When it comes to film, there’s a time for romance, comedy and, yes, even romantic comedy. But sometimes all you really need is a true story that makes you cry like Dawson from Dawson’s Creek, laugh like Nicolas Cage or walk away with your mind completely blown. Here, documentaries for every mood and mindset:

• Inspired: In theaters now, Brooklyn Castle tells the heartwarming story of five young members of the chess team at an inner city junior high school in Brooklyn, New York that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The flick was the winner of the Audience Award at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival.

• Musical: An Oscar nominee for the 2013 Academy Awards, Searching for Sugar Man follows two Cape Town music fans as they try to track down American musician Rodriguez (who is rumored to be dead). Reviewing the flick, Roger Ebert said: “I hope you’re able to see this film. You deserve to. And yes, it exists because we need for it to.”

• Political: Another 2013 Oscar nominee, The Gatekeepers depicts the Israeli Shin Bet from the intense perspective of six former heads of Israel’s secretive internal security service.

• Rebellious: In Exit Through The Gift Shop, street artist Banksy shadows Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant in Los Angeles who is obsessed with street art.

• Eco-Friendly: An Inconvenient Truth chronicles former United States Vice President Al Gore as he campaigns around the country to educate citizens about global warming.

For more amazing flicks, check out PBS’ list of the 25 Greatest Documentaries of All Time.