10 Great Documentaries You Can Watch on Netflix (That Aren’t True Crime)
10 Great Documentaries You Can Watch on Netflix (That Aren’t True Crime)
Netflix may be known for true crime documentaries, but these titles are just as great as those. They just happen to have less murder and cold cases.
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There is no denying that one of Netflix’s biggest draws are documentaries. Both in terms of volume (for every Netflix drama there seem to be five docu-series), and consistent quality (over the last five years Netflix has taken home two Oscars and many more nominations for its documentaries); the streaming giant regularly delivers. In fact, the advent of streaming has revitalized the industry as documentaries have historically underperformed in theaters, and now they’ve found the perfect home.
A lot of the content falls under the True Crime classification and with good reason: humanity’s darkest secrets and strangest behaviors are perfect fodder for documentarians. However, some may feel that the genre is a little oversaturated and are in the mood for something different. Pulling from Netflix’s great selection of produced and curated films this list will look at ten of the most intriguing, informative, funny, and bizarre documentaries you can watch right now.
10 American Factory (2019)
Following the financial crisis of 2008, many factories had to close across the US, leaving a lot of workers without jobs. A few years later, a number of companies were bought out by Chinese firms who reopened them, hired back many of the workers but expected them to follow a Chinese work ethic and management style. American Factory follows the staff and managers of one such factory over a number of years.
The film achieves a great objective style with very few talking heads, instead, they simply turn the camera on and let the action unfold, making it a true fly-on-the-wall film. It is a fascinating watch and a very human story about life after a crisis it deservedly took home the Oscar at the 2020 Academy Awards.
9 Into the Inferno (2016)
Legendary director Werner Herzog has made some of the most original and unique films and it’s an attitude he clearly applies to his documentaries as well. Into the Inferno can be best described as being a film both about volcanoes and not about volcanoes.
Herzog investigates volcanoes for the astoundingly powerful geological wonders that they are, and for their deep spiritual connection to many of the Earth’s cultures. The film is part nature documentary and part philosophical sermon masterfully narrated by Herzog’s iconic voice.
8 Notes on Blindness (2016)
To many, the idea of losing a sense seems an experience that would be nearly impossible to understand, but Notes on Blindness does a near-perfect of giving the audience some idea. When academic John Hull noticed that his eyesight was failing badly, he made tape recordings of his experience, trying to document and therefore better understand what he was going through.
At times the film is heartbreaking and at others strangely uplifting, as Hull comes to terms with his new way of life. The film uses a lot of recreation, getting actors to lipsynch to the real recordings. It’s a stroke of genius that adds a visceral layer to the doc as the audience can watch Hull’s lived experience play out before them.
7 Apollo 11 (2019)
Despite the entire world knowing the outcome of the 1969 mission to the moon especially after the Tom Hanks movie, Apollo 11 still manages to create an atmosphere of excitement and apprehension. Released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the moon landings, the film recreates the entire journey (from launch to landing and the return to Earth) exclusively using original footage and audio.
The footage itself is stunning, a lot of it having been retouched and colorized, which also helps to bring out the enormity of the achievement into perspective.
6 13th (2016)
Since its release in 2016, 13th appears to have only grown in relevance and cultural prominence. The film takes the 13th amendment (which abolished slavery with the exception of prisoners) as its central focus and uses it to track a huge swathe of American cultural history.
Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film is incredibly well researched and expertly argued, establishing DuVernay as one of the most interesting and versatile filmmakers of the moment. It is a hard but arguably necessary watch that keeps the audience engaged all throughout, getting under the skin in ways that a dramatic film perhaps couldn’t.
5 Life, Animated (2016)
In a slight change from history and philosophy, Life, Animated is a much needed life-affirming inclusion in this list. Owen Suskind, due to his autism, found it very difficult to interact with the world and he would often draw into himself and remain silent. His parents were at a loss for what to do, until one day they played him a Disney animated film.
This began a life-long Disney obsession for Owen, who used the movies to finally come out of his shell. As well as being an incredibly up-lifting human story, the film also celebrates the real magic of cinema and how it has a power that many of us may take for granted.
4 Icarus (2017)
This is another Oscar win for Netflix and a documentary that is so good that it could rival many of the best thrillers. Icarus begins with director Bryan Fogel, a keen cyclist, trying to recreate Lance Armstrong’s notorious doping regimen. At first, Fogel struggles to match Armstrong’s times and even enlists the help of a Russian doctor to help him out. From there, the film changes into something more dramatic.
Icarus is one of those rare and brilliant examples of a director finding the story while making it, turning the film from sports doc to investigative journalism. The final story is now common knowledge but watching the way it unfolded will have many on the edge of their seat.
3 Hail Satan? (2019)
Hail Satan? opens with a man dressed in a demonic garb, about to give a public speech, clumsily tripping over his cape. It’s a perfect introduction to the film’s tone; while the subjects take what they do seriously, they don’t necessarily take themselves seriously.
The film follows a leader of the Satanic Temple over the course of a few months, getting to know him and the Temple as a whole. An organization built on playful provocation and disobedience, the Temple primarily seeks to uphold civil rights rather than disrupt and attack them. Hail Satan? has a dry sense of humor as it shines a funny light on a group that is not always painted positively.
2 The Great Hack (2019)
Sometimes, the world can move so quickly that getting an accurate read on what happened is very difficult. In 2016, the work of the company Cambridge Analytica greatly effected both the Brexit Referendum and the 2019 US Presidential election, just to name a few democracies it all but overturned.
The Great Hack, another documentary that plays at the speed of a thriller, follows three figures key to both the company and those who exposed what it was doing. There is no doubt that what the film finds is troubling, but at least it manages to communicate an incredibly complex series of events into an understandable yet highly exciting format.
1 Screwball (2018)
While there is definitely some crime that is true in Screwball, it is only a very small part of what makes this documentary so appealing. The film follows a doctor in Miami who would provide doping drugs for many top sports players. However, the story of what happens has so many twists and turns it really has to be seen to be believed.
There are moments in the story that wouldn’t be out of place in a farce, some people are so ridiculous that they wouldn’t feel lost in an Adam Sandler movie, and there are more laughs in it that most straightforward comedies. A lot of recreations are used and the filmmakers decided to cast child actors in the parts and, amazingly, it is the only way to make the events of Screwball believable and even likable.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/netflix-documentaries-not-true-crime-must-watch/
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