We have all been there, scrolling through Netflix not sure what to watch but not wanting to waste time on anything that is going to suck. Well, I’ve got you! Because here is a list of seven must watch documentaries in ascending order of their Rotten Tomatoes scores/IMDb rating.
Rotten Tomatoes: 60%
This documentary opens the viewers’ eyes to the pressures that society puts on boys and men to uphold a certain standard of masculinity. The Mask You Live In points out how toxic this standard is, and the negative impact it has had on society as a whole.
Review: “The Mask You Live In is an important movie but it’s not a ‘take your medicine’ kind of important movie. Rather, it empowers a man to be the person he wants to be, not the one others are pressuring him to be.” – Fred Topel, Nuke the Fridge
Source: The City Influencer
IMDb: 76%
One of the craziest and most elaborate social experiments ever created, The Push explores social compliance by taking it to a new level. Darren Brown uses the art of manipulation to test if he can push an innocent person far enough to commit dangerous crime.
Review: “It is an interesting experiment with even more interesting results. For me personally, it even left me uneasy at times wondering about the long-term damage being done to the patients.” – Craig Layne, Movie Guys
Source: Amazon Images
IMDb: 79%
Unveiling the truth about our diet, What The Health provides the information that could convince even the most dedicated meat-lover to give it all up on the spot. This documentary exposes the corruption and toxicity behind a standard American diet.
Review: “… there’s no doubt that you’ll have a lot to think about by the time What the Health‘s credits roll.” – Jade Budowski, Decider
Source: Square Space
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
The Hunting Ground is both shocking and needed for anyone who is about to enter Post-Secondary. It documents sexual abuse on college campuses and the neglect experienced by the students as a result of lack of support from schools or action taken to stop the abuse.
Review: “Important but devastating viewing.” – Moira Fink, Seattle Times
Source: Images
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
What begins as an experiment to win one of the most difficult bike races in the world through the doping program, turns into the exposure of Russia’s Olympic success secret. Icarus is riveting as you realize the weight of the information revealed. Icarus also won the 2018 Oscar for Best Documentary.
Review: “Rodchenkov proves a surprisingly lovable personality — wry, funny, and gregarious. But things get dark and dangerous when the Russian Olympic doping program is exposed and Rodchenkov fears that he might be in a position of knowing too much.” – Peter Keough, Boston Globe
Source: Images
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
This docu-series will take you through many emotions as you theorize with the women who are fighting for justice. The Keepers is a can’t-stop-watching mystery series as every episode reveals just how intense and tangled this case really is.
Review: “Its story, metastasizing from a single act of violence to depict a warped school culture, is riveting and painful.” – Daniel D’Addario, TIME Magazine
Source: Irish Times
TIME: The Kalief Browder Story
Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
The Kalief Browder Story is rated 100% for a reason. This docu-series is heartbreaking as you watch Kalief’s struggle through the corrupt criminal justice system as he simultaneously endures one of the most dangerous correctional facilities: Rikers Island.
Review: “TIME is a brave moment of truth-telling that rips the band-aid of fiction off contemporary television retellings of corruption, injustice, and systemic racism in this country.” – Sesali Bowen, Refinery29
Source: Rocnation
The next time you are on Netflix and aren’t sure what to watch, pick one of these fascinating documentaries to open your eyes to what is really going on in the world. It is important to stay informed and to learn about what others are experiencing.