Escapism is bliss, but knowledge is power.
It’s why the humble documentary is more important than ever, unearthing truths, offering different perspectives, and introducing you to stories you might not have come across in your short time on this planet.
Netflix’s documentary offerings are strong stuff, with many of the streaming service’s films and series proving some the most talked about watches of certain times in our lives — if you managed to miss the whole Wild Wild Country “tough titties” conversation, we’re impressed? — and others flying under the radar despite their excellence.
We’ve rounded up the very best documentary films and TV series on Netflix, so you can load up on some of the strangest, most enraging, most uplifting true stories, all crafted by those determined documentary makers who spend hours and hours editing their findings into a compelling path.
1. 13th
Legendary activist and author Angela Davis in ’13th’.
Image: netflix
Ava DuVernay’s 13th should be compulsory viewing, a powerful documentary that examines mass incarceration and wrongful imprisonment of Black people in America and the long, sinister, racist history that has enabled this discriminatory system to continue. As Mashable’s Tricia Crimmins writes, “The documentary, titled to reference the 13th Amendment — the amendment that abolished slavery — not only elevates the voices of those who have fallen victim to the broken justice system, it exposes those who made such a system possible, such as proponents of Jim Crow-era statutes and the multiple former presidents and political leaders that contributed to the Republican Party’s war on drugs (which enlisted Bill Clinton as well). 13th extensively enlightens viewers on how a majority of black Americans unfairly serve time in the prison industrial complex.”
Where to watch: Netflix
2. Disclosure
‘Disclosure’ executive producer Laverne Cox.
Image: netflix
“For a very long time, the ways in which trans people have been represented onscreen have suggested that we’re not real, have suggested that we’re mentally ill, that we don’t exist,” says Disclosure‘s executive producer and Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox. “Yet here I am. And here we are. And we’ve always been here.”
Disclosure takes a hard look at the representation of trans people on screen throughout history, which goes back way further than you might think. And with this disheartening analysis comes a discussion of the offscreen impact of that representation, with transgender people portrayed onscreen more often than not as a joke, someone to be feared, or someone who constantly experiences violence. “For decades, Hollywood has taught people how to react to trans people, and that is with fear,” explains GLAAD’s Nick Adams in the film. There is hope, however, in how far we’ve come with the likes of Orange Is the New Black, Transparent, and Pose. The documentary, as writer Jen Richards says, gives a sense of a broader history of trans representation onscreen so trans people “can find themselves in it.”
Taken from: The 10 best documentaries of 2020 so far
Where to watch: Netflix
3. Wild Wild Country
You won’t be able to predict where ‘Wild Wild Country’ goes next.
Image: netflix
When Wild Wild Country dropped on Netflix in 2018, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with the streaming service who wasn’t chomping at the bit to talk about it. Created by Chapman Way and Maclain Way, the six-part documentary follows the true tale of Rajneeshpuram, a commune built in Oregon by Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in the ‘80s, and how its followers’ clash with the local nearby town (steered by formidable spokesperson Ma Anand Sheela) provides just the beginning of a tale that ends in, well, biological warfare.
As Mashable’s Proma Khosla writes, “Instead of telling you the story of a forgotten cult, Wild Wild Country takes you right into it. You’ll start out wondering how anyone could get pulled into such a scheme, then find yourself intrigued by the sannyasins’ world and lifestyle. For something that seems far removed from today’s society, the series is deeply immersive and appropriately paced. It’s nothing if not a wild ride – and a perfect binge.”
Where to watch: Netflix
4. Icarus
‘Icarus’ director Brian Fogel and Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov.
Image: netflix
Director Brian Fogel took a colossal risk making Icarus, one that steered the filmmaker’s life in ways he and the audience would never suspect. This Best Documentary winner sees Fogel, an amateur racing cyclist, wanting to investigate doping sports by taking performance enhancing drugs himself — taking steps to evade detection while documenting any changes in his progress. Along the way, he meets scientist, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, a crucial part of Russia’s “anti-doping” program, who helps Fogel on his quest. But suddenly, things take a serious turn. This isn’t even the half of Icarus, as the dangerous truth runs all the way to the top. Mashable’s Brittany Levine Beckman wrote more about the documentary’s context here.
