1. 13th
A narration of the corrupt prison industrial complex and systemic racism against people of color. Surprisingly, our country isn’t much different than it was during the Jim Crow era. An enriching perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement that will give you a new appreciation and passion for equality. An absolute must-watch (especially before this election).
Streaming on Netflix
2. The Hunting Ground
We know the sexual assault epidemic on college campuses is a huge problem, but until you see this documentary, you have no idea how much we don’t know. And it’s not just about gender inequality and victim-blaming, there’s so much more corruption perpetrated by universities and law enforcement as well.
Streaming on Netflix
3. Blackfish
Seaworld is all about making smiles and memories until it comes to their animals. This documentary gives you a look at the tragic life of Tilikum, who was responsible for the death of a beloved animal trainer, but there’s much more to the story than Seaworld would like to admit. You’ll never look at animals in captivity the same.
Streaming on Netflix
4. The Thin Blue Line
On a night in 1976, Randall Dale Adams’s car breaks down so he accepts a ride from a teenager who is driving a stolen car. A police officer pulls them over to check the headlights and is shot dead. The jury believes Adams is the killer but this documentary exposes the fallacies of the justice system based on corrupt testimony, police misconduct and misleading witness accounts–all of which are problems that continue to lock up the wrongfully accused.
Streaming on Netflix
5. My Son the Jihadi
The portrayal of a devastated mother in Great Britain whose son left home at 21 for Somalia to join an al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group. The film traces Thomas’s evolution from young, innocent boy to jihadi terrorist.
Streaming on Netflix
7. How to Die in Oregon
A look at Oregon’s controversial 1994 Death with Dignity Act, which allowed terminally-ill patients to end their lives with physicians’ approval and aid. The film chronicles the stories of several individuals who choose to end their lives, and the subsequent roller-coaster of emotions they, along with their family members and friends, experience. The film will give you tremendous insight into this taboo issue.
Streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now
8. True Cost
There’s a reason everything is made overseas: it’s dirt cheap. Why? Because the workers are paid next to nothing. This documentary explores various areas of the world where our clothes are made, and the true cost–human livelihood– that is often compromised as a result.
Streaming on Netflix
9. Death on a Factory Farm
So maybe PETA wasn’t being so extreme on this one. A filmmaker goes undercover as a factory farmer and shows you what really happens to cows, pigs and chickens before they’re on our dinner plates. (Warning: This one is a tear-jerker and made me vegetarian.)
Streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now
10. Poverty, Inc.
Believe it or not, nations don’t deliver foreign aid to countries in need out of the goodness of their hearts. You might think TOMs shoes, agricultural subsidies and international adoptions are helpful, but they could actually be more harmful. International poverty is big business, and this film will give you a new perspective on how to go about foreign aid. (A must-watch before the election)
Streaming on Netflix
11. Requiem for the American Dream
Renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky uses interviews conducted over a period of four years to discuss how a concentration of wealth and power among a select few in America has led to the decline of the middle class and a more polarized political system. A must-watch before the election.
Streaming on Netflix
12. Virunga
From executive producer ~Leonardo Dicaprio~ Pollution, oil, violence and poachers are quickly destroying the habitats and lives of animals all over the world. It’s a true story of the brave souls who risked their lives to save some of Africa’s endangered mountain gorillas in the eastern Congo’s Virunga National Park.
Streaming on Netflix
13. Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
Mostly known as the religion of celebrities like Tom Cruise, Kirstie Alley and John Travolta, Scientology remains largely mysterious to most Americans. This film explores the Church’s origins from sci-fi writer L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics, its rise in Hollywood, various abuses committed by religious officials and its unusual practices that will have you question human nature, gullibility and religion itself.
Streaming on HBO Go and HBO Now