13th (2016)

The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, but this searing documentary argues that both have only taken on different forms in the years since its adoption. The Emmy-winning work, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay, traces the systematic oppression of Black Americans following the official end of slavery in 1865, from segregation to the disproportionate targeting of minorities during the war on drugs to the prison-industrial complex, of which private contractors have benefited financially. DuVernay tackles varied and complicated forms of corruption here, but 13th is carefully plotted to show how each act of disenfranchisement leads to another, serving as a riveting rallying cry. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch 13th: Netflix

EW grade: A (read the review)

Director: Ava DuVernay

Related content: 13th: Ava DuVernay’s prison documentary should be required viewing

American Factory (2019)

This first film from Barack and Michelle Obama‘s production company Higher Ground — and winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature — is an even-handed look at the trials and tribulations of a Chinese-owned windshield factory in Dayton, Ohio. As its domestic workers are tasked with more intensive labor for lower pay, their Chinese employers experience culture shock while adjusting to the American way of life. Told with matter-of-fact honesty, American Factory drew rave reviews that included EW’s critic, who notes, “The heart and soul of American Factory, like all American factories, is never really politics of course; it’s people.” —K.J.

Where to watch American Factory: Netflix

EW grade: B+ (read the review)

Directors: Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

Related content: Obamas congratulate American Factory filmmakers on Best Documentary Feature Oscar win

Bad Vegan (2022)

The New York food scene has never seen a story like Sarma Melngailis, the celebrity restaurateur who was responsible for successful upscale vegan eateries like Pure Food and Wine and One Lucky Duck. Bolstered by critical acclaim and celebrity patrons, Melngailis’ stock was rising in the raw food world — until her restaurant empire was brought down by a marriage to a con man. A scandalous story told over four episodes, Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives is the only documentary to include true crime intrigue, vegans on the run, and a Dominos order gone terribly wrong. If you’ve ever wanted to see a story in which canine immortality and meat suits feature prominently, run — don’t walk — to your TV and fill up on the insanity that is the story of Bad Vegan. —Ilana Gordon 

Where to watch Bad Vegan: Netflix 

Director: Chris Smith 

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Crip Camp (2020)

Following the success of American Factory, Higher Ground released this Oscar-nominated documentary about a New York summer camp called Camp Jened, which served as a haven for people with disabilities. Featuring footage of co-director James LeBrecht’s experiences there in the early 1970s, the film demonstrates how the campers went on to fight in the disability rights movement of the late-20th century. Balancing warmth with the urgency of its message, Crip Camp gives a more three-dimensional view of this marginalized community than most films, emphasizing the power of advocating for one’s rights. As EW’s critic writes, “Like most good storytelling, it takes care to make the political personal.” —K.J.

Where to watch Crip Camp: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Directors: Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht

Related content: Why Netflix’s Crip Camp is a landmark for disability representation on screen

Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)

Life and death are inexorably linked in this unique film by celebrated documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson (Cameraperson). As her father lives with dementia, Johnson stages various fictional scenarios in which he accidentally dies — from tripping down the stairs to getting hit by a falling air conditioner — which he charmingly acts out for the camera. What may sound morbid in writing is actually a bittersweet meditation on the stigma surrounding death and a daughter’s special way of bonding with her dad before it’s too late. Come for the absurdly planned schemes, stay for, as EW’s critic observes, “the immeasurable love between [the film’s] maker and its muse.” —K.J.

Where to watch Dick Johnson Is Dead: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Kirsten Johnson

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Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (2022)

Boeing used to be the pride of American manufacturing, but now the company’s name is synonymous with safety failures. Downfall: The Case Against Boeing goes deep into how pressure from Wall Street corrupted the company’s safety culture, ultimately leading to two crashes of Boeing MAX 737 planes in October of 2018 and March of 2019. Boeing refused to be involved in the making of the film, but the project does an excellent job of breaking down how desire to keep the company’s stock price high led Boeing to knowingly fail pilots and passengers. —I.G.          

