Little by little, Netflix has created an impressive catalog of content on its platform, and although many times the spotlight is on its original series or movies, the reality is that today it has a wide range of documentaries, where there are even some of its productions.
Within Netflix documentaries we can find very interesting things ranging from music history, focused on nature or space, to criminal or scientific investigations, through curious things within pop culture. Today at Xataka we will take a short tour of what we consider some of the 21 best documentaries that we can currently find on Netflix.
‘Audrie & Daisy’
A heartbreaking story, produced by Netflix, focused on cyberbullying. In ‘Audrie & Daisy’ we are told the story of two teenagers who suffered abuse and harassment via the Internet, which finally ended in sexual assault. The documentary seeks to emphasize social networks as a harmful element and the lack of laws capable of helping those who suffer this type of harassment.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Don’t touch cats’
What begins as the gruesome murder of a litter of cats becomes, thanks to the intervention of some amateur investigators on the Internet, a race against time to unmask a dangerous murderer. Without a doubt, it is the most unusual true-crime documentary of recent times, but also a poisonous look at what the internet does to our perceptions.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Casting JonBenet’
A unique and chilling documentary about the murder of a child beauty pageant star, just when a dramatization of her tragedy with amateur actors is being prepared in her hometown. The documentary is not only a wonderful exercise in metafiction with the game of mirrors it proposes, but also an acid look at the very harsh world of children’s contests.
- Watch on Netflix
‘The Alcàsser case’
The most high-profile criminal case in the history of Spain receives an exhaustive analysis in this Netflix documentary series, splendidly documented and in which many of those involved in the crime that paralyzed Spain have a voice. Unpublished archive images and new conclusions for a documentary that unleashed a renewed conspiracy wave about the mystery behind the deaths.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Cheer’
Even if you are not the least bit interested in the world of sports animation, this docuseries that follows the adventures of the Navarro College competitive cheerleading team is one of those that maintain the excitement like the final of a soccer World Cup. Acrobatics, very handsome and athletic boys and girls doing and feeling very youthful things, and color and spirit of improvement to stop a train.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Cowspiracy’
According to ‘Cowspiracy’, livestock farming is today the most destructive industry facing our planet. This documentary tries to put on the table the consequences of this industry, which range from water scarcity to global warming. To these disasters, production adds an investigation into the public policies that allow this type of activity.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Unearthing Sad Hill’
A Spanish documentary that brims with nostalgia and cinephilia: a group of friends decides to locate and restore the old cemetery in Burgos where the spectacular final climax of ‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ was filmed. A vindication of mythomania and classic cinema to watch with the poncho, the revolver, and Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack very close.
- Watch on Netflix
‘In a nutshell
The essential current affairs and dissemination website Vox (nothing to do with the political party) produces, in line with its extraordinary videos for the internet, a series of documentaries on the most disparate topics: diamonds, sects, epidemics, pirates, millionaires… All in pieces lasting around twenty minutes, visually delicious and rigorous in their presentation and points of view. A documentary gem.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Grass is Greener
The issue of marijuana and its legalization has been a delicate topic for years, with currents of opinion that approve its recreational use and others that strongly reject it. In ‘Grass is Greener’ we focus on the United States and the relationship between marijuana, racism, and its relationship with pop culture and music. The documentary also features the participation of important figures such as Snoop Dogg, Damian Marley, and B-Real of Cypress Hill.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Icarus’
The first Oscar for Netflix was for ‘Icarus’, a documentary that delves into the cyclist doping mafia, which caused a sports scandal in 2015. Thanks to this documentary which also draws on the rhythms and dramatic resources of suspense and espionage cinema, we will discover that not only the athletes were responsible for a trap that covered the entire world of Soviet professional sports, but also Russian government authorities.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Jim and Andy’
A sensational documentary about the intimate spiritual relationship between two of the most unclassifiable comedians in history: Jim Carrey and Andy Kaufman. When the former had to play the latter in ‘Man on the Moon’, a psychological storm was unleashed that this documentary tells of by unearthing unpublished material from the film. The result is one of the most lucid essays ever seen on the true limits of humor.
