If Robert Frost had written about two roads diverged on Netflix, I can guarantee that the road not taken would be the documentary section. For many years I was afraid of the boring faces and monotone voices that I imagined filled that area of Netflix, but somewhere between then and now I've discovered that so many documentaries that go above and beyond what I ever thought 90 minutes could hold. I hope that next time you find yourself in your basement with your best friend staring at a full Netflix page that you may venture down the road less traveled by and choose a documentary. Here are 11 to start your journey and why they could change your life.
Living On One Dollar
Four friends live in rural Guatemala for eight weeks with only $1 a day. Since they wanted to get a feel for how the people of the area lived they did manual labor in fields during the day and made new friends in the community. Later the guys had to find ways to pay for medical expenses and fight off disease as they still struggled to pay for food and shelter.
How this documentary changed my life: Money does not equal happiness, yet in cases of health money can equal life. This documentary showed me how much I have compared to many people in the world and that maybe I should be looking for ways to help instead of looking at new shoes on amazon.
Vegucated
One vegan challenges three meat-lovers to go vegan for six weeks. Through the journey they learn that vegan food can taste good, saw the treatment of animals in the food production industry, and saw that vegans are people instead of the hippie aliens they once viewed them as.
How this documentary changed my life: Let me start by saying that I am in no way a vegan. Cheese is basically its own food group for me. That being said, it was nice to see how the meat I eat is treated so poorly and how much extra fat comes from meat & cheese(the over consumption of meat & cheese in America is the leading cause of heart disease according to the American Heart Association). I now try to eat less meat and cheese and add more veggies to my plate.
An Idiot Abroad
In this series two men send their uncharismatic friend around the world. Karl is not interested in travel and is mostly critical of the wonders of the world as he gives the camera his raw opinion.
How this documentary changed my life: I want to travel, and after seeing pictures of perfect landscapes it was nice to see what the majestic wonders of the world really looks like. The slums by the Taj Mahal are never shown in pictures, but I think the cultures of these cities are more beautiful than their greatest attraction.
The Human Experiment
Would you ever drink a bottle of Windex? I hope not. This documentary looks into other products we do eat/wear/use that contain harmful chemicals (like lead based paint on children’s toys and cancer causing agents in shampoo) and the lobbyists that support their continual use.
How this documentary changed my life: This is probably the first thing that got me interested in lobbyists, policies, laws, and politics in general- even though it wasn’t a movie about politics. I learned that I need to be cautious with what I put in and on my body,for me that changed how I buy makeup. The European Union has banned more than 1300 chemicals in makeup, while the US has only banned 12. Now I always check my products on http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to see what harmful chemicals they might have.
Autism in Love
Love is tricky enough already, but adding in a social disability makes this highly coveted social interaction a bit more difficult. The sweet stories of love and heartbreaking failures might leave you in tears.
How this documentary changed my life: I realized how beautiful and rare it is to find someone that complements you beautifully and the challenges love requires people to overcome. This showed me how incredibly similar people with disabilities are to me and how they don’t deserve to be underestimated by society.
Miss Representation
Women have come a long way in the feminist movement, yet professional women are still being judged based on their looks. In the 2008 election Sarah Palin was addressed as the ‘hit mom politician’ and Hillary Clinton as ‘an old hag’ instead of looked at for their accomplishments in politics. The documentary also looks into the hypersexualization of women, the diet industry, and how everyday insecurities women face are shaping the next generation of girls.
How this documentary changed my life: I saw how much further the feminist movement needs to go, when I once thought women already have equal rights. This documentary makes me want to be seen for my talents, not my gender.
Fed Up
Did you know that sugar is just as addictive as many drugs? This documentary is centered around the excess amount of sugar and other unhealthy components of food in the American diet and their detrimental effects on our bodies.
How this documentary changed my life: I never realized how bad soda was for me or how much sugar was in cereals that promote so many good things (“Daily source of calcium and fiber!”). Since seeing these I’ve cut soda out of my life and started to read the food labels to see what is really in my food.
Catching the Sun
In a world powered by diminishing amounts of coal, solar power seems like a game changer, and in Richmond, California it is. Richmond is one of the poorest & most unhealthy cities in America. It is also the city that had have the Chevron Oil Refinery fire in 2015. Harnessing the power of the sun has not only started to bring clean energy to Richmond but has also provided a number of safer jobs than the oil refinery.
How this documentary changed my life: This documentary showed me how powerful solar power really is in supplying energy(dedicating 0.6% of our nation’s land to solar energy could completely power the US), and also in boosting a failing economy by providing jobs in the industry. Solar panels are expensive to begin with, but their benefits makes me hope that the new renovation of Westerman Hall at Benedictine College will sport solar panels.
The True Cost
Take a look into the sweatshops in the garment industry. You’ll get to hear from the workers in Bangladesh that make your clothes, their struggle to make enough money to live, and the dangers they are put under in order to produce our clothing.
How this documentary changed my life: This inspired me to look into ethical clothing and try and work my own sewing machine. I saw how the clothing industry is a cycle that keeps getting worse with how prices of production must lower and more garments must be produced. This documentary even opened my eyes to how donating my used clothes to foreign countries isn’t as saintly as I once thought.
Prescription thugs
Drug are bad. We know this. Through personal stories, Prescription Thugs shines a light on how the most dangerous drugs might be lurking in our bathroom cabinets instead of on the streets.
How this documentary changed my life: As a kid I learned the prescription drugs were bad because of the DARE program, but I never really realized how the opiate based drug(the same family as heroin) oxycodone that my doctor prescribed after my last surgery could lead to an addiction much like a heroin addiction. Not only that, but anyone in my house could open that cabinet and have access to a whole bottle of these pills (and refills if they are close enough with a doctor).
Supersize Me
A man decides to eat nothing but McDonald's for a month and he watches his health go drastically downhill.
How this documentary changed my life: I first saw this documentary in a 6th grade health class and at that point McDonalds was bae. Then I got so see how my tasty McNuggets weren’t actually all that great and now I actually understand how the dangers of higher cholesterol and blood pressure are worse than the pounds he gained. I try to stay away from eating the greasy processed fast food (which is mostly unsuccessful since I work at in fast food) or opt out for fast food that I know is made of real chicken and is cooked well (grilled chicken breast sandwich anyone?).
You are now adequately prepared to log into your account and begin your journey down the road less traveled by of Netflix, and maybe after you and your best friend watch one you will have something interesting to talk about well after you close the laptop lid.
Kathleen