Where to watch Downfall: The Case Against Boeing: Netflix

Director: Rory Kennedy

Found (2021)

The effects of China’s one-child policy are explored through the stories of three adopted American teenage girls in this rousing documentary. Each is adopted from China and come to discover they’re cousins, leading them to explore their ancestry. What makes Found fascinating is in how it allows for multiple perspectives from the cousins — one feels perfectly at home in America, while another is hoping that reconnecting with her roots will provide some resolution. It also makes room to honor the caretakers who house orphaned children and the sensitive nature of the adoption process. Have tissues nearby when watching. —K.J.

Where to watch Found: Netflix

Director: Amanda Lipitz

Four Daughters (2023)

Well-deserving of its Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature, Four Daughters is a Tunisian film that mixes traditional documentary practices with fictionalized moments to create a cinematic project unlike anything else in the genre. The four daughters in question belong to Olfa Hamrouni, a Tunisian mother who lost two of her four children when they were radicalized by the Islamic State and moved to Libya. Performers stand in for the two eldest siblings, and Tunisian and Egyptian actress Hend Sabry plays Olfa, but interviews with the real-life Olfa and her two youngest daughters are also heavily featured. A film about mothers and daughters as told through one family’s traumatic story, Four Daughters is affecting, creatively structured, and deeply memorable. —I.G.

Where to watch Four Daughters: Netflix

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Fyre (2019)

The extravagant 2017 deserted island musical festival never took place, but it did manage to land organizer/scammer Billy McFarland a prison sentence and inspire two documentaries. At least as far as Emmy nominations are concerned, Netflix’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is the superior option, providing a comprehensive look at the events that led to the festival’s formation and subsequent downfall. A film that put event organizer Andy King on the map as the poster boy for hard-working employees, Fyre is fascinating, exasperating, and one of the ultimate tales of scamming gone wrong. Directed by Chris Smith (also of Bad Vegan fame), Fyre is an entertaining romp through early influencer culture. —I.G.   

Where to watch Fyre: Netflix 

EW grade: B+ (read the review) 

Director: Chris Smith  

Related content: Netflix’s Fyre documentary trailer goes behind ‘the most insane festival in the world’

The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)

Remember that cringeworthy moment when Gal Gadot and a gaggle of celebs sat in their respective lavish homes and recorded a sing-a-long to John Lennon’s “Imagine” during the start of the COVID pandemic? Well, let’s rewind to 1985, when 46 music legends responded to a crisis and produced a hit that made a real impact. Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, artists including Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross united Avengers-style in A&M studio to record “We Are the World” — a chart-topping anthem that raised more than $80 million to combat famine in Africa, clinched four Grammys (including Record of the Year and Song of the Year), and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. If you ever wished to be fly on the wall during that historic night of music-making, turn to this Netflix documentary that spoon-feeds you archival footage, revelatory firsthand accounts, and plenty of nostalgia. —James Mercadante

Where to watch The Greatest Night in Pop: Netflix

Director: Bao Nguyen

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Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (2019)

This Grammy-winning documentary — written, directed, produced by, and starring Beyoncé — is more than just a concert film: It’s an experience unto itself. Following the superstar’s journey conceiving of and performing her headlining concert at Coachella in 2018, Homecoming is as much a tribute to Black artistry as it is a celebration of Queen B and her loyal BeyHive. Edited with razor-sharp precision to deliver the best possible experience, the film also devotes time to the Black artists and leaders who inspire the singer between showcasing her own personal challenges with motherhood, all while trying to get physically and emotionally prepared for the performance. But it’s the main event, now affectionately referred to as “Beychella,” that’ll have you revisiting this doc again and again in all its resplendent glory. —K.J.

