A story I wrote about a year ago, “What to watch on Netflix when you’ve watched everything,” talked about a few great documentaries on Netflix. As most people who own Netflix accounts, I have binge-watched many of the tv shows on the platform, and I like learning new things and watching television, so I checked out some documentaries.
Documentaries and docuseries have been one of my favorites genres since, and I was asked by my fellow managing editor to write about more documentaries I thought were good.
Netflix has a library of hundreds of documentaries and docuseries from small independent films to highly funded productions, and it is hard to find out which ones are worth watching. This may help.
Also, “Stranger Things” season two will be released Oct. 27, so in the meantime, there are some Netflix documentaries that are worth checking out.
‘The Hunting Ground’ (2015)
I feel obligated to put “The Hunting Ground” first because it is one of the most socially important films on this list. Anyone attending college should be familiar with this film about sexual violence on college campuses. Most people who are raped or sexually assaulted on college campuses feel unsafe the rest of their time on campus, and so many other people do not take complaints seriously, if they even listen at all.
Following two female University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students, “The Hunting Ground” chronicles the backlash sexual violence victims face after reporting their assault, and it covers the cover-up of sexual violence by a few universities.
Disclaimer, fans of a certain Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback may want to be ready for a full section in the film about his controversial college career at Florida State University.
‘13th’ (2016)
This documentary covers how race and mass incarceration intersect, and it is the other most socially important film on this list. Many of the issues are not obvious to a lot of people until you stop and look at all the facts and statistics, which “13th” does.
The film starts with the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery and connects it with mass incarceration today and then goes over the issues behind the penal system in the United States. I do not want to say too much about the documentary because it so important to watch to be socially aware of what is going on in the world today. So watch it.
‘Trophy Kids’ (2013)
As someone who grew up in an economically healthy and athletically inclined suburban town, I have seen how parents can be with a child who has strong athletic ability. Some parents force their children to pursue a sport constantly and can be emotionally and physically abusive in doing so.
“Trophy Kids” follows a few parents and their kids who excel at sports like basketball, football and tennis. Director Chris Bell draws from personal experiences in all his documentaries, and that makes them very personable to viewers.
‘Get Me Roger Stone’ (2017)
Ever wonder how we got to the point of having a reality star living in the White House? This is how.
Roger Stone is one of the most important political advisors in modern U.S. history. His sly under-the-table political meddling influenced the election of many politicians including Donald Trump.
The whole “drain the swamp” propaganda is debunked in this film by these longtime political players talking about their involvement in the Trump campaign and administration.
