Netflix ’s documentary film may not get the same attention as the banner ’s original flick , but this is a class that Netflix endure with a high-pitched number of films each twelvemonth . There are almost always a lot of new documentaries descend to Netflix that cover a peck of interesting topic . But it ’s not too surprising that true offence has dominated the genre for eld .
Even this month ’s top pick , Untold : The Murder of Air McNair , match into true criminal offence . For miscellany ’s sake , the rest do not . Jim & Andy : The Great Beyond is a Hollywooddocumentary about Jim Carrey and the recent Andy Kaufman , andThe Only Girl in the Orchestrais about giving a veteran player her due . One of the more recent arrivals , Don’t Die : The valet Who Wants to exist Forever , really is about a gentleman’s gentleman who is doing everything he can to live as long as possible .
you may notice these film and the ease of our pickax for the best documentaries on Netflix below .
We ’ve also round down up thebest documentary film on Amazon Prime Videoand thebest documentaries on Huluif Netflix does n’t have what you ’re looking for . Need more recommendation ? Then mark out thebest raw pic to stream this week , thebest movies on Netflix , thebest movies on Hulu , thebest movies on Amazon Prime Video , thebest movies on Max , and thebest movies on Disney+ .
Untold: The Murder of Air McNair (2024)
The chronicle of Steve “ Air ” McNair replicate as a sport story and a warning true law-breaking tale . As implied by the deed ofUntold : The slaying of Air McNair , the documentary film hinges upon McNair ’s murder in 2009 . When McNair was still in theNFL , he was one of the most exciting players in the game . But his post - football ambitions ended when he was found dead from multiple gunshot alongside his girlfriend , Sahel Kazemi . While the constabulary believe that Kazemi killed McNair and then committed suicide , some suggest that the investigator may have overlook clues as to who was really responsible for their deaths . Either way , it ’s a tragedy that has overshadowed the quietus of McNair ’s legacy .
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)
In 1999,Jim Carreystarred inMan on the Moon , a biopic about his comedy paladin , Andy Kaufman . Nearly two decades afterward , the documentaryJim & Andy : The Great Beyonddemonstrates the length that Carrey went to in gild to dwell Kaufman ’s character , even if it meant act like a jerk .
The genuine Kaufman was also committed to comedic bit even if the audience did n’t think they were funny . There ’s some of that in Carrey too , peculiarly when he imitates the way that Kaufman blurred the lines between reality and scripted .
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (2023)
In the kingdom of definitive music , Orin O’Brien is a trailblazer . She was the first woman to link the New York Philharmonic in 1966 , under the legendary Leonard Bernstein .
O’Brien contain on a subaltern role in the philharmonic and never really sought the limelight , but she paved the room for every cleaning woman who come after her . WhileThe Only female child in the Orchestrais a relatively myopic documentary , it does give O’Brien her accolades for a career in euphony that spanned over five decennium .
Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever (2025)
Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy (2024)
Do you feel the inexorable urge to spend money when the vacation season hustle around ? AsBuy Now ! The Shopping Conspiracywill show you it ’s not a coincidence . It ’s not even really a conspiracy ; you just may not realize how you ’re being pull strings . Fortunately , director Nic Stacey has assembled former employees from Amazon , Adidas , Unilever , and more about how they ensnare consumer year after class .
When We Were Kings (1996)
When We Were Kingsis 1996 ’s Oscar - victor for Best Documentary , and it revisits the illustrious Rumble in the Jungle between former packing humanity booster Muhammad Ali and the then - current champion , George Foreman . It was an heroic match in the making , and promoter Don King offered big money to both combatant to make it happen . But the only one who put up the funds was the dictator of Zaire .
This film use archival interviews and footage of Ali , Foreman , and King to set the phase for the bout , as well as footage from the actual match . Ali and Foreman made repose years after this fight , but the former unleashes some particularly harsh intelligence on the latter before their battle for the years .
Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped (2024)
Netflix already has a more comprehensive documentary about Wham ! further down on this list . But this Christmas is aboutLast Christmas , the chart - topping holiday dearie that ’s been made into a rom - com and remains pop 40 years after its debut .
Wham ! : Last Christmas Unwrappedexamines the fashioning of the song with new interviews with Wham ! ’s Andrew Ridgeley , as well as archival interviews with George Michael . This film offers a new perspective on the strain , but if you ’re endeavor to keep off being “ Whammed ” this holiday time of year , you may want to expect until after New Year ’s to watch .
This Was the XFL (2017)
NBC ’s Bob Costas once called the XFL a compounding of “ mediocre gamey school football game and a gimcrack strip lodge . ” That ’s about the size of it . Wrestling showman Vince McMahon has so naughtily wanted to compete with the NFL that he bestow the XFL to life sentence twice , and both time ended in epic failures . This Was the XFLis about McMahon ’s first attempt in 2001 , when NBC was without an NFL lot of its own and eager to join the XFL ’s push for an alternative football game experience .
As it turns out , running the WWE and running a football league are not completing skills . However , the XFL did have some influence over the football broadcasts that follow after its individual - season introduction . There were even a handful of XFL players who made it to the NFL after it necessarily folded .
Untold: Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccer (2024)
As a soccer participant , Hope Solo is one of the best distaff goalies to ever suit up for theU.S. Women ’s Soccer Team . Off the performing field , Solo has been a controversial number for criticizing her own teammates as well as her stoppage for domestic assault on her kinsfolk phallus and for driving under the influence .
Untold : Hope Solo vs. U.S. Soccerlargely shy by from dealing with Solo ’s personal issues and focalize on her conflict with the U.S. Soccer Federation over salary for female athletes . Essentially , this is Solo ’s platform to make a case for herself in the public eye , but whether she retake the sympathy of her lover is an open inquiry .
Skywalkers: A Love Story (2024)
Your opinions about Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus may change after seeingSkywalkers : A Love Story . But the one thing that no one can deny is their endowment . Ordinary climbers place mountains , while this duo prefer skyscrapers . They do n’t care if they have to break the law to realize their latest thrills .
If you do n’t like summit , then you may feel a turn nervous from the shots taken from precarious positions that most people would never have seen . It all feels incredibly dangerous . Yet , it ’s also impressive to see Nikolau and Beerkus put their skills to practice even if their living are also on the line if something hold up untimely .
Jailbreak: Love on the Run (2024)
It ’s amazing how many multitude seem to believe that they can make their lives into a fairy tale or a movie . Jailbreak : honey on the Runis the truthful tarradiddle of the torrid occasion between Vicky White and Casey White — no coition . That would have been fine if Vicky were n’t a correctional officer at a prison while Casey was an inmate behind bars for murder .
None of that break off Vicky from helping Casey escape from prison on her last day of study , only for the duad to go on the campaign when the government realizes what happened . Their account does n’t have a glad termination , but the Whites have lastly accomplish a level of fame that could only be fulfil by ruining their lives .
Icarus (2017)
The myth of Icarus is about a man who flew too close to the sun , and his melted artificial wings sent him crashing back down to Earth . Icarusisn’t about that story , but it is about a similar fixation with being the in effect at all costs . managing director and star Bryan Fogel begins the movie with modest ambitions as he befriends Grigory Rodchenkov , a Russian scientist and the head of his country ’s anti - doping programme .
before long enough , Rodchenkov becomes the actual story of the cinema as he boast the pennywhistle on Russia ’s attempts to get away with doping up its athletes . And it ’s firmly not to imagine the programme continuing even beyond this movie .
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (2015)
AlthoughGoing Clear : Scientology and the Prison of Beliefwas made by HBO Films almost a decade ago , it has n’t lost any of its index . This docudrama offers a closer tone at Scientology , the organized religion created by sci - fi writer L. Ron Hubbard that appear to have transformed from a cult of personality to a world-wide organization .