Where to watch: Netflix
5. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Camp Jened left a lasting impact on its attendees.
Image: netflix
Premiered at Sundance and co-produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, Crip Camp follows the story of Camp Jened, an inclusive summer camp for young people with disabilities in the ‘50s and ’60s, which left a lasting impact on the lives of those who attended — enough to lead many to steer the disability rights movement in the ‘70s.
Crip Camp was created by disability rights activist and Camp Jened attendee James LeBrecht alongside Emmy-winning documentary maker Nicole Newnham, and it traces the connection between the campers and the civil rights movement. As Mashable’s Alexis Nedd put it, “It’s a case study in the power of activism, a badly needed history lesson, and an invitation for viewers to assess the impact of spaces like Camp Jened — designed from the start to include.”
Taken from: The 10 best documentaries of 2020 so far
Where to watch: Netflix
6. Dick Johnson Is Dead
‘Dick Johnson Is Dead’ embraces what the director refers to as “the act of turning toward things that are hard to handle.”
Image: netflix
“Now it’s upon us. The beginning of his disappearance. And we’re not accepting it. He’s a psychiatrist. I’m a cameraperson. I suggested we make a movie about him dying. He said yes.” Filmmaker Kirsten Johnson makes this bold pitch as her father, Dick, moves toward the end of his life with dementia. In this surreal, darkly comedic, and deeply moving documentary, the Johnsons stage various “deaths” for Dick onscreen to help them cope with the looming, inevitable end.
Together, they test out coffins, mock up elaborate violent accidents with stuntmen, and through some truly stunning slow motion scenes, hypothesise over what heaven might look like for Dick. Essentially, through humour and frank conversations, Dick Johnson Is Dead embraces what the director refers to as “the act of turning toward things that are hard to handle, relinquishing control, and facing what happens at the end of our lives.” It’s unlike any other documentary out there.
Where to watch: Netflix
7. The Last Dance
NBA Commissioner David Stern presents Michael Jordan the championship trophy after Game Six of the 1993 NBA Finals.
Image: Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE via Getty Images
Dubbed “the greatest sports fix of the pandemic” by Mashable’s Kellen Beck, The Last Dance landed at just the right time for those missing games canceled due to lockdown. “Part gift to sports fans with nothing to watch and part attempt to boost ratings during a content drought, The Last Dance has become a haven of normalcy to large swaths of the world who feel lost without sports,” reads his review. Tracking the formidable career of Michael Jordan and particularly his last season with the Chicago Bulls in 1997-98, the 10-part miniseries is compelling viewing even for sports n00bs like me.
Directed by Jason Hehir and co-produced by ESPN Films and Netflix, The Last Dance blends footage from an NBA Entertainment crew who was allowed to follow the team around for that season, and interviews with former teammates, coaches, managers, and people close to them.
Taken from: The 10 best documentaries of 2020 so far
Where to watch: Netflix
8. Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story
Willy T. Ribbs with his racing car, 1980.
Image: Afro American Newspapers / Gado / Getty Images
The first Black man to race in the Indy 500, car racing icon Willy T. Ribbs is the subject of 2020 documentary Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story. Directed by Nate Adams and Adam Carolla, the film follows Ribbs’ path through an extremely white industry rife with racism (even to this day).
As Mashable’s Kellen Beck writes, “Piecing together interviews with Ribbs, his brother, other racers, managers, pit crew members, and journalists, Uppity is a fascinating documentary that displays both the intricacies of how professional racing works at its various levels and all the ways that racists try to disrupt progression for Ribbs — and, though unspoken for, any other person who isn’t a white male that wants to compete in one of the most popular sports in the world.
“Racism seeps through every corner of Ribbs’ professional life story, which is one of determination, tenacity, outstanding talent, and the mountain of hate that Ribbs had to continuously push through to make his mark in the history of racing.”
