Best Documentary Movies on Rakuten TV in the UK

The top 50 of 74 documentary movies streaming on Rakuten TV in the UK, ranked by smart score, updated October 24, 2026.

1
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz 2014
Directed by Brian Knappenberger · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Icon Film
7.6
7.9 · 481 votes
2
I Am Not Your Negro 2017
Directed by Raoul Peck · Streaming on Rakuten TV
7.5
7.7 · 538 votes
3
Life Itself 2014
Directed by Steve James · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
7.2
7.5 · 377 votes
4
Fahrenheit 11/9 2018
Directed by Michael Moore · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV
6.9
7.1 · 494 votes
5
Life in a Day 2011
Directed by Kevin Macdonald · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Icon Film
6.9
7.2 · 259 votes
6
Andrés Iniesta: The Unexpected Hero 2020
Directed by Oriol Bosch · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.9
7.7 · 98 votes
7
20 Feet from Stardom 2013
Directed by Morgan Neville · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.9
7.2 · 270 votes
8
The Dissident 2020
Directed by Bryan Fogel · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV
6.8
7.3 · 125 votes
9
Elena 2013
Directed by Petra Costa · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc
6.7
7.3 · 101 votes
10
P!nk: All I Know So Far 2021
Directed by Michael Gracey · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV
6.7
7.7 · 58 votes
11
Woman 2020
Directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand · Streaming on Rakuten TV, Tubi TV
6.7
7.7 · 48 votes
12
The Propaganda Game 2015
Directed by Álvaro Longoria · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.6
6.9 · 154 votes
13
Project Nim 2011
Directed by James Marsh · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.6
6.9 · 146 votes
14
Zappa 2020
Directed by Alex Winter · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.6
7.2 · 70 votes
15
Facing Ali 2009
Directed by Pete McCormack · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.5
7.3 · 55 votes
16
Road 2014
Directed by Michael Hewitt · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, Rakuten TV
6.5
7.3 · 54 votes
17
Let's Get Lost 1988
Directed by Bruce Weber · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.5
7.2 · 54 votes
18
Robin's Wish 2020
Directed by Tylor Norwood · Streaming on Rakuten TV, Amazon Prime Video, Plex
6.5
7.0 · 75 votes
19
Pennywise: The Story of ‘It’ 2021
Directed by Chris Griffiths · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.5
7.4 · 40 votes
20
Gunda 2021
Directed by Viktor Kossakovsky · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.5
7.1 · 59 votes
21
Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan 2020
Directed by Julien Temple · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.5
8.0 · 24 votes
22
Hitler Versus Picasso 2018
Directed by Claudio Poli · Streaming on Rakuten TV, Tubi TV
6.4
7.3 · 40 votes
23
Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché 2018
Directed by Pamela B. Green · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.4
7.2 · 42 votes
24
Pulp: a Film About Life, Death & Supermarkets 2014
Directed by Florian Habicht · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.4
7.2 · 41 votes
25
Meet the Patels 2014
Directed by Geeta Patel · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.4
7.0 · 55 votes
26
Silicon Cowboys 2016
Directed by Jason Cohen · Streaming on Rakuten TV, YouTube Free
6.4
6.8 · 84 votes
27
Armstrong 2019
Directed by David Fairhead · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.4
7.3 · 34 votes
28
Nothing Like a Dame 2018
Directed by Roger Michell · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.4
6.8 · 62 votes
29
The Witness 2015
Directed by James Solomon · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Amazon MX Player
6.3
6.6 · 103 votes
30
Oppenheimer: The Real Story 2023
Directed by Robin Bextor · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.3
8.1 · 14 votes
31
The Reason I Jump 2020
Directed by Jerry Rothwell · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.3
7.2 · 26 votes
32
Fyre Fraud 2019
Directed by Jenner Furst · Streaming on Rakuten TV, Lionsgate+
6.3
6.4 · 189 votes
33
SlingShot 2014
Directed by Paul Lazarus · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc
6.3
7.3 · 22 votes
34
Workingman's Death 2005
Directed by Michael Glawogger · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc, DocAlliance Films
6.3
7.0 · 31 votes
35
Justin Bieber: Our World 2021
Directed by Michael D. Ratner · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV
6.3
7.1 · 27 votes
36
Meeting Gorbachev 2019
Directed by Werner Herzog · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.3
6.6 · 71 votes
37
And the King Said, What a Fantastic Machine 2023
Directed by Axel Danielson · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.3
7.4 · 19 votes
38
Good Hair 2009
Directed by Jeff Stilson · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Plex
6.3
6.5 · 110 votes
39
Seymour: An Introduction 2015
Directed by Ethan Hawke · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Amazon MX Player
6.3
7.2 · 21 votes
40
Oliver Sacks: His Own Life 2021
Directed by Ric Burns · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Amazon MX Player
6.2
7.6 · 13 votes
41
Billie 2020
Directed by James Erskine · Streaming on Rakuten TV, Plex, YouTube Free
6.2
6.9 · 26 votes
42
Liam Gallagher: As It Was 2019
Directed by Charlie Lightening · Streaming on Disney Plus, Rakuten TV
6.2
6.7 · 37 votes
43
Eating Our Way to Extinction 2021
Directed by Otto Brockway · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Runtime
6.2
6.9 · 23 votes
44
The Sound of Belgium 2012
Directed by Jozef Devillé · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc
6.2
7.6 · 11 votes
45
Shot! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock 2017
Directed by Barnaby Clay · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.2
6.8 · 26 votes
46
Big Boys Gone Bananas!* 2011
Directed by Fredrik Gertten · Streaming on Netflix, Disney Plus, Rakuten TV
6.2
6.8 · 26 votes
47
Don't Take Me Home 2017
Directed by Jonny Owen · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, YouTube Free
6.2
7.4 · 11 votes
48
Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story 2019
Directed by Steve Sullivan · Streaming on Rakuten TV, Tubi TV, YouTube Free
6.2
6.8 · 21 votes
49
Megacities 1998
Directed by Michael Glawogger · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc, DocAlliance Films
6.2
6.7 · 22 votes
50
Totally Under Control 2021
Directed by Alex Gibney · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.2
6.7 · 22 votes