Where to watch Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé: Netflix

Director: Beyoncé

Related content: Beyoncé unleashes surprise Homecoming album alongside Netflix concert doc

Jim & Andy: the Great Beyond (2017)

There’s method acting, and then there’s what Jim Carrey did to play Andy Kaufman in 1999’s Man on the Moon. Having stayed in character as the avant-garde comedian throughout the entirety of the shoot, Universal Pictures effectively buried the behind the scenes B-roll for the actor’s own benefit. This documentary unearths the footage, with present-day Carrey commenting on the effect of trying to mirror his comedy idol so intensely. EW’s critic calls the film “an enthralling look at the artistic process,” especially in its depiction of an A-lister at the height of his box-office powers who’s able to get away with anything and everything. —K.J.

Where to watch Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond: Netflix

EW grade: B (read the review)

Director: Chris Smith

Related content: 5 things you didn’t know about Andy Kaufman

Keep Sweet Pray and Obey (2022)

When did serving as a religious leader turn into a quest to have sex with as many underage girls as possible? That’s the question Keep Sweet Pray and Obey attempts to answer in its four-episode docu-series centered on Warren Jeffs, former head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). This documentary draws you in as it explores the philosophies and teachings of the FLDS, Jeffs’  rise to power, the many girls forced to become wives and mothers before their time, and the families torn apart by his misdeeds. —Diedre Johnson

Where to watch Keep Sweet Pray and Obey: Netflix 

EW grade: A- (read the review) 

Director: Rachel Dretzin, Grace McNally  

Related content: The 25 best true crime documentaries on Netflix

Miss Americana (2020)

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour inspired one of the biggest pop culture conversations of 2023, but even as Swift proved over and over why she’s one of the best in the business, it’s worth traveling back in time a few years to a period when her reputation was on the line and much less respect was afforded to her work. Miss Americana allows Swift the chance to get truly vulnerable, scrubbing away her strategically crafted image to reveal the human being behind the lyrics. Taylor opens up about her struggles with feuds and fame, her issues with disordered eating, her political frustrations, and ultimately, the responsibility she feels towards her fans, her music, and her legacy. A film for Swifties, music lovers, and anyone interested in learning more about one of the most successful artists working today, Miss Americana will, as EW’s reviewer writes, make “you wish you’d seen more of this Taylor a long time ago.” —I.G.      

Where to watch Miss Americana: Netflix 

EW grade: A- (read the review)

Director: Lana Wilson  

Cast: Taylor Swift  

Related content: 10 things we learned about Taylor Swift in Miss Americana

My Octopus Teacher (2021)

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, My Octopus Teacher is a story of relationships, as told by a filmmaker who bonds with an octopus. Craig Foster spent a year free-diving and following an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, and the bond he develops with the animal as she invites him into her underwater life helps to inform and transform his relationships with his fellow humans — especially his son. It takes a talented production team to make a movie about sea creatures feel like an important story about humanity, but this crew pulls it off, creating a piece of art that is affecting, educational, and inspiring. —I.G.  

Where to watch My Octopus Teacher: Netflix 

Director: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed  

Cast: Craig Foster, Tom Foster 

Related content: The Boys cast explain the bizarre influence of My Octopus Teacher on season 3

Our Father (2022)

Imagine if the life you’ve always known changed with one email. That’s exactly what happened to dozens of people who found out it was highly likely (in the 90th percentile) that their birth father was the same man. From the early 1970s to 1989, Dr. Donald Cline, a married Indiana-based fertility doctor, helped medically inseminate women — only it was actually his sperm. Our Father focuses on the affected families’ confusion, grief, anger, and, invariably, the bonds forged between these half-brothers and sisters. —D.J.

Where to watch Our Father: Netflix

Director: Lucie Jourdan

Related content: What to Watch: Our Father is a harrowing fertility horror story

Race to the Summit (2023)

Fans of Free Solo will find new heights to explore in Race to the Summit. This sports and climbing documentary chronicles the rivalry between alpinists Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold as both climbers race to secure the fastest times on their ascents up the Swiss Alps’ great north faces. As with all climbing documentaries, non-climbers will struggle to understand what drives a person to risk their life like this, but the film’s stunning vistas and the athletes’ dedication to their sport needs no explanation. Viewers with fears of heights may want to steer clear, however: These shots are guaranteed to raise your heart rate and take your breath away. —I.G.   

