Not yet woken up to the beauty that is a damn good documentary? Here are the ones to watch
Beyond binge-worthy entertainment value, as eye roll as it sounds, documentaries play a pretty important role in opening us up to realities that we otherwise wouldn’t experience. Some stick with you forever, some completely change the way we think about topics we thought we already understood and some even change the way the world works (in a sense).
Whether you’re an old hand at this documentary stuff or just feeling putting some feelers out for what’s actually worth watching, you’re in luck. Here’s a (not in anyway exhaustive because wow, there are so many) list of some of the best documentaries we’ve seen over the years. Get comfortable.
1. Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret
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We all knew this one was coming so we may as well get it out of the way first. This was the film to convince so many people to give ditch the burgers and give up beef for good. You’ve probably heard of it but if you haven’t gotten around to watching Cowspiracy yet, it’s an environmental documentary that gets real about the effect of mass cattle farming has on the planet.
2. Planet Earth and Planet Earth 2
Somewhere in top five of everyone’s favourite documentary series is where you’ll find this gem. Both fascinating and revolting at the same time and OMG when they get up close and personal with the animal graphics. Oh, and David Attenborough. Obvs.
3. Our War
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s actually like for soldiers on the frontline, here’s a chance to try and get the tiniest of inklings of what they go through. Our War is a documentary series with stories from young soldiers on the front-line in Afghanistan, and while the whole topic of the war is a difficult and controversial one, this documentary puts it in real terms and really takes you there.
4. Kill Switch
This one will probably hit very close to home right now. In an era of fake news, concerns of the dark web, and the development of technology that will allow companies on the internet to gather even more information about us, Killswitch is one that resonates pretty damn hard.
5. An Inconvenient Truth
This climate change doc originally game out in 2006 and followed Al Gore (as in ex-VP of the United States of America) as he travelled the country giving a presentation about global warming. It casually won two Oscars and really struck a chord with people. There’s a sequel coming to a screen near(ish) you this year too, still following Al on his fight for the planet ten years on from the original.
6. Super Size Me
Remember the guy who ate nothing by Maccy D’s for a whole month? His name is Morgan Spurlock and he probably changed many a mind about the world’s favourite fast food joint. When the film was released though, McDonald’s actually got rid of the ‘Supersize’ option and that’s also around the time that they started including ‘healthy’ options and nutritional info on their menus. We know too much is bad for your health, but if you were looking for extra reassurance as for why, revisit this one.
7. Louis Theroux
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Please note I haven’t named a single Louis Theroux documentary. That is because all of his documentaries are amazing and to be fair, have all blown us away. The thought of the Jimmy Saville one still gives us chills, people are still talking about the Scientology one and watching Weird Weekends on YouTube is a hungover ritual. And that’s just the tip of the Theroux ice burg.
8. Generation Anxiety
We’re at a point where anxiety and mental health, in general, is spoken about far more openly than before, but we all know that there’s always more that can be done to improve and expand the way we talk about. Laura Mvula is a singer-songwriter and very openly goes through her experiences of anxiety and looks into why our generation in particular struggles so much.
9. Exit Through The Gift Shop
Bet you didn’t know that elusive graffiti artist Banksy made a documentary did ya? Okay, well if you did you’ll probably also know that it was more interesting than it says on the tin. It’s funny and brutal all at the same time and the whole thing is available to watch on YouTube.
10. Making A Murderer
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Where would a documentary list be without Making A Murderer. It’s the show that gripped the world and probably dominated most of your conversations last year. Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey are household names thanks to the Netflix series we couldn’t put down and if you finished the series and still have questions, here’s what happened when The Debrief sat down with Making A Murderer defence lawyer Jerry Buting.
11. 13TH
13TH (taken from the 13th Amendment of the U.S Constitution which outlines the elimination slavery) was nominated for an Oscar this year and if you’ve watched it you’ll have no doubt why. It’s a documentary by Ava DuVernary (who also directed Selma) that takes an intense and overdue look at the current prison system in the States in light of the fact that more African-American men are jailed/on probation/on paroled than were enslaved more than 150 years ago.
12. (Dis) Honestly
Lying is something we’re all guilty of, but what really fascinating is why we bother in the first place. It’s as inherently part of human nature as it is to tell the truth, and in this documentary gets into the nitty gritty of how much that affects our lives. Warning: it might make you overthink your next porky.
13. Thin Blue Line
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Now this, my friends, was a big deal back in the day. It’s a documentary that actually played a part in releasing a wrongly accused man from prison and if you’re into true crime and don’t really know where to turn now that you’ve exhausted Netflix, look back to Errol Morris’s examination of a murder that took place in 1976.
