Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated April 19, 2025
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Alex Gibney explores the scourge of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, highlighting the landmark story of five deaf men who spoke out about a priest who molested more than 200 children between 1950 and 1974.
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Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIt was the site of the largest mass murder the world has ever seen, yet few people know its full history. This landmark series puts together the most complete history of Auschwitz, from the evolution of the camp to the mentality of the perpetrators.
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Lost Airmen of Buchenwald
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis is a documentary feature that chronicles the little-known story of Allied airmen imprisoned at the Buchenwald Concentration Camp during WWII.
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Dirty Wars
2013 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsExploring America's covert operations in the war on terror, investigative reporter Jeremy Scahill takes viewers on a revealing journey through drone strikes, night raids, kill lists that include U.S. citizens and secret government-condoned torture.
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Summit on Ice
1992 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn September 1972, the world watched as Canada faced Russia in the most significant sports event of its time. It was a battle of beliefs, a clash of cultures and some would say, a war.
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American Experience: Death and the Civil War
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis film explores how the American Civil War created a "republic of suffering" and charts the far-reaching social, political and social changes brought about by the pervasive presence and fear of death during the war.
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Death by China
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis frank documentary chronicles the growing power and global ambitions of China, and concludes that its strength threatens America's own future. The film views the loss of American jobs to China as one more facet of a one-sided economic rivalry.
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Vegucated
2010 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsIn this documentary, three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. Lured with true tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover the hidden sides of animal agriculture.
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Pedal-Driven
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis documentary delves into the escalating conflict between mountain bikers, hungry to ride the open road, and the federal land managers charged with protecting the public lands that belong to us all.
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Head Games
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis incisive documentary reveals how, with more than 1 million sports-related concussions occurring in the United States every year, athletes, doctors and coaches are paying closer attention to the long-term damage resulting from collision sports.
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Side by Side
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsKeanu Reeves produced and narrates this engaging documentary about the history of digital cinema technology and its vast impact on the movie industry. Despite the digital takeover, many fans still embrace the unique qualities of celluloid film.
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Knuckleball!
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFocusing on one of baseball's more eccentric wrinkles, this documentary spotlights a pitch that's confounded batters and extended pitchers' careers. Archival footage combines with a look at two modern knuckleballers, R.A. Dickey and Tim Wakefield.
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Birdmen: The Original Dream of Flight
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsStaring down a sheer precipice into a deep abyss with your head spinning, every fibre in your body tries to resist the edge. Meet the men and women who don't. Overcoming their fears, they step off into thin air and fly like birds, hurtling at impossible speeds and gliding across beautiful rolling landscapes.
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The Business of Being Born
2007 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsDirector Abby Epstein's controversial documentary takes a hard look at America's maternity care system, juxtaposing hospital deliveries against the growing popularity of at-home, natural childbirths that some expectant parents are opting for. Former talk show host Ricki Lake was inspired to produce this compelling exposé after a dissatisfying birthing experience with her first child left her with many unanswered questions.
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Last Call at the Oasis
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis compelling documentary explores the global water crisis, examining deficiencies in the supply system and communities affected by water shortages. Scientists, activists and social entrepreneurs shed light on this shocking and pervasive problem.
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The Endless Summer
1966 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThe quintessential surf film directed and narrated by Bruce Brown follows summer around the globe in 1966. Mike Hynson and Robert August ride the wild waters of Hawaii, Australia, Africa and other exotic locales in search of the perfect wave.
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Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State
2005 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis six-part documentary series tackles one of World War II's -- and history's -- most disquieting and repugnant subjects: the Holocaust and its infamous killing factory, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
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10 Questions for the Dalai Lama
2006 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis fascinating documentary blends an interview with the Dalai Lama with a look back at the spiritual leader's history and an exploration of the small city of Dharamsala, India, where he was exiled some 50 years ago.
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A Place at the Table
2012 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsUsing personal stories, this powerful doc illuminates the plight of the 49 million Americans struggling with food insecurity. A single mother, a small-town policeman and a farmer are among those for whom putting food on the table is a daily battle.
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Hank: Five Years from the Brink
2013 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFrom Joe Berlinger, the director of the "Paradise Lost" trilogy, comes this documentary about U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and his efforts to convince Congress that only a trillion dollar bailout of Wall Street would prevent economic ruin.
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American Drug War: The Last White Hope
2007 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsWith commentary from soldiers on both sides of the conflict, filmmaker Kevin Booth's incisive documentary wades into the murky waters of the American war on drugs, the longest and costliest war in U.S. history. Taking viewers from prisons and inner-city streets to the halls of Congress and his own kitchen, Booth attempts to sort out the intricacies of the national drug policy -- and the reasons for its unmitigated failure.
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Hoop Dreams
1994 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThe filmmakers of this groundbreaking documentary meant for it to be a short movie, but wound up weaving a widely celebrated feature-length film spanning years filled with grace and honesty. Meet Arthur Agee and William Gates, two young boys from equally rough Chicago neighborhoods who make use of their prodigious basketball talents to aim for a life outside the ghetto. But strife and setbacks befall them at every turn. Will they succeed?
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Steve Jobs: One Last Thing
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsLegendary businessman and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs changed the way Americans live, think and work before his death in 2011. This documentary traces his turbulent career and includes interviews with his associates as well as his rivals.
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Freedom
2012 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Josh Tickell and his wife, Rebecca, set out on a journey to take a fresh look at Ethanol and try to separate the myth from the hyperbole. Along the way, they examine alternative technologies that could solve our dependence on oil.
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Reincarnated
2012 | NR | 3.8 out of 5 StarsIn a cloud of smoke, Vice magazine's Andy Capper follows rapper Snoop Dogg on a pilgrimage to Jamaica, where he experiences a spiritual and commercial transformation, reemerging as Snoop Lion, a reggae artist.
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