The account of the group is explored here , but the most damnatory accounts amount from former Scientologists admit director Paul Haggis and Mark Rathbun , who used to have a high - rank spatial relation in the church . When you head Haggis , Rathbun , and the rest of the former members verbalize about their experiences , you ’ll never look at Scientology the same room again .
How to Rob a Bank (2024)
Despite its name , How to Rob a Bankis not an instructional documentary that will show you how to be an outlaw . But it will show you how Scott Scurlock became one of the most successful savings bank robbers of the former ’ XC . Scurlock ’s soubriquet with law enforcement was “ Hollywood , ” because he had a theatrical style for disguise and his robberies were for the most part faultless .
The documentary features rare home TV footage of Scurlock and study what we be intimate about the man who could have bunk the malefactor life without a rub . But reliable to the Hollywood movies that inspired him , Scurlock ’s temptation for one last grudge was too great to ignore .
Remembering Gene Wilder (2024)
As anyone who has seenYoung Frankenstein , Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory , Blazing Saddles , and more have it away , Gene Wilder was one of the great comedic performer of his generation . Wilder passed forth in 2016 , butRemembering Gene Wilderdoes just that with undivided audience sport the men and women who jazz him proficient , including his married woman , Karen Wilder , Mel Brooks , Alan Alda , Carol Kane , Dick Cavett , and more .
There ’s also habitation video footage of Wilder himself , and an testing of his struggle with Alzheimer ’s disease during the last years of his biography .
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal (2024)
At what point in time do crimes of the mettle become actual crimes ? It is n’t illegal to have an affair , and the dating site Ashley Madison build a niche grocery store by encouraging men and women to cheat on their spouses . Despite the infamous 2015 datum hack , Ashley Madison stay in business as of 2024 .
Netflix’sAshley Madison : Sex , Lies and Scandaltakes a look back at the impact that the site has had , and the devastation it left behind after the data political hack expose Ashley Madiosn ’s faithless clientele to their partners and the entire world .
Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel (2022)
Few composers in Hollywood have had the sort of success that Hans Zimmer has enjoyed over the last four decades . He ’s scored the soundtracks for legion blockbuster films includingThe Dark Knighttrilogy , Pirates of The Caribbean , No Time To break , and more .
Hans Zimmer : Hollywood Rebelpulls the curtain back on the composer and allows Zimmer ’s personal story to blossom out . Zimmer was n’t an overnight sensation , but he ’s earned his place in cinema history thanks to his endlessly entertaining dozens .
Blackfish (2013)
Whenever anyone take that films ca n’t change the world , item toBlackfish . This exposé on Sea World ’s treatment of orcas in captivity helped bring about the destruction of whales being used as unrecorded performing artist in the theme parks . It also brought motion about the treatment of the orcas to the forefront in a way that animal right activist had n’t been able to do by themselves .
Blackfishalso examines the case of Tilikum , an sea wolf who killed three citizenry during his decades of incarceration . It paint a disturbing characterisation of the way this creature and his fellow orcas were handle , which may explain why he was so aggressive .
The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem (2024)
The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)
envisage being in the same room as Lionel Richie , Michael Jackson , Stevie Wonder , Diana Ross , Tina Turner , Bruce Springsteen , Huey Lewis , Cyndi Lauper , Billy Joel , and Ray Charles . In 1985 , at the peak of their stardom , these performer and more descend together for a chaotic session to show the charity single , We Are the human beings .
The Greatest Night In Popfeatures footage from the all - dark session , including the times when the whole affair could have fallen apart . Many of the live musicians also partake their cerebration about the experience intimately four decennary later . And there are even some here and now of levity that were sorely postulate as egos clash .
American Nightmare (2024)
American Nightmarelives up to its name for Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn , the span who were at the center of one . During a home invasion in 2015 , Huskins was kidnap , and Quinn was ordered to remain quiet about it by the kidnapper in social club to protect her . The local copper in Vallejo , California , responded by accusing Quinn of vote out Huskins .
Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife (2023)
If Dr. Paolo Macchiarini ’s claims about his esophageal transplanting were true then he would have been famous in the medical industry . Instead , he ’s notorious for overpromising about his “ innovational ” procedure that go forth many of the patient who trust him dead . The titleBad Surgeon : Love Under the Knifeundersells the full extent of Macchiarini ’s crimes , specially for the men and women who lost their lives to his aesculapian malpractice .
Macchiarini ’s ex-husband - fiancée , Benita Alexander , is a television journalist and a lineal player in this documentary serial , recounting how she was fool into believing his lie . Once Alexander realize the truth , her lifespan was already entangled with his .
How to Become a Mob Boss (2023)
If your dream job was to become an organised crime leader , then you should know thatHow To Become as a Mob Bossis not an instructional series that ’s going to land you a select situation on the FBI ’s most wanted lean . But it is a look at the history of noted mafia bosses including Al Capone , Frank Lucas , Salvatore “ Totò ” Riina , John Gotti , and Pablo Escobar .
There are spoilers ahead if you have n’t heard , but the common denominator between these men was either a drawn-out immurement or a wild death . The show does offer some facetious moral about where they went wrong , but all of these stories run to end in the same topographic point .
Beckham (2023)
During his long career in football ( association football ) , David Beckham was one of the most far-famed fame in the world . And while look back over his calling inBeckham , even Beckham accept that some of his decisions were very selfish , especially when it come to frame himself before his wife , Victoria Beckham .
Both of the Beckhams are extensively interviewed in Fisher Stevens ’ four - part documentary film series . Beckhamisn’t a full warts - and - all approach to a sports icon , but it is surprisingly earnest when dealing with most of his shortcoming while also celebrating a legacy that few will ever match .
Eat the Rich: The GameStop Saga (2022)
Thanks to the unexampled movieDumb Money , the GameStop short squeeze of 2021 is back in the zeitgeist . Netflix ’s three - part documentary , Eat the Rich : The GameStop Saga , is n’t necessarily the definitive word on what hold out down . But it will give TV audience more sixth sense into how a group of amateur investors in short drove GameStop stock far beyond its literal value , which result to hedge funds and professional stock traders losing millions because they had wager their own money that the blood would fall .
regrettably , GameStop ’s inflated value was a bubble . And like all bubble , this one burst . By the end of this story , there were very few winners .
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story (2018)
Far too few people remember who Hedy Lamarr was , and for those who do live her name , it ’s probably because she was a movie star during the favourable age of Hollywood . In the late ‘ 30s , Lamarr was even bill as “ the most beautiful woman in the world . ” But she was far more than just an ordinary actress .
Bombshell ; The Hedy Lamarr Storylooks back at the life of the Hollywood starlet and her escape from Nazi Germany , as well as her rise to stardom . More significantly , it examine Lamarr ’s story as a self - taught inventor including her groundbreaking workplace on frequency hopping .
Unknown: Cosmic Time Machine (2023)
At first glimpse , the title ofUnknown : Cosmic Time Machinemay seem a second exaggerated . But it is an accurate description of the fashion that idle move around to Earth over the eons . So when we search into the night sky , we really are seem into the yesteryear . Unknownfocuses on the James Webb Telescope , one of the most herculean telescopes of its kind , and the window it provides us to the history of the existence .
This documentary film follows the scientists and engineers as they train to set in motion the telescope into orbit and then reassemble it in space . From there , you ’ll get a front - course ass as the telescope begins delivering cosmic visuals that have to be seen to be believed .
Wham! (2023)
If you ’ve ever attempt to hightail it hearingLast Christmasduring the vacation season , you probably have sex that it ’s almost impossible to void being “ Whamed . ” The twosome behind Wham ! — George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley — fulfill as fry and their story is finally told in Netflix ’s infotainment , Wham ! .
Through the exercise of antecedently read interviews , both Michael and Ridgeley share their accounts of how they met and how they became pop sensations in the 1980s . It ’s an intimate look at the friendly relationship and the alliance between the duo , and a monitor of why Wham ! made such a huge wallop .
