Documentary films have always been the “truth tellers” of the entertainment industry. The filmmakers, often with no money, spend months putting together stories that get to the truth of a moment in time.

For me, the early 1970s was a period of powerful films that for the first time really illustrated the power that these films could have socially and politically. Barbara Kopple’s Harlan Country, USA in 1973 about a bitter labor strike in Appalachia made me realize not only the economic injustice that existed, but that there was an entire world of which I was unaware. Also, Peter Davis’s Oscar-winning documentary Hearts and Minds in 1974 captured the war in Vietnam brilliantly, while exploring the deep social conflict that took place at home.

Recently, Michael Moore has taken this art form to a new level with his documentaries, showing that filmmakers can produce meaningful and profitable films. The recent film March of the Penguins, for example, earned quite a bit of money. These films have opened the door for many young filmmakers who would have previously been unable to finance their films and they are giving us amazing new works.

One such filmmaker, Charles Ferguson, has given us with No End In Sight an astounding documentary of the war in Iraq. Having access to many key decision makers, especially on the ground in Baghdad, he created a powerful film on the unfolding and conduct of the war. Though you might think that we all might be desensitized to the revelation of any new scandal, this artful documentary will shock you. The decisions and the journey to making those decisions were simply a disaster.

Richard Schickel in TIME magazine raved about the film:

"Basically, it is just a talking-heads documentary, interleaved with some routinely dismaying shots of deadly carnage in a far-away place. Moreover, what those heads are talking about is a failed political policy — not, on the face of it, the most riveting of cinematic subjects.

That said, prepare to be riveted: No End in Sight, Charles Ferguson's first film, is without question the most important movie you are likely to see this year. It is not a film that simply massages your pre-existing attitudes about the war in Iraq. Rather it is a work that tells you things you almost certainly did not know about that disaster or things that have been lost to sight as chaos, anarchy and our feelings of helplessness have grown over the years since the invasion of 2003. Specifically, what it says is that the war was lost by the "coalition" in its first month — when U.S. forces failed to protect the Iraqi museum and library, among 20 other invaluable cultural, social and political sites."

The film is a powerful reminder of how not to do things (pay attention candidates!), Schickel concludes:

"It can be argued that this film is largely addressing mistakes and grievances that are now beyond redress. But that's not strictly true. The kinds of errors it examines are entirely duplicable. And it is important to have this grand compilation of serious, sometimes anguished, testimony to remind us that big talk is always cheap and essentially dreamy. Who knew that a bunch of medium shots of well-spoken, nicely dressed men and women could transcend mere journalism and bring us very close to the authentic tragedy lurking behind the Green Zone's concrete walls."

Watch this trailer and then get to a theater soon. It is currently only playing in a few select cities now, but the film will be released in new cities each weekend over the next couple of months. It should give Michael Moore's Sicko a run for the Oscar!