While growing up, we constantly learned through observation and imitation and most importantly – through having fun! Learning was a joyful experience before this joy was stifled by the broken education system. But our desire for learning never goes away – whether it’s learning new game lore with moves and combinations, or simply replacing our daily screen time with something more informational, such as the documentary film, My Octopus Teacher.
We live in a society in which the average adult spends around 2 hours watching Netflix or some sort of television entertainment daily. If you are going to spend your hours sitting in front of this stimulation-dense device, why not watch something informative and continue feeding this internal desire to learn in a fun, and in this case, relaxing manner?
Here are 10 documentaries you must watch with your feet up while enjoying some popcorn on the sofa.
10. The Social Dilemma
This eye-opening documentary comments on how society is being affected by money-hungry companies, which sell our attention off to the highest bidder. In order to keep our attention for prolonged periods of time, they play with our brain’s chemicals with well-timed nudges, nostalgia, and psychology. If you are interested in the adverse effects of social media or have a hunch the government is listening to you through Siri – definitely give The Social Dilemma a chance. This might either be an eye-opening or gut-wrenching watch.
9. The Act Of Killing
Many people aren’t aware of the Indonesian Homicide that took place between 1965 and 1966. Estimates say that over a million people were viciously slaughtered by groups that call themselves “death squad” in a failed coup. Yet, this documentary takes a unique twist, showing these unfathomable events from the perspective of the death squad members themselves. How do these laughing men justify ruthlessly killing so many people? Does it make sense when we see these vicious acts from their profiting perspective?
8. Art and Craft
What makes something authentic? Where does the value of art come from? Is it the brush strokes that make their way onto the canvas to tell a story? Or does the value come from the one holding the brush? This intriguing documentary follows the life of an expert art forger who has been creating forgeries for over 30 years with an impressive line of work behind “his” name. Although Mark Landis’s work could likely be sold for quite the pretty penny, Landis doesn’t seem to be in it for the money…
7. Super-Size Me
What would happen if you lived off of fast food for a month, 3 meals a day. In Super-Size Me, Morgan Spurlock finds out just that. What would happen to the average American if they consume McDonalds for every meal and calorie that enters their body. Spurlock continues to do the average amount of exercise a person in America does to give this a truly accurate representation. The results are shocking! It took him over 11 months to lose the weight with a healthy diet he managed to pick up in just one!
6. Titanic: The Final Word
What really happened on that fateful night of April 14th, 1912? James Cameron, along with leading titanic experts in their field go about answering this. It goes into detail about the history of the ship, as well as showcases what remains below the depth of waters. We all know that the Titanic hit an iceberg, but how could something as trivial as this, sink what was once the largest ship on the deep blue?
5. Gasland
We use gas and other fossil fuels almost daily. But how safe is it really? The director Josh Fox finds himself talking to scientists, politicians, as well as the gas industry experts as he goes through the process of how this valuable form of energy is “harvested” out of the depths of the earth. It displays the effects this has on the surrounding population and even inspired the anti-fracking movement. His discovery transforms him from a gas-fracking enthusiast to trying to put an end to this practice.
4. Marley
No one can dispute the fact that Bob Marley was a legendary musician that changed the way we see the world of music. Everything from modern-day rap to a large portion of the EDM scene has been heavily influenced by reggae. But, how was the Reggae superstar in person? What was the impact he had on the people who surrounded him? Marley dips into Bob Marley’s life and experiences, his relationship with music, his god, and the people surrounding him.
3. Senna
He needed to win. Formula One driver Aryton Senna was consumed by this need to win, and he sure did that! Winning 3 world championships and being cheated out of the 4th. This documentary comments on the life of the native Brazilian hero whose life was stolen away at the young age of 34. The whole documentary is shot using racing archives, no new footage has been filmed, which makes this a truly accurate and immersive experience!
2. March of the Penguins
Who would have thought some flightless birds could have such an impact on our emotions. March of the Penguins reveals the annual cycle that takes place for these little creatures to survive and reproduce. What starts off with the mother giving the father an egg, becomes 2 months without food or water, protecting the unborn youngling against the elements, until the mother returns from fishing to save all the fathers and babies from inevitable starvation.
1. Sugar Coated
Never before have we had as much access to on-demand sugar. Surely the increase in consumption of this once rare reward has adverse effects? Sugar Coated goes about explaining how the food industry seduced us all to artificially sweeten our diets without asking questions. This documentary goes into the thought process that was established to ensure that the food industry remains profitable, and the marketing strategy they used between 1940 and 1970 to accomplish just that!
Final thoughts
Documentaries are a powerful resource to discover a new part of history, way of life, or simply, a new perspective. They have the benefits of reading with the comfort of watching a movie! What documentary do you want to watch first?
#Peace.Love.Documentaries
