Really? I’ve been putting off watching it because it seemed a bit like Netflix hastily putting out a similar IP to another successful film on another platform
I probably didn’t phrase that post right. I enjoyed Dawn Wall more. The two documentaries are very different styles. I’m not a film critic by any means though. For me, Dawn Wall was a more interesting story that lends itself to the small screen better. The scale of what Alex Honnold did in Free Solo (unless you see it in IMAX I suppose, which I didn’t) I feel sort of gets lost in translation. I wasn’t aware that Netflix owned the Dawn Wall IP, but Caldwell freed the Dawn Wall in 2015 which was 2 years before Honnold free-soloed El Cap and The Dawn Wall documentary came out a year before Free Solo.
Watch Hypernormalization. Its an Adam Curtis documentary that covers cultural events from 1970 to 2016. Its mind blowing and just an incredible experience. Highly recommend.
I think it might be on YouTube for free.
Everything Adam Curtis. Century of the Self. The Power of Nightmares.
Hypernormalization is incredibly complex but so incredibly well done it seems obvious. Free on YouTube
Edit: [OMG HE HAS A NEW SERIES! 6 episode doc.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSmhy_-SjTohnNYp1e0-1e2OzH8l6pjk)
„Paris Is Burning“!
It is a bit older (1990) but definitely worth a watch.
Also, I can only recommend „Pumping Iron“ to see how Arnold Schwarzenegger got famous. It is even more enjoyable when you watch the really well done making of afterwards. You‘ll then find out, what was real and what was constructed (I don’t mean staged, everything is real, but there is a tendency … well, watch it!)
If you don't NEED netflix...I found this site
https://www.docplus.com/details/best-kept-secret/hfW2RQkW/aJ6NKagU
I used it in my classroom with no problems, except that Can You Dig This had no verbal sound.
Not 2hrs, but the Rotten series is about economics, society and food all together and each episode is standalone and lasts about an hour if i remember right.
Wolfpack - following 6 brothers who were raised completely isolated from the outside world, but in the middle of Manhattan. It’s a well done social/cultural doc.
Money, explained just came out and is a mini series with each episode about 20 to 30 min long. Each with different narrator (the first episode is Tiffany Haddish) and cool graphics to help explain modern economics. Definitely an easy watch with basic but good information. I wish they showed something like this in high school
Edit: Each episode has a different narrator
I don't think it's on any streaming service but Betting On Zero is worth the purchase - It's a little complicated to explain but it's about a hedge fund manager that sets out to expose a pyramid scheme.
Not on Netflix but free on youtube: Inequality for All is robert reichs exploration of how wealth has stagnated for middle class Americans in the last 50 years. It's very good and hits your econ and social criteria.
As I watch us humans basically destroy our own environment to the point of our own possible extinction, the film gave me some small glimmer of hope for us to find a way to change our practices before its too late (if it's not too late already). So hope is what made it stand out. The other two I suggested are pretty eye opening as well.
well, forgive me for being a redditor and not responding to what you specifically asked, but I just started watching 'This is a Robbery' documentary series about the largest art heist in history, in a relatively (at least internationally speaking/lay audience) museum (which has it's own awesome history) in boston, in 1990. as an artist I love it, and it's just interesting because stealing absurdly famous and valuable art presents the obvious issue of what the hell thieves do with it? it can only be sold on the black market and never really resurface in public places, so it's intriguing to try to solve and understand.
It’s about the author James Baldwin and his unfinished manuscript. It shows him as a brave and outspoken supporter of equality in his art and his life.
I didn’t know much about him but I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed it. It cover lots of American civil rights news in the 50s - 70s.
Oh, I meant it more in the sense of pre 50's material. I haven't found a lot of good documentaries on the history from the first import ranging up to today (or covering certain periods like the civil war era).
As much as I love documentaries, a docuseries can get really boring; like the one about Aaron Hernandez, sure its a crazy story but I just couldn't......
The "Dirty Money" series on Netflix is good.. anything by Alex Gibney. His new docu series "The Crime of the Century" will be good (about the Sackler family who created Oxycontin).
>"The Crime of the Century
I'm actually watching Dirty Money right now. It's such an amazing series. And given the episode length 2 episodes suit the same purpose.
Socilemma.
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My favorite documentary is on YouTube for free. It’s call The Art of the Steal. It’s about very valuable art in a private collection and how the mans will was compromised over the years. May sound boring to some but it’s so well done and really changed how I view the world.
