Hoop Dreams (1994)

Hoop Dreams follows two Chicago teenagers over five years, crafting an epic portrait of race, class, and the broken promises of the American Dream. Roger Ebert called it the best film of 1994—fiction or nonfiction—and its snub from the Best Documentary Oscar shortlist remains a scandal. At 170 minutes, it is 50% longer than the average documentary, allowing deeper character development than #3 The Act of Killing, which focuses on symbolic reenactment; Hoop Dreams' longitudinal intimacy produces a more personal tragedy.