man at the center of it and those who, through their complementing talents, have been part of his remarkable creative life. With Takhata’s recent passing, the final minutes of the film now serve as a heartwarming eulogy to his friendship with Miyazaki and his own breathtaking oeuvre.

THIS ARTICLE CONTINUES ON THE NEXT PAGE.

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The best television documentary biographies are as engaging as a scripted series, while also sharing real lives. The best biography documentary series ever shown on television tell the tales of people - from celebrities to average folks who led extraordinary lives. If you’ve been looking for the best biography documentaries to add some enjoyable education to your TV nights, this list of the best art and art history documentary series of all time will help you figure out what needs to go into your queue.

Some documentary biography series follow individuals for the full run of the show, such as The Defiant Ones , or any documentary series that follows the life of historical figures such as Churchill or Napoleon. Many other documentary biography series use an anthology format and tell the story of different people each episode. 30 for 30 , Behind the Music , and even E! True Hollywood Story tell peoples' stories with a mix of reenactment, file footage, and information from experts in the field.

Which shows do the best job sharing information about the lives of famous people? Vote up the best biography documentary shows and add any biographical documentary series that are missing.

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10 Biographical Documentaries to Watch on Netflix Now That You’ve Finished ‘Harry & Meghan'

A different kind of reality program.

Everyone has their own story: in the fast-paced and glamorized world of film and TV, authenticity is needed. Where dramatizations make good entertainment, sometimes a story is best told by the person who lived through it. Biographical documentaries encourage this. They have allowed people who have lived in extraordinary circumstances to claim agency over their narratives.

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These kinds of documentaries give us an intimate look into the truth of human lives, regardless of how exposed they may be. Where Harry & Meghan is a recent example of this, public figures are not the only ones whose stories deserve to be told. The beauty of Netflix is that there's a wide spectrum of biographical documentaries at the audience's fingertips that are guaranteed to captivate, entertain and move all.

'Sr' (2022)

Where the world may know Robert Downey Jr. , this story is about his late father, Robert Downey Sr. , the visionary filmmaker who made waves in Hollywood in the 1960s with his absurdist and non-conventional art. Filmed during his final years, Sr. pays tribute to all aspects of this artist's life and expansive career.

A picture set in black and white, this movie is an intimate and deeply personal story of a father and son. Where it features Downey Sr.'s journey through Parkinson's disease, this isn't a gloom-ridden watch but one filled with heart . With quippy banter between the duo and comedic attempts of Downey Sr. taking control over the camera work, audiences are given an inside look at their poignant discussions of addiction, fatherhood, and grief.

'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey' (2022)

This story uncovers the truth behind the rise and fall of Fundamentalist cult leader Warren Jeffs , a radical of the denomination of Mormonism who encouraged the acts of polygamy, underaged marriage, and abuse.

Documenting the atrocities within the patriarchal religious cult , this four-part series studies Jeff's crooked mind as the self-proclaimed prophet. Through confronting archival footage and interviews from the women who bravely left and defied the cult's clutches, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey will leave audiences shocked for days to come. Do be aware that this documentary contains triggering sequences.

'Becoming' (2020)

Following Michelle Obama on her book tour for her first memoir, this documentary is an intimate look into her life as she recounts her upbringing, her time as First Lady, and what her life has been like since leaving the White House.

Bringing viewers behind the curtains of the 34-city travel stops, Becoming is just as much about Obama's life as it is about the connections she makes with the women she meets, particularly high school students around the country. Similar to the key message in her book, she hopes to encourage the future generation to find their voice and use it.

'Ladies First' (2018)

Deepika Kumari was a girl born in poverty who found a love for archery in her youth. Ladies First chronicles her inspirational journey to success as she joined the Tata Archery Academy and ultimately became one of the world's greatest archers.

Where this documentary comments on rural India's economic hardships, it's mainly the story of a woman who broke the social barriers of her deeply patriarchal culture. Showing the highs and lows of her career, this documentary celebrates how Kumari's path actively challenged the ingrained cultural perception of a woman's inferiority to men. Ladies First honors her ground-breaking achievements and highlights how she has inspired many more.

'Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond' (2017)

With hours of behind-the-scenes footage from the set of the 1999 biopic Man On The Moon , this documentary centers around Jim Carey reflecting on his dedication to absorbing the persona of legendary comedian Andy Kauffman .

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Where viewers will learn more about the interesting creative life of Kauffman, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond is really about Carey and who he is as an artist and performer. By consistently shifting to the on-set footage of the biopic, Carey's method acting is put at the forefront . From crashing cars into studio walls to irritating the entire production team, viewers are called to ponder how far is too far for the purpose of an actor's craft.

'A Secret Love' (2020)

This is the story of Pat Henschel and Terry Donohue , two former baseball players who have kept their relationship a secret for 70 years. Now in their 90s and having only recently revealed the truth to their families, they now look to see what their future entails.

An incredibly moving and heartfelt love story, this documentary tackles the historical struggles of the LGBTQ+ community and its long-lasting effects of the years of ingrained shame. Told through the lens of a couple entering what's naturally presumed the final chapter of their lives, A Secret Love will easily move viewers to tears as Henschel and Donohue look through archival materials and reflect on their sacrifices to protect their union of love.

'Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé' (2019)

Documenting the process behind Beyoncé 's renowned Coachella performance in 2018, Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé is a celebration and homage to Black culture , particularly Black feminism.

Canonized as "Beychella" by her fan base, this performance was praised for its quality and power and its historical nature as Beyoncé was the first Black woman to headline the iconic music festival. As a result, this documentary features an amalgamation of behind-the-scenes footage, with an assortment of music styles and voice-over monologues that quotes legends from the likes of Nina Simone and Maya Angelou . As an ode to Black artists, Beyoncé's film will enthrall viewers because of her dedication as a performer and her growing role as a political figure.

'Dick Johnson is Dead' (2020)

After Richard Johnson is diagnosed with dementia, his filmmaker daughter Kirsten Johnson takes on a project to help them face the inevitable. Her solution—stage his death in creative and comical ways.

RELATED: 10 of the Funniest Documentaries Ever Made, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes Score

This documentary, a very smart comedy with a touch of morbidity , is one of the most creative projects within the last few years. From death by air conditioner unit to flamboyant depictions of the afterlife, Dick Johnson is Dead utilizes absurdism to tackle the confronting truths of human mortality masterfully. It's a deeply poignant story that may make viewers weep yet still leave them smiling.

'The Defiant Ones' (2017')

This docuseries is a deep dive into the legendary partnership between Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre , two of the most influential people in the music industry and contemporary culture itself.

Alternating through their childhoods, fans learn of their rocky rise to stardom. Featuring interviews from today's most famous and beloved musicians, such as Eminem and Stevie Nicks, The Defiant Ones pays tribute to the duo's artistry and the paths they collectively paved within the world of music and business.

'Conversations with a Killer: Jeffrey Dahmer' (2022)

Going into the mind of the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer , this three-part series features archival interview footage between him and his legal team. Through this documentary, audiences are confronted with his never-before-heard confessions that detail his horrific crimes.

Gracing the Netflix listings shortly after the release of Ryan Murphy 's dramatization of Dahmer's life, Confessions with a Killer captivates audiences with the facts and truth. Its disturbing nature is amplified by making the killer his storyteller. By giving viewers first-hand knowledge of his motives and mental processing, this series becomes an uncomfortably intimate viewing experience. Dahmer's directness and openness to revealing his atrocities will even leave the biggest true-crime fans spooked and unsettled .

KEEP READING: 10 Best Crime Documentaries Not Produced By Netflix

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Tina Turner's Life Explored In New Documentary

Eric Deggans

Tina Turner and her children, photographed in 1967. Courtesy of HBO hide caption

Near the end of HBO's new documentary, Tina , the movie implies the legendary singer has made a decision: after this film rolls out, Tina Turner just might be done appearing in public and talking about her life. It's an odd message, coming from a woman whose life story and experiences have inspired at least four books, an Oscar-nominated biopic, a Broadway musical and, now, this new film.

"Some people say the life that I've lived and the performances I gave...the appreciation is lasting with the people and I should be proud of that," Turner says in an interview. "I am. But when do you stop being proud? How do you bow out slowly – just go away?"

