Table of Contents
In this list of documentaries in Netflix we put those that fit into the feature film category, as documentary series, those original productions of Netflix divided into two or more chapters, will have their own list. In this list, we try to put interesting documentaries on different subjects and so we have productions with environmental themes, as well as those with a social focus, as well as those that depart for the denunciation of a case involving us from beginning to end, in addition to award-winning documentaries. Check out!
Icarus
recently in Tokyo Olympics 2020 the absence of Russia as a nation among the competitors was noted, replacing the acronym in the medal table with the acronym ROCK, THE CAT (Russian Olympic Committee – Russian Olympic Committee). This was because Russia, as a country, was expelled from the Olympic Games because of a scandal of use of doping by athletes, the ROCK, THE CAT composed of athletes who proved to the COI (International Olympic Committee) who were in no way involved in this scheme of doping.
In this way, Icarus reveals the entire plot in which the KGB, the Russian secret service, and the government at its highest level, would be directly involved for decades in encouraging and covering up the use of doping by Olympic medal-winning athletes. The documentary, awarded with the Oscar, has direct denunciation of Grigory Rodchenkov, former director of the Russian anti-doping laboratory who reveals in detail how the athletes' tests were forged.
Professor Octopus
The octopus is one of the most fascinating marine animals, known for having an extremely complex memory capacity. Would it then be possible to create long-term bonds with such a creature? It's what the filmmaker Craig Foster explore in Professor Octopus. A resident of the Western Cape, South Africa, one day he finds an octopus in his backyard, which is on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. From this unusual encounter, he starts recording his daily dives with the mollusc, resulting in a sensitive film that conveys a great message about the preservation of the oceans.
The Network Dilemma
At the time it was released, the Networks Dilemma generated many comments for incisively denouncing the effect of social media algorithms such as Instagram, Facebook ou Twitter about people. More than addicting, they would be able to manipulate public opinion to a point that turns the book into science fiction. 1984, George Orwell, in reality.
In fact, one of the most shocking parts of the documentary is when the developers of these social networks themselves state that they do not let their young children and even teenagers use them, highlighting the negative influence they can have on younger minds. At the end, The Network Dilemma reveals itself as a source of critical reflection on the ethical use of these platforms by brands and, in particular, governments.
American industry
Among the documentaries awarded with the Oscar available on Netflix, American industry is one of those that makes us understand why China is today one of the greatest global economic powers, while the US every day sounds like an empire in decline. Years after a car factory was closed in Ohio, a Chinese glass industry settles in, bringing from their home country a cutting-edge team responsible for training American workers.
The clash of corporate culture between the employees of the two nations is blatant: on the one hand, the discipline and synchronization of the Chinese; on the other, Americans with labor and union demands. For the Chinese, American employees are slow, lazy and imprecise, in addition to not understanding why weekends are off, nor are they in favor of unionization. Americans, on the other hand, cannot understand the ability of the Chinese to work for hours and days on end, performing repetitive movements, and without complaining.
David Attenborough and Our Planet
David Attenborough is a naturalist and one of the veteran documentarians of the with the BBC, the longest-running British state broadcaster, and in the 60s and 70s he was one of the pioneers in presenting programs about wildlife and populations that lived isolated in remote areas of the Earth. In David Attenborough and Our Planet, at the age of 93, he uses the film to warn about the disastrous future that the planet will face if we do not care for and preserve the environment today.
The narrative line of the documentary is very firm and denunciatory because David Attenborough, aware that he is at the end of his life, shows himself as a concerned scientist. Despite being fully aware that he will not be here to witness the events he reports, he uses the film to leave a witness and a warning of what needs to be done for humanity to avoid this true environmental apocalypse.
The 13th Amendment
Among the documentaries in Netflix that deal with social criticism, with attention to the structural racism of American society, The 13th Amendment it is what best explains the origins and how this situation continues to be so rooted today. The title references the 13th constitutional amendment to US law that totally abolished slavery, at least on paper. However, in practice racial prejudice continues at all levels, see movements such as #BlackLivesMatter.
The thesis that the documentary defends is that today there is a new type of slavery and it is based mainly on the fact that the black population represents 13% of the total American population, but a third of the prison population is black. Today there are more black prisoners than slaves in the XNUMXth century, even more so when we see that this imprisoned population necessarily performs unpaid work for, for example, telemarketing companies.
The Square
Among Netflix's original productions, The Square was the first documentary to compete for the Oscar in the category. The square that gives the film its title is that of Tahir located in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, which in January 2011 was taken over by protests for the end of 30 years of Hosni Mubarak's dictatorship.
Unfortunately, with the fall of the dictator with the Arab Spring, he gave way to the military and then to President Mohamed Morsi, a much worse leader than his predecessor. Thus, the documentary follows idealistic characters to tell the story of a revolution that, despite all the popular movement, did not result in positive changes in the country's leadership.
Virunga
Virunga, which gives the documentary its name, is a National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country located in Central Africa. The landscapes of the Virunga Mountains, scenery that makes up the park, are home to the last mountain gorillas, a species in serious danger of extinction due to hunting, human-borne diseases and the numerous tribal wars that raged for decades in the region. .
The documentary focuses on the guards who daily risk their lives to defend the gorillas. The area in which the park is located borders Uganda and Rwanda, being constantly threatened by armed militias, as well as invaders interested in oil exploration.
Feminists: what were they thinking?
Based on interviews with several activists, such as the actresses Lily Tomlin e Jane Fonda, the documentary delves into the feminist movements of the 70s, collecting other testimonies from women who were part of this so-called “second wave of feminism”. the documentary filmmaker Johanna Demetrakas based on the photo book Emergence, trying to interview those who are present in the pages of the work. She also interviews activists from current movements such as Funmilola Fagbamila, one of the leaders of the #BlackLivesMatter.
Fyre Festival: Fiasco in the Caribbean
Of all the documentaries on Netflix, Fyre festival it is precisely the one that brings the account of a situation so unusual that it can be summarized by that maxim “it's too good to be true”. It all started with a beautiful and well-executed marketing campaign: models like Alessandra Ambrósio, Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid posted on their Instagram the announcement for a music festival, which would feature Major Lazer and Blink-182, and whose setting would be a Caribbean island paradise.
Billy Farland, organizer of the festival, sold the idea that it would be a luxurious and VIP event, charging the equivalent of BRL 381 per ticket for anyone who wanted to go to the Bahamas, all-inclusive, to participate in the “party of the year” . But on the fateful day of the event, what was supposed to be paradise turned to hell, with everything narrated in this documentary as impressive as this story.
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