What’s the best documentary you’ve ever seen?

[LovelyQuiche]

Mine is is “The Rescue” about the Thai cave rescue where those young footballers were trapped. Totally enthralling, even though I knew the outcome already, and seeing what they had to deal with actually helped me mentally for giving birth a fortnight later. Like, if they can do that, then I can do what millions of other women do and give birth

what’s yours?

2 of my faves have already been mentioned, free solo, about a free climber and the Thai cave rescue, I was utterly gripped and inspired watching both!

The 9/11 one for me too. Definitely the best I've ever seen and I watch a LOT of documentaries.

Yes, also interesting seeing the footage of Glasgow and Edinburgh all those years ago

Life After People. Totally fascinating

Jesus Camp.

Extreme but chillingly close parallels to the UK child/teen church experience of the 70's/80's/90's.

I believe the woman who ran the 'camps' retired fairly soon after it was aired.

www.netflix.com/gb/title/80190097?s=i&trkid=13747225&vlang=en&clip=81002393

This documentary about the terrorist attacks on Paris. It was a really hard watch but it is so powerful and the people interviewed were astoundingly brave.

@LearnerCook World at War made a huge impression on me. I was early teens I think when it was first broadcast. I got the series on DVD to show my DCs, but the pace was just too slow. What had made it compelling in the 70s - the depth of research and the build up of the narrative of each episode - is completely at odds with the fast-cut, million points a minute style that they’ve grown up with. Sadly.

The documentary about THe Jeremy Kyle Show was good but very dark and sad. It’s still available on All4. How no one has ever been held account for how those people were treated is unbelievable

The Gamechangers. It's on Netflix.

I've just remembered one, I can't remember the name.

The film makers interviewed terminally ill people who had decided to leave their bodies to medical science.

They then filmed the medical students who dissected the bodies over, I think it was, 2 years, and then they showed the students the film of the person they had dissected and interviewed the student.

It sounds awful but it was actually quite uplifting.

Cathy Come Home, about an apparently "average" young family who end up homeless through no fault of their own. I saw it in about the 70's and it has always stayed with me, how anyone can have terrible luck in life and how hard it is to climb back out again.

Rain in my heart, a documentary about alcoholism.

A great drama by Ken Loach filmed in the style of a documentary. I remember there hadn’t been any thing like it before.

Navalny, about the attempted assassination of the Russian opposition leader is a jaw-dropping watch. Available on Prime.

I remember that, yes was very sad, can't remember the name either.

It’s called The Bridge

Three mums, two babies is heart wrenching. Currently on Prine. It’s about a transatlantic adoption that had some many twists and turns.

Another one for 14 days in may, it is on iplayer I think. This and the drama Fatal Vision has led to my life time interest in American justice and capital punishment.

Is there any way to see it now?

I think it was called Life After Humans

Was fascinating to Me. It was a what would happen if Human's suddenly disappeared scenario
It was on TV years ago but its now on YouTube.

I think my favourites have been mentioned already i.e. Bowling for Columbine and Three Identical Strangers. Also, Louis Theroux's documentary Dark States - Heroin Town which is set in Huntington, West Viriginia and tells the story of people who turned to heroin following the crackdown on the prescription of opiates.

One which hasn't been mentioned is Igor: Child of Chernobyl about a boy called Igor who was brought to England for medical treatment. He was missing an arm and his legs were stunted. He was living with foster parents in England. The documentary was made in 1995 and I'd love to know how his life turned out and if he remained in the UK. Iirc, his foster parents were keen to hold onto him but there was an aunt (or possibly a lady who wasn't related to him but had raised him) looking to claim him.

A special mention for an Irish documentary called One Million Dubliners which is about a cemetery in Dublin called Glasnevin Cemetery. Everyone in Ireland knows Glasnevin Cemetery (or knows of it) as a lot of famous people are buried there. So, of course, the documentary tells the story of some of the famous people who are buried there. Nothing out of the ordinary, you might think - a documentary of particular interest to those who are interested in history and Irish history in particular. But there's a twist at the end ....... I can't recommend this highly enough. You probably won't find it on any streaming service but you can buy the DVD.

Ben, diary of a heroin addict. Made me absolutely sob and I've never forgotten it.
Black fish.

You can pay on prime or it’s here
vimeo.com/578108429

tiger king, fyre festival, making a murderer - all worth a watch on Netflix!

Have you read the fatal vision book? I have to say I know the case in quite a lot of detail and I think he is guilty back before family annihilators were such a common occurrence

Probably more of a current affairs series than documentary but World In Action was often worth watching. Real investigative, no stone unturned journalism. Widely regarded as the scourge of The Establishment.