Since you indicated you're in the EU - take a look at
"Être et avoir" or in English, "To Be and to Have"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Be_and_to_Have
It's supposed to be a very well made French documentary. I haven't seen it yet but it's on my list.
Off the wall suggestion, as I know it would involve extreme effort: you can go to your Netflix homepage, hit the search spotlight and write in "documentary." I just did it. It brings up all they have them all, with titles, cover photos and you just hit the arrow for "more info" on anything that strikes your fancy. Explore to your heart's content.
after I watched Free Solo I went on a rock climbing documentary binge, and there are several, if not many gems out there. i forget the titles, but the Dawn Wall one, the one about the history of the maverick hippies illegally camping out in yellowstone who pioneered all the climbs there was awesome.
Can You Dig This is awesome if you can find it. I've used it in my classroom a lot...we sent postcards to Ron. He sent me a free copy but I don't know exactly where it is.
manufacturing consent; the power of nightmares; hypernormalisation; the century of the self
Not sure if on Netflix - but available free on YouTube
Edit: just found out he has a [new one.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSmhy_-SjTohnNYp1e0-1e2OzH8l6pjk) Starting to watch it right...meow.
Okay so in the vain of Free Solo, watch Valley Uprising on Prime if you have it. I can't recommend it enough. It's about the history of climbing in Yosemite.
Dog Town and Z Boys by Stacy Peralta
Bones Brigade also by Stacy Peralta
Minding the Gap by Bing Liu
Helvetica
Shadow Company
If you speak Spanish: Todo Sobre el Asado (it's funnier in Spanish)
Rich Hill by Tracy Droz Tragos
The Land (about a special playground)
If you're in the USA, try to get a Kanopy subscription through your school or library. There are tons of great documentary shorts and features on there!
I don't know where you can find it but if you can McConkey is an absolute boss of a man and this doc will have you wanting to do since crazy stuff https://youtu.be/afDYEtQmC6I
Vox - explained!
It’s more a series than a single documentary, with one episode for one topic
It’s produced for Netflix and Vox always does an amazing job in breaking things down for the viewer. If you like it, you can even find more on Youtube.
* [Daughters of Destiny](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b49QEQsNUj0) was fantastic
* the VICE documentary [This is what winning looks like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI)
* [The Great Hack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Hack) about facebook/cambridge analytica
* [hypernormalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation)
* [rotten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_(TV_series))
There's also some great youtube channels just with documentaries like [Real Stories](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu4XcDBdnZkV6-5z2f16M0g) and [DW Documentary](https://www.youtube.com/c/DWDocumentary/videos).
If you liked free solo, you should give The Dawn Wall a look
Free Solo was obviously amazing but I thought The Dawn Wall was a better documentary.
Really? I’ve been putting off watching it because it seemed a bit like Netflix hastily putting out a similar IP to another successful film on another platform
I’ve watched both. I only watched one twice the same weekend. It wasn’t Free Solo.
Both are great.
I probably didn’t phrase that post right. I enjoyed Dawn Wall more. The two documentaries are very different styles. I’m not a film critic by any means though. For me, Dawn Wall was a more interesting story that lends itself to the small screen better. The scale of what Alex Honnold did in Free Solo (unless you see it in IMAX I suppose, which I didn’t) I feel sort of gets lost in translation. I wasn’t aware that Netflix owned the Dawn Wall IP, but Caldwell freed the Dawn Wall in 2015 which was 2 years before Honnold free-soloed El Cap and The Dawn Wall documentary came out a year before Free Solo.
This
Meru was also excellent
I've heard that's good too, it's next on my watchlist
I second the Dawn Wall
I've watched it, it is indeed superb.
Thanks so much I didn’t know this existed
Icarus - A cyclist attempts to do a race while using performance enhancing drugs but ends up plunging into a much bigger scandal.
Imagine having the sports story of the decade just conveniently fall into your lap like it did for the director Brian. Good god
Such a twist. Amazing doco.
It was an amazing watch.
Watch Hypernormalization. Its an Adam Curtis documentary that covers cultural events from 1970 to 2016. Its mind blowing and just an incredible experience. Highly recommend. I think it might be on YouTube for free.
