Recommendations For a Good Documentary?

[Skywalker]

We just finished the series Making a Murderer, fascinating stuff! Now we are looking for another true story type of doc... Doesn't have to be true crime necessarily, any topic at all would work.

I would love to know what other good ones are out there that you have liked!

Does anyone have any recommendations?

 

[kymom99]

FDR

A Small Light (not a documentary, but historical anyway)

 

[Praying Colonel]

I like the Ken Burns documentary series: The Civil War, Baseball, The Roosevelts, The Vietnam War, etc.

If you're looking for something funny, "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project" is a great look at his life and a time in entertainment that IMHO was very interesting. You can stream it for free on Prime Video.

There are lots of PBS American Experience documentaries I like: "Chasing The Moon," "The Great War," "Walt Disney," "The Mine Wars" and "Freedom Summer," to name a few.

 

[Gabby01]

There’s a documentary, maybe it was The Food That Built America, that goes into the lives of Hershey, Heinz, Kellogg, etc. and all the drama that attended starting their famous companies. It was pretty surprising and entertaining. We watched it years ago and still talk about it!

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I also really enjoyed "Making a Murderer"... I generally like true crime stuff. Sticking w/that theme on Netflix there are others like (assuming they are still available):

Ted Bundy Tapes
Night Stalker: Hunt for a Serial Killer
Killer Inside the Mind of Aaron Hernandez

 

[AnnaS]

The Curious Case of Natalie Grace Barnett.

 

[dvcgirl67]

I mean....if you liked Making a Murderer.....and you haven't watched The Staircase on Netflix, go directly there. It's thirteen parts I think....but fascinating to me to this day.

If you watch the Staircase and love it....then check out the HBO acted series, which is also quite good with Colin Firth and the fabulous Toni Colette....but you have to watch to OG first. To this day, whenever I have two glasses of wine over the weekend, I climb the stairs, get to the top and proclaim to my husband...."made it!"

 

[china mom]

Don't _______ with Cats was a very good crime documentary

 

[GAN]

If you have Apple+ (or whatever they call it!).... Blackbird was really good, based on a true story. Paul Walter Hauser was absolutely amazing in his role.

 

[Praying Colonel]

If you like music documentaries:

--The History Of The Eagles

--The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir

--Standing in the Shadows of Motown

 

[soccerdad72]

If you have (HBO)Max - McMillions. It's the story of the group that found a way to steal all the high dollar winning Monopoly pieces from McDonald's years ago.

 

[CBMom01]

If you have HBO and don’t mind *very* sad content involving kids, I recommend There’s Something Wrong With Aunt Diane.

It’s very, very disturbing which I usually can’t stand but the subject matter is handled very well.

But again, the true story behind it includes a tragic accident involving kids. Don’t want to mislead anyone. If you choose to watch, don’t read up on it too much before hand. The filmmakers let the study unfold in a really compelling way.

If you like nature, the White Wolf show on NatGeo right now is fantastic.

And, my favorite documentary in the history of documentaries: Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Werner Herzog is a great director. But it’s slow. No murder

 

[Marrila]

We enjoyed Good Night Oppy. It's available on Amazon Prime.

 

[gmi3804]

Three Identical Strangers is one of the more popular fascinating docs of the last several years. It's compelling.

 

[AnnaS]

Don't _______ with Cats was a very good crime documentary

I saw this a while ago. Good one.

 

[Aladora]

We just watched "You Are Here" which is a documentary about the story of what happened in Gander, Newfoundland during the events of 9/11 which was made into the musical "Come from Away."

 

[VandVsmama]

Anything by Peter Santenello on Youtube.

 

[disney-inspired]

The Jinx on HBO.

 

[lisaviolet]

Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell really impacted me when it came out in 2012. And I recently watched it again.

It is a good watch if you enjoy human dynamics & the complexity of all kinds of relationships.
And quiet documentaries. It is not blazing in your face drama that some love.

One of the most impactful things I had with my parents was seeing them beyond 'my parents', as humans with their own complicated personalities, lives and stories - some no doubt left untold. This documentary reminds me of that important dynamic.

I also love documentaries that start off as one thing, and end up to be quite another.

(On Canadian Netflix, not sure about any other country. And Prime as well.)

 

[lisaviolet]

I mean....if you liked Making a Murderer.....and you haven't watched The Staircase on Netflix, go directly there. It's thirteen parts I think....but fascinating to me to this day.

If you watch the Staircase and love it....then check out the HBO acted series, which is also quite good with Colin Firth and the fabulous Toni Colette....but you have to watch to OG first. To this day, whenever I have two glasses of wine over the weekend, I climb the stairs, get to the top and proclaim to my husband...."made it!"

Speaking of human dynamics -

One of the creepiest parts of that documentary - besides what happened on the staircase - is Michael's relationship with one of his adopted daughters & quite frankly how much she looks like him, even if that is a total coincidence..

Watched both. Toni Collette is just a fantastic actress.