Where to watch: Netflix
9. Chasing Coral
One of the most alarming before-and-after shots you’ll likely see.
Image: netflix
If you don’t know what coral bleaching actually means, what it looks like, and why it’s an undeniable indicator of climate change, Netflix’s Chasing Coral will leave you in no doubt. (It’s when corals, stressed by temperatures changes, expel algae that live within their tissues, causing them to turn white.) Directed by Chasing Ice’s Jeff Orlowski, the documentary follows a team of dedicated divers, photographers, and marine and coral reef biologists studying the loss of the world’s reefs.
Human-induced climate change is the biggest threat to coral reefs — more so, even, than pollution and unsustainable fishing. Global warming, rising sea temperatures, and ocean acidification have devastated reefs in the Florida Keys, American Samoa, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The film shows not only how these ecosystems are inherently connected to ours, but also how devastating it is for the team who sees the reef close up, diving every day to manually track its ecological collapse. There are plenty of archival comparisons throughout the film illustrating reef demise, but nothing will prepare you for the time lapse revealed at the end.
Taken from: Best climate change documentaries you need to watch
Where to watch: Netflix
10. 20 Feet From Stardom
Marvin Gaye performs with backup singers “The Blossoms” aka “The Crystals” (Darlene Love, Fanita James, and Jean King).
Image: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images
Darlene Love. Merry Clayton. Lisa Fischer. Claudia Lennear. Tàta Vega. You might not know these names, but they’ve made some of the biggest musicians of our time sound even better. Directed by Morgan Neville, Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom is an ode to background singers, finally handing the microphone over to these powerhouses and tracing their impact over the decades. “There’s a power to what it is that we do. No one till right now has publicly acknowledged it,” says Janice Pendarvis, who sang backup for David Bowie, Blondie, and Sting.
Ultimately, it’s an overwhelmingly fascinating two hours of incredible voices that finally get the recognition they deserve, including prodigious singer Darlene Love, who found her beginnings in The Blossoms, the first Black background singers working in the studios amongst a predominantly white industry, and one of the most prolific session groups of the ’60s — think Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash,” Frank Sinatra’s “That’s Life,” Betty Everett’s “The Shoop Shoop Song.” Some of the singers interviewed have on-screen listening sessions of the tracks they provided backup for — there’s a particularly strong moment watching Merry Clayton unpack being a Black singer recording backup for Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” during the ‘70s (considering Alabama saw many key events in the American civil rights movement).
Taken from: The best music documentaries you can stream on Netflix
Where to watch: Netflix
11. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Every time you think it can’t get worse…it does.
Image: netflix
It was the cheese sandwich seen ’round the world, and the beginning of the end of aspiring impresario’s Billy McFarland’s biggest scheme. If you believed the sponsored content posted by celebs on Instagram, the first Fyre Festival was poised to be a party paradise, full of kick-ass music, haute cuisine, and bikini-clad models frolicking on gorgeous beaches. Then guests, who shelled out big bucks for an island oasis vacation, arrived to find rusty buses and urine-soaked tents. The backlash and schadenfreude came fast and hilarious. Director Chris Smith takes audiences behind the scenes of this fraud-filled festival, speaking not only to the stiffed guests but also to the former McFarland employees, who smelled smoke but couldn’t stop the Fyre. — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Team
Taken from: The best crime documentaries on Netflix
Where to watch: Netflix
12. Miss Americana
Miss Americana
Whether you’re a fan of Taylor Swift or just curious about her meteoric rise to fame, Miss Americana allows you a rare peek into the pop superstar’s life. Director Lana Wilson crafts an intimate portrait of Swift, through plenty of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, taking you into the songwriting sessions of her album Lover, backstage on the spectacular Reputation tour, through her relatively short journey from teen country singer to global superstar, through the sexual assault lawsuit she won against radio host David Mueller, and the breaking of her political silence.
