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10 Netflix Documentaries You Won’t Want to Miss

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Tufts chapter.

Netflix is filled with hidden gems – whether you’re on a comedic kick or you’re searching for a horror film, it has what you’re looking for. Above all, Netflix is known for its documentaries, and these are some of the most riveting ones it has to offer…

  1. “What the Health” The documentary that prompts a vegan phase in even the biggest meat-lovers, this popular film shows you the behind the scenes (what you don’t know, what you should know, and what you never really wanted to know) about the food you eat every day.

  2. “Amanda Knox” The story of a student who is convicted (twice) and later acquitted of the murder of her roommate during her semester abroad in Italy.
  3. “13th” A film showing the nitty-gritty of the American prison system and showing the truth behind the 13th Amendment, which illegalizes slavery unless it is punishment for a crime.
  4. “My Beautiful Broken Brain” A film about a woman who suffers a hemorrhagic stroke and is forced to relearn essentially all of her physical and mental functions as an adult.
  5. “The Imposter” The story of a haunting identity theft of a missing boy.
  6. “Blackfish” If you’ve ever wondered about what really goes on at SeaWorld, this is the documentary for you – detailing the common mistreatment of animals across the US, this film opens up viewers’ eyes to a new reality of animal captivity.
  7. “The Wolfpack” Ever watched Netflix for so many hours that you feel like your own life could be a movie? This is the reality detailed in The Wolfpack, a story of six brothers who grew up locked in the confines of an apartment, their only connection to reality being movies.
  8. “Gaga: Five Foot Two” Every pop star comes with a backstory, and Lady Gaga is no different. In this documentary, viewers get a behind-the-scenes look of the creation of her 2016 album Joanne and a much more personal view of Gaga.
  9. “Icarus” This Oscar-nominated film dives into the world of performance-enhancing drugs in the cycling world, a phenomenon that has been around for many years, highlighting Russia’s ban from the 2018 Winter Olympics.
  10. “Unrest” A closer look at chronic fatigue syndrome, a mysterious disease from which director Jennifer Brea herself suffers.
Kaitlyn Meslin (Tufts University) is a senior majoring in International Relations with minors in Finance and Entrepreneurship. She is from Boston, MA.