The Deepest Breath (2023)
Netflix and A24 teamed up forThe Deepest Breath , which chronicles the story of freediver Alessia Zecchini and safety equipment diver Stephen Keenan . Zecchini wanted to break a world record , and she hired Keenan to help prepare her for that polar moment . Along the fashion , it ’s exonerated that Zecchini and Keenan fell profoundly in love with each other .
alas , the tale of Zecchini and Keenan does not have a happy ending , and the documentary does n’t hide the fact that their paths converge in tragedy . But it also celebrates their life and everything that they support for while give protection to their indomitable spirits .
Amanda Knox (2016)
Much like Anna Nicole Smith , Amanda Knox ’s story exposes the dark side of fame . Knox never set out to be famous or notable , but she became infamous when she was accused and convict of murdering her college roommate , Meredith Kercher , by the Italian courts until she was ultimately comport after spending four years in prison .
In the documentary that shares her name , Knox talks about her side of the tarradiddle and how she lives with the mark of being accused of a slaying that took position intimately two decades ago . Whether you believe Knox or not , this will always be what she is remembered for . But within this movie , Knox attempt to take control of her own narrative and she verbalize out about being incorrectly convicted of a heinous offense .
Victim/Suspect (2023)
The constabulary are meant to protect us … at least that ’s what we require to believe . But director Nancy Schwartzman ’s documentary , Victim / Suspect , offers up an unsettling feeling at a worrying pattern as charwoman who come up forward with account of rape or sexual rape witness themselves rouse with making false accusations and even facing prison time .
Journalist Rachel de Leon looks into each case and discover illustration of the police using criminal interrogation technique to get the women to abjure their stories while failing to properly investigate the alleged intimate criminal offence . It ’s a disquieting looking at the agency the law enforcement officers fail these char and stop up protecting the sexual predators instead of their prey .
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
In a world full of true law-breaking and catastrophe , would n’t you like to watch something that is life - affirming ? Fred Rogers may be gone , but his alter ego , Mister Rogers , continues to work joyfulness two decades after his death .
Wo n’t You Be My Neighbor?is a howling look back at the life of Rogers and how he created the long - running children ’s serial , Mister Rogers ’ Neighborhood . Rogers ’ lessons of kindness and empathy are timeless , and this film serves as a fitting testimonial to the human being who went out of his way to check that that all tyke feel welcome in his neighborhood .
Sr. (2022)
Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street (2023)
For a flavor of corporate - level subversion , the recent Netflix - original docuseriesMadoff : The Monster of Wall Streettells the story of the nominal financier , business tycoon and the infamously large - shell Ponzi scheme he action .
A 4 - episode series , The Monster of Wall Streetuses never - before - seen footage and spotlights the many co - conspirators that Bernie Madoff used to orchestrate this stupendous lie . It ’s been reported that the system itself was deserving around $ 64.8 billion , with the depositions , consultation , and revelations showcased making for a fascinating watch of a actual - lifespan fiscal thriller .
David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (2020)
Presenter David Attenborough is celebrated worldwide as one of the large voices in documentary on natural history . That make believe a documentary film on the man behind the vista a innate next footstep , and that ’s whatDavid Attenborough : A Life on Our Planetsucceeds and excels in doing .
This documentary functions in part as Attenborough ’s reminiscence of his consequential career in this industriousness , as well as his eloquent and serious require on the perils face the natural world around us . It ’s a damning indictment of how humanity has devastated the planet , but a necessary and compelling pic that ’s unlike any other documentary Attenborough has work on .
FIFA Uncovered (2022)
Contrary to the beliefs of many Americans , baseball , basketball , and American football are not the most pop sports in the world . That honor belongs to football game , or “ soccer , ” as we call it in this rural area . But with that popularity has come corruption and frailty , as see in the new Netflix documentary seriesFIFA Uncovered . FIFA is the governing body for the World Cup and international football leagues . It also has a very saturnine history that has only partially come to light . This is n’t just a sports documentary film , it ’s a criminal offense story . And many of the muddied players in the plot on the face of it escape the legal and moral consequences of their actions .
