19 Best Streaming Documentaries (Quarantine Edition)

With the pandemic going on, there’s been a delay on big new narrative releases, which has meant that the biggest new pop culture phenomena have been documentaries like The Tiger King and The Last Dance. In fact, even pre-covid, we’ve been living in the golden age of documentaries for the past few years. There’s so much content out there that sometimes documentaries about the same subject matter race to release first, or end up incorporating the competing documentarians into the very documentary itself.

With The Last Dance wrapping up, here are some recommendations for documentaries (standalone films only, no 10-hour docuseries) available on some of the major streaming services.

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NETFLIX

Honorable Mentions: Filmworker; Shirkers; Crip Camp; Becoming; 13th

Undefeated (2011)

This Oscar winning documentary follows a struggling high school football team in North Memphis, Tennessee and deals with themes of poverty, race, and opportunity, as well as authority and father figures, in the Hoop Dreams mold. Completely with the inspiring coach, this has serious Friday Night Lights vibes.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011) 

An ode to obsessive perfectionism and dedication to one’s craft, this is about how the world’s greatest sushi chef does it and how he got there. Now that the general public can’t even get a reservation to his restaurant, this may be the only way to experience what many consider the best sushi in the world. Incidentally, this film was also an early trendsetter among foodie documentaries with gratuitous food porn shots. 

The Short Game (2013) 

Following 7 and 8 year old golfers through the 2012 US Kids Golf World Championships, this is a fascinating look at kids who have dedicated their lives to something with a commitment that most adults lack. Unsurprisingly, this gives as much insight to the parents as it does to the children (and you thought little league/AYSO sideline parents were intense). If you like this, check out Chris Bell’s similarly compelling Trophy Kids, about child prodigies and their parents in different sports.

Sour Grapes (2016)

This is the unique story of Rudy Kurniawan, a Great Gatsby-esque wine collector and seller who was exposed as a fraud after selling more than $35 million worth of counterfeit homemade wine that he passed off as legendary vintages to wealthy wine collectors. It’s a scarcely believable scandal where the victims – the 1% – hardly garner any sympathy, and blows the lid off of the often elitist and pretentious world of high-end wine collection.

American Factory (2019) 

American Factory, produced by the Obamas, is an incredibly important examination of the modern day globalized economy in the form of Sino-American close quarters culture clashes. A shuttered GM factory in Dayton, Ohio is bought by Chinese automobile glass manufacturer Fuyao, whose CEO decides to keep many of the local workers while also importing a number of Chinese workers and supervisors to implement the typical Chinese factory system. The clashing work philosophies and cultures slowly magnify until things come to a head. This is an eye-opening film that will widen your perspective.

AMAZON PRIME

Honorable Mentions: Casting By; True Justice; Super Size Me; One Child Nation; Murderball; Happy

Gleason (2016) 

This documentary charts the journey of Steve Gleason, a former New Orleans Saints defensive back, who is diagnosed with ALS at 34 years old, and how he and his family try to come to terms and cope with the discovery of his inevitable physical deterioration and death. A story of finding hope and comfort in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. 

The Barkley Marathons: The Race that Eats its Young (2014)

One of my favorite documentaries of all time, this is about the Barkley Marathon, commonly recognized as the hardest race in the world. 100+ miles in grueling terrain and an accumulated vertical climb of 54,000 feet (almost twice the height of Mt Everest), the course must be completed in less than 60 hours, and most years does not yield even a single finisher. There are all kinds of lovably eccentric bits and people in the race, making this insanely demanding to run but spectacularly entertaining to watch.

Grizzly Man (2008)

Directed and poetically narrated by the certifiable Werner Herzog, one of the great documentarians of all time, and made up of mostly found footage filmed by Timothy Treadwell, the passionate oddball conservationist, this is a compelling story of man and nature and cinema. Treadwell was a man who loved grizzly bears so much he tried to live among them and become one of them, and Herzog pieces together his tale.

