We are living in a golden age for documentary films. Lately, when I ask people what they’re watching, almost everyone speaks with passion about a documentary. In the past month alone, friends have raved to me about How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, Finding Vivian Maier, Fantastic Fungi, Tiny Creatures, My Octopus Teacher, Honeyland, and Making North America: Origins. (Of these, I’ve seen My Octopus Teacher and How Can You Mend a Broken Heart both of which I thought were terrific.)
A good documentary film can remake the way you see the world. Now, when people tell me they can speak with their pets, I grimly recall the final scene of Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man, perhaps the best warning ever against anthropomorphizing other species. Conversations about doing the impossible bring to mind Alex Honnold’s extraordinary climb of Half Dome filmed in Free Solo. My perception of racism in America is immeasurably more accurate thanks to 13th by Ava DuVernay. The Last Dance deepened my understanding of why my chosen home state so reveres Michael Jordan. All these were vastly enjoyable and, in their own way, life changing.
How about you? Do you watch documentaries? If so, what are your favorites? Why? Which ones are must sees?
I watched “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” on Netflix last night. Let’s just say I binned a bag of mixed salad leaves afterwards. Although food hygiene standards are possibly tougher in the UK, the documentary scared the hell out of me about the issue on a wider scale. A brilliant, terrifying and very important watch.
I’m not sure I want to know!
My Octopus Teacher is wonderful!
Shiny Happy People is a documentary series about the Duggar family and IBLP (Institute for Biblical Life Principles), a Christian organization that supplied home schooling materials. I never used IBLP materials, but knew people who did and can say, it rings very true. A friend of mine was interviewed for this series.
Hot Coffee– this is the documentary that explores not only the “hot coffee” lawsuit against McDonald’s, but several other lawsuits that were basically judged in the court of public opinion. (Facts, the woman was in her 70’s, was in the passenger’s seat of a parked car, had 3rd degree burns that required repeated skin grafts.) The whole idea that our courts are filled with frivilous lawsuits was played up in the media, and resulting in “tort reform” has made getting compensation from injuries harder.
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America is absolutely incredible (it’s on Netflix). I learned so much. I’m ecstatic that they’re making a second season.
I also just watched Merpeople and that was unexpectedly fun and charming.
I am not ready for whole shows yet! Just films. But I’ll keep those on my someday list!
They are each 4 episode documentaries. Not really that long. High on the Hog, you can watch one at a time (there isn’t an arc) but Merpeople follows the same folks so it does watch better relatively close together.
Overall, I don’t watch many documentaries so when asked about my favorite, nothing really comes to mind. However, in the past few months I have watched two that I really enjoyed and would recommend. Both had a big nostalgia factor for me and each are about 90 minutes long.
One is Judy Blume Forever on Amazon Prime. I enjoyed learning how Judy’s life experiences influenced her novels and of the relationships she has had with her readers over the years. There are scenes where other authors talk about Judy’s influence on them as well. An interesting look at a very popular author.
The other is Wham! on Netflix. It’s the story of childhood friends George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley creating their band and charts the band’s rise and eventual dissolution. As George Michael has passed, there are no interviews with him but there is plenty of footage of prior interviews and there is voiceover from Andrew. I thought it might be sad but at the end what impressed me was that it was a really sweet story of friendship. If you were a teen in the 80s and listened to pop music, you will like this movie.
Have you seen How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?
I have not but I just looked it up and I think I would like it – thanks for the suggestion!
The Wham! Documentary was surprisingly touching. Ultimately, it was a tale of the origins of a lifelong friendship, and how George and Andrew supported each other, even when it meant ending Wham! I have to make a small clarification. We get a lot of commentary from George which is taken from earlier interviews he did when he was alive, but, of course, there are no current interviews from him. Ridgeley fills that void beautifully as he talks with great fondness about his friend. I also really enjoyed the documentary Freedom Uncut which George made himself, and it focuses on his solo career, his coming out, his troubles with the music studio, and his true love. These two docs are great companion pieces. I really enjoyed both, but I am obviously a fan!
I hadn’t heard of Freedom Uncut but I will have to check it out!
Good Hair was eye opening, especially since my hair is wash and wear. I never realized the difficulties encountered by people with different textures of hair (mainly people of color, but some kinky haired caucasians too). The time, money, and effort spent was mind blowing.
