Casting JonBenet

Taking place two decades after the murder of child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, this documentary records the casting process for a fictional JonBenet film. Interviews with the would-be actors — during which they offer their own insight and speculation — reveals the extent of the obsession surrounding the mysterious case.

Watch it now [5].

Strong Island

This heartbreaking Oscar-nominated documentary follows the 1992 murder of 24-year-old William Ford Jr., made especially poignant because the filmmaker, Yance Ford, is the victim's brother. Yance tells the story of how, 25 years ago, racial injustice and a fatal bullet changed the life of his Long Island family forever.

Watch it now [6].

They'll Love Me When I'm Dead

Orson Welles's final film, The Other Side of the World, began filming in 1970, but the satirical mockumentary spent several years in limbo and was finally released on Netflix in 2018, 33 years after Welles's death. At the same time, Netflix also released this documentary about Welles, which follows the legendary director through the final 15 years of the life as he pins his hopes of a Hollywood comeback on his final film.

Watch it now [7].

Audrie & Daisy

Though it was released over two years ago, this film is just as topical and terrifying as ever. It revolves around two young women who live across the country from each other, but who both found themselves sexually assaulted during a high school party while they were unconscious, both by men that they considered to be their friends.

Watch it now [8].

13th

Created by legendary filmmaker Ava DuVernay [9], this documentary is based upon the Thirteen Amendment, which freed slaves and prohibited slavery, though — as DuVernay argues — post-Civil War America has simply found new ways to suppress and dissentfranchise African Americans. From the war on drugs to mass incarceration, she explores the many means by which law enforcement has turned black people into criminals.

Watch it now. [10]

Icarus

Though Bryan Fogel first sought to explore the world of performance-enhancing drugs in cycling, the filmmaker instead happened upon a major international doping scandal when he encountered the head of the Russian anti-doping laboratory. In the film, Fogel documents the means by which this lab allows athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs in a way that will evade detection from drug-testing, leading to the discovery of a state-sponsored Olympic doping program.

Watch it now. [11]

Newtown

Though difficult to watch, this documentary tells the necessary true story of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT. The film presents intimate portraits of children and teachers killed, delivered through a series of interviews with family members, emphasizing the growing threat of gun violence and the way that their losses have changed the courses of their lives.

Watch it now [12].

Oklahoma City

This film covers the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, when a radical former soldier detonated a homemade fertilizer bomb that killed 168 people and injured 675, making it the worst act of domestic terrorism in American history. As well as depicting the horrific event, the documentary works to highlight the danger of alt-right anti-government hostility.

Watch it now [13].

Finders Keepers

In one of the most bizarre documentaries out there, Finders Keepers follows the journey of an amputee who must recover his mummified leg from an entrepreneur, who found the limb in a grill purchased on auction. The film follows the story of John Wood's accident, his decision to mummify his leg as a way to preserve it, and the auction that lost him both his shed and the leg inside of it.

Watch it now [14].

Amanda Knox

This documentary recounts the well-known case of Amanda Knox, a woman convicted for the 2007 murder of her roommate in Italy, Meredith Kercher, and sentenced to four years in an Italian prison. The film features interviews with Amanda Knox's ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, Italian prosecutor Giuliano Mignini, and Amanda Knox herself, following the story of Meredith Kercher's death and Amanda's eventual acquittal.

Watch it now [15].

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Even if you're not a fan of raw fish, this documentary will have you salivating. The film tells the story of 85-year-old Jiro Ono, proprietor of Tokyo's Sukiyabashi Jiro and largely considered to be the world's greatest sushi chef, as well as his oldest son, Yoshikazu, who isn't sure he'll be able to live up to his father's legacy.

Watch it now [16].

Blackfish

If you don't recognise the title, then you might know this film as the documentary that ruined SeaWorld forever. Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a captive orca that took the lives of three individuals, demonstrating the dangers of keeping killer whales in captivity and arguing that Tilikum's capture is what led to the orca's aggression.

Watch it now [17].

Sour Grapes

This crime documentary explores the case of Rudy Kurniawan, a rich Indonesian wine collector who earned millions by selling countless bottles of fake wine. The film details how Kurniawan was finally exposed as a fraud when it was learned that he refilled empty bottles with cheap wine and forged impressive labels, as well as the consequences that followed.

