Documentaries like An Inconvenient Truth, Blackfish, and Super Size Me are incredibly popular, but the genre itself is often overlooked. Here are 6 documentaries that range from health to politics, and where to find them.
Icarus (2017): Filmmaker and cycling enthusiast Bryan Fogel tries to make a documentary about how dramatically and quickly steroids affect the body, but when he hires Russia’s head of the Anti-Doping Agency Grigory Rodchenkov to help him pass his drug tests, he stumbles upon a much darker and treacherous plot then he could have ever imagined. Watching this mystery unravel on-screen is absolutely thrilling, and the cases that were opened over the course of the film are still developing in real time, so the story isn’t truly over yet. (Icarus can be found on Netflix)
The Seven Five (2014): Ex-cop Michael Dowd was used to patrolling the streets of New York, but after swiping a hundred dollar bill, he becomes one of the criminals he’s trained to fight against. A fascinating and entertaining memoir, much like Black Mass, with a fast paced tone and corruption that seems to get deeper and deeper with every new job. (The Seven Five can be found on Netflix and Amazon Prime)
Get Me Roger Stone (2017): This documentary centers around one of the most controversial members of Trump’s campaign, Roger Stone. It explores his effect on smear campaigning in Washington, and how he helped Trump rise to power in the early 80s, along with how he changed the very face of modern politics. (Get Me Roger Stone can be found on Netflix)
The Propaganda Game (2015): With North Korea becoming more and more of a hot topic, this documentary offers us a peek under the veil of the isolated North Korean society. Talking to citizens and the North Korean delegate give us an inside look at how their society is structured, what principles it is based on, and how children are raised. (The Propaganda Game can be found on Netflix)
The Power of Nightmares (2004): While most of it is archived footage, these 3 one hour episodes follow the rise of fear-mongering in politics, and traces the history of neo-conservatism and radical Islam. Director Adam Curtis is incredibly well versed in both these topics, as well as U.S.-Middle East topics. (The Power of Nightmares can be found on Youtube)
That Sugar Film (2014): Director Damon Gameau investigates how having a high-sugar diet affects our health, and the secrets behind the sugar industry. Much like Food Inc. and Cowspiracy, this is another movie that will challenge your appetite and not only make you rethink fast food, but ‘healthy’ food as well. (That Sugar Film can be found on Netflix and Amazon Prime)
