As opposed to the Short Subject category, Documentary Features can use as much time as they want to explain a particular argument, or provide a perspective that a filmmaker wishes to be seen. This category usually yields a dud or two. Well, 2019 was quite the year for documentaries, it seems. While it wasn’t hard to rank these nominees, all of them were worthwhile to say the least. Still, we have a major snub (much like last year), but at least the Academy didn’t push a beloved film out of the way for something substandard.

Here are your nominees for Best Documentary Feature, ranked from worst to best.

Biggest Snub: Apollo 11

Well, somehow the best documentary of the year was forgotten about. Like last year’s Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Apollo 11 was completely shut out by the Academy Awards despite its year-long successful campaign. Without vocal interference or a slanted perspective, Apollo 11 is straight up footage of the moon landing fifty years later, in all of its glory (including 70mm footage). Sure, the Academy picked up some great nominees this year (including the occasional risky work or two), but leaving out Apollo 11, when it was previously seen as the frontrunner to win this award, is beyond peculiar.

5. The Edge of Democracy

Petra Costa’s looking-back at her motherland is sadly ranked last. It’s only because of the film’s relatively passive tone compared to the other nominees (which seemingly explode in almost every scene). Still, The Edge of Democracy is a fierce take on political corruption in Brazil, with Costa not really hiding her anger, but preserving it for something else. You see enough to understand her frustration, as well as the millions of citizens that have fought for justice, only to be continuously slapped in the face. The Edge of Democracy is of the same tone throughout, but it’s never a film to mince thoughts at least.

Our review of The Edge of Democracy

4. American Factory

Possibly the most pedestrian nominee here (although hardly so, compared to other documentaries), American Factory is a battle between clashing cultures within one factory. Its unbiased approach allows for a much fuller discussion, rather than willingly pointing fingers blindly. Likely the most popular nominee (possibly because of the Netflix distribution, or the fact that it was produced by Barack and Michelle Obama), American Factory is a crowd pleaser of sorts, especially with its comic relief scattered throughout. A question posed for all, it may be a little safe, but American Factory is still hard hitting when it needs to be.

Our review of American Factory

3. The Cave

Now we’re in the pack of the best nominees. The Cave is a fitting followup to Last Men in Aleppo, and an arguably even better effort by Firas Fayaad (especially when it comes to showcasing the turmoil of a war-torn Syria). With more of a focus on daily occurrences (rather than a standard plot or sequence), this take on female doctors in a hidden hospital bunker is a difficult watch to complete. Towards the end, The Cave feels almost like a horror film, with the desperation of the situation settling in, and the bombs in the distance refusing to stop. With the help of National Geographic, The Cave is fascinating to watch, but nauseating to endure.

Our review of The Cave

2. Honeyland

For the first time, a documentary was also nominated for (what is now known as) Best International Feature Film. That’s because Honeyland is shot so beautiful, handled so delicately, and given zero biased input. Like a film set that has gone on for years, this observation of a wild beekeeper (an endangered profession in a world where bees are themselves verging on extinction) skips through the highs and lows of a job, life, and community. Originally intended to be a short film about beekeeping in North Macedonia, Honeyland gestated into a complete depiction of an ailing world made even more ill by humanity’s greed, all from the eyes of Hatidze Muratova (who is doing everything in her power to escape the darkest period of her existence).

Our review of Honeyland

1. For Sama

For us, this film easily takes the cake. Considering that this was originally meant to be footage left behind by parents to a daughter in case they died before she knew them, For Sama is already off to a solid start. With the leaping between time periods, this documentary becomes a comparison between being an optimistic youth, and a tainted adult having been tormented by war for far too long; the spark for hope is long gone. For Sama is such a commanding film, even the moments we know the outcome of already are impossible to not feel sick about (including the scene of the titular Sama’s birth). The film shifted into a documentary for the world to see. Originally, Sama was meant to discover how her journalist mother and doctor father tried to help Syria during its Civil War. Now, Sama is a global message about the inability to cure a society’s wound until it stops fighting.

Our review of For Sama

Who we want to win: Any of the top three works were outstanding enough for us. For Sama, Honeyland, and The Cave all deserve the gold.

Who we think will win: It’s incredibly difficult to guess this year. For Sama is the most nominated documentary at the BAFTAs ever. Honeyland crossed over to the International Feature category at the Oscars. The Edge of Democracy and American Factory are Netflix documentaries (which helped past winners like Icarus). The Cave is released on the heels of another successful documentary, and has other accolades (including the TIFF’s Peoples’ Choice award for 2019 for documentaries).

With all of that said, we’re going to just have to guess blindly. American Factory has received a lot of attention, and it’s an easier nominee to view content wise (plus it hits the closest to home for the American Academy members), so we’ll guess that it will win.

Tune in tomorrow for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee.

Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.

Best Documentary Feature: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee