Documentaries that have stuck with you.

[LetsGoCrazyPurpleBanana]

I remember in the early 9Os watching a documentary about 2 men who were partners, living with and ultimately dying from AIDS. Found it on YouTube and watched it again at the weekend. I've not stopped thinking about them. It's called "Silverlake life,the view from here" 😭

Also another one,again early to mid 1990s called "The dying room" about China's orphanages.

@Echobelly think this was ‘Protecting our Children’ 3 part documentary about Social Services

I second the one about the girls in Rochdale, and Dreams of a life. I've watched so many interesting and harrowing documentaries on poverty, drug addiction and true crime, I couldn't name them all. However, one that's stuck with me for 20 years is called Sex - The Annabel Chong story. It follows a porn actress who starred in the worlds biggest gangbang, and tries to understand her motivation behind it and how her family in Hong Kong (I think) reacted. It seemed both so sad and sordid and I've never forgotten it.

The Stacey dooley one about woman selling their children for sex in the Phillipines.Horrific.

@Monkeytapper - yes that was the one. There were other heartbreaking cases as well, I think there was one mum who couldn't seem to break away from a very abusive partner. It's so wrong that sometimes the system seems to punish abused mums more than their partners. As far as I can tell more still needs to be done to help these mums.

14 days in May, you can find on you tube. "A documentary directed by Paul Hamann. The program recounts the final days before the execution of Edward Earl Johnson, an American prisoner convicted of rape and murder. Johnson protested his innocence and claimed that his confession had been made under duress."
Netflix:
Blackfish, about Tilicum the Orca
Time: The Kalief Browder Story
"Tell Me Who I am" focuses on twin brothers Alex and Marcus Lewis. Alex lost his memory in a motorcycle accident at age 18, and his twin brother helped him recreate his lost memories of his childhood. However, Marcus omits that the twins were sexually abused by their mother and also sexually abused by friends of hers in a child abuse network until the age of 14. The film follows Alex and Marcus in telling their lives' stories from the accident at age 18 to age 32, when the sexual abuse is revealed after their mother's death, to both of them coming to terms with the abuse at age 54.

"Finders Keepers" used to be on Amazon Prime and Netflix but is gone, it's the story of 2 people fighting over the ownership of a severed leg. The original owner of the leg wants it back. The new owner, who found it in a smoker after buying the contents of a storage locker, thinks that the leg and showing it is his path to fame and fortune.

Yes, Shoah!
Watching it made me understand why my own father just never ever spoke about his own past.

They Shall Not Grow Old... oh my god, I literally gasped when it transitioned from black and white to colour... just incredible. Beautiful.

When We Were Kings... watched it years and years ago with my uncle. I loved Mohammed Ali growing up and this documentary crystalises the magic of the man. Two legends, making history.

The Civil War by Ken Burns and also his documentary The Vietnam War, which is stunning. Really, I don't have the language. It's just a must-see. They're both an investment of one's time but so worth it. The Vietnam War is a masterpiece.

Whitney... and also mentioned in the thread, the documentary Amy. I mean, how to break a heart. So hard to watch, both of those.

Fahrenheit 9/11, for the Flint, Michigan water crisis part of the documentary alone, is essential viewing.

The one about Chernobyl
And also seaspiracy

Came to say this too, but I cannot recommend watching it as it’s the most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever watched

There's something wrong with Aunt Diane.
I watch a lot of true crime/miscarriage of justice type documentaries but this one has really stayed with me.

I had to switch off after 10 minutes. I just couldn't watch it

Lots here I've not heard of and will check them out. The harrowing ones definitely when I'm emotionally ready for them. I kind of feel I owe it to them to understand their stories of you see what I mean.

I have the Joyce Vincent one but not watched yet.

Emma wants to live - A documentary about Emma who has anorexia. Both compelling and very sad.

The Boy Who's Skin Fell off. Watched it has a teenager and stuck with me. The most upsetting part was his dads flustration with him having this truely horrible condition, like he could help it.

Yes me too!

I remember another series around 5 years ago. It was called "My last summer" about 5(I think) people who had terminal illness. 4 died during the series and as far as I know,one is still with us. She has motor neurone disease.

I remember this one. Particularly harrowing was the bit where the mum came into the living room absolutely devastated and nothing was said but you just knew her daughter had gone.

Shocking wasn't it?

I remember a documentary I saw late one night a few years ago about twin baby girls from China who were adopted. One baby went to a family in the USA, and had a typical wealthy suburban life. The other twin was adopted by a family in Norway who were less well off and lived in a remote small village.

The interesting bit is that the American family figured out there was a twin out there and tracked down the Norwegian family, and went there to visit. The Norwegian family were delighted to see them but worried that there would be no entertainment for the girls as they lived very rurally.

The contrast between the two lifestyles was shown very well - the moneyed US lifestyle of parties and being driven everywhere by parents, every moment scheduled, lots of toys etc and then the rural quiet lifestyle in Norway, where the daughter (then aged 7) had less material goods but so much more independence, as she could go for a walk along the lake, or ride the horse and then walk to school through deep snow in the dark by herself. That's the bit I remember and keeps coming back to me, the contrast in lifestyles and how the twin in Norway was actually so much better off.

The True Cost - about the rise of fast fashion. Sad and fascinating.

This one, The Great Global Warming Swindle (2007).

Apparently the science does not support global warming as being man-made, but it being down to changes in sun activity. I found it facinating. They even speak to the founder of Greenpeace who agrees and quit Greenpeace because of its stance on climate change.

Behind the Veil about life for women in Afghanistan under the Taliban made by channel 4 over 20 years ago (I think it’s still available on All4). Sadly it seems that it is going that way again🙁

The Dying Rooms was the other one that had a lasting impact on me too.

They’re both really about how females are treated across the globe

I can't remember what that was called but it was a lovely film but sad too.

Grey Gardens or course needs a mention.

It's a Channel 4 documentary by the way, not some conspiracy theory, nutjob made 'documentary'.

I remember one on many years ago about the African “witch” children. I’ll never forget this mother who left her 5 year old daughter (forever) to the hands of people who were going to apparently cleanse her. The poor girl was running after her but she kept on walking. The abuse all those children suffered was appalling. It still upsets me now thinking about it.