Need some good procrastination material for consolidation week, but still want to feel like you’re being educated and aren’t entirely wasting your time? Welcome to the wonderful world of documentary! Merging entertainment, reality, truth, and storytelling; here are the top 5 Netflix documentaries for you – no matter what you’re into!
- For the mystery lover: Abducted in Plain Sight
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*Trigger warning: paedophilia, rape*
This series started conversation – and for good reason. This isn’t just your average small-town-girl-goes-missing documentary. At the age of twelve, Jan Broberg was kidnapped by a family friend who just so happens to be a paedophile and sociopath. Not just once, but twice. Surprisingly, this wasn’t even the biggest shocker of the whole documentary (although incredibly disturbing). What really got everyone throwing their remotes at the TV screen were Jan Broberg’s parents. Spoiler alert: BOTH of them had had affairs with their daughter’s rapist and kidnapper. They had done just about everything wrong in seeking justice, resulting in their daughter’s second kidnapping by the same man. This documentary is shocking, eerie, and something that will have you talking months after you initially watch it.
- For the history lover: The Royal House of Windsor
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I won’t lie – I’m an undercover lover of the British Royal Family. And with the gorgeous and elegant Duchess of Sussex, Meghan, now in the family, my puppy ears just raised themselves up even more. Even though I’m incredibly against their racist, colonialist and imperialist past; what fascinates me more is how such an archaic system has survived all these years and the role they’ve played in world history. This six-part series works through all the questions you could ever have about the House of Windsor; such as why they’re even called the ‘House of Windsor’ in the first place (believe me, a lot more thought and survival tactics went behind the name than you think!). From 1917, through two World Wars, the oldest reigning monarch, cheating scandals, the tragic death of Princess Diana, and what the future holds for the next heir; this documentary is packed full of history-geekin’-goodness.
- For the music lover: Remastered: Devil at the Crossroads
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We’ve all heard of the infamous and creepy 27 Club – it’s a popular myth with musicians and celebrities. In exchange for extreme talent, fame and fortune, they would sell their soul to the devil. But all your dreams coming true comes at a price. At the age of 27 these rumoured members die. Truth or fiction? I guess we’ll never know. What we do know how is how this urban legend started: in the 1930s with, one of the most famous Blues musicians to ever live, Robert Johnson. Robert Johnson’s mysterious and tragic life is captured in this documentary. Johnson even famously sings about going down to the crossroads to meet the devil if you’re at all interested. Eeek – shivers. If you’re into something spooky, something bluesy, and something historical – this should be your next doccie pick.
- For the nature lover: Our Planet
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“In one human lifetime,” says David Attenborough in the opening minutes, “wildlife populations have fallen by an average of 60%. The stability of nature can no longer be taken for granted”. Attenborough has us in tears again. And, as expected, delivers with breath-taking landscapes and incredible wildlife making your mouth gape open and saying, “Woah is this really, OUR planet?”. This eight-part documentary was filmed by more than 600 crew members, captured over four years of filming, and was created in 50 countries. Whether you love nature documentaries just because they relax you, or you’re an eco-warrior, incredibly concerned by recent news that we may not even make it to 2050; this is the documentary for you to marvel at our beautiful (yet, decaying) world.
- For the true crime lover: Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
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Before you let Zac Efron creep you out and confuse you by playing charming psychopath and serial killer Ted Bundy in the movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (also on Netflix); listen to the raw footage of the real Ted Bundy’s tapes of his childhood, high school days, and college love affairs. The harrowing part of Ted Bundy is that this man escaped from prison multiple times, somehow conceived a daughter while behind bars, and tricked and manipulated multiple people with his charm and ‘good looks’. Everyone thought, ‘Surely this man could never kill all these women? He’s so educated. He’s so eloquent and handsome! Ted Bundy? Never!’. And what makes this even more disturbing- he knew this and milked it for every last drop.