Documentaries are usually seen by younger generations as boring, cold, and simply unsatisfying to watch. People have this misconception that documentaries are little more than those academic films we'd watch in math, science, and history class, but they couldn't be any more wrong! "Documentaries" encompass a myriad of subjects, and as such can be filmed for a plethora of reasons!
There are factual, informative ones more akin to something you'd see on National Geographic or the History Channel, but there's also investigative journalism that creates documentaries centered around uncovering the truth and revealing hidden villains.
After a week of Netflix binging, I now present you with the best documentaries I've found on Netflix.
"The Staircase"
In short, this documentary, which is broken up into several 50-minute episodes, follows the case of Mr. Michael Iver Peterson, a man accused of beating his wife to death. Throughout the documentary, you get to witness the ups and downs of Mr. Peterson's trials and tribulations. Without giving anything away, it's a roller coaster.
"Betting on Zero"
Not everyone frequents /r/antiMLM, but even my grandmother, who was entirely disinterested in watching ANY kind of documentary, found herself enthralled. It essentially exposes Herbalife for being a Pyramid Scheme, which I hope is a term you've heard at least once in your life. Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager, does his best to expose Herbalife for the scam it is and the lives it has destroyed. It's truly heart-wrenching. While criminal charges are firmly charged against Herbalife are never seen through, pyramid schemes are a highly illegal business platform that you should really inform yourself of.
"Making a Murderer"
Out of any of these, you would've seen, I imagine that this would be the one you have seen. Unlike "The Staircase," this crime documentary follows the story of Steven Avery, a man who was wrongfully charged with rape in the mid-1980s. For 18 years, Mr. Avery sat inside prison, away from his wife, children, family, and friends. The DNA evidence that found the true rapist not only freed Mr. Avery, but it also helped prove that the county that had DELIBERATELY ignored better, more likely suspects in order to prosecute Avery. Two years after his release, he is once again charged of a criminal crime: the rape and murder of a woman named Teresa Halbach. This documentary really shook my previously steeled trust of Justice.
"The Witness"
"The Witness" is a breath of fresh air compared to the other crime documentaries on this list. In this one, the story is centered around the murder of a woman named Kitty Genovese, a woman who, reportedly, was beaten, raped, and murdered in front of 30 plus witnesses, all of whom did nothing to help her. Well, really it's about her brother, Bill Genovese, who has spent years trying to seek the truth surrounding her murder. It gives a lot of insight into just how devastating losing a loved one can be, and how it can really rearrange someone's life.
As I write this I become more and more convinced that I just have an addiction to crime documentaries. Hopefully, you decide to give at least one of these documentaries a chance. They're incredibly riveting and have brought me hours of entertainment. I highly recommend that you binge with a friend or family member because the content within these documentaries is juicy and so fun to discuss with others.
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