The Look of Silence (2014) 

There is some debate on whether this or its predecessor, The Act of Killing (also streaming on Amazon Prime), is the better documentary, but both undoubtedly belong at the top of the list of the decade’s best documentaries. While both are about the 1960s Indonesian genocides, The Look of Silence is in some ways the more personal of the two, focusing on the victims instead of the perpetrators, as a man whose family was brutally murdered now comes face-to-face with their killers after half a century.

Meet the Patels (2014) 

I had never seen a rom-com documentary before but here you have it. This film follows Indian American actor Ravi Patel and his cultural struggles with his family, particularly when it comes to dating. A hilarious and charming look into the process of Indian matchmaking, intergenerational conflicts, and societal expectations, this is a real life version of The Big Sick.

HULU

Honorable Mentions: Honeyland; Life, Animated; Tickled; RBG; Sneakerheadz; Three Identical Strangers

Minding the Gap (2018) 

Three teenage boys grow up as childhood friends in Rockford, Illinois, bonding through their love of skateboarding. One of them, Bing Liu, brings a camcorder and records them skating and messing around. Things take an astonishing turn and the film becomes a brave and devastating examination of the systemic issues of class, race, and toxic masculinity that plague modern day America.

Blackfish (2013) 

A tough but important watch, this follows Tilikum, the star killer whale at SeaWorld who killed three people, and makes a persuasive argument that the fault lay not with the orca but with the human captors, and makes you question the very idea of captive killer whales. Another satisfying example of a documentary eventually leading to real-world results, as SeaWorld began to lose popularity and decided to phase out its killer whale performances.

Somm 3 (2018)

The Somm series is maybe the best documentary trilogy ever made. This third entry is a creative, entertaining, and extremely well made film about blind tasting, pinot noir, and the Judgment of Paris – the famous 1976 blind tasting that put California wines on the map. It sounds esoteric but is really terrifically accessible, and makes the point that wine is really about preference rather than priority. If you like this, check out the impeccable first (Somm) and the informative second (Somm: Into the Bottle), both also streaming on Hulu.

Free Solo (2018) 

This breathtaking documentary follows Alex Hunnold, the world’s greatst free climber, on his quest to climb Yosemite’s “El Capitan”, a daunting 3,000+ foot monolithic cliff formation. It explores the psyche of a man who would put himself in the face of (very likely) death in a surprisingly humorous, charmingly quirky, and consistently jaw-dropping manner.  A mind-boggling testament to the human will and pushing your limits. If you enjoy this, check out Meru, available on Prime.

The Painter and the Thief (2020) 

After two paintings by a Czech artist are stolen from an art gallery by a Norwegian criminal, the painter approaches the thief in court and they develop an unlikely friendship as they get to know each other. The raw honesty, colorful personalities, and masterful storytelling stand out as you will be engrossed in the twists and turns the story takes. One of the best films at the Sundance Film Festival this year.

CRITERION CHANNEL

The Thin Blue Line (1988) 

Made by the legendary Errol Morris, this was the seminal, OG true crime documentary, which reexamines the trial and conviction of Randall Dale Adams. The reenactments, the dramatization, the score, the presentation of the evidence – much of what we take for granted today in modern true crime documentaries find their roots here. What’s more, wrongful convictions and the flawed justice system are topics that remain just as relevant today as ever.

This is Not a Film (2011)

A simple but extraordinary film that shows a day in the life of Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who was under house arrest and banned from making any more films. Famously smuggled from Iran to the Cannes Film Festival in a USB drive inside a birthday cake, this documentary is a sincere, brave and personal story of this unusual situation. It’s an indirect commentary on censorship, but oddly sweet and philosophical about the essence of cinema.

BONUS: DOCUMENTARY SHORTS

Sriracha (2013) – Amazon Prime (33 min)

A fun inside look at the history and story of this iconic rooster hot sauce – and the hardcore fan following it has generated.

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980) – Criterion Channel (20min)

The inimitable Werner Herzog promised that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris ever completed his film Gates of Heaven. When he did, Herzog actually publicly cooked and ate his shoe – this is the story.