You are sitting in your dorm room on a Thursday night, scrolling through Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime or the next big streaming service. You don’t want to rewatch the series you just binged two nights ago and you can’t make a decision on what’s piqued your interest: How about a documentary? Documentaries are everywhere these days. From historic scandals to internet users solving a murder case, all streaming platforms are adding to their content for the month of April. With an update on scandals, politics and the world around us, here are some of Her Campus Hofstra’s top picks for documentaries you need to watch.
1. Social dilemma (2020)
Do you ever have the urge to delete all your social media apps? If you haven’t, this documentary might give you that last push. This masterpiece is a bit different from the usual “Social Media is bad for you” speech. Instead, the director, Jeff Orlowski, took that narrative from the media’s side. The experts aren’t psychologists who say new media is addictive, but the app developers themselves who say their target product is. The developers dive into how these apps were specifically made to be attention-seeking. It doesn’t make you want to scroll through TikTok for hours on end. Not to spoil a good documentary, but put your phone down and give your mind a break.
2. Athlete A (2020)
With another Olympic season behind us, “Athlete A” centers around the Olympic women’s gymnastics case of sexual abuse from their team’s osteopathic physician, Dr. Larry Nassar. A warning has to be given before watching this documentary, though, because of the sensitive topic and possibly-triggering content. “Athlete A” doesn’t just cover the sexual-abuse case, but the whole industry of Olympic gymnastics. Delving into the history of how young gymnasts got recruited for the Olympics, the documentary shows how cutthroat the industry has become and how easy it was for cases like Nassar’s to be covered up. “Athlete A” portrays just how brave those women were for standing in court to face their abuser. Next time you turn on the Olympics, consider the cost of getting gold.
3. The tinder swindler (2022)
Would you swipe right on a millionaire’s son on Tinder? If you use any type of online dating, this documentary might make you second guess your right swipes. Con artists, who aren’t who they say they are, seem to be quite the fix for documentaries coming out in 2022. “The Tinder Swindler”, however, takes a new look into online dating which is inevitable in the digital era. The main voice in the documentary is Cecilie Fjellhoy. She voices her feelings and experiences with “Simon” who she had met through Tinder. He took about $250,000 from her to live a lavish lifestyle all while she is swimming in debt to pay for it all. Well, she wasn’t the only woman scammed into paying for this swindler’s false life. The documentary takes us on the best ex-boyfriend hunt of the 21st century so far. Watch to see if they find his real identity, or if you just love a good revenge story.
4. The unmaking of college (2022)
Hampshire College is a liberal arts school in Massachusetts. With a decline in student enrollment and the college being fairly new, Miriam Nelson, then Hampshire’s President, sent out a controversial letter stating the college would be considering NOT taking a freshman class. Many smaller colleges have had to face the same existential crisis after the pandemic, but this school’s students took a stand against that decision. Interviews with students, professors and alumni make the story of a 75-day student sit-in an enthralling one about the power of students and the sustainable futures of colleges in America. The only downside to this documentary is the lack of commentary from Nelson herself which she declined. It feels almost unfulfilling, only with the lack of Nelson’s side of the story, but a good watch on student action at the college level.
5. RBG (2018)
Ruth Bader-Ginsberg, the biggest girl boss that ever lived in America. If you don’t know who she is, this documentary is for you. Going through her life, from childhood to the Supreme Court, the documentary captures her life-long impact on the gender equality fight and her feminist pioneering. What makes the film unique is the inclusion of people and officials who didn’t see eye-to-eye with her. They spoke about their views on her politics but in a respectful manner. A refresh from politics nowadays. The documentary shows just how important she was to the American judicial system and to the Supreme Court she had served on for 27 years. If you aren’t a fan, you will be after this documentary.
6. Don’t F**k With Cats (2019)
Do you love kittens or any four-legged creatures? You’ll find out just how hardcore Facebook users’ can be if someone mistreats an animal online. Taking place in 2010, a group of internet users’ came across a video of a boy torturing two kittens. From there it was a hunt to find and arrest this kitten tormentor. As time goes on, with no leads in sight, the Facebook group withers down until the kitten abuser goes for the ultimate kill. The series introduces an interesting take on how ordinary people can track down a killer. While it tends to overexaggerate a few of the events in the narrative, it’s an engrossing docuseries that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the last episode.
7. Totally under control (2020)
Everyone is tired of hearing about COVID-19, with the omicron variant being on the backburner and the complaint of gas prices being too high. “Totally Under Control,” by Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan and Suzanne Hillinger, takes a look at the U.S. government’s grasp on the COVID-19 pandemic. This documentary takes an aim at America’s first response to COVID-19, the response comparison of the U.S. to other countries and the predictions that were first made about the virus. From the view of public health officials, the documentary doesn’t show the political aspect as much as was insinuated. Comparing where we were to where we are now, the film can be eye-opening or a bit upsetting to some. Seeing how much has changed in two years is pretty overwhelming. We know all students don’t want to continue the talk of COVID-19, but this documentary can bring to light how we ended up in a post-zoom era with a burnout phase not being just a phase anymore.
The next time you don’t know what to watch whilst scrolling through your many streaming services, consider checking out one of these popular documentaries. They are entertaining, educational and are guaranteed to give you and your friends something interesting to talk about.