As people in the modern world have grown more aware of current events, or as society has become keen observers, documentaries have become more and more popular. It has never been more accessible to watch documentaries thanks to the growth of big-stream websites like Netflix. The ‘Docuseries’ format, popularized by Netflix in particular, has made it simpler to watch documentaries because, in 2022, viewers appear to prefer shorter content.
1. Chasing Coral (2017)
In the movie, the biology of coral is explained in detail, including how important it is to the marine ecosystem and what causes the bleaching events that lead to coral death. Since the 1980s, trapped greenhouse gases have been warming the oceans more quickly, and a two-degree increase is fatal. It serves as a love letter to an astounding array of animals that are disappearing, an elegy to the numerous animals that have perished so far, and a wake-up call to humanity.
2. Audrie & Daisy (2016)
After the events that resulted in the suicide of a California teen, the movie is sure to spark a national debate and keep viewers away from Maryville, Missouri.
In the urgent real-life drama AUDRIE & DAISY, two young girls who have been the victims of sexual assault learn that the crimes against them have been caught on camera, and the impact that has on their families, friends, schools, and communities is explored. The movie, which had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, takes a hard look at American teenagers who are maturing in this brand-new, out-of-control world of cyberbullying.
3. LA 92 (2017)
Following the police assault on black motorist Rodney King, social justice activists demanded police reform. LA 92 documents the ensuing riots in Los Angeles, California in 1992. The focus of the narrative is on what happened on the LA freeway, which both follows and sets up the background of the assault.
This feature documentary by Daniel Lindsay and TJ Martin gives the LA riots a 25-year historical context using primarily archived sources and film. The horrifying history of police brutality in America is explored, going back to the 1965 Watts Rebellion. Political insight is provided in the narrative by individuals like George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Statements from those directly involved in the incident, including Rodney King, Stacey Koon, and Laurence Powell, who were all found not guilty, are also displayed.
4. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
The most significant movie to encourage saving the planet may be Cowspiracy. It revolutionized and energized the environmental movement. According to its website, environmental organizations don’t want you to see this movie. It has exposed a vast conspiracy between governments and the largest environmental organizations in the world to mislead the public about the primary cause of global warming. However, the premise of the movie is based on seriously flawed—and nearly universally rejected—interpretations of science.
As the world’s scientists are telling us, fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas are not the primary source of global warming pollution. No, it’s animal agriculture—eating all types of meat, eggs, milk, and fish in addition to eating cows. So renewable energy isn’t the primary solution to global warming. The goal is for everyone to go vegan.
5. Joshua: Teenager VS. Superpower (2017)
Joshua Wong, the young activist who gained notoriety for his demonstrations against the Chinese government, is the subject of a stirring documentary.
This thoughtful, captivating documentary is appropriate for older teenagers and their families. Director Joe Piscatella does a commendable job of closely observing the struggles of a group of committed teenagers in maintaining Hong Kong’s freedom for themselves and future generations using inspiring and occasionally upsetting footage. Joshua: The movie Teenager vs. Superpower might encourage high school students to read up on the histories of China and Hong Kong. Younger or more sensitive children may find disturbing scenes in which people are forcibly arrested and subjected to the pain of tear gassing by the police.
6. Icarus (2017)
“Icarus,” a compelling documentary that Netflix paid a lot of money to acquire at Sundance, is just what the company needs to get viewers talking. A movie like this might not draw much attention in theaters if it only plays in a few markets. Whatever your opinion of the risks associated with Netflix curating the entire home entertainment sector, there is value in bringing a special documentary like “Icarus” to a wider audience.
7. Newton (2016)
In the Naxalite-affected region of India, Newton tells the tale of a sincere government official who does his duty to ensure a fair election.
Amit Masurkar, the director of the commendable comedy film Sulemaani Keeda, has made the audacious decision to investigate the voting situation in a very sensitive and rural area of Chattisgarh. The movie highlights the fact that, despite having voter ID cards, the villagers are unaware of their rights to elect the leaders they prefer. The movie also shows how indifferent the security forces are and how high-ranking officers crave media attention.
8. Forks Over Knives (2011)
Lee Fulkerson’s “Forks Over Knives” makes a pedantic but compelling argument against removing meat and dairy from the dinner table through a story involving two doctors, numerous cows, and a variety of human illnesses.
This in-depth documentary would rather inform than amuse, arguing that eating a diet high in vegetables and whole grains can prevent (and even in some cases reverse) the majority of our major health issues, such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Its healthy heroes are T., a nutritionist. The decades of research into the negative effects of animal proteins conducted by Colin Campbell and the surgeon Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr. are summarized in this book, along with a brief history of our global dietary decline.
9. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things (2016)
Some of us might find it a little absurd to own just one chair, one jacket, and one mug. However, a minimalist believes that owning less means living more. Have you ever considered what having fewer possessions might entail for you? We can think about various aspects of minimalism that might work for you. We are all capable of pursuing aspects of minimalism in our own lives, whether that be through a carefully curated wardrobe, a tiny house, a modular, flexible home, or by making accommodations with a non-minimalist roommate or partner.
The movie makes the excellent point that a lot of the things we and our kids are urged to buy are just “junk”—tiny plastic toys, trendy but subpar clothing, gadgets we don’t need—until we find ourselves in need of more room and bigger homes to accommodate it all. The outcome? To pay for our addiction to consumption and our larger home, we must work longer and harder. There is more stress over money, more worry about the future, and less time for important things like relationships, our relationships, and our true passions in life.
10. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)
Fyre is a documentary that could have settled with being entertaining, but it manages to hit far more notes and explore many more ideas than that. The delight in the misfortune of the rich and the shallow, which we all expect and crave, is greatly delivered by FYRE, but it also wisely chooses not to focus on it. The focus is primarily on the well-intentioned individuals who are actually involved in this mess and how anyone can fall for a vision or dream when no one in the group is willing to stand up as a lone voice of reason.
11. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (2020)
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, a must-watch documentary on Netflix, tells the amazing tale of Joe Exotic. In this amazing seven-part Netflix original documentary, we learn that there are more tigers kept in captivity in America than there are in the wild anywhere in the world. However, don’t anticipate a somber conservation-themed series. An industry that allows shady men to use endangered species as commodities to wrangle sex, money, and power is exposed in what begins as the tale of an escalating feud between an Oklahoma man and a Florida woman who both love big cats.
Tiger King is utterly captivating, but it’s also both astonishing and infuriating at the same time. It’s a masterful piece of narrative writing that challenges the audience’s perceptions and sympathies while revealing a little more in each episode to make the story progress. All of the major characters (who are still alive) are given voices, but even though the show obviously has a bias, it doesn’t feel forced or biased.