But more than anything, this excellent music documentary makes plain that our loud opinion is the last thing that matters to Swift. As Mashable’s Angie Han writes, “Maybe it’s not the movie everyone wanted. Maybe this latest reinvention of Taylor Swift, this time as a woman who’s comfortable enough in her power to wield it fully, isn’t for everyone, either. But maybe, also, that’s the idea: Swift, Miss Americana tells us, is done worrying about what everyone else thinks.”
Taken from: The 10 best documentaries of 2020 so far
Where to watch: Netflix
13. The Great Hack
David Carroll wants his data back in ‘The Great Hack’. And rightly so.
Image: Netflix
The Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal hit the headlines in 2018, as details emerged over the widespread data collection breached user privacy and impacted both the 2016 presidential election and Brexit campaigns. The Great Hack delves into how this happened, the major players, and how we should feel about our own role in this mess. As Mashable’s Alison Foreman wrote, “In Netflix’s The Great Hack…our complacency is not shamed or vilified. Rather, it exists as a blameless reality of an unsolvable problem of the digital age — presenting unknowing consumers as clear-cut victims of Big Bad Tech.
“For those unaware of the 2018 scandal’s intricacies, the documentary plays like an informative thriller, doling out blame to Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, its parent company Strategic Communication Laboratories, and the many culpable individuals therein, while maintaining a well-researched and tense narrative.”
Where to watch: Netflix
14. Knock Down the House
AOC knocks down the whole damn house.
Image: netflix
While the 2018 midterm elections seem like a world away, Knock Down the House is still an incredibly relevant watch knowing the results and where we are now. Following four determined, hard-working, smart candidates — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Amy Vilela of Nevada, Cori Bush of Missouri, and Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia — running grassroots campaigns against incumbents, Rachel Lears’ powerful documentary sees each pouring every last hour into talking to voters, building their bases, and in doing so, mobilising a whole movement.
As Mashable’s Angie Han writes in her review, “What makes Knock Down the House so compelling, though, is that it digs beyond the pretty soundbites and packaged-for-TV narratives to show us not just who and what is happening in American politics right now, but how and why.”
Where to watch: Netflix
15. Athlete A
Maggie Nichols in ‘Athlete A’.
Image: Netflix
In Jan. 2018, USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar was charged for decades of abuse against girls and young women after more than 100 women including athletes Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, and McKayla Maroney, made sexual assault accusations against him. It’s now 500. One of those athletes, Maggie Nichols, reported the abuse to the national governing body for gymnastics in 2015 and no action was taken. Nothing. Then, she was denied entry to the 2016 Olympic team. Nichols was anonymously dubbed Athlete A at the time, and forms the core of this enraging documentary streaming on Netflix. Centering the stories of the survivors, directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk conducted interviews with gymnasts who came forward against Nassar, including Nichols, Rachel Denhollander, and Jamie Dantzscher, alongside interviews with the investigative reporters and editors from the Indianapolis Star, which broke the story.
Athlete A is a testament to the courage it takes to come forward — the bravery shown by these athletes to revisit their trauma through their testimony, their victim impact statements read in court, and then again on camera for the documentary is nothing short of astounding. But it’s also a truly angering investigation into an organisation who failed to protect children over their own interests, creating an environment of control, dominance, and fear that enabled Nassar to remain in his position and continue to abuse young women.
Taken from: The 10 best documentaries of 2020 so far
Where to watch: Netflix
16. Last Chance U
Dior Walker Scott in episode 5 of ‘Last Chance U: Laney’.
Image: Netflix
You don’t have to be a football fan — or even have any real knowledge of the sport — to enjoy Last Chance U. Greg Whitely’s hugely successful docuseries is as much an in-depth character study as it is a chronicle of America’s most popular sport, following junior college players as they try to balance difficult home lives with their final shot of making it in the big leagues.
