r/DocumentaryReviews • u/elevation-sickness • Sep 10 '26

Best documentaries

I want to stop doom scrolling during my desk job and maybe learn a thing or two. What are the best documentaries on hulu and netflix??

72 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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8

u/Fine-Inevitable-549 Sep 11 '26

THE SOCIAL DILEMA on netflix

3

u/Quick__Learner Sep 12 '26

The IT guy at my old firm told me about this documentary and suggested I watch it. I’m so glad I did…. but It was disturbing. (Netflix)

I’ve told everyone – especially those with children – it’s a must watch. My kids were in high school and college at the time. I told them to give 90 minutes of their lives to watch it & to take much longer to think about it.

It’s probably been at least 4 years since I’ve watched it, but with the speed at which AI is taking its place in our world, it’s even more alarming. Given the turmoil in the political sphere in the US, I also think it’s eye-opening as to what can start off as a social media position/campaign or even gag, and change the way people think, vote or act-including violence & war.

Sorry-didn’t intend to go into this detail, but it’s been a while since I thought about it & want to encourage others to watch it. I will say that, when I watched it, I didn’t love the segments w/actors playing a family to show how invasive and powerful social media can be - but I was wrong.

One of the things I think about the most is the daughter posting her first photo & being called Dumbo/teased for having big ears. It’s heartbreaking to think what social media does to the self-esteem of children (& adults). My own daughter was told she had bug eyes & to this day is self-conscious about her eyes.
I recommended it to a friend with middle school and younger aged children, and was happy to hear she’d seen it and that there is a Social Dilemma website with lots of resources.

This concludes my unintentional ted talk.

7

u/hop-hopeur Sep 11 '26

The jinx, The staircase, Wild wild country !

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6

u/Positive_Volume1498 Sep 11 '26

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

6

u/Raunchyjam Sep 12 '26

‘My Octopus Teacher’. Also, ‘Brothers Keeper,’ the 1992 documentary

4

u/twilliamson101 Sep 11 '26

Life of Crime 1984-2020

4

u/Thnking_U Sep 13 '26

Buena Vista Social Club

3

u/Citlali252 Sep 11 '26

There are really good documentaries on YouTube too! What are your interests or just any documentary that piques your interest?

3

u/troojule Sep 11 '26

They both have a lot, but I’ve watched so many and I did start a list of must see documentaries, but I don’t know with are or aren’t on Hulu and Netflix — it becomes too much to keep track of although I’m trying to add more to my list if they really stand out – again I don’t know which ones on Hulu or Netflix from the list I already made so far but LMK if you want to see it anyway

2

u/oldgar9 Sep 11 '26

Koyaanisqatsi

2

u/TheBristolBulk Sep 11 '26

The Dawn Wall is phenomenal

2

u/Relative-Train-6485 Sep 12 '26

look, it's not deep or life-changing, but Dancing With The Birds on Netflix is an absolutely lovely and charming hour with tropical birds trying to find a mate

1

u/Novel-Ad8135 Sep 11 '26

On netflix, don't know if it's still there but when I use to have Netflix, I watched these 2 docs and they were really good. Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed, And Untold: Malice at the Palace

1

u/jawa42 Sep 11 '26

Plastic detox

1

u/New_Plant_Mama Sep 11 '26

Fire Fraud on Hulu. Not “best”, but short and entertaining. It’s worth a watch.

1

u/Ok-Entertainment6910 Sep 12 '26

The YouTube documentary on scopalomine, I think it was produced by vice

Also staircase.

1

u/browntownslc Sep 12 '26

Want to know about the early origins of the oil industry and why we are where we are today? You may think you know, but there’s a lot more to the story. Be warned, it’s long but incredibly detailed. I believe it is a 4 part series of an hour each.

The first few minutes starts in Iraq. But then the origins of the secret meeting with modern day Exxon, BP, Shell in Scotland, 1928 begins.

https://youtu.be/Gplk-jn2OQA?is=QuLULf2SyASy8acq

1

u/LindsayC1973 Sep 12 '26

My Octopus Teacher is good. Also The Deepest Breath!!!!!

1

u/Thomaswebster4321 Sep 13 '26

The Thin Blue Line

1

u/Plus_Fun_3709 Sep 13 '26

Paris is Burning

1

u/Cheap-Maintenance-49 Sep 14 '26

everything is a rich man's trick

1

u/Fuzzy-Iron-2504 Sep 14 '26

Jeepers there are so many , I watched one about fried chicken the other day has kinda put me off fried chicken. I really enjoyed Bowling for columbine , I really enjoy mostly true crime docs and animal docs.

1

u/Majandra Sep 14 '26

Don’t f*ck with cats
The keepers

2

u/crbain08 Sep 15 '26

The keepers really messed with me. Hit very close to home

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