Smart score = (votes × rating + 82 × 6.03) ÷ (votes + 82): the TMDB rating, pulled toward the catalog average as if every film had 82 extra average votes. Streaming data by JustWatch.

Hidden gems

Highly rated but with 31 votes or fewer (the median for this list), ranked with a lighter prior of 16 votes so smaller films can show.

1
Drag Becomes Him 2015
Directed by Alex Berry · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Tubi TV
6.1
6.8 · 15 votes
2
Wonderful Losers: A Different World 2017
Directed by Arūnas Matelis · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV, Tubi TV
6.1
6.8 · 12 votes
3
Sins of My Father 2009
Directed by Nicolás Entel · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc, DOCSVILLE
6.2
6.5 · 30 votes
4
Last Man Standing: Suge Knight and the Murders of Biggie and Tupac 2021
Directed by Nick Broomfield · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.1
6.7 · 13 votes
5
Give Up Tomorrow 2011
Directed by Michael Collins · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc, DOCSVILLE
6.1
6.7 · 10 votes
6
The Price We Pay 2014
Directed by Harold Crooks · Streaming on Rakuten TV
6.1
6.5 · 11 votes
7
He Dreams of Giants 2019
Directed by Louis Pepe · Streaming on Rakuten TV, ARROW
6.1
6.5 · 11 votes
8
Charli XCX: Alone Together 2022
Directed by Bradley Bell · Streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Rakuten TV
6.1
6.3 · 16 votes
9
Forgetting Dad 2008
Directed by Rick Minnich · Streaming on Rakuten TV, Tubi TV, GuideDoc
6.1
6.3 · 12 votes
10
Above and Below 2015
Directed by Nicolas Steiner · Streaming on Rakuten TV, GuideDoc
6.1
6.2 · 16 votes