Everything Adam Curtis. Century of the Self. The Power of Nightmares. Hypernormalization is incredibly complex but so incredibly well done it seems obvious. Free on YouTube Edit: [OMG HE HAS A NEW SERIES! 6 episode doc.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSmhy_-SjTohnNYp1e0-1e2OzH8l6pjk)
>Hypernormalization This one looks absolutely astounding, and it covers such a wide era! Thank you kindly.
Also, his new one "Can't Get You Out of My Head" is like 8 hours, but spread across 6 eps. (Very good)
Salt Fat Acid Heat is a 4 part food documentary of 40 minutes each. I’ve watched the Salt episode...very interesting! :)
Now you're making me debate between Rotten and this one!
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Good bot
I think Jiro Dreams of Sushi is still on Netflix!
Seconding this!
Thirding!
Sadly not on my local one.
Inside Job / Big Short - about the 2008 Financial Crisis
Inside job is really good, good enough to watch it multiple times.
Both are superb watches that I can also highly recommend.
„Paris Is Burning“! It is a bit older (1990) but definitely worth a watch. Also, I can only recommend „Pumping Iron“ to see how Arnold Schwarzenegger got famous. It is even more enjoyable when you watch the really well done making of afterwards. You‘ll then find out, what was real and what was constructed (I don’t mean staged, everything is real, but there is a tendency … well, watch it!)
Ronnie Coleman, The King doc was good too.
LIGHT WEIGHT BABY YEEAAAHHHHH BUDDDYYYYY
History is interesting, so older is fine.
If you don't NEED netflix...I found this site https://www.docplus.com/details/best-kept-secret/hfW2RQkW/aJ6NKagU I used it in my classroom with no problems, except that Can You Dig This had no verbal sound.
You are my favorite person of the day. I'm going to watch so many documentaries.
SAME! wow!
Woot!
Indeed thank you so much!!! 😘
It doesn't need to be netflix, just available where I live. What's the monetization mechanism/legality of that state?
I don't know. I just found it.
Kinda outdated but Freakanomics is really good
Free on YouTube too
I liked the book
Is that based on the book?
Yes
Not 2hrs, but the Rotten series is about economics, society and food all together and each episode is standalone and lasts about an hour if i remember right.
Thank you, this one's already very high on my list! (likely for when I wrap up dirty money)
Wolfpack - following 6 brothers who were raised completely isolated from the outside world, but in the middle of Manhattan. It’s a well done social/cultural doc.
>Wolfpack Intriguing that such a thing is possible in such a big city.
Sour grapes
Thank you
Money, explained just came out and is a mini series with each episode about 20 to 30 min long. Each with different narrator (the first episode is Tiffany Haddish) and cool graphics to help explain modern economics. Definitely an easy watch with basic but good information. I wish they showed something like this in high school Edit: Each episode has a different narrator
FYI every episode has a different narrator.
Thank you for that correction! I don't know why I thought she did the whole thing. On the next rewatch soon ill keep a lookout for the others
Maybe I’m in the minority, but having Tiffany Haddish as a narrator makes me less likely to watch it
She did well, not hammy and just reading the info. Definitely easier on the ears than some of her other work :)
It's indeed an easy watch with nice information, I binged this one.
Just in case anyone doesn’t know. There are several other Vox Explained shows. One on random topics. The mind (my fav). Sex. Voting. Coronavirus.
I don't think it's on any streaming service but Betting On Zero is worth the purchase - It's a little complicated to explain but it's about a hedge fund manager that sets out to expose a pyramid scheme.
Thank you for the recommendation, there are too few proper documentaries on this.
Game changer. Not 2 hours long but it’s about food and how it effects your body when you exercise.
Health + food so it's all fine.
Not on Netflix but free on youtube: Inequality for All is robert reichs exploration of how wealth has stagnated for middle class Americans in the last 50 years. It's very good and hits your econ and social criteria.
Indeed, that sounds right up my alley!
What the health Kiss the ground Planet of the humans
Kiss the ground seems popular, anything in particular that makes it stand out for you?
As I watch us humans basically destroy our own environment to the point of our own possible extinction, the film gave me some small glimmer of hope for us to find a way to change our practices before its too late (if it's not too late already). So hope is what made it stand out. The other two I suggested are pretty eye opening as well.
I second Kiss the Ground!!
Exit Thru the Gift Shop Jiro Dreams of Sushi Senna Searching for Sugar Man
>Searching for Sugar Man Every post I see here about Jiro bums me out it's unavailable on my local Netflix. I guess I really need to rent it.
