17 Amazing Eye-Opening And Batshit Netflix Documentaries You Have To SeeSkip To ContentHomepageSign InSearch BuzzFeedSearch BuzzFeedlol Badge Feedwin Badge Feedtrending Badge FeedCalifornia residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell My Personal Information 2022 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemapPosted on 14 Dec 2017 17 Amazing Eye-Opening And Batshit Netflix Documentaries You Have To See Let's end 2017 with real facts, not fake news. by Hilary MitchellBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink 1 Minimalism A Documentary About the Important Things Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Asymmetrical Press This fascinating documentary explores our obsession with stuff, and asks "how might your life be better with less?" It features interviews with various people who've given away most of their worldly goods, and the effect minimalism has had on their lives. Availability: US/Canada and UK 2 Cartel Land Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF The Orchard / Netflix If you're fascinated by Narcos, you really need to check out this 2015 documentary, which tells the story of the Mexican drug war and the various vigilante groups fighting Mexican drug cartels. Like Dr José Mireles, who leads the Autodefensas (pictured). Availability: US/Canada and UK 3 Terra Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF CALT Productions This spellbinding and visually stunning 2015 French nature documentary was filmed over 18 months. It's voiced by veteran actor Vanessa Paradis, and explores humanity's increasing isolation from nature and from the other species on Earth. Availability: US/Canada and UK 4 My Scientology Movie Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF BBC Films This witty documentary has everything you expect from Louis Theroux: unconventional interviews with ex-members of the Church of Scientology, as well as startling confrontations with current members. It's a fascinating look at a shadowy organisation. Availability: US/Canada 5 Lo and Behold Reveries of the Connected World Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Magnolia Pictures If you're interested in technology, this documentary is for you. It's directed by award-winning filmmaker Werner Herzog, who takes viewers on a mind-bending trip exploring the existential impact the internet, robotics, and artificial intelligence have on human development. Availability: US/Canada and UK 6 Virunga Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Netflix Tragically, less than 800 mountain gorillas are left in the wild, but all hope isn't lost. This 2014 documentary film focuses on the inspiring and brave conservation work of park rangers within the Congo's Virunga National Park, and was nominated for an Oscar. Availability: US/Canada and UK 7 13th Netflix This hard-hitting look at America's penal system explores the "intersection of race and incarceration". Director Ava DuVernay argues that prisons are institutions of modern-day slavery, making vast profits from predominately black, disenfranchised workers. Availability: US/Canada and UK 8 Cowspiracy The Sustainability Secret Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF A.U.M. Films This forceful movie looks at the worrying environmental effects that our addiction to meat is having on the world, focusing on various impacts such as global warming, water use, deforestation, and ocean dead zones. It's produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, too. Availability: US/Canada and UK 9 Encounters at the End of the World Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF THINKfilm This 10-year-old documentary is just as relevant now as it was in 2007. In it, Werner Herzog and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger visit Antarctica to capture mesmerising footage, and meet various local communities as well as an unhinged penguin. Availability: US/Canada 10 Jesus Camp Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Magnolia Pictures This 2006 film follows kids at an evangelical "Charismatic Christian" summer camp, where children spend their summers being taught that they have "prophetic gifts" and can "take back America for Christ". It's totally fascinating, and alarming at times. Availability: US/Canada and UK 11 Notes on Blindness Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Artificial Eye Notes on Blindness is a gripping account of the writer and theologian John M. Hull's gradual loss of his sight. He documented his experiences on audiotape. Those notes were turned into a book and then (in 2016) this Emmy-winning documentary. Availability: US/Canada and UK 12 The Square Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Participant Media If you've ever wondered what led to the Arab Spring (and what happened afterwards) then check out this documentary about events in Egypt since the initial uprising in Tahrir Square in 2011. It's a compelling look at a bold, energetic, and rebellious country. Availability: US/Canada and UK 13 What the Health Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF A.U.M. Films & Media This lively 2017 film takes a critical look at our dependence on meat and dairy products, and the effects that dependence has on our health. PSA: The filmmakers advocate a plant-based diet, so bear in mind that it isn't entirely unbiased. Availability: US/Canada and UK 14 Dirty Wars Sundance Selects Dirty Wars follows journalist Jeremy Scahill, who travelled to Afghanistan in 2010 to follow the Joint Special Operations Command on night raids, and to war-torn Somalia. The film was made on a shoestring budget, but it's no less powerful for that. Availability: US/Canada 15 Metallica Some Kind of Monster Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Paramount Pictures Everyone's heard of Metallica (well, most people, anyway), but have you ever wondered why this thrash metal band became so huge? This stunning film pieces their story together from studio rehearsals, fragments of concert footage, and interviews. Availability: US/Canada and UK 16 Chasing Ice Submarine Deluxe This climate change documentary gained worldwide acclaim for managing to capture a huge glacier calving event in Greenland – the largest and longest calving ever captured on film. It's a real (and worrying) sight to behold, like watching a city break apart. Availability: US/Canada and UK 17 Cuba and the Cameraman Netflix This documentary has taken its director Jon Alpert a whopping 42 years to film. He has been following Fidel Castro and three Cuban families, charting the effects that Castro's policies have had on their lives. It's candid, beautiful, and truly epic. Availability: US/Canada and UK Are there any great documentaries we ve missed Let us know in the comments Tap to play GIF Tap to play GIF Netflix Share This ArticleFacebook PinterestTwitterMailLink TV and MoviesGet all the best moments in pop culture & entertainment delivered to your inbox.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.