The world is a weird and wonderful place full of weird and wonderful people, stories and things. And, thanks to some of the best documentaries out there, we get a chance to grab a peek at them all.
Documentaries come in all shapes and sizes, from bite-sized short films to multi-episode arcs full of twists and turns. Whether you're into pop cultural insights like Asif Kapadia's Amy or Pamela Anderson's very own Pamela: A Love Story, or grisly true crime mysteries like American Nightmare and The Staircase, there's something for us all. It's true what they say: if anything interesting has ever happened, there's probably a film about it somewhere.
Picking one to watch can be tricky and overwhelming. But across the likes of Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and more, here are just a few of the best documentaries and docuseries out there that we think are worth investing an hour or multiple nights in.
If you want to skip to the best documentaries on your preferred streaming platform, hit the links here: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, BBC iPlayer.
Best documentaries to watch on Netflix:
The Greatest Night in Pop
In 1985, the biggest names in music all gathered in one room with a single goal in mind – record a song to end hunger in Africa. If you think it sounds similar to Band Aid here in the UK, you're right. Producer Harry Belafonte took inspo from Midge Ure and Bob Geldof's ambitious supergroup anthem to create “We Are the World” with a line-up that included Lionel Ritchie, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan amongst many, many others. The Greatest Night in Pop takes us behind the scenes of that ambitious idea (and no doubt scheduling nightmare!), with interviews from some of the stars who took part. You can watch The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix.
Pamela: A Love Story
After her public disgust at the story of her sex tape being made into a drama with Pam & Tommy, Pamela Anderson uses this documentary to finally address her own life in her own words, from her Baywatch origins to her tumultuous romances and, of course, the tape that upended everything and still follows her around to this day. It's a startling, empowering and personal look at misogyny and fame through the eyes of someone rebuilding themselves after years 30 years of being tabloid fodder. You can watch Pamela: A Love Story on Netflix.
The Staircase
The Staircase tells a true crime story so gripping the machine had no choice but to make it into a wildly popular drama series of the same name starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette. The 13-part docuseries (yes, 13 episodes. It's a meaty case!) dives into the mysterious death of Kathleen Peterson and the subsequent murder trial of her husband Michael Peterson.
After being found dead at the bottom of the stairs of their house, suspicion naturally falls on Michael, though he maintains his innocence throughout. The docuseries delves into the trial, from the twists and turns deep in the Petersons' marriage, the bizarre but weirdly compelling alternative version of events around the tragic death which involves an owl and the revelation that Kathleen wasn't the only person in Michael's life to meet their end at the bottom of a staircase. You can watch The Staircase on Netflix.
Disclosure
If you're in any doubt as to why trans representation is so important, then watch Disclosure immediately. Featuring interviews with the likes of Laverne Cox and Jen Richards, this documentary dives deep into the history of transgender people in film and TV, revealing the disturbing stereotypes that the industry continues to perpetuate to this day. But it's not all negative. Disclosure also does a brilliant job of highlighting the trailblazers who have paved the way for others, as well as the influence that the trans community has had on every aspect of our culture. At a time when trans rights are far too often the centre of debate, Disclosure could not be more necessary. You can watch Disclosure on Netflix.
The Speed Cubers
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The world of competitive Rubik's Cube solving doesn't sound like it should make you cry and fill you with warmth, but Netflix's The Speed Cubers shows the beating heart within a community of niche interest lovers. Focusing on the lives of two speedcubing champions Max Park and Feliks Zemdegs, the documentary shows that beyond, quite frankly, superhuman levels of skill and competition (literally seven seconds to solve a whole cube), the power of strong and supportive friendships reign supreme. You can watch The Speed Cubers on Netflix.
American Nightmare
The team behind The Tinder Swindler (which is also worth checking out on Netflix!) returned in 2024 with American Nightmare, a look into what was, at first, dubbed the ‘real-life Gone Girl’ case. In 2015, couple Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn were awoken in the middle of the night by a masked figure (possibly multiple). After that, Huskins was kidnapped for ransom before being released 48 hours later. This three-part Netflix series is essentially the story of what actually happened. More than just a retelling of Wikipedia, the doc includes plenty of new interviews and interrogation footage, all the while unpacking the consequences of a cultural voraciousness of true crime and our desire for a villain. You can watch American Nightmare on Netflix.
Trainwreck: Woodstock '99
One of the most infamous music festivals in history, Woodstock attempted to recreate the hippie magic of its 1969 edition and instead unleashed a logistical bloodbath. Suffering from astronomical pricing, an unaccommodating location, and extreme heat, the festival was a weekend straight from hell, and attendees retaliated in destructive and dangerous ways. Featuring footage from Woodstock’s out-of-the-ordinary pay-per-view coverage, Trainwreck dives straight into the mess behind the scenes and on the grounds. You can watch Trainwreck: Woodstock '99 on Netflix.
