The Cove (2009)
Set in Taiji, Japan, this documentary tells of the Taiji dolphin and whale hunt that takes place yearly, brutally killing dolphins for their meat while a few get sold to marine parks. Activist Ric O’Barry and a team of deep sea divers, camera men, and set designers help to uncover this horrible tragedy so that it can be displayed for the world. Due to the people of Japan becoming aware of the harmful effects of mercury in dolphin and whale meat, the amount of dolphin being killed each year has decreased as a result. No international or Japanese government pushback, more like lack thereof, has stopped the slaughter so far. The slaughter still continues in the year 2018 almost ten years after this mind-blowing documentary was made.
Warning: tearjerker, shock value
BlackFish (2013)
It is hard to believe that this documentary came out five years ago. The documentary is set around the death of Dawn Brancheau, head trainer at Sea World Orlando who was killed by the orca Tilikum. The documentary dives into the history of Tilikum’s life in captivity from the death of Keltie Byrne at SeaLand of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia to the death of Dawn Brancheau and all of the attacks in between that should have been warning signs. Know that when the film uses the work attack they do not mean that all the whales acted initially to kill the trainers, a mixture of play and frustration often ties in. Whether the attacks came from Tilikum specifically or from other whales at both SeaWorld parks and others, the documentary argues that it is shocking that there were not more deaths. The film also follows the trail of Sea World of Florida LLC vs OSHA where OSHA argues that Sea World knowingly put trainers at risk and asks that the trainers no longer get in the water with the whales.
Warning: tearjerker.
Food Inc. (2008)
This documentary comments on the corruption of the food industry and how much is allowed or ignored by the USDA and FDA. From the harmful and inhumane way animals are killed, to the destruction of livelihoods, the way we consume and how that effects our children and our futures. Food industries have a lot of power and the way we consume and what we eat has changed more in the past fifty years than in the previous thousands. Food Inc. exposes the level of unaccountability in the food industry as well as the problematic results of the way food is produced. The documentary has changed the way America eats for the better, exposing the truth of the food production industry.
Warning: shock value, a couple tears
God Loves Uganda (2013)
This documentary follows a religious group called International House of Prayer and their mission in Uganda. As far as the documentary is concerned, the International House of Prayer is the reason that Uganda considered the death penalty for anyone who identifies as homosexual and the rise of AIDS in the country. They argue that while Bill Clinton advocated for the use of condoms, that opinion fell out of favor when George W. Bush instead decided to advocate abstinence in favor of religious concerns. Since then, the number of AIDS-infected individuals rose. However, the films main focus is on the death of David Kato who was an Ugandan LGBT activist killed in a robbery though many believe that was not the cause. The film argues that International House of Prayer took not only a “humanitarian” but political interest in the country which has caused the oppression and terrorization of homosexuals in Uganda which is a human rights crime.
Warning: shock value
For Neda (2010)
This documentary focuses on a young woman named Neda Agha-Soltan who is killed during her joining of a protest of the 2009 Iranian Election that many believed was rigged. Neda was attending one of the protests in support of the cause and walked back to her car with her music teacher when witnessed captured her being shot in the heart and dying. The video caught international sensation and became a rallying point for the protests. Though the government never claimed responsibility for her death, people suspect that this is the case since the protests often caused violent retaliation from the police and other government forces. The documentary goes into other aspects of how the information of the protests was able to exit the countries tight regulations through the help of one computer hacker.
Warning: graphic
Trashed (2012)
Narrated by Jeremy Irons, this documentary takes a tour around the world to see the effects of humanity’s wasteful tendencies. The film calls for drastic and immediate action to the crisis as to avoid global disaster. It also sets out to find solutions to the problem of trash and measures which solutions proposed are better or worse for the environment. Iron’s sets out to understand the corruption behind large waste plant corporations which get away with leaving toxic chemicals in the nearby area which can cause health problems for people and the environment. The documentary looks at how this trash epidemic affects our environment on land and in the sea.
Warning: sad
Before the Flood (2016)
Leonardo DiCaprio’s documentary debut is set on the set of the film The Revenant where they had to change locations to find snow. It also starts out with a focus on a painting by Hieronymus Bosch called The Garden of Earthly Delights which shows the destruction of Earth in sync with the decay of human morals. Throughout the documentary, DiCaprio guides the viewer through all of the harmful effects of climate change and talks to experts in various fields that all talk about how grim things are really looking for our planet. Despite the fact that DiCaprio is an actor, not a scientist, he gives his time and energy to understanding the Global Warming crisis, including a meeting with the Pope, presidents and politicians of nations, and scientists. The documentary also comments on the Paris Climate Accords, wondering if they will cause any real change. DiCaprio ends on his speech as a UN Messenger of Peace to a room of world leaders as he addresses his concern and stresses the importance of quick and immediate change.
Warning: shock
The S Word (2017)
This documentary came out recently and comments on breaking the silence surrounding the idea of suicide. A suicide survivor travels the United States to try to find other suicide survivors and the families of attempt successes and survivors and share their courage through their stories. The film argues that suicide is one of those things that no one wants to talk about but the more it is discussed and seen as a legitimate option the less scary and prevalent it may be in American culture. According to the film, every year 1.2 million Americans attempt suicide and of that number 42,000 will succeed in their attempt and that daily 112 lose their lives, larger than the number of people on a small jet airplane. The argument is that, as a country, we need to break the silence around suicide.
Warning: sad
Restrepo (2010)
In Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, not a single day goes by without gunfire. It is considered one of the most dangerous postings in the military. This documentary takes a close look at a platoon sent to this valley, their struggles with the locals, within themselves, and questions the real cost of war. The soldier’s voices are finally included in the myriad voices of politicism about the War on Terror. In the Restrepo (after a platoon medic killed in action) 15 man-outpost in the valley, the film captures 90 minutes of every day of these soldiers’ lives. There are no political statements aside from the soldiers’ thoughts and the only soldiers that are talked to are the ones fighting.
Warning: graphic
As We Forgive (2008)
Could you ever forgive someone who murdered your entire family and/or village in cold blood? This documentary follows the stories of two Rwandan women who lost their families to the Rwandan Genocide which lasted 100 days and killed 500,000 to 1,000,000 people, predominantly Tutsi. The women come face to face with the men who murdered their families as they ask them for forgiveness. Since the genocide had so many perpetrators, many who were brainwashed with government propaganda or forced to do it on threat of death to themselves or their families, not all could be held in the Rwandan prison system. Approximately 50,000 perpetrators were released. So, the last hope for Rwanda is for the survivors and perpetrators to come together to reconcile what happened and make a better country out of it.
Warning: shock value, sad
The Oath (2011)
The film focuses on the lives of brother-in-law’s Abu Jandal (Nasser al-Bahri) and Salim Hamdan in experiences that led them both to paths with Al-Quaeda and Osama bin Laden. Hamdan speaks in the film through letters to Jandal and through the films following of his military trial out of which the Military Commissions Act of 2006 came. The film mainly follows Abu Jandal, a taxi driver in Yemen who lives a quiet life teaching jihad and making a living for his son but was previously Osama bin Laden’s bodyguard. Throughout the film, an understanding comes between the viewer and Abu Jandal (his chosen name meaning “father of death”) as he lives his daily life. The viewer comes to see him not as a terrorist, but a human being. Loyalty, challenging ideas about jihad, and al-Quaeda are all topics discussed and put to the test in this documentary
Warning: shock value, enlightening