Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated April 20, 2025
Capitalism: A Love Story
2009 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Michael Moore (Sicko, Fahrenheit 9/11) takes on capitalism's roots, the floundering U.S. economy, and 2008's global financial meltdown and subsequent bank bailout in this rousing documentary. Combining stories about those who suffer most from Corporate America's greed and insatiable thirst for profits and the people most responsible for myriad crises, Moore embarks on another shocking fact-finding rampage.
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The Nature of Existence
2010 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsRoger Nygard travels to the sources of the world's major philosophies and talks to everyone from physicist Leonard Susskind to Ultimate Christian Wrestling founder Rob Adonis to answer the questions, Why are we here and what are we supposed to do? Spiritual leaders, scholars, scientists, artists, pizza chefs and the guy next door inform this humorously enlightening documentary about the nature and meaning of life.
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Until the Light Takes Us
2008 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsTaking viewers deep inside the notorious "Inner Circle" that promoted murder, suicide and church burning in the Norwegian black metal subculture of the 1990s, filmmakers Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell offer up a nuanced and fascinating documentary. Rare footage and interviews with musicians -- including Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell, Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes and Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg -- shed light on the controversial movement.
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Babies
2010 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsDocumentary filmmaker Thomas Balmes charts the simultaneous early development of four babies from different parts of the world, illustrating what makes human life unique, similar and precious wherever it occurs. Training his camera on newborns Hattie from San Francisco, Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia and Mari from Tokyo, Balmes captures everything from first screaming breaths to first steps.
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Family Affair
2010 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsAt the age of 9, Chico Colvard accidentally shot his sister with one of the firearms his father kept around the house, an incident which led to shocking and disturbing revelations about the father he adored. In this astonishing personal document, Colvard turns his camera on his own family to uncover the history of his sisters' sexual abuse at the hands of their father, and the curious capacity for familial forgiveness.
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Vidal Sassoon: The Movie
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis incisive documentary profiles trend-setting stylist Vidal Sassoon, from his harsh childhood and Israeli military service to his revolutionary approach to hairstyles and his establishment as a world-renowned brand.
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The Quantum Activist
2009 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsFilmmakers Ri Stewart and Renee Slade tackle a weighty subject -- quantum mechanics -- in this thought-provoking documentary that centers on visionary scientist Amit Goswami and his revolutionary theories about reality and consciousness. Without watering down too much of the science, the film illuminates the details of Goswami's work while putting forth challenging new ideas about mysticism, God and religious thought.
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FIGHTVILLE
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsFar from the glitz of Las Vegas's mega mixed martial arts bouts, fighters duke it out in sweaty local venues on what they hope is their way to the big time. This documentary shines a light on that world -- focusing on the Louisiana fight circuit.
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Conan O'Brien Can't Stop
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsFollowing his unplanned and highly publicized departure from NBC, exiled talk show host Conan O'Brien decides to take his show on the road. This documentary captures that uproarious tour as well as O'Brien's dramatic break with his ex-employers.
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The Swell Season
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsExploring the realities of fame and great expectations, this poignant documentary shadows indie folk artists Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová on a whirlwind tour in the wake of their Oscar win for the haunting anthem "Falling Slowly" (from Once).
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Unraveled
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsReflecting on his fortune and downfall while awaiting sentencing and under house arrest, attorney and white-collar criminal Marc Dreier reveals the series of events that led him to hatch a Ponzi scheme which lost $750 million.
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Into the Abyss
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsDirector Werner Herzog's compelling documentary examines the emotional aftermath of a triple murder in Texas, interviewing the two convicted killers, their relatives, the victims' families and law-enforcement officials involved in the case.
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The Imposter
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsA 13-year-old boy who vanished in Texas and shows up three years later in Spain now has the same tattoos, but looks different and speaks with an accent. An investigator sets out to unravel the mystery in this riveting documentary.
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Detropia
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsAs the focus of this sobering documentary, the decline of Detroit also reflects the nation's larger failure to keep up in a modern global economy. The film also examines the efforts of its residents to maintain Detroit's vibrant cultural base.
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The Queen of Versailles
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsMeet the Siegels, glitterati who made a fortune in the time-share business only to see it crumble in the 2008 financial collapse. The site of their rise and almost-fall is their home (America's largest), a gaudy replica of the Palace of Versailles.
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How to Grow a Band
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis fascinating documentary follows innovative musician Chris Thile, who created the band Punch Brothers after writing a 4-movement bluegrass elegy to his recently failed marriage and recruiting a talented group of musicians to play it.
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Three Stars
2010 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsFocusing on nine Michelin-starred chefs from three continents, filmmaker Lutz Hachmeister reveals the real business of cooking on the highest level by crosscutting between the maestros' various kitchen routines, tastes and culinary philosophies.
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Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsIn 1976, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu led a daring rescue of hostages at Uganda's Entebbe Airport, in which he was the lone Israeli casualty. Through letters, photos, family, friends and fellow soldiers, this moving documentary tells a hero's story.
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Mission for Mussolini
2006 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsThis riveting documentary centers on Italian journalist Luigi Romersa and the task given to him in 1944 by Benito Mussolini: to investigate and report back on Adolf Hitler's claims of Nazi superweapons, including a bomb that would "shock the world."
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One Day on Earth
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsCapturing ordinary and extraordinary life events from around the globe over the course of one day -- October 10, 2010 -- this documentary explores the human experience in an attempt to answer the question, "Who are we?"
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Of Two Minds
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsWeaving together the stories of several fascinating Americans living with bipolar disorder, this documentary explores their triumphant highs, despairing lows and struggles to survive in a culture that doesn't always understand them.
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YERT - Your Environmental Road Trip
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsCalled to action by a planet in peril, three friends hit the road to explore every state in America in search of the extraordinary innovators and citizens who are tackling humanity's greatest environmental crises.
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The American Scream
2012 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsIn the sleepy town of Fairhaven, MA, The American Scream follows the creative minds behind three local homemade haunts and their spirited, passionate and sometimes harrowing efforts in igniting their town's Halloween spirit each year.
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Vigilante Vigilante: The Battle for Expression
2011 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsA new breed of crime fighter now stalks the urban landscape. Two filmmakers go undercover to expose anti-graffiti vigilantes who stop at nothing to rid their neighborhoods and cities of street art, stickers, tags, and posters.
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The Moo Man
2013 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsChronicling a year in the life of a family-run dairy, this charming documentary centers on an optimistic English farmer who insists on thinking small when it comes to the size of his herd.
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