Dozens of amazing films once again show us the value of hewing to truth when so many seek to create their own alternative reality. This year’s DOC NYC demonstrated how truly talented are documentary filmmakers the world over, many of whom aren’t household names but nonetheless continue the search for truth in a world less and less interested in it. 

Here are some of the major offerings

After making the documentary “Boys State,” about a Texas program wherein adolescent males practice what it might be like to experience a real electoral campaign, filmmaker Jesse Moss turned his attention to a man running for real. For several months he and his crew followed then-South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg on his ultimately unsuccessful bid to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

The actress Selma Blair had a promising career in Hollywood going at the turn of the millennium, appearing in major roles in “Cruel Intentions” and “Hellboy,” among many others. She seemed to be on an upward trajectory, appearing in dozens of other films and television shows. However, in recent years the actress was cruelly struck with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, making it difficult for her to walk or, many times, even to speak.

Over a twenty-year stretch, half a million people have died from opioids, according to the CDC. And one of the crisis’s major killers is OxyContin, which earned the already-wealthy Sackler family billions of dollars.

Even though the family’s firm, Purdue Pharma, is now in bankruptcy proceedings and ordered by courts to pay billions in penalties and compensation, members of the Sackler

There are some especially strong documentaries out there to see [...]

Writer-director Paul Morrison has fashioned an endearingly sweet later-in-life romance fable that follows two senior citizens who first meet walking their dogs and then, over the course of several seasons, deal with the joys, pittfalls and pains of what it means to start a relationship at any age, never mind in the autumn of the year.

Right away we meet Dave (Dave Johns, exquisite in “I, Daniel Blake”), when he and his dog

“Tougher Than a Tank”

Marine Eddie Ryan was hit in the head by friendly fire in Iraq, and his condition was so grave that his parents came to his bedside expecting to say goodbye. Against all odds, Ryan not only survived but was soon able to speak and use his left arm. He maintained his sense of humor, even if certain emotional cues were now absent due to his injuries. The medical bills