Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

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

370 replies

LovelyQuiche · 07/12/2022 20:13

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?

OP posts:
BigMandsTattooPortfolio · 09/02/2023 20:06

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy. About a group of teenaged African Americans known as ‘the Scottsboro Boys’ who became victims of a racist miscarriage of justice in 1931 Alabama. It’s absolutely heartbreaking what happened to these children, seeing as there was no evidence to convict them. One of the survivors is eventually pardoned in his 70s.

The Nazis: A Warning From History I think this was the first Adam Curtis documentary I watched. It’s chilling, right down to the interview with a woman who informed on her neighbour for being Gay. She still had no regrets even as a very old woman.

Wild, Wild Country Documentary about how the followers of Baghwan Shree Rajneesh, a self styled Indian guru set up a commune in Oregon, USA and the Baghwan’s assistant, Ma Sheela who is a fascinating study in narcissism. It all went very, very badly.

thatparentandthatchild · 09/02/2023 21:28

Simon's Choice is currently on Iplayer if anyone wanted to watch it again.

Notaboutyouthistime · 09/02/2023 21:41

HollyDollyChristmas · 09/02/2023 15:53

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

Show quote history

Thanks!

kilos · 09/02/2023 21:46

Great suggestions here.

BigMandsTattooPortfolio · 09/02/2023 22:06

I’ve just thought of Searching For the One-Eyed Jesus a documentary which explores the American South through the raw country music of the churches in the former coal mining regions, with some amazing and intimate footage. If you like authentic country music, this is a beautiful film.

ThreeRingCircus · 09/02/2023 22:11

Dreams of a Life about the woman found dead in her council flat and she'd been there for years was fascinating.....she had family and connections but people had assumed she'd gone NC as she'd done that in the past. It was tragic but strangely life-affirming and done very well.

Tell Me Who I Am was absolutely heartbreaking. Twin brothers sexually abused as children then one had an accident and lost his memory so the other brother completely re-wrote the past and made up that they'd had a lovely childhood. It was just completely understandable and tragic and hearing how it unravelled was gut-wrenching.

I also found the original Catfish documentary absolutely gripping. I don't think I would now knowing that catfishing is so common but I remember at the time I was astounded.

One that was very well done but I genuinely wish I'd never watched due to being so distressing is American Murder: The Family Next Door. It still haunts me.

Firebird83 · 09/02/2023 23:57

Children Underground (street kids in Romania in the early 2000s)
Country Boys on PBS (follows two teenage boys growing up in Appalachia)
Hoop Dreams (follows two high school students pursuing their dream of becoming pro basketball players)

kittyk66 · 10/02/2023 07:22

@Pootle40 "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"
I have read the book and I think he is guilty too. There is a 5 part documentary series on sky crime at the moment called "Wilderness of Error" on this case which is excellent.

Pootle40 · 10/02/2023 07:23

kittyk66 · 10/02/2023 07:22

@Pootle40 "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"
I have read the book and I think he is guilty too. There is a 5 part documentary series on sky crime at the moment called "Wilderness of Error" on this case which is excellent.

I saw that and listened to the podcast too 😉

kittyk66 · 10/02/2023 07:28

oohI havent listened to the podcast, could you point me in the right direction please...

MarshaBradyo · 10/02/2023 07:29

The Rescue here too

MarkWithaC · 10/02/2023 09:25

BigMandsTattooPortfolio · 09/02/2023 22:06

I’ve just thought of Searching For the One-Eyed Jesus a documentary which explores the American South through the raw country music of the churches in the former coal mining regions, with some amazing and intimate footage. If you like authentic country music, this is a beautiful film.

This sounds wonderful, and it's available on iPlayer. Thanks for the tip!

Jewel1968 · 11/02/2023 10:04

Does anyone remember the first example of a fly on wall documentary The Family?

www.bbc.com/historyofthebbc/anniversaries/april/the-family/

Interesting in the sense it paved the way for such documentaries

Jewel1968 · 11/02/2023 10:06

Where do you stand on docudramas? Sometimes I feel a dramatisation packs a punch. For example Chernobyl dramatisation is very powerful and maybe more powerful than the documentary. I tend to watch both and together they really pack a punch.

sashh · 12/02/2023 03:52

I watched this yesterday

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001hj7n/how-the-holocaust-began

Obviously it being about the holocaust it is a serious programme. We all think we know about the holocaust, but we don't know about how it started.

Speakinginsign · 12/02/2023 03:58

Project Nim - a chimpanzee, Nim Chimpsky, was raised among humans in the quest of psychology studies on language. I contacted one of the people in the film (one of Nim’s best friends) and he & I have just launched our first book together. 😊

Documentary is on Amazon Prime.

Whatineed · 12/02/2023 04:05

Longshot- a Netflix documentary about a guy called Juan Catalan who was arrested for a crime he didn't commit and the strangest way he proved his innocence, which involved Larry David and one of my favourite shows "Curb your Enthusiasm".

And an old Arena documentary Elvis - the Burger and the King. Documenting Elvis' relationship with food through his life.

Speakinginsign · 12/02/2023 04:14

@Whatineed The Elvis/burger documentary is the same director as my suggestion! James Marsh. He’s fabulous - has a real eye for quirks in people. I enjoyed that Elvis one, too.

Simon Chinn, the producer of Project Nim, also made Searching for Sugar Man which was about “finding” the singer Rodriguez. Fascinating story & brilliant soundtrack.

exLtEveDallas · 12/02/2023 05:21

@sashh We watched that the other week. It was excellent. Really uncomfortable viewing at times, the scale (1600 killed in an hour?!) was just unimaginable. Some of the home videos, and that one lady seeing the photo of the very point where she was separated from her family. God. It really hit home.

ChipsAreLife · 12/02/2023 05:30

I love documentaries! So many of my favourites have been mentioned already so won't say them again.

One I don't think that's been mentioned is Knock down the house. About women trying to get into congress. I think it's still on Netflix,it's really interesting.

dogattacktoday · 12/02/2023 05:46

This is playing hide a seek. About abuse in the polish Catholic Church. It's in polish but subtitled. https://m.youtube.com/watch?timecontinue=1176&v=T0ym5kPf3Vc&embedsseuri=https%3A%2F%2Fcruxnow.com%2F&sourceveepath=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title

Orangesare · 12/02/2023 06:47

Artic conveys presented and I think written by Jeremy clarkson. Probably the best work he’s done.

SendHelp999 · 07/03/2023 20:40

F to return

ilovebagpuss · 07/03/2023 20:57

Just watched "Maiden" and that was fantastic. I cant believe it wasn't that long ago there was the first all female crew for the round the world race and everyone was horrified. One paper called them "Tarts in a Tin Can!!"
Also the Thai cave one Rescue just all round amazing what they did to get them out.
The 9/11 documentaries especially those following the emergency services on the day.
There's probably lots more I love a documentary.

Deathraystare · 09/03/2023 12:45

The Dying Room about baby girls left to die in Chinese Orphaneges. Very sad.