Where to watch Race to the Summit: Netflix

Directors: Nicholas de Taranto, Götz Werner 

Cast: Dani Arnold, Alex Honnold, Ueli Steck

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Shirkers (2018)

Anyone who’s ever had their artistic dreams dashed will resonate with the plight of Sandi Tan, who directs this underrated gem. In 1992, Tan and her friends made an independent film in Singapore called Shirkers, but their mentor, Georges Cardona, made off with the footage and disappeared. Decades later, the movie finally resurfaced thanks to Cardona’s ex-wife, who mailed it to Tan following his death. This documentary follows the filmmaker’s decision to repurpose her once-lost project as she processes her adviser’s devastating betrayal. Deeply personal and inventive, Shirkers is a testament to creativity, with Tan telling EW that, “After every screening, people are vibrating with wanting to [create something of their own]. If we can carry that energy throughout the world when people are watching the film, then I’ve succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.” —K.J.

Where to watch Shirkers: Netflix

Director: Sandi Tan

Related content: How this filmmaker turned a teenage tragedy into the inventive documentary Shirkers

The Social Dilemma (2020)

“I always felt like, fundamentally, it was a force for good,” says Alex Roetter, former head of engineering for Twitter in this incisive documentary. “I don’t know if I feel that way anymore.” The Social Dilemma dives deep into the manipulation tactics of sites like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Instagram to keep users hooked and the negative consequences that result — from the spread of misinformation to depression and suicide. The doc features various talking heads from former employees of these social media sites, who explain their companies’ insidious practices. Additionally, the film presents a dramatization of an average family of five to demonstrate social media addiction in various forms. After watching The Social Dilemma, which presents its thesis in sobering fashion, it will be hard not to think twice before mindlessly scrolling Facebook or Instagram again. —K.J.

Where to watch The Social Dilemma: Netflix

Director: Jeff Orlowski

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Sr. (2022)

Before Robert Downey Jr. became one of the faces of mainstream cinema, there was his counterculture filmmaker father. Robert Downey Sr. made a name for himself in the independent cinema scene in the ’60s and ’70s, directing a series of anti-establishment films. His life is profiled in this moving documentary, delving into his unconventinal career and his relationship with his son. Downey Jr. — one of the producers on “Sr.” — unpacks family traumas and shares his remembrances of his father throughout the doc. The film serves as a deeply personal tribute from a son to a father, and a loving eulogy, as Downey Sr. died in 2021 from complications of Parkinson’s disease. —K.J.

Where to watch “Sr.”: Netflix

Director: Chris Smith

Related content: Robert Downey Sr., countercultural filmmaker and father of Robert Downey Jr., dies at 85

Take Care of Maya (2023)

In early 2015, Jack and Beata Kowalski scoured the Internet and consulted countless doctors to solve the mystery behind their 9-year-old daughter Maya’s debilitating chronic pain, among other symptoms. Relief finally came with a diagnosis of advanced complex regional pain syndrome, which could be treated with ketamine. However, the trajectory of their lives took a tragic turn when a visit to the ER at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital led to accusations of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, triggering a false imprisonment of Maya for three months without proper care. Exposing the shortcomings within the American healthcare and child welfare systems, Take Care of Maya renders a brutal cautionary tale where the Kowalskis — including now-17-year-old Maya — share their raw, gut-wrenching testimonies as they seek justice against the institution that tore their family apart. —J.M.

Where to watch Take Care of Maya: Netflix

Director: Henry Roosevelt

Related content: The 25 best true crime documentaries on Netflix

The Tinder Swindler (2022)

This Emmy-nominated documentary describes how con artist Shimon Hayat posed as a jewelry mogul on Tinder and scammed millions of dollars out of women who believed him to and fell for his charms. The Tinder Swindler was so timely that, when it debuted last year, Hayut was still very much on the loose and duping more unsuspecting victims out of their cash. That is, until he was banned from the app after the revelations presented here. This documentary doubles as a cautionary tale for those swiping right and hoping to find their soulmate, showing just how easily one can get tricked into believing their date is who they say they are. —D.J.

