Tear through 2015's best nonfiction films and you'll see the great range of the modern documentary: the straightforward brilliance of the political history Best of Enemies, the nail-biting battle footage of Cartel Land, the humanist wit of Finders Keepers, the quiet patience of The Look of Silence, the eerie animation of Listen to Me Marlon.

Four of the films ? The Russian Woodpecker, (T)error, Democrats?and We Come as Friends ? tackle government inaction and idiocy, but each leaves a unique bruise on its audience.

And the last on the list, The Wolfpack, is hardly a documentary at all, yet it's filled with love for what the best movies do for our souls.

Best of Enemies

Cartel Land




Democrats

Finders Keepers

Listen to Me Marlon

(T)error

The Look of Silence

The Russian Woodpecker

We Come as Friends

The Wolfpack