- Watch on Netflix
‘The Keepers’
In 1969 a young nun, Cathy Cesnik, is murdered. Fifty years later, her family and friends do not rest because the unknowns remain. The viewer will follow the director of the documentary as he makes increasingly terrible discoveries, among which is a sinister network of child abuse at the school where the nun worked, with a few important personalities carrying out criminal acts with total impunity.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Making a Murderer
The series revitalized the true crime genre for the masses, firmly inspired by the classic ‘Paradise Lost’, and whose impact is still felt, five years later, in the many series of the genre that continue to be produced. The documentary takes a very partial view of the case of a man and his little cousin who are wrongly (or not) accused of a woman’s death, but his point of view had real-life implications that go beyond the usual in a series of this type.
- Watch on Netflix
”Miss American’
A behind-the-scenes view of the most important and best-selling female artist of the moment, Taylor Swift, goes well beyond the expected superficial view for fans. ‘Miss Americana’ analyzes the Swift phenomenon quite accurately and makes it clear to what extent her enormous success is far from being a coincidence.
- Watch on Netflix
”Our planet’
Netflix’s most ambitious project within documentaries is ‘Our Planet’, a production that involved the participation of more than 600 people who worked for four years in more than 50 countries. A tribute to our planet Earth that at the same time seeks to raise awareness of the damage we are causing it. In its original version, ‘Our Planet’ was narrated by Sir David Attenborough, a British scientist and one of the greatest popularizers of the natural world. For the Spanish version, we have Penelope Cruz, and Salma Hayek for the Latin American one.
- Watch on Netflix
‘The Toys That Made Us
A fabulous trip to the past full of humor and friendly sarcasm, where great toy franchises from the seventies and eighties are reviewed, speaking with their creators, collectors, and businessmen in the industry. From semi-casual bombs like ‘Masters of the Universe’ to milestones of the sector like the ‘Star Wars’ dolls, they were passing through sagas with the black one, like ‘Star Trek’, a good-humored and frenetic tribute to the history of the greatest plastic icons.
- Watch on Netflix
‘Tiger King’
A story of crimes and exploitation of nature. In reality, a catalog of eccentric and fascinating characters and situations on the edge of the most basic morality and legality, which includes conspiracies to murder competitors, people who become (supposedly) feed for tigers, animal trafficking, and gay polygamy. And hilarious extreme country music videos. The most radical thing in the Netflix catalog.
- Watch on Netflix
‘A full-fledged revolution’
Winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Film, ‘A Revolution in All Rules’ takes us in just 26 minutes into a reality where menstruation is synonymous with taboo in India. A story that focuses on female empowerment, and where it is women who decide to take matters into their own hands to resolve a situation that takes away their freedoms and marks them in the worst way.
- Watch on Netflix
‘What the health’
Following the success of ‘Cowspiracy,’ its creators return with ‘What the Health,’ which exposes corruption in the government and big companies that cost us billions in healthcare by doing something as evil as keeping us sick. A resounding and devastating criticism that ensures that most foods of animal origin are the main cause of diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
- Watch on Netflix
‘High Score’
Necessarily incomplete, but still a very nice documentary about the origins of different genres of video games and mythical sagas, from first-person shooters to graphic adventures, including fighting games. Although a deeper or more critical vision is lacking, the personalities who give their testimony and the results of its visual finish are well worth a visit.
- Watch on Netflix
‘The Power of Grayskull’
Fabulous documentary that helps understand the magnitude and scope that one of the most essential toy franchises of all time had decades ago. From the design of the original dolls to the latest incarnations of the icons, passing through the million-dollar television series and the commercial failure that was the Cannon film. All are covered with depth and good taste that would make them want documentaries on more serious topics.
- Watch on Netflix
Sharlene Meriel is an avid gamer with a knack for technology. He has been writing about the latest technologies for the past 5 years. His contribution in technology journalism has been noteworthy. He is also a day trader with interest in the Forex market.