Now on its fifth series and third college, Last Chance U is beautifully made, consistently entertaining, and often incredibly poignant, offering an insight into the tense dynamic of the coaches while delving into the underlying issues that motivate (and sometimes hold back) their young players. It’s one of the few shows that’s hugely ambitious scope is matched by its execution, and you’ll probably find yourself binge-watching the entire thing in a matter of days. If you do, though, there’s good news — Whitely’s new sporting docuseries, Cheer, is now also available to stream. — Sam Haysom, UK Deputy Editor
Where to watch: Netflix
17. Challenger: The Final Flight
The Challenger 7 flight crew: Ellison S. Onizuka; Mike Smith; Christa McAuliffe; Dick Scobee; Gregory Jarvis; Judith Resnik; and Ronald McNair.
Image: Public Domain / NASA
On Jan. 28, 1986, NASA’s Challenger space shuttle exploded, killing all seven crew members on board. Executive produced by J.J. Abrams and Glen Zipper, four-part documentary Challenger: The Final Flight reminds us of those lost in the tragedy, and examines the technical process that led up to the moment of disaster.
As Mashable’s Brooke Bajgrowicz writes, “At its core, The Final Flight presents a moving legacy for the brave crew members who died in the U.S.’s most notable space tragedy. Whether you remember where you were when the Challenger disaster occurred or simply want to look back upon it, The Final Flight is there to fill you in on all the details — even those that are more commonly overlooked.”
Where to watch: Netflix
18. American Factory
Wong He (left) working with Kenny Taylor (center) and Jarred Gibson (right) in the Fuyao factory in Dayton, Ohio.
Image: netflix
Another one backed by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, and directed by Julia Reichert and Steven Bogner, American Factory is a sobering, compelling look at relations between the U.S. and China through the lens of the General Motors plant closure in Dayton, Ohio. Chinese company Fuyao moved in, rehired many of the American middle class workers who had lost their jobs, and the documentary captures the result.
As Mashable’s Tricia Crimmins writes, “When a Chinese business owner reopens the plant and hires back many of the former employees, both Chinese and American workers must reckon with their opposing manufacturing styles and practices. American Factory presents globalization in a localized context, putting real faces to those affected by large-scale issues.”
Where to watch: Netflix
19. Blackfish
‘Blackfish’ stirred the waters of actual change.
Image: dogwoof
A film that sparked actual change, Blackfish stands as a constantly referenced example of the power of documentary offscreen and on. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the film exposed the mistreatment of killer whales in captivity at SeaWorld, primarily through the story of Tilikum, an orca that killed trainer Dawn Brancheau. After the film’s release caused widespread criticism, declining visitor numbers, and musician boycotts, SeaWorld announced it would phase out its orca show (it “refocused” it instead), and pledge to end its killer whale breeding programs — despite calling the film “inaccurate.”
In 2020, SeaWorld settled a $65 million lawsuit after it was accused of lying to investors about the impact Blackfish had on its finances. Aside from this extra real-world impact, however, the film is ultimately about our relationship to animals, and how we treat them captivity — and it’s not pretty.
Where to watch: Netflix
20. Our Planet
Narwhal waiting for a crack in the ice to appear, to access their summering grounds, Nunuvut, Canada.
Image: netflix
Sir David Attenborough’s absolutely stunning 2019 Netflix series, Our Planet, explores Earth’s important habitats and the life they support, and shows how they’re being affected by rising temperatures and sea levels, ocean acidification, and subsequent wildlife population decline. Over eight episodes, you’ll wander through frozen landscapes, jungles, forests, coastal areas and reefs, deserts, grasslands, and down into the dark depths of the ocean to see the devastatingly real impact climate change is having on the animals and plants who live in these places.
Directed by Adam Chapman, Our Planet channels classic Attenborough, artfully and thoughtfully communicating a spectacular sense of how everything is connected, from food chains to weather patterns — and how climate change is affecting it all. “All across our planet, crucial connections are being disrupted,” Attenborough narrates. “The stability that we and all life relies upon is being lost. What we do in the next 20 years will determine the future for all life on Earth.”
Every single image in this series will make you gasp out loud. You won’t unsee the walruses.
Taken from: Best climate change documentaries you need to watch
Where to watch: Netflix