authentic account; true record; documentary
Refers to a factual, unembellished record of events, often used in titles of books, films, or reports that claim to be based on real happenings.
This book is a true account of the murder case.
This movie is based on a true story.
He published an authentic account of the incident.
This film is made based on a true account of real events.
実話 refers to a true story told in narrative form, whereas 実録 emphasizes the documentary, record-like nature of the account.
ドキュメンタリー specifically means a documentary film or program, while 実録 is broader and can describe written accounts as well as visual ones.
ノンフィクション is the general literary category of non-fiction writing, while 実録 more narrowly implies a factual record of specific real events.
フィクション is invented, fictional content, the direct opposite of 実録, which claims to be a truthful account of real events.
true account; factual record
Compound of 実 (truth, reality) and 録 (record). The word has been used since at least the Edo period for factual chronicles.