We love documentaries at WIRED, and as this list proves, there are loads of great ones worthy of your time and attention. All the titles here are available to stream in the UK and the US on Amazon Prime. Looking for the best documentaries on Netflix? We've got you covered.
And if you decide you're not in a documentary kind of mood after all, try our lists of the best TV shows on Amazon Prime or the best films on Amazon Prime. We also have a handy list of the best podcasts for curious minds if you need something new for your daily commute.
This documentary centers on an upper class mother and daughter both called Edith Beale (Big and Little Edie), who, despite being aunt and the first cousin of former US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, live in poverty and seclusion in East Hampton, New York. The crew shadows them around a derelict house, Grey Gardens estate, as they squabble and reminisce and feed their cats and raccoons. Is the documentary morally dubious? Probably, but it’s captivating nevertheless.
Whatever you think of Arnold Schwarznegger, he’s undoubtedly lived one of the more remarkable lives of the 20th and 21st centuries. (As the comedian Bill Burr summarized it: “Anyone else think they can move to Austria, learn the language, become famous for working out, become a movie star, marry into Austrian royalty, then hold public office? How many lifetimes would you need? I’m on my third attempt at Rosetta Stone Spanish!”) Here we see how it all began, in this hypnotic documentary about Schwarznegger’s dominance of the weightlifting scene in the seventies. Even here, it is hard to tell the real Arnold from the act; you just bask in the charisma that made him a star.
A deeply personal look back at the life and work of British fashion's enfant terrible Alexander McQueen, this documentary charts his rise from a self-described “East End yob who uses a needle” to the pinnacle of the fashion industry. Featuring archived interviews with McQueen himself, reflections from those who knew him best, and footage from his groundbreaking and often outrageous fashion shows—“I want you to be repulsed or exhilarated, as long as it's an emotion”—directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui offer a sensitive and heartfelt look at a once-in-a-generation talent.
Documentarian Adam Curtis argues that computers were built to save humanity—but instead they’ve wrecked society and “distorted and simplified our view of the world around us.” As usual, Curtis picks out a host of characters whose ideas he says you need to understand to comprehend the modern world, from big hitters such as Ayn Rand and Alan Greenspan to lesser-known but equally pertinent academics.
Following two cats and their loving, competitive owners, Catwalk takes you through the trials and tribulations of being a participant in Canada’s catwalk show circuit. It's surprisingly sweet and easy to watch, with many moments that are ripe for meme-ing. And the cats aren’t the only draw—there are memorable and entertaining human stars aplenty.
A fascinating look at American racism through the eyes of James Baldwin, one of the country’s most important writers. The social critique is searing, and as a snapshot of America in the ’60s it’s fascinating, but the real attraction of the documentary is just watching Baldwin himself. Passionate and profound, he was an electric public speaker. His speech at the Oxford Union remains one of the most affecting pieces of oratory ever.
This documentary charts the remarkable life of former US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and is told through the moments that defined her both professionally and personally. RBG is an intimate and heartwarming portrayal of a legal and cultural powerhouse.
Confined to a cramped New York apartment for their entire lives, The Wolfpack follows six brothers whose only connection to the outside world were the films their father brought home for them to watch. Cut off from the city outside their front door, the brothers escape their stifling environment by reenacting scenes from their favorite films with painstaking detail. But when one of the brothers defies their father's strict instructions to remain inside, the brothers' world slowly starts to open up.
Joshua Oppenheimer's startling documentary tells the story of the Indonesian genocide of 1965 to 1966, where an estimated 1 million people were slaughtered by so-called death squads in the wake of a failed coup. Unusually—and somewhat controversially—the film closely follows the life of Anwar Congo, the leader of one of the country's most powerful death squads, who, at the time of filming, was still influential in Indonesian politics. Throughout, Oppenheimer asks Congo to recount the killings—many of which he personally perpetrated—and gives him free rein to turn them into films, which results in bizarre gangster, Western, and musical scenes.
Mark Landis, a prolific art forger, was caught donating his forgeries to museums across the US, and one determined registrar set out to catch him. Full of tiny twists and turns, at once easygoing and exacting, Art and Craft is a compelling look at what we call art, as well as the life of Landis, who morphs into an unlikely protagonist.
While Marie Olmstead’s paint-splattered canvases were hailed by critics as prodigious masterpieces, some in the art world weren’t entirely convinced. This documentary follows the journey her parents underwent after a news report accused them of fraud, and what steps they took to try and prove that they were telling the truth.
Documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras was examining the use of monitoring systems in the US post-9/11 when she received an email from someone called “Citizenfour” who thought they would be able to help. Citizenfour, as we now know, was Edward Snowden. The documentary covers the initial meetings between Poitras, Snowden, and journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewan McAskill, as well as the aftermath of the explosive revelations about the NSA’s powerful surveillance capabilities.
In the early 1980s, Bobby Shafan went to college, only to find people greeting him by another name. He soon found out he had a twin, from whom he had been separated at birth, and together they found a third brother. While their unexpected reunion made headlines, the real story behind why they were separated in the first place is far more revealing. Three Identical Strangers is unsettling because of how quickly it becomes something very different from the lighthearted romp it could have been, and perhaps because of how it ends.
In a beautiful combination of conceptual art and activism, Chinese director Ai Weiwei sets out on the ambitious mission of depicting the plight of the more than 65 million people who have been forced to flee their homes because of famine, climate change, and war. From the Greek island of Lesbos to Syria, Weiwei’s work tells human stories of displacement and separation.
In 1989, 28-year-old Trisha Meili was assaulted and raped while jogging in New York's Central Park. Director Ken Burns documents the collective racial hysteria that infected every corner of society, including journalists, police, and lawmakers, and led to the conviction of five young black men—a decision that flew in the face of a large body of evidence pointing in the opposite direction. A searing indictment of a broken justice system, Burns' documentary won a raft of awards, including a Peabody, in 2013.
This fly-on-the-wall documentary follows Anthony Weiner's ill-advised 2013 campaign to become the mayor of New York City after resigning from Congress over a sexting scandal in June 2011. Once seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party, things are going well for Weiner's mayoral effort until details of a second sexting scandal emerge, sending his campaign, and his marriage, off the rails.
This is a brilliant film that interrogates the complex web of fame, addiction, and family that influenced Amy Winehouse both before and during her rise to stardom. Through his extensive use of archive footage, including video from her childhood, documentarian Asif Kapadia captures the origins of Winehouse's musical genius and songwriting abilities. The perfectly pitched effort won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 2015 Academy Awards.
This documentary tells the story of the life and work of American journalist James Foley, who was killed by Isis in 2014. Foley's childhood friend Brian Oakes gathers compelling stories from Foley's family, friends, and those he was held captive with while a prisoner of Isis. It’s a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking look into the nature of conflict and the bonds between people in impossible circumstances.
Former NFL star Steve Gleason played for the New Orleans Saints until his retirement in 2008. A few years later, Gleason was diagnosed with ALS, a rare neurodegenerative condition that gradually weakens the body's muscles. This film follows Gleason and his family as they adapt to the condition and strive to keep hope even in the darkest of times.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