Harlan County USA was mind blowing in a different way. It’s an older documentary, but I think it still speaks to the problems of working people and organized labor.
Helvetica was all about the typeface that people both love and hate.
On the more fun side, If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast was an HBO documentary a few years ago that looked at people in their 90s and older and how they are living vital lives. Carl Reiner was the producer and appears in the film, as well as several of his friends. They also interviewed several non-famous people, including a 100 year old that runs 10Ks. I hope to be as alert and active as those people when I get to be in my 90s.
Finally, The Automat, produced by Mel Brooks, told the story of the rise and decline of the automat eateries.
Good Hair was a great documentary and, as a white woman, extremely educational.
I don’t watch a lot of documentaries, but I do watch some. I really should watch more, so maybe this will inspire me. I like music documentaries, and I mentioned a couple about George Michael and Wham! In my comments to Manjari.
I loved the Beatles doc series made by Peter Jackson, called Get Back. Fascinating to see these amazing songs emerge from almost nothing, amidst infighting, Lennon’s drug use, etc. I also enjoyed Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana and Questlove’s Summer of Soul. Amazing Grace showcases a young Aretha Franklin singing gospel at church in 1972.
I liked Miss Americana too. I was surprised that Taylor was so open about some of the pressures she faced growing up in a time of such high media scrutiny, especially with regards to body image. I admired that she started forming her own opinions and taking stances on issues important to her.
Blackfish is up there.
MURDER BALL is about wheelchair basketball. Players must be disabled in 3 limbs to play, but what I found fascinating is how these men are not disabled in any other way but just like other men their age. They are young and cocky and smart mouthed and totally engaging. The film was up for an Oscar in 2006 but lost out to MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. I enjoyed that film too but was rooting for the humans over the birds.
An older film but a favorite at the time was HOOP DREAMS, about two teenagers who hoped to become professional basketball players.
And after the hottest year in the past 120,000 years, I have to mention AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH – talk about prescient.
I love documentaries! Two Dabney mentioned are favorites: 13th and The Last Dance. Everyone in the US should watch 13th. I will not look at news footage or photographs in the same way ever again. In the same vein, Miss Representation and This Changes Everything (about gender portrayal in the media and its influence, not the one about climate change – although it may be excellent as well. Have not watched it.) are both eye-opening and memorable.
I’m not a sports fan of any kind. I barely watch the Olympics anymore. But The Last Dance was fascinating. Others have been mentioned (Like Peter Jackson’s Get Back) but in addition those, I recommend Harry Chapin: When In Doubt, Do Something. We’re huge Chapin fans (and continue to listen to his music) but did not appreciate just how much he accomplished in the fight against hunger in the US. We knew he championed the cause but . . .
And years ago (maybe early 00s?), there was a traveling exhibit of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence. Norman Lear owned it and wanted Americans to see/experience it. There were a number of videos created as part of the exhibit and it was all fabulous. I didn’t buy my own copy of the disks at the time, and so regret it now. What stuck out was a reading of the Declaration of Independence by various Hollywood actors and actresses. Part of Lear’s message about the Declaration was that it was meant to be heard – not necessarily read – and oh, my was he correct. If you come across a copy of that footage, it is worth every second of your time to watch it.
I liked My Octopus Teacher also. I loved the Elephant Whisperer and All the Breathes. Kedi is a few years older documentary but absolutely adorable. What Happened Nina Simone is another unforgettable documentary.
I usually wind up watching documentaries like “There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane” — about the woman responsible for the 2009 Taconic State Parkway crash and the way her husband kept denying that she drank or took drugs. My recommendations would be too weird and depressing. 🙁
An oldie, but goodie, I loved Mad Hot Ballroom about kids learning to ballroom dance in New York City’s public schools. Loved it so much I even bought a copy years back.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0438205/
All Time Favourite: The captivating nature series Planet Earth.
I’m keen to watch: Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
My recommendations (I couldn’t resist):
Netflix
Paris is Burning (1990) – an astonishing view into the drag culture of New York in the late 1980s, and one that was eye-opening to me. I think it can be streamed on Max.
So good. Definitely second this.
Spellbound is such an engaging sweet movie about kids competing in the Scripps Spelling Bee. As a reader of HR, the boy struggling to spell “banns” was particularly painful. It looks like it’s on Amazon Prime.