A documentary is a non-fictional, motion picture that is intended to document reality or entertainment, historical, and/or educational purposes. Now is the perfect time to watch something new, educational, and that will fascinate you. Documentaries have become extremely popular quiet recently with Netflix, Hulu, and even ESPN coming out with tons and tons of fascinating subjects that have been made into movies.
Here are so awesome documentaries that you can stream instantly that will hopefully entertain, educate and, most importantly, entertain you.
13th is a documentary that explores the racial inequality in the U.S. and directly focuses on how American prisons are most filled with African-Americans. With everything going on in the world and specifically in the United States, currently, this is a great documentary to watch to help educated yourself about racism and help gain a new perspective and understanding.
This was released in 2016 and you can stream it on Netflix.
This is Michelle Obama’s documentary about her life, hopes, dreams, and how she strives to connect with others. If you loved her Becoming book, you’ll love this documentary. Michelle dives deep into her life growing up as a black child in Chicago with dreams of helping others. It truly is inspiring and relatable to all ages and races. It got a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and the reviews from the audience are amazing.
This was released in 2020 and you can stream it on Netflix.
Calling on T-Swift fans! Even if you’re not a Taylor Swift fan, this can be a great documentary to watch. Let’s face it, she’s gotten a bad rap over the years and it’s hard to figure out what the truth and facts are. Taylor has released this documentary that pretty much gives you a perspective about her life, music, and how she has changed throughout the years. It’s essentially Taylor’s side of the story that gives you more of an understanding of her. Plus, it has behind the scenes of her concerts and song-making sessions. Overall, its good entertainment and interesting to learn more about the pop-star.
This was released in 2020 and you can stream in on Netflix.
This documentary although was released in 2002, is even more relevant today. It was made shortly after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 and delves deep into the history of violence in America that is, according to the filmmaker, Micheal Moore, is fear-based. It integrates and connects other popular issues such as racism, media involvement, colonization, guns, and much more all while dissecting the Columbine shooting. Fascinating would be an understatement.
This was released in 2002 and can be stream on Netflix and Hulu.
This documentary is really interesting. You might have heard the notion that all of the American jobs are going to China. Well, this documentary tells the story of a wealthy Chinese billionaire, who buys an abandoned General Motors plant in Ohio and starts production with both American and Chinese workers. It starts off as an uplifting tale until problems start to surface between working-class Americans and the high-tech Chinese.
This was released in 2019 and you can stream it on Netflix.
Climate change is real people, and Leonardo DiCaprio can prove it. This documentary follows the award-winning actor as he travels around the world to see the impact and changes to our world from climate change. He also interviews many experts, scientists, activists, and other heroes who are trying to save it. This one is very eye-opening and educational. It’s not like other depressing, climate change movies, it gives you hope that people are out there doing something about it.
This was released in 2016 and you can stream it on Disney+.
Yes, for those of you who have managed to avoid Tiger King for this long, now is your chance to watch it. Tiger King is a crazy roller coaster of mayhem and madness within several zoos owned by several eccentric characters. It’s better if you just watch it, then for me to attempt to explain this show. It may not be your favorite thing in the world, but boy will it fascinate you and you will not be able to take your eyes away.
This was released in 2020 and can stream it on Netflix.
This documentary is an oldie but a goodie. If you’re looking for a feel-good, family-friendly movie, look no further. This documentary follows a group of emperor penguins who are making their journey to the South Pole to their historical breeding grounds. It’s a tale of triumph and love. Also, who knew all these fascinating things about penguins?
This was released in 2005 and you can stream it for free on Vudu.
The food industry itself is so fascinating as there is not much information out there to tell us about what is in our food and where it comes from exactly. Fare warning, this documentary has been known to turn the most carnivorous people into straight vegans. It explores the connection between diet as disease as well as the billions of dollars on the line for both pharmaceutical and food industries.
This was released in 2017 and can be streamed on Netflix.
Like her, hate her, or don’t care about her, this documentary is one to watch. Why? It’s fascinating. This docu-series tells the story of Hilary Rodham Clinton, from never-before-seen footage from the 2016 campaign to intimate interviews with Bill Clinton, their daughter Chelsea, Hilary herself, and much more. This will hopefully bring people more understanding and knowledge of Clinton’s life and her hopes for the nation.
This was released in 2020 and can be streamed on Hulu.
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