The 2026 Oscar-nominated documentaries are sensitive and transformative

This year's Oscar-nominated documentaries include a tale of terminal cancer, dispatches from behind bars in Alabama, and stories from Iran and Russia. Review The 2026 Oscar-nominated documentaries are sensitive and transformative March 4, 202612:28 PM ET By Davi Merchan The killing of Ajike "A.J." Owens is the subject of the The Perfect Neighbor, one of five Academy Award nominees for outstanding documentary feature this year. Netflix hide caption toggle caption Netflix There is a prevalent sentiment among documentary filmmakers that most streamers and distributors are only interested in projects about the three C's — cults, crime and celebrities. But this year's five Oscar-nominated feature documentaries prove that, while that may be largely true, such a belief is only one side of the picture, and that even documentaries that fall into these categories can still bring an innovative, moving and impactful approach to nonfiction storytelling. Despite the challenging issues all these films explore — from terminal illness, to life in one of the deadliest prison systems in the United States and in a small Russian town in the midst of a war — these filmmakers tackle them with sensitivity, humanity and unexpected humor. In the era of big-budget documentaries, these films are a great reminder of the transformative power of nonfiction stories, and that, more often than not, all you need is a camera and a strong story that must be told to move and connect with audiences. Sponsor Message The Alabama Solution YouTube The Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified on Dec. 15, 1791. It simply reads "excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Nearly 235 years later, thousands of people have died while in government custody, at prisons and jails, in what advocates — and courts — have said are direct violations of prisoners' constitutional rights. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than in Alabama, one of the deadliest prison systems in America. The Alabama Solution is a six-year investigation into the crisis unfolding at prisons across the southern state, discovering over 1,300 deaths of people in custody inside Alabama correctional facilities between 2019 and 2024. Documenting abuse inside prisons is dauntingly difficult, but thanks to the bravery of a group of incarcerated men and their families, filmmakers Andrew Jarecki⁩ and Charlotte Kaufman⁩⁩ expose the brutal reality of life in custody through smuggled footage that these men filmed from inside. These videos are graphic and incredibly hard to watch, but a necessary step in understanding the lived reality of the estimated 28,000 people currently in custody in Alabama. Earlier this year, three of the whistleblowers featured in the documentary were transferred into solitary confinement. While one of them has since been released, the other two remain in solitary confinement. Sponsor Message Come See Me in the Good Light YouTube I will admit that, of all the nominated documentaries this year, Come See Me in the Good Light was the one I dreaded watching the most. The film, which chronicles the life of Colorado's former poet laureate Andrea Gibson and their wife Megan Falley following Gibson's terminal cancer diagnosis, screened at almost every film festival I attended over the last year, won the 2025 Sundance Festival Favorite Award, and even has the coveted 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics. My hesitancy was rooted not in the quality of what I expected would be a moving film, but rather in how Gibson's story would force me to confront my own mortality. Tissues handy, I finally pressed play, fully prepared to cry, but completely unaware of how much I, too, would laugh. Wild Card with Rachel Martin Tig Notaro talks growing up in Mississippi, parenthood and her friendship with poet Andrea Gibson Director Ryan White lets the couple's relationship shine beautifully throughout this film — as they go to doctors' appointments, read each other's work, and prepare for what would ultimately be Gibson's last spoken-word performance in 2024, before their passing in July 2025. If I had to summarize Come See Me in the Good Light in one sentence, it would be best to use Andrea's own words from their poem Life Anthem: "my story is one about happiness being easier to find once we realize we do not have forever to find it." This film is a celebration of unconditional love, friendship, family, poetry, and how the little things in life — casual dinners with friends, a barking dog, a broken mailbox — ultimately make us most alive. Keep your tissues nearby. Cutting Through Rocks YouTube Before Sara Shahverdi became the first female councilor in her Iranian village, she was a midwife, delivering over 400 babies, by her estimate. It is no surprise, then, that Shahverdi's role as the head councilor in her village is part of her plan to make life better for the women around her, many of whom are young girls she helped bring into this world. Culture A glimpse of Iran, through the eyes of its artists and journalists Cutting Through Rocks is an intimate p