Netflix's recent releases of Ava DuVernay's highly informative and compelling documentary 13th and the first Amanda Knox documentary where she herself tells her side of the story has gotten me thinking about the rest of the documentaries that have changed my life. Documentaries are the most under appreciated sect of the film industry. The way we as a society view the world is heavily shaped by and reliant on mainstream media and Hollywood. However, it is not the masses of America that are flooding the audiences of documentaries. Instead we are subconsciously learning from mainstream news outlets, social media, and fictional TV and film. While the latter can be highly educational at times, there is an important place in educating ourselves that nonfiction holds. Here are 16 documentaries that have shaped the way I personally view life and might just change your life too.
1. 13th
The latest from the inspirational visionary Ava DuVernay is the most important thing you will watch in 2016. The documentary's name is speaking of the 13th Amendment, that was supposed abolished slavery in its passing in 1865.The film follows the racial inequality chain from slavery to Jim Crow, to criminalization and mass incarceration in America that is fueled by political and economic motives. This documentary should be required of history classes across the country. After it's finished, catch up on her current show Queen Sugar on OWN. Then watch anything she has ever touched and any interview she has ever done including a recent episode of Chelsea on Netflix.
Rotten Tomato Score: 98%
Released: 2016
Run Time: 100 min.
2. Amanda Knox
The infamous Amanda Knox finally breaks her silence after being released from jail in 2011 and definitively acquitted in 2015 for her supposed involvement in the 2007 murder of roommate Meredith Kercher.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Released 2016
Run Time: 92 min.
3. The United Shades of America
Comedian and political commentator W. Kamau Bell visits places across America that are heavily populated with either a marginalized culture or oppressive groups and constructs to explore the various forms of othering in America. His interviews and documentation interspersed between clips of his stand up make up this incredible eight episode docu-series from CNN.
Released: 2016
4. She's Beautiful When She's Angry
She's Beautiful When She's Angry follows some of the loudest voices and leaders of the Women's Liberation movement from 1966 to 1971. The film covers both wonderful aspects and the exclusions within second wave feminism.
Rotten Tomato Score: 94%
Released: 2014
Run Time: 92 min.
5. Making A Murderer
This docu-series received immense reviews and instant popularity upon its release last year. Follow the breath taking, disturbing circumstances and corruption of Steven Avery's trial and unjust arrests in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.
Rotten Tomato Score: 97%
Released: 2015
6. Trouble the Water
Kimberly and Scott Rivers, unable to evacuate New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina due to lack of funds, took shelter in their attic with their neighbors, family members and a video camera. This breathtaking documentary follows their harrowing tale through their own footage as well as footage from directors Tia Lessin and Carl Dean. Educate yourself on how the tragedy and turmoil of Hurricane Katrina is at the fault of the American Government.
Rotten Tomato Score: 96%
Released: 2008
Run Time: 96 min.
7. Grizzly Man
Timothy Treadwell, a devoted conservationist believed he had bridged the gap between human and beast, living among a tribe of wild bears on an Alaskan reserve. That is, until one of the bears that he had grown to love and protect tragically turns on him. Treadwell's found footage is pieced together and narrated by director Werner Herzog as he explores nature, its relation to humans and its grim realities.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
Released: 2005
Run Time: 104 min.
8. The Punk Singer
This biographical documentary follows Kathleen Hanna, the front woman of the band Bikini Kill and the voice of the riot grrrl feminist movement of the 1990s.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Released: 2013
Run Time: 82 min.
9. Paris is Burning
This critically acclaimed classic focuses on a group of drag queens in New York City and the community and support they have found in each other. Paris is Burning also explores race issues and poverty.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Released: 1991
Run Time: 78 min.
10. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills
The film follows three teenage boys who were accused of the horrific murder of three young children. Their supposed involvement came into question as a result of their practice in Satanism. The film presents the trial and controversy as it unfolded.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Released: 1996
Run Time: 150 min.
11. Blackfish
This one needs no introduction, but needs to be present. Explore the relationship between nature and humans through the story of Tilikum, a killer whale who has spent his entire life in captivity and has taken several human lives along the way. The film also goes into the problematic logic and ideology of the sea-park industry.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Released: 2013
Run Time: 90 min.
12. Searching for Sugar Man
Two obsessed fans set out to search for the answer of the fate of a forgotten 1970s musician, Rodriguez.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Released: 2012
Run Time: 86 min.
13. 20 Feet from Stardom
20 Feet from Stardom is a long overdue spotlight on backup singers and their contributions to music industry.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Released: 2013
Run Time: 91 min.
14. Bill Cunningham New York
A breathtaking, full profile of renowned New York fashion photographer and photo journalist Bill Cunningham.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
Released: 2011
Run Time: 84 min.
15. Hoop Dreams
The documentary follows two Chicago teenage basketball players, William Gates and Arthur Agee as they battle the social obstacles on their journey to their dream of the NBA, over the course of five years.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%
Released: 1994
Run Time: 175 min.
16. O.J. Simpson: Made in America
I am not exactly a sports fan, but boy does ESPN know how to make a documentary. This five part film covers the events of O.J. Simpson's life starting in college, leading up to his 1994 arrest for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and the racial tensions in America surrounding the scandal.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%
Released: 2016
