Documentaries can be used as a pedagogical tool to better understand social policy. This medium is especially suited to provide perspectives that often go unheard in policy debates, academic discussions, and textbooks. While many social work educators use documentary films, there is little discussion about this media in the social work literature. Drawing on interdisciplinary film scholarship and the author's classroom experience, this article raises questions about the use of documentary films in the social work policy classroom. What is the role of the educator in choosing films? How can we apply the critical skills of policy analysis to this particular medium? The final section includes recommendations for using documentaries in the social work classroom. (Contains 2 tables and 4 notes.)