5 mind-blowing Netflix documentaries to watch right now

2: Rise of Empires: Ottoman

Tired of watching some random mind-numbing, spirit crushing movies and TV series? Don’t worry! Your boy is there to help you get out of this vicious, often addicting, cycle of watching below-par content and then feeling bad about it.

However, a little appreciation note before I start.

Last week, I wrote this piece where I talked about 9 things(Documentaries, TV series & Movies) which you guys could enjoy on Netflix. It was well-received as most of the readers appreciated it. So, I thought of writing another one for you guys.

Thus, I started writing this piece yesterday. However, I wasn’t in the ‘zone’. Ultimately, I left it incomplete. So, I woke up today, feeling tired again. Procrastination was all over me. Unwillingly, I sat down for writing and there was no internet. “GREAT!” I said, “Let’s do it another time.” Hence, I wasted another couple of hours before I finally sat down to complete it.

The point is, it’s not easy to write stuff, especially when you want to provide quality content to your readers on daily basis. In such times, the appreciation of the readers comes in handy. Positive response from the readers really pushes the writers to keep writing or keep making content.

So, I wanna take this opportunity and thank my readers for their love and appreciation. It really means a lot.

I know, you guys didn’t come here for my ‘Ted Talk’, so before it gets more boring, let’s talk about 5 mind-blowing Netflix documentaries, which you guys can binge-watch right now.

As I said in my previous pieces, Netflix provides us with a variety of content but the genre of content that I have been enjoying the most is documentaries/docuseries/docudramas. Thus, this piece is aimed at listing 5 Netflix documentaries, which you guys will love, for sure.

5. Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond

Most people know Jim Carrey as a comedy actor, remembering him for his roles in The Mask, Dumb and the Dumber, The Truman Show etc. However, his spiritual awakening and his transformation from a comedy millionaire to this saint-like figure in the last couple of years is quite interesting, to say the least. And this documentary, in particular, has highlighted this particular element of his new, spiritually-awakened personality.

Directed by Chris Smith, in Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond, Jim talks about and remembers his role in the biographical movie, Man on the Moon. He recalls his time when played legendary performance artist and comedian Andy Kaufman, giving us a candid insight about what was going through his mind when he did that character.

I’m of the view that filmmaker Chris Smith has made such a great effort to document Jim Carrey’s transformation for his role in Man on the Moon, giving us an idea that what it takes to be method-actor. Although I don’t rank Jim Carrey high on the list of Method-Actors, but his role in Man on the Moon, showed us all a glimpses of what kind of actor Jim Carrey would’ve been, if it wasn’t for stereotyping him as a comedian/funny guy.

Thus, I believe that you will enjoy this documentary, especially if you’re curious about Jim’s transformation into this new version of himself.

4. 13th

Slavery, South vs. North ideological war, 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, American Civil War, African Americans civil right movement, socio-political adventurism of American Presidents in later part of 20th century and in the early years 2000s and disproportional population of African Americans in the American prisons, 13th talks about all these issues in an incredibly short time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay deserves all sort of praise for creating this masterpiece and addressing such an imperative topic in socio-political landscape of the US. She has not only educated her viewers but has also motivated them to take a stand against this racial injustice against the African Amercans.

With a budget of only 1 million $, this documentary has also showed us how quality content can make your product great, even if the financial backing is not so strong.

It’s a must-watch, especially for those who have keen interest in the African American’s history in the US.

3. Formula 1: Drive to Survive

I was confused about my top 3. At first, I thought of ranking Rise of Empires: Ottoman at the 3rd spot but then I changed my mind. There are two main reasons for that. First, the cinematography and second, the story-telling. I am not saying that the Formula 1: Drive to Survive cinematography and story-telling was poor, rather the point is Rise of Empires: Ottoman edges past it in both these aspects.

Nonetheless, Formula 1: Drive to Survive is a treat. Providing viewers with such an exclusive and intimate behind the scenes, this docuseries revolves around Formula 1 season. Revealing the story of the high-octane drama, both on and off the track, this series gives us a glimpse of how competitive and dangerous the sport of Formula 1 is.

It has two seasons, as of now and 20 episodes, which should be enough for you, in case you want to binge-watch it this weekend.

Note: It’s so good that if you don’t know anything about Formula 1 you would love it more.

2. Rise of Empires: Ottoman

Telling the story of Mehmed II and his historical and unprecedented conquest of Constantinople, Rise of Empires: Ottoman is both a mainstream crowd-pleaser and an art-house masterpiece. Directed by Emre Şahin, this quasi-historical, high-budget Turkish series is a blend of drama and documentary and it has greatly succeeded in providing viewers with a true cinematic experience.

From breathe-taking cinematography to such an authentic account of history(of course, dramatic elements have been added but still), the creators of this documentary deserves all the applause.

Moreover, encompassing the elements of impeccable acting, flawless story-telling and above-all eminent direction, this 6-part/episodes docudrama has really transformed the genre of documentaries, setting new trend in this particular genre of content.

You’ll love it.

1. Icarus

From the name of the documentary to his crafty style of story-telling, Icarus is the epitome of what a great documentary should look like.

Directed by Bryan Fogel, Icarus is centered on uncovering the truth about doping in sports in the backdrop of Rio Olympics 2016. Winning the award for Best Documentary Feature at 2018 Oscars, this two hours long docudrama addresses one of the biggest scandal in the history of sports. It looks into this historical doping scandal through the personal account of a Russian scientist, telling the story of how Russians manipulated the whole doping testing system to win at 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Mad respect for Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan for creating this masterpiece because it takes a lot of courage to address such an issue, which could’ve caused a lot of geopolitical tension. Therefore, Bryan Fogel and all other producers deserve all the applause for gifting us with such a great geopolitical thriller.

Such a powerful subject. Such a great series. Don’t miss out this thriller.

That’s all. Hopefully, you guys will love all of the above-mentioned documentaries. In case, you don’t, do tell me. I’ll hook you up with more.

P.S: As you guys must have noticed that I have been writing mainly on three topics, love, self-development and showbiz. Interestingly, you guys are enjoying it. So, I have decided to stick with these three subjects and now you guys will get to read more on these topics, at least for the next couple of weeks.

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