Who's in It: Tilda Swinton (narrator)
The Basics: If you're like me and don't follow yachting races, then you don't know who Donald Crowhurst is. He was a 36-year-old British father of four and an amateur boating enthusiast who decided that he'd enter a round-the-world sailing race, one he was totally unprepared to handle. This fantastically suspenseful documentary is about how that was a very bad decision on his part.
What's the Deal? You can sort of guess early on that something went horribly wrong during this race, because the only Crowhursts interviewed on camera are Donald's melancholy wife and adult son. But that doesn't make it any less a heart-in-the-mouth viewing experience, one that quickly turns to rock-in-the-stomach when the truth about Crowhurst's excruciating fate finally unfolds. It may be the saddest movie I've seen all year, and the final scene is especially heartbreaking. Look, you've had way more than your share of happy endings at the movies this year. This is where you pay it back.
Pedigree: From the people who brought you the horrifying mountain-climbing documentary Touching the Void. And if you saw that one — and you really should — then you know that it grabbed you by the throat and wouldn't shake you loose. This one is a little different, less insanely scary, but no less memorable. People prone to nail-biting will need to sit on their hands.
Most Unsettling Moments: The filmmakers have original tape recordings and film footage made by Crowhurst, as well as access to his log. So his chilling process of completely losing contact with reality and hope is laid right out to see and hear.
One "Re-Enactment": Because the real boat Crowhurst sailed on was pretty busted up by the time the race was over, they reconstructed the cabin's interior in exacting detail for many of the shots.