The pressure of doing something productive and self-improving in quarantine can be overwhelming. You don’t need to go crazy and do hundreds of workouts or read thousands of books. Sometimes we all need to relax but if you still want to feel like you are educating yourself why not try a documentary movie?
There is more to documentary movies than just Tiger King. These 10 documentaries, we picked, can open minds and hearts to gripping stories that someone might have never seen, had a filmmaker not considered capturing it.
Amy (2012)
An Oscar-winner for Best Feature Documentary, AMY is a deeply moving portrait of 6-time Grammy winner Amy Winehouse using powerful first-hand footage to bring her story to life, showcasing both her incredible talent and her tragic demise from the dual forces of addiction and celebrity. This documentary will make you cry.
Banksy and The Rise of Outlaw Art (2020)
Banksy, the world’s most infamous street artist, whose political art, criminal stunts, and daring invasions outraged the establishment and created a revolutionary new movement while his identity remained shrouded in mystery. See his incredible story.
Daughters of the Sexual Revolution (2018)
The behind-the-scenes story of how the original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders became a controversial pop culture phenomenon at the height of the Sexual Revolution. With unprecedented access to Suzanne Mitchell, the fiercely-loyal “Godmother of modern cheerleading,” this documentary complicates the legend of the most iconic squad of cheerleaders in the world.
Grizzly Man (2005)
Herzog’s documentary about Treadwell, an untrained film-maker is poignant, beautiful – and absolutely hilarious. The outdoorsman and author — along with his partner, Amie Huguenard — was eventually killed and devoured by one of the very animals to whom he had devoted years of study.
K2: Siren of the Himalayas (2014)
Four world-class alpinists including National Geographic’s Explorer of the Year Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner team up in a dangerous foray of high altitude mountaineering in the breathtaking documentary K2: Siren of the Himalayas. The film follows an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s most challenging peak on the 100-year anniversary of the Duke of Abruzzi’s landmark K2 expedition.
Man on Wire (2012)
August 7, 1974. A young French man named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire suspended between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. He danced on this wire for an hour with no safety net before he was arrested for what has become to be known as the “artistic crime of the century.”
McQueen (2018)
A personal look at the extraordinary life, career and artistry of the iconic fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Through exclusive interviews with his closest friends and family, recovered archives, exquisite visuals and music, “McQueen” is an authentic celebration and thrilling portrait of an inspired yet tortured fashion visionary.
O. J.: Made in America (2016)
The 2017 Oscar winner for Best Documentary Feature, Ezra Edelman’s five-part, seven-hour exposé on the life and legacy of O.J. Simpson examines the football star’s rise and fall—and the murder trial that ripped the country apart in the ’90s. Rather than focusing solely on the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman and the subsequent trial, this incredible documentary places the Simpson saga into a larger context—highlighting the ways in which it said more about race and American culture than any other event that took place in the second half of the 20th century.
Westwood: Punk. Icon. Activist (2018)
An intimate and inspiring portrait of a true icon: Dame Vivienne Westwood, Punk Rock’s Grande Dame, agent provocateur, the doyenne of British fashion, eco-activist and one of the most influential cultural originators in recent history. Today the Westwood name sits alongside Gucci, Dior and Saint Laurent but what’s unique about Vivienne is that she is the only namesake who still owns and runs her empire, and at seventy-six shows no sign of slowing down.
Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music (1994)
This iconic musical documentary covers the three-day 1969 music festival on the property of Max Yasger’s farm that symbolized the late 1960s in terms of musical, social and political ideology of the era. American audiences are introduced to Ten Years After, featuring guitar great Alvin Lee. Jimi Hendix, The Who and Joe Cocker give riveting performances. As naked flower children romp, the New York freeway is closed because of traffic congestion. Music lovers leave their cars and travel on foot only survive torrential downpours of rain, food shortages and non-stop music.