Watch it now [18].

Quincy

In this documentary, Parks and Recreation's Rashida Jones covers the major milestones in the life and career of her father, Quincy Jones, the 85-year-old legendary producer who boasts an insane collection of Grammys [19]. Though Quincy is also known for his many relationships [20], the film focuses on his marriage with his third wife and Rashida's mother, The Mod Squad and Twin Peaks actress Peggy Lipton, whom he is still close with today.

Watch it now [21].

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Following the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008, only one financial institution actually faced criminal charges, and that family-owned Chinatown bank is the focus of this film. The documentary features interviews with the Sung family and other past and present employees of Abacus Federal Savings Bank, shedding light on Chinese American business dealings that served as the foundation for the bank, as well as the five-year legal battle that followed Abacus' indictment and subsequent trial.

Watch it now [22].

Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press

Based on the effects of big money on American journalism, this film revolves around two separate media incidents: billionaire Peter Thiel financing of wrestler Hulk Hogan's lawsuit against Gawker Media, and casino owner Sheldon Adelson's secret purchase of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The documentary explores the way in which these cases pitted privacy rights against the freedom of the press, raising questions about how money can silence the media.

Watch it now [23].

Get Me Roger Stone

Known as a master in the dark arts of politics, Roger Stone is a political consultant, [24]lobbyist, and strategist who earned a reputation for opposition research, usually for candidates of the Republican Party, and who also serves as an advisor to Donald Trump [25]. Filmed over five years, this film revolves around Stone and his transformative effect on modern politics, ending with the 2016 election of President Trump.

It's Not Yet Dark

This poignant documentary tells the real-life story of young Irish filmmaker Simon Fitzmaurice, who uses the film to give viewers a firsthand look at the effects of Motor Neuron Disease after he is diagnosed. Fitzmaurice uses eye-gaze technology as his only means of communication, but as the documentary proves, he doesn't let his limitations stop him from directing a feature film.

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

In the 1999 biographical comedy-drama Man on the Moon, Jim Carrey [28] portrays late comedian and entertainer Andy Kaufman, and this documentary collects all of the best footage from the filming process. The documentary alternates between contemporary interviews with Carrey and 20-year-old footage of the making of the movie, during which Carrey insisted on remaining in character as Kaufman.

Miss Representation

This 2011 documentary provides a major dose of girl power, noting the ways in which mainstream media contributes to the under-representation of women in powerful positions. Including interviews with Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Condoleeza Rice, and Gloria Steinem, among many others, the film works to show why there needs to be more positive female role models in the media.

Seeing Allred

This documentary focuses on both the public and private life of the country's highest profile women's rights attorney, Gloria Allred, who is best known for taking on Bill Cosby and Donald Trump [31]. The film makes a persuasive case for Allred's skill and influence, attempting to dispel her many detractors and haters (who are not just rightwing members of misogynist media).

Virunga

Virunga National Park in Congo is Africa's oldest national park and one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet, best known as being the home of critically endangered mountain gorillas. This Oscar-nominated documentary tells the true story of the individuals who risked their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas, even in the midst of renewed civil war, and you don't have to be an animal lover to love this one.

Mercury 13

This documentary tells the little-known story of the women who trained and tested for space flight in 1961, but whose dreams were dashed when only men were selected to become astronauts. These women — known as the Mercury 13 — took part in an unofficial program run by a NASA researcher to give women a place in space, and though the program was inexplicably shut down, this film at least allows these women to talk about their experience.

The Bleeding Edge

Directed by Kirby Dick, this horrifying film takes a look into the $400 billion medical device industry, examining all of the cover-ups and secret greed that put patients at risk. Though these devices are often billed as life-saving technology (such as the Da Vinci Surgical System and chrome-cobalt hip replacements), the documentary works to expose the debilitating and costly side effects of these poorly tested devices.

Gaga: Five Foot Two

Leading up to her 2017 Super Bowl halftime performance, this documentary gives an intimate look into the life of Lady Gaga [36] and the pop star's daily physical and emotional struggles. If you're a Gaga fan but don't actually know all that much about her personal life, then this is a must-watch.