I’ve always been a fan of my notes app. It’s full of shopping lists and quotes from my friends and the occasional 2 AM poem about that guy I saw getting off of the T that one time, but I have a new addition this year. It looks something like this:
Things I’m Bringing Into 2023:
- Cappuccinos
- Using cash
- Scarves
- Friendship bracelets
- Caesar salad
- Documentaries
Documentaries. When I hear the word “documentary,” I think of being back in 3rd grade. My teacher would wheel in the TV cart, so we could watch yet another two-hour long video about where dirt comes from. In my current life, I’ve been trying to educate myself more on topics that I really care about. Below are a few documentaries I’ve recently watched that have opened my eyes to the true potential and power that 120 minutes can hold.
“Abducted in Plain Sight” tells the story of Jan Broberg. 12 years old, living in Pocatello, Idaho with her parents and two younger sisters, Jan was just another average girl until family friend Robert Berchtold kidnapped her and convinced her that she had to have his child in order to save her family from an alien abduction. Although she was found and returned to her family, Jan was kidnapped a second time at the age of 14, and Berchtold was able to blackmail both of her parents by weaving his way into the fabric of their lives, one lie at a time. This appalling documentary draws attention to the tragedy that is child grooming while still artfully telling a narrative that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat.
“White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch” is a segue into an important dialogue regarding the rebranding of clothing lines in response to current social and political movements around the world. Mike Jeffries stepped in as CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch in 1992, and completely rebuilt the brand from the ground up. Young. Hot. All-American. Exclusive. That was the new face of Abercrombie & Fitch. I remember walking through the mall and spotting the shopping bags plastered with half-naked male models slung over every teenager’s arm. What I didn’t know then and would later learn in the documentary was that Jeffries would allegedly seek “companionship” with those male models in exchange for exposure. “White Hot” dives into why Abercrombie & Fitch’s reign was everything wrong with the 90’s, and why it thrived anyways.
“The Tinder Swindler” Tinder. Bumble. Lox Club. Farmersonly.com. Whatever the name of the dating app, you’re definitely on at least one (or have friends who are). Whether you’re meeting up with a new person every night, or swiping through mindlessly when you can’t sleep (guilty), the act of conversing with strangers on the internet is something we’ve all gotten way too comfortable with. “The Tinder Swindler” takes a look at how Simon Leviev (born as Shimon Hayut) was able to con over ten million dollars out of matches under the pretense that he was in grave danger. While I’ve received my fair share of emails from men claiming to be Siberian princes who needed my help, someone using a dating app to seek out vulnerable people and exploit them for money still comes as a shock. Check this out if you really want to second-guess if that 6’4” guy you’ve been messaging is who he claims to be.
Documentaries have come a long way since the days of never-ending photos of fish flashing by, voiced-over with facts about the ocean’s unseen mysteries. Both entertaining and educational (which I didn’t even think was possible), they’re a great opportunity to open your mind to topics you’ve never given much thought to.