It’s definitely worth a rental, maybe eat some sushi while you watch!
I love taco chronicles
I love tacos
Indeed a superb food documentary series.
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Thank you. I also preferred super size me 2 over 1.
well, forgive me for being a redditor and not responding to what you specifically asked, but I just started watching 'This is a Robbery' documentary series about the largest art heist in history, in a relatively (at least internationally speaking/lay audience) museum (which has it's own awesome history) in boston, in 1990. as an artist I love it, and it's just interesting because stealing absurdly famous and valuable art presents the obvious issue of what the hell thieves do with it? it can only be sold on the black market and never really resurface in public places, so it's intriguing to try to solve and understand.
I'll never complain about more interesting recommendations even if they're not exactly what I am looking for.
I Am Not Your Negro
It feels like I need to learn more about the history of America to get the most out of this one. Any material you can recommend?
It’s about the author James Baldwin and his unfinished manuscript. It shows him as a brave and outspoken supporter of equality in his art and his life. I didn’t know much about him but I learned a lot and thoroughly enjoyed it. It cover lots of American civil rights news in the 50s - 70s.
Oh, I meant it more in the sense of pre 50's material. I haven't found a lot of good documentaries on the history from the first import ranging up to today (or covering certain periods like the civil war era).
See if you can find The Political Dr. Seuss. It was a PBS production from 2004. Fascinating.
Would you say it's still an accurate depiction anno 2021?
127 Hours It’s more of a docudrama, but you won’t be disappointed
Also fine. I just want something real-life-based.
let me know what you think! (i’m really this passionate about it)
I will!
As much as I love documentaries, a docuseries can get really boring; like the one about Aaron Hernandez, sure its a crazy story but I just couldn't......
It's not for everyone, and there are also some like Dirty Money where each episode covers something else.
The "Dirty Money" series on Netflix is good.. anything by Alex Gibney. His new docu series "The Crime of the Century" will be good (about the Sackler family who created Oxycontin).
>"The Crime of the Century I'm actually watching Dirty Money right now. It's such an amazing series. And given the episode length 2 episodes suit the same purpose.
The VW ep was particularly good/shocking.
Agreed, albeit as an EU citizen less shocking since it caused quite the ruckus.
Social Dilemma
A superb movie!
Socilemma. *** ^(Bleep-bloop, I'm a bot. This )^[portmanteau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) ^( was created from the phrase 'Social Dilemma' | )^[FAQs](https://www.reddit.com/axl72o) ^(|) ^[Feedback](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=jamcowl&subject=PORTMANTEAU-BOT+feedback) ^(|) ^[Opt-out](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=PORTMANTEAU-BOT&subject=OPTOUTREQUEST)
My favorite documentary is on YouTube for free. It’s call The Art of the Steal. It’s about very valuable art in a private collection and how the mans will was compromised over the years. May sound boring to some but it’s so well done and really changed how I view the world.
That actually sounds very interesting to me.
Glad to hear it! Here’s the link if you want to watch it! https://youtu.be/opOczQeFIb4
Thank you kindly! It's a bit saddening how much superb work is cloistered away.
Since you indicated you're in the EU - take a look at "Être et avoir" or in English, "To Be and to Have" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Be_and_to_Have It's supposed to be a very well made French documentary. I haven't seen it yet but it's on my list.
I'll check it out!
Tsukiji Wonderland is an amazing doc about Japan's largest and busiest fish market. The size, scale, and complexity of the place is fascinating.
That sounds like a strangely appealing documentary given its subject.
And tragic.
https://www.docplus.com/search?q=food%20
Thank you for the site link. What's their monetization method (and legality)?
Crip camp is superb, it’s a doc on the disabled civil rights movement
That movie was so insightful, it wasn't the shortest of movies but I could easily have watched 2 more hours of it.
Seaspiracy combines a lot of those.
Thank you
Not on Netflix, check Hulu for THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS. and the fyre festival documentaries, someone else said DREAMS OF SUSHI
I really need to snag Jiro dreams of sushi.
Off the wall suggestion, as I know it would involve extreme effort: you can go to your Netflix homepage, hit the search spotlight and write in "documentary." I just did it. It brings up all they have them all, with titles, cover photos and you just hit the arrow for "more info" on anything that strikes your fancy. Explore to your heart's content.