Her husband, Erwin Bach, speaks more bluntly in the film just moments later. "She said, 'I'm going to America and I'm going to say goodbye to my American fans, and I'll wrap it up.' I think this documentary and the [musical] – this is it. It's a closure."

If true, that's a loss for the world – if Tina reveals anything, it's that Turner's life story is one for the ages.

Born Anna Mae Bullock in poverty in Tennessee, she rose from a dysfunctional early life to international stardom alongside her abusive bandleader husband Ike Turner, eventually leaving him to forge a new identity as an even bigger solo star. It's a story about survival and the endurance of talent which continues to inspire.

Consider the numbers: Turner has a dozen Grammy awards, many millions of records sold, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a Kennedy Center Honor. She was voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with ex-husband Ike Turner; this year, she's on the ballot as a solo act. NPR placed her 1984 comeback album Private Dancer at Number 34 on the list of 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women .

And yet, Turner herself remains deeply ambivalent about telling her story. The film presents one of those clip montages becoming common in celebrity biopics, displaying the cluelessness and blithe cruelty of journalists, this time asking deeply invasive questions about her abuse at Ike Turner's hands. (One standout moment: when a journalist asks about Ike Turner during a publicity tour for the film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome , as Mel Gibson sits next to Tina Turner, looking on uncomfortably.)

Bach recalls how talking about the tough times in her life can lead the singer to relive those moments – even dream about them – like a soldier with PTSD. In another well-chosen clip, the documentary shows Turner at a press conference during the Venice Film Festival for her 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do With It , explaining why she hadn't actually watched the movie.

"The story was actually written, so that I would no longer have to discuss the issue," Turner says in the clip, as the film's star, Angela Bassett, sits next to her, a tight smile plastered on her face. "I don't love that it's always talked about... this constant reminder, it's not so good. I'm not so happy about it."

Watching the story of her life unfold in Tina , you get the sense that avoidance is an important part of Turner's survival mechanism. Which highlights a sad irony: The stories of triumph and perseverance that have led so many fans to adore her – and has fueled so many books, films and added weight to hit records like What's Love Got to Do with It – are often painful for her to recount.

Still, Tina convenes an impressive array of sources to re-examine Turner's life, including Bassett; friend Oprah Winfrey; Kurt Loder, the MTV News anchor who co-authored her bestselling biography I, Tina and playwright Katori Hall, among others. There's a wide array of archival clips showing Turner in her performing prime; Ike Turner, who died in 2007, is represented through footage from old interviews.

The facts of her life are the stuff of rock legend. Ike Turner, an early pioneer in '50s-era rock and roll, included her in his band after hearing her sing during an intermission at a show. He renamed her Tina Turner and they built an act together over about two decades, before his abusive ways led her to run away and then divorce him.

Left with little more than the stage name her ex-husband gave her, Tina Turner rebuilt her career and her life to become one of the most successful female artists in rock history. Tina the film fills in the details, describing how afraid she was of Ike Turner, how she tried to commit suicide while married to him and how she eventually fled during a trip to Dallas.

The film reveals things casual fans might not know. That Turner felt rejected by her parents, especially her mother, who left the family when she was young. That her record company, unenthused about a middle-aged Black woman who wanted to sing rock and roll, nearly dropped her (one former executive recalls his boss using the n-word in reference to her). That she initially hated the song that would become her most successful single, "What's Love Got to Do with It."

And that, until 1986 when she met Bach — a German record company executive, 16 years her junior, sent to greet her at an airport — Turner never felt loved.

"I have not received love, almost ever in my life," she told Loder during interviews in 1985 for I, Tina , which play in the film. "I had not one love affair that was genuine and sustained itself. Not one. I've been through f*****g tons of heartbreak....Why can't someone see the beauty in the woman it is that I am?"

Like all documentaries produced with the cooperation of its subject, there are blind spots in Tina . Now age 81, Turner has struggled with health problems. She had a stroke in 2013, was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and had a kidney transplant – donated by Bach – in 2017. But none of that is mentioned in the film.

It's arguably one of the most dramatic and compelling challenges Turner has faced in a life filled with them; a woman whose public persona is built around being a vibrant force of nature, who now must cope with aging. And yet, this is a subject Tina turns away from.

