10 Essential Documentaries

captainsassgard:

sixpenceee:

1. THE UP SERIES: It follows the lives of 14 children through their lives interviewing them every seven years. It’s amazing to see how they change and where they go. It shows that personality traits do not tend to be very static. Being introverted at 18 doesn’t determine how you’ll be at 32. A girl on there around 20 was totally against having a family and was very cynical about relationships and marriage. Next interview, she was happily wed with children. I link you to 7 UP, which is the first documentary in the series. 
2. QUEEN OF VERSAILLES:If you have any interest in the SUPER RICH of America and how absolutely delusional they can be, then this documentary will blow your mind. It’s a great window into the lives of people who literally have everything a person could need. Even when they loose everything, they’re entirely incapable of believing that they’re a normal citizen.
3. THE ACT OF KILLING: One review describes it as: “This is the most gut-wrenching film I’ve ever seen. It actually makes you understand the nature and true face of evil, and it’s terrifying because it’s so, so normal. After watching it you know that in some other life, you could be him.”
4. BABIES: It shows the different ways, different cultures raise their children. It shows how different but similar we all are at the end. They documentary follows 4 different babies, from Mongalia, to Tokyo, to Namibia and then the U.S
5. INSIDE NORTH KOREA: An eye-opening film that shows you the truth about a hidden country 
6. TOUCHING THE VOID: A documentary about two mountain climbers who have an accident on their way back. As one review described it: “Better than any fictional suspense film. Just unreal. You know throughout that the two climbers lived because you’re sitting there watching them narrate, but at times you just can’t believe it.”
7. THE COVE: A 2009 documentary film that analyzes and questions dolphin hunting practices in Japan. One review described it as “an impeccably crafted, suspenseful expose of the covert slaughter of dolphins in Japan.”
8. THIS IS WHAT WINNING LOOKS LIKE: The documentary follows U.S. Marines as they train Afghan security forces, showing their ineptitude, drug abuse, sexual misconduct, and corruption as well as the reduced role of US Marines due to the troop withdrawal.
9. BBC PLANET EARTH (All 11 Episodes): An HD exploration of our world. You’ll just love everything about this, trust me. 
10. JESUS CAMP: About a Christian summer camp, where children spend their summers being taught that they have “prophetic gifts” and can “take back America for Christ”. This documentary led to the shut down of this summer camp. 

You may also like 10 Disturbing Documentaries

Feel free to add to this list!

NORTH KOREA UNDERCOVER: Another NK documentary because while it’s incredibly disturbing, I also found this one to be really interesting. Seems more serious than the other one.