Netflix is loaded with all kinds of great content, from its original programming to big studio hits to Indie darlings. Hidden in all that are a ton of terrific documentaries you really shouldn’t miss. Here’s 7 we recommend.
Sneakerheads
Like your shoes? Of course, it’s why you bought them. Have a few in your closet. Most of us do? Have a vault with hi-tech security system storing never-opened brand name sneakers so full you need a cataloging program to keep track? Welcome to the world of Sneakerheads, a remarkably personal journey into the history and subculture of sneaker fandom like you’ve never seen. You’ll never look at your Converse the same way again.
Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist
Hear the one about the guy who walks into a bank with a gun cane and bomb around his neck, only to have it go off and kill him? This absolutely bizarre multi-episode investigation into a wild series of events leading to the death of a pizza delivery man is one that’ll have you scratching your head long after it’s over. Who was behind it all? It’ll knock your socks off.
Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee
If you were alive in the 90s, you had his antivirus software installed on your PC. John McAfee was the go-to man when it came to internet security and it made him incredibly wealthy. That alone would be a cool enough story, his rise to dominance of both programming and marketing surely all the fodder needed for a documentary. Wrong. What happens after is all the more outrageous as filmmaker Nanette Burstein tracks the wayward and dangerous odyssey of this wildly eccentric man on the edge.
First Contact: Lost Tribe of the Amazon
Logging in South America has long been source for controversy, and none more so for those looking to protect tribes of indigenous peoples living in the forests, some who have never made contact with the modern world. This passionate and highly-compelling story follows the travels of the formerly un-contacted Brazilian Indians known as the Sapanawa, who came out of the woods in 2014 after fleeing from violence directed at them. A stunning, must-see that takes us deep into the world only so few know.
Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal
Back in 1968, long before there was the internet and Twitter and 24-hour coverage of everything, news on television was ruled by an elite few who shaped the national conversation. Two of the best were William F. Buckley, Jr. and Gore Vidal, fierce opponents who came together for a series of ten debates where the two address in scathing gentleman’s fashion a host of issues, including their derision of each other. It’s mind-bending.
How The Beatles Changed The World
You’d think after decades of coverage and being the most famous rock band in the history of music, there’d be nothing left to say about The Beatles. However, this two hour look behind the formation and evolution of the band manages to draw the curtain back a little farther, making this a must-see musical journey into the lives behind the rock phenomenon that swept the world.
Man On Wire
This is perhaps the most well-known of the titles on this list but even if you have seen this jaw-dropping documentary of Philippe Petit‘s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center, it’s time to do it again. The highly-charismatic personality is front and center to a dazzling effort that held the world’s collective breath and how he did it (and why) is something you have to see to believe.