Where to watch The Tinder Swindler: Netflix

Director: Felicity Morris

Related content: Tinder Swindler villain Simon Leviev claims he’s ‘not a Tinder swindler’

To Kill a Tiger (2023)

One of the best documentaries to premiere in 2022, To Kill a Tiger is a Canadian film that tells the story of one family’s fight for justice for their 13-year-old after news of her rape becomes public in their small village in India. Emotional, educational, and deeply personal, the film was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2024, and cleaned up on the film festival circuit in 2023. Executive produced by Mindy Kaling, Dev Patel, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and the poet Rupi Kaur, among others, To Kill a Tiger is a necessary film with an important message, told and packaged with bravery and compassion by director Nisha Pahuja. —I.G

Where to watch To Kill a Tiger: Netflix

Director: Nisha Pahuja

Virunga (2014)

The Oscar-nominated documentary Virunga is one of the prime examples of a documentarian shifting perspectives dramatically to follow the more interesting story. Filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel set out to document the preservation efforts of workers at the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park to protect endangered gorillas. Shortly into filming, a rebellion by the military group M23 took place in the region, adding further dimension to Einsiedel’s original plan. The doc explores the impact of the rebellion on the park, in addition to the exploits of a British oil company hoping to drill in the area. Unfolding with earned dramatic tension, Virunga is urgent and powerful in its message of mankind’s destruction on natural environments, while giving us heroes worth rooting for. —K.J.

Where to watch Virunga: Netflix

Director: Orlando von Einsiedel

Related content: Leonardo DiCaprio, Netflix team up for Virunga documentary

What Happened, Miss Simone (2015)

Netflix is home to numerous documentaries about celebrities and artists, but few have led a life as fascinating as Nina Simone‘s. The iconic jazz blues singer — responsible for definitive versions of such classics as “Feeling Good,” “I Put a Spell on You,” and “Sinnerman,” as well as originals like “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “To Be Young, Gifted and Black” — was an outspoken activist during the civil rights movement, infusing progressive messages into her music and risking her own career to stand up for what she believed in. While EW’s critic notes that “No medium could ever quite contain the multitudes of Ms. Nina Simone,” this documentary is an “excellently clear-eyed primer” nonetheless, one that will have you searching for her virtuosic performances on YouTube for hours on end. —K.J.

Where to watch What Happened, Miss Simone?: Netflix

EW grade: A– (read the review)

Director: Liz Garbus

Related content: Nina Simone: 10 essential tracks

White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (2022)

This documentary provides a revealing look at Abercrombie & Fitch’s glory days and the eventual fallout when people realized the company was openly discriminatory. What’s even more interesting are the interviews with customers who, at the time, never even gave it a second thought. The film dives deep into how former A&F CEO Michael Jeffries targeted and marketed to particular consumers: white teenagers attending high school and wanting to be one of the “cool, good-looking” kids — meanwhile, Black and Asian applicants were allegedly not hired for front-of-store jobs. The retailer even went so far as to offer Jersey Shore reality star Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino money to not wear the brand. —D.J.

Where to watch White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch: Netflix

Director: Alison Klayman

Related content: Abercrombie Jersey Shore diss a clever PR stunt, says MTV

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (2015)

Released seven years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Winter on Fire follows a Ukrainian fight of a different kind. The visceral documentary centers on the Maidan Uprising of 2013 and 2014, which began after a free-trade deal with the European Union fell through at the last minute, with then-Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych making a deal with Russia instead. Through immersive on-the-ground footage, Winter on Fire tracks protestors from peaceful demonstrations to violent confrontations with police as people from all walks of life fight against a government preventing them from moving forward as a nation. The galvanizing documentary earned an Oscar nomination, and director Evgeny Afineevsky released a companion film in 2022, Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom, which chronicles the Russian invasion. —K.J.

Where to watch Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom: Netflix

Director: Evgeny Afineevsky

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