pseudodocumentary

Pseudodocumentary is a term used in film and media studies to describe works that imitate documentary form—interviews, voice-over narration, observational footage, and the use of archival material—while presenting content that is fictional, speculative, or otherwise constructed. The aim is to explore, challenge, or subvert assumptions about what counts as evidence in documentary practice, rather than to record actual events.

Key characteristics include a deliberate use of verisimilitude, often combined with staged or re-enacted scenes, manipulated or ambiguous footage, and persuasive editing. Pseudodocumentaries frequently blur the line between fact and fiction, inviting audiences to question the credibility of sources and the motives behind the material. They may employ satire, social critique, or narrative deception to achieve their aims.

Scholars distinguish pseudodocumentary from the related term mockumentary, though the two overlap. Mockumentaries are typically overtly humorous parodies that imitate documentary conventions, while pseudodocumentaries may aspire to serious critique or realism even when the content is not factual. The label also covers docufiction and some found-footage works that present themselves as genuine documentaries.

Historical usage ranges from early experimental cinema to contemporary digital media. Notable examples include This Is Spinal Tap and Borat as popular mockumentaries; The Blair Witch Project as a found-footage pseudodocumentary; and various docufictions such as The Act of Killing, which blends documentary-style presentation with fictional or re-enacted elements.

Reception centers on questions of epistemology—how viewers discern truth from manipulation—and on ethical considerations surrounding deception, consent, and representation in media.