We at Empire HQ are big fans of documentaries. There’s nothing quite like getting the who, what, where, when, and why on stories and subjects that are just too amazing to be fiction. From miniseries that generate heated online debates to rug-pull moments that have given birth to a million memes; and from deep dives that change your perspective on life to perfectly crafted factual films that leave an indelible mark in your mind, they are all we want. That said, whether you’re into dirty true crime, going beneath the waves or learning about your favourite 80s action hero (we’ve got two!), we’ve pulled together a killer list (in no particular order) of some of The Top Netflix Documentaries currently available on the platform.
Additionally though if you want something to take you out of this world after reading through this list look at our best Netflix movies. Or even better still for something nicely packaged in box sets check out our best TV shows on Netflix.
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond
Chris Smith’s Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond is an engrossing exploration of actor Jim Carrey’s experience as he played the difficult comedian Andy Kaufman. Utilizing nearly 100 hours of footage taken behind the scenes during Man On The Moon’s production, Smith’s film centers around Carrey becoming Kaufman for months. Jim Carrey won rave reviews and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Kaufman. Still, much of the most Kaufmanesque stuff went on offstage during the production , filmed by Lynne Margulies who was once Andy’s girlfriend as well as Bob Zmuda his former writing partner. Looking back at the resulting material today with distance of 18 years between himself and it, Carrey talks about how strangely parallel were he and Andy;s lives doing similar things ,and his feelings when he assumed Andy’s persona among other things about his own spiritual path that has been both rocky and enlightening.
Making A Murderer
The series tells the story of Steven Avery, who is a Wisconsin salvage yard worker. After serving 18 years in prison for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen, new DNA evidence finds him – a man who consistently denied guilt – not guilty. But those welcome-home banners don’t make it deep into episode two. And within just two years of his release, Teresa Halbach’s Auto Trader photographer – someone he’d used loads of times to shift cars – ends up dead. This isn’t one to watch weekly – that would spoil it as a near perfect cliffhanger.
It’s frustrating when the final act doesn’t have all its questions answered, but the fault lies with no one involved in making this film. There are many things left unanswered about this heart-wrenching and supremely irritating true crime tale; however, apart from the fact that it’s possible to create event TV without turning every season premiere into an event itself have you considered if there had never been a follow-up series? Well, we do!
When They See Us
In director Ava DuVernay’s limited series of four episodes, she narrates the story of a group of black boys and boys of color known as ‘Central Park Five’ who were wrongly accused of raping a white woman in Central Park, New York City in 1989. Describing the case trial and indictments that followed by exposing institutional racism and corruption involved in it to which was an atrocious miscarriage of justice for instance, DuVernay leaves no stone unturned as she creates a shocking image of systemic racism, showing how the American media cycle and judicial system can so easily vilify black men.
The Social Dilemma
The Social Dilemma is a part docu-drama; part terrifying glimpse into just how much Facebook or Twitter have you under their control on our shared consciousness. It features former Silicon Valley types talking about how technology stroke to keep us glued to our screens for example stroking our ego and stabbing at our pleasure/pain receptors. By the end if you’re not taping up your webcams and considering throwing your devices into the sea then you are made of sterner stuff than us – Big Brother is watching us. It is one of the best Top Netflix Documentaries.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Heavy Metal’s most successful band ever is falling apart. The bassist has quit, the lead singer is alcoholically challenged (as usual), and the drummer is hated by fans – yet they congregate to make another album. At times excruciating viewing, Metallica: Some Monster’s unflinching bluntness marks it out somewhat from other docs. In revealing however many flaws there may be, this documentary’s admirably forthrightness doesn’t undermine their status for rock godhood.”
Miss Americana
Taylor Swift has transitioned from being a teenage country prodigy to one of today’s beloved world-touring performers who has created a lucrative overseas brand for her fans but polarizes the general public. Teaming up with filmmaker Lana Wilson, Swift explores the ecstasy and agony that comes with fame as the country girl gone pop behemoth addresses the release, backlash, and backlash to the backlash of her controversial sixth studio album, Reputation.
Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)
If you think about it, a documentary that maps out ways in which your father could die should sit alongside true crime tales. But Kristen Johnson’s brilliantly bizarre Dick Johnson Is Dead is actually a love letter to the filmmaker’s father Dick who is suffering from dementia. He’s getting into it by organizing increasingly ridiculous deaths for himself in front of cameras and the result is a film exploring mortality and family ties that are full of life despite its morbid theme.
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
Among American kids especially those on this side of the Atlantic summer camp tends to be something they look forward to experiencing at one point in their lives. Just across the road from Woodstock though in New York State where a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transformed their world and sparked off a history-making movement. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution tells an untold story of hope about some amazing people who resist being defined solely by their disabilities and whose righteous anger against societal prejudices led them collectively towards changing America alongside civil rights movements and LGBTQ+ advocates too.
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