What to Watch: Documentaries

This year has been tough year on all of us, but one of the things that has got me threw it was Netflix. Like most, I found myself endlessly bored with teen dramas and sitcoms, so I decided to pick something more relevant to reality to occupy my time. Lucky for me, Netflix gave me plenty of options from true crime to sport documentaries. If you are in a show hole like me, I have got the thing for you. Here are some of my favorite documentaries in no particular order. 

1. Cheer

I watch this documentary last year and it really surprised. A bunch of my friends had watched the show, and everyone was talking about it, so I felt like I had to watch it. It is a TV series that is centered around one the most elite cheerleading teams in the country. I know what you are thinking, cheerleading can’t be that interesting, but the show proves to be more than that when they dive deep in the personal lives of teammates and shows the daily struggles that kids go through within their families, school, and everyday lives. 

2. Amanda Knox

This is a true crime movie that is about Amanda Knox. I remember hearing her name in the news all the time when I was younger. She was a college student who went abroad to Italy, while there her roommate was brutally murder. It an interesting case because did she do it or is, she innocent. Amanda Knox is in the documentary herself she makes it even more twisted and compelling. The film also talks about the media’s involvement with the case and it also makes you question what really happened to her roommate.

3. Confessions with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes

If you don’t know who Ted Bundy is than you must be living under a rock. He is one of the most famous serial killers to ever live. This documentary is a miniseries that explains the nationwide manhunt for the serial killer and what happens after they catch him. What makes this documentary one of my favorites is because you get to listen to his interviews after he was arrested. I know it is creepy, but I find it very interesting getting to listen to him talk.

4. Abducted in Plain Sight

This is one of the craziest documentaries I have watched. I did not know what I was expecting when I first put it on, but towards the end I was speechless. It is a true crime story of a family and their neighbor as well as a web of lies and deceit they were in. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t say more, but I will say I had to watch it twice because of how hard it was for me to process the events that happened within the movie.

5. Reversing Roe

One of my favorite things about documentaries is that it is a chance to learn more about issues that you may want to educate yourself about, but don’t know how to do. This is a documentary about the case Roe vs. Wade which made abortion legal across the country. It is a very controversial case that to this day is still trying to be overturned. This documentary was really well done all around. It viewed Roe v. Wade from both pro-life and pro-choice. It is a really great way to educate yourself on issues in this country and also a great way to help make your own personal opinions as well. 

6. Disappearance of Madeleine McCann 

This is a documentary series, and it was very long but also very interesting. You might have heard about Madeleine McCann; she was 3 years old when she was taken on vacation in Portugal and the case is unsolved. It takes you through the case that is still ongoing which included many theories that her parents might have killed. It is incredibly interesting to me because of the lack of evidence in the case and it seems that she simply just vanished. It also looks in the media portrayal of the case and their ability to control the perspectives of the viewers.

7. The 13th

Out of every documentary on this list, this one is probably my favorite. It is about the history of slavery in America and how are country over the past century has not truly got rid of slavery, but simply found new ways to have African American oppression through different things that are similar to slavery. Not only was this documentary done extremely well, but it was also very educational. I tell everyone to watch this because I believe it is a film the country needs to see especially in the climate we live in today. Racial injustice is at the forefront of our country right now and the best thing we can do is try to be part of the change and to educate ourselves as much as possible.

8. Athlete A

This documentary is about the USA Gymnastic scandal that rocked the sports world in 2016. It is about the girl who sparked the movement about sexual abuse within USA Gymnastic as well as what the program did to try and cover it up. I remember this happening when I was in high school, so it was interesting to learn more about it. It focuses more on the athletes/ survivors more than the abusers which I think is so important when telling these types of stories. I will give a trigger warning here as it does talk a lot about sexual abuse, but overall, it was one of the better documentaries I have watched. 

9. Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia

This is a limited documentary series about the five mafia families that ran New York City in the 1970s to the 1980s and the group of federal agents that dared to take them down. If you like the Godfather, this is documentary for you. Even if you don’t like the Godfather, I would still recommend this. It is all a wild, true story that even has real recordings of the Mafia’s dealings on tape. It is an interesting story about organize crime running a city has big and powerful as New York City. 

10. Night Stalker

This is also another limited series and it is about the infamous Night Stalker that terrorized LA in the 80s. The documentary features the 2 main detectives that were the leads on the case. It is a very graphic documentary has it shows pictures of the people he killed, and it may be a little bit too scary for some. It is so scary, it is epic. This is my warning to not watch alone.