The film also doesn't talk much about race. Even though Turner moved from being an artist forged in the Black-dominated R&B, soul, and blues scenes that birthed early rock and roll to becoming a classic pop and rock star popular with white audiences and living in Europe.

It's an amazing cross-cultural journey for a Black woman who spent some of her early years picking cotton with her family while growing up in rural Tennessee. But it's also an issue Tina doesn't much delve into.

Still, Tina is, in many ways, a triumph: a compelling exploration of one of rock's most important performers, crafted in a way that, finally, might allow her to stop talking about a history that remains damaging to revisit.

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Jennifer Lopez Documentarian Jason Bergh Talks ‘Greatest Love Story Never Told,’ New York Pride and Scripted Ambitions: ‘You Got One Shot’

By Matt Donnelly

Matt Donnelly

Senior Film Writer

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Not many would consider it hard labor to stand in the shadow of Jennifer Lopez . Few, perhaps, could stand as still and as long as documentary filmmaker Jason Bergh .

For nearly a decade, Bergh has recorded the multi-hyphenate star behind the scenes as she has charted new paths as a content producer and beauty mogul, and danced her way onto America’s biggest stage — the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Last month, Bergh took his loftiest seat at J. Lo, Inc. by serving as director for “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” a much-discussed documentary about the making of Lopez’s 2024 visual album “This Is Me … Now.”

Popular on Variety

Almost six years. The first thing I did was coverage on one of the last shows in her Las Vegas residency. I’ve been working in this space for 20 to 25 years. I started documenting street culture in New York. It’s been a long run just trying to find my voice, and I’ve been lucky to be with Jen on this very powerful run she’s been on.

“The Greatest Love Story Never Told” is obviously a meta project, given it documents a visual album about her life. Even though you’d been with her for some years at this point, how did you build the trust that’s required for something this candid?

What kind of conversations did you have about access to her? What boundaries were put in place? There’s a lot laid bare in this film.

It was implicit, which comes when you work with someone for so long. I also give a lot of credit to Ana Carballosa, who is Jennifer’s best friend. She had a camera too and was there for things I couldn’t get. Access was unfiltered and then in the edit we decided if something served our story or not. Sure, it’s revelatory, but we’re very relaxed with each other.

What about boundaries with the supporting cast, like Ben Affleck, Benny Medina, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas?

Medina! I call him Uncle Benny because he’s been such a huge supporter of mine. The whole camp is very big on story – making sure we have a beginning, middle and end. Ben is amazing too. He’s a great filmmaker who understands the process and is extremely supportive. I had to pinch myself, honestly. I moved out to Los Angeles 20-something years ago, and always have dreamed of being in this position.

Do you think you want to make the jump from docs to narrative features?

Yes. I don’t like to rush things and I try to be patient. It’s not just a job for me. Scripted is something I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. I’m reading some really great scripts now but I have to find something that grabs me by the heart. Not to quote Eminem, but you got one shot. I think you should do something scripted with J. Lo. There’s a grittiness you both have, in the New York sense.

That’s my vibe, man. A little bit of roughness, a little texture. There’s so much beauty in that.

A common thread in all of your work is that you’re not afraid to lean into emotion. Where was that at its height in “The Greatest Love Story Never Told”?

There are two very powerful moments in “This Is Me … Now,” for the songs “Broken Like Me” and “Rebound.” When we were shooting “Broken,” you could hear a pin drop. There are 100 people on set, but there she is, just digging this pain out of herself. This raw emotion through dance and music. I am an emotional dude, and you can’t help but be drawn in with her in those moments. As a documentarian, I had to be very cautious about how I document those moments because I want her to stay unguarded. I shot with longer lenses and from further distances, and worked my way in.

“Broken Like Me” opens at a Sex and Love Addiction meeting and Jennifer delivers a really intense monologue before the song starts.

She told me that Ben helped her write that. It’s some of her best acting I’ve seen. There’s a lot of personal truth.

How much of your footage ended up on the cutting room floor?

So, we shot eight weeks. That’s hundreds of hours of footage, but everything that wound up on the floor was something that didn’t serve us. The film is soul-bearing. I’m proud of what we have.

What’s your favorite J. Lo song?

Dude, “Jenny From the Block.” And I really like “Dinero,” that’s a banger.

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