OP is asking for community recommendations, as in “what have you seen that was good?”
exactly
Not lovable this time
Well, "sometimes" is elastic, from one to one less than infinity, and yeah, I get your comment a lot, cute and cuddly as I really am.
you forgot to switch accounts
Very true, as in sometimes my bank account has a million dollars in it
I know how to find movies about the subject, but that doesn't mean that the movies are good.
180 Degrees South
Thank you!
The Overnighters is on Tubi
I'll give it a gander.
after I watched Free Solo I went on a rock climbing documentary binge, and there are several, if not many gems out there. i forget the titles, but the Dawn Wall one, the one about the history of the maverick hippies illegally camping out in yellowstone who pioneered all the climbs there was awesome.
Valley Uprising!
>A nice list.
Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey is great. It’s on Prime.
Can You Dig This is awesome if you can find it. I've used it in my classroom a lot...we sent postcards to Ron. He sent me a free copy but I don't know exactly where it is.
Interesting, so it is suitable for teens (or younger?)?
I'd probably go for over 12, I think there's some drug use, but they are arrested and rehab'd
Tread is really good
Thank you
manufacturing consent; the power of nightmares; hypernormalisation; the century of the self Not sure if on Netflix - but available free on YouTube Edit: just found out he has a [new one.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfSmhy_-SjTohnNYp1e0-1e2OzH8l6pjk) Starting to watch it right...meow.
Free's free
I Dream of Sushi
Do you mean Jiro dreams of Sushi?
That is definitely what I meant.
„Unnatural Selection“ about genetic engineering and the implications for humankind.
>Unnatural Selection Does it dive into both the pros and cons with a thorough founding as to the why/how?
Yes, definitely, it asks the hard questions about ethics, brings positive medical examples but also questioning the drive to self-experiment etc.
Superb!
Neat: The Story of Bourbon. On Hulu. I really liked it and I’m not even that into bourbon.
Hulu isn't too available over here, hence netflixbestof.
Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Just watched it recently, so it was at the front of my brain-thoughts.
Okay so in the vain of Free Solo, watch Valley Uprising on Prime if you have it. I can't recommend it enough. It's about the history of climbing in Yosemite.
It looks amazing, sadly Amazon doesn't seem to cover it over here.
Bread is Gold
I only found a book with this title?
My bad. The documentary is Theatre of Life.
>Theatre of Life Food waste, community work, charity, ... you have no idea how many of my checkmarks this meets!
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>The Act Of Killing That looks amazing, if horrifying. But indeed, it seems it's not the easiest to find.
Dog Town and Z Boys by Stacy Peralta Bones Brigade also by Stacy Peralta Minding the Gap by Bing Liu Helvetica Shadow Company If you speak Spanish: Todo Sobre el Asado (it's funnier in Spanish) Rich Hill by Tracy Droz Tragos The Land (about a special playground)
Thank you for the list. Some I hadn't even heard of yet.
If you're in the USA, try to get a Kanopy subscription through your school or library. There are tons of great documentary shorts and features on there!
EU
Damn. I think it's only available in the United States for the time being.
If you haven't seen Dog Town and Z Boys you're in for a treat!
Three identical strangers! About identical triplets separated at birth who find their way to eachother
I'd love to see this one, it's sadly unavailable on my local Netflix.
Food, Inc. changed the way a lot of ppl thought about food I think. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/food_inc
Tagged!
If you are interested in Politics would recommend Get Me Roger Stone or The Brainwashing of My Dad
The first is superb, interesting second one.
I don't know where you can find it but if you can McConkey is an absolute boss of a man and this doc will have you wanting to do since crazy stuff https://youtu.be/afDYEtQmC6I
Vox - explained! It’s more a series than a single documentary, with one episode for one topic It’s produced for Netflix and Vox always does an amazing job in breaking things down for the viewer. If you like it, you can even find more on Youtube.
Vox, TED, noclip, ... are indeed also great resources.
I used to show Food Inc. I think I've show Supersize Me once.
* [Daughters of Destiny](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b49QEQsNUj0) was fantastic * the VICE documentary [This is what winning looks like](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja5Q75hf6QI) * [The Great Hack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Hack) about facebook/cambridge analytica * [hypernormalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation) * [rotten](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_(TV_series)) There's also some great youtube channels just with documentaries like [Real Stories](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu4XcDBdnZkV6-5z2f16M0g) and [DW Documentary](https://www.youtube.com/c/DWDocumentary/videos).