Icarus
It starts with an experiment: can director Bryan Fogel win an amateur cycling race with the help of performance-enhancing drugs, but without being detected by drug testing? Things take a turn when he enlists the help of the director of Russia’s anti-doping agency, as Fogel happens to discover the country’s state-sponsored doping program. Elevated by the fascinating characters who populate the film, this Oscar-winner begins as a thrilling exploration of sport’s illicit practices but spirals into a cautionary tale of a whistleblower. You can watch Icarus on Netflix.
Best documentaries to watch on Amazon Prime:
Hearts of Darkness
Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Palme d’Or winner Apocalypse Now, which transposes Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness onto the scorched landscape of the Vietnam War, is a film of legendary virtue. What it took to achieve, as it turns out, was a filmmaking effort that persisted through actor illness, shoot-scuppering weather, and the near-disintegration of Coppola’s life. Hearts of Darkness tells the story of that effort, and what a story it is. You can watch Hearts of Darkness on Amazon.
Amy
When a young pop culture icon dies before their time, their memory is often reduced to spectacle or serves only as a cautionary tale. In the case of Amy Winehouse, so many of her personal struggles with drug and alcohol abuse had been documented by the press that by the time she died at the age of 27, little is preserved in the collective memory of the artistry that made her famous in the first place. Amy uses never-before-seen archival footage, performance footage and testimonials from the people who knew her to recreate the image of a once-in-a-lifetime singer gone too soon. The heartbreaking reality behind the circus of her celebrity will make even the harshest naysayers reconsider her tragedy. You can watch Amy on Amazon.
Collective
Collective follows a group of journalists uncovering a public health scandal which emerged in Romania following a tragic nightclub fire that killed 64 people in less than three minutes. The story they investigate is scandalous, but they documentary is equally worth watching for the doggedness with which said scandal is uncovered. It’s a genuinely inspiring study of people utterly committed to a good cause. And couldn’t we do with a little more of that in the world? You can watch Collective on Amazon.
The Sound Of 007
After the guns and the girls, probably the most enduring element of James Bond is its sound. From its epic score to the theme tunes that garner almost as much press as the films themselves, this documentary by Matt Whitecross takes you behind the scenes of what makes a definitive Bond sound. It includes interviews with the likes of Billi Eilish, Daniel Craig, Sam Smith and Michael Caine. It truly brings out all the big guns, so to speak. You can watch The Sound of 007 on Amazon.
Capturing The Friedmans
True crime has become such an endemic form of entertainment that it's hard to imagine a time when the secret lives of friends and neighbours could still genuinely shock us. But Capturing the Friedmans was a seminal and introductory step into that genre, as it explores the hidden lives of a ‘normal family’ through extensive archival footage captured through the home video boom. Filmmaker Andrew Jarecki had planned to make a movie about professional clowns but shifted gear in real-time when he found out one of his subjects was the son and brother of two men who had been convicted of child sexual abuse in a high-profile case in the 80s. You can watch Capturing the Friedmans on Amazon.
The Act Of Killing
It does not feel hyperbolic to say The Act Of Killing is the kind of documentary that will truly never happen ever, ever again. Joshua Oppenheimer’s film follows the perpetrators of a genocide in Indonesia in the mid-1960s, which has led to a political situation in which gangsters who slaughtered civilians are darlings of the country’s right wing. Oppenheimer invites these perpetrators to reimagine their killings in the style of cinematic genres, an absurd premise that leads to horrifying reckonings for men who have never faced true punishment for their sins. Watch it once, remember it forever. You can watch The Act Of Killing on Amazon.
Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
Jiro Ono owns a ten-seat Tokyo restaurant that was the first sushi restaurant to get three Michelin stars. This documentary by David Gelb studies how Ono became possibly the greatest itamae in Japan and how his two sons – also chefs – relate to their father’s success. It's as much a story about a unique family structure as it is about the relentless and neverending pursuit of perfection. Nobody has ever seen Jiro Dreams Of Sushi and not been left charmed, hungry or both. You can watch Jiro Dreams Of Sushi on Amazon.
I Am Not Your Negro
This 2016 documentary, based on James Baldwin’s unfinished Remember This House, is one of the most concise and comprehensive guides to the depths of American racism. A study of civil rights leaders via archived interviews and observations by Baldwin himself, narrated by Samuel L Jackson, I Am Not Your Negro takes deniers of bigotry by the hand and refuses to let them turn away. You can watch I Am Not Your Negro on Amazon.
Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
The tragedy of Rock Hudson still remains largely unspoken. His death from AIDS early on in the crisis landed at a time when Hollywood and the general public didn't want to grapple with the reality of a gay movie star. But now, with Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed, we get to take a closer look at the screen icon through archival footage and personal testimony. It's as much a much-needed exploration of a golden age legend as it is a peak into the lavender haze of the ‘50s and ’60s where queer stars hid in plain sight. You can watch Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed on Amazon.
The Times Of Harvey Milk
Long before Sean Penn fictionalised the historic life and tragic death of San Francisco's first openly gay supervisor in 2008, his legacy was immortalised in this documentary narrated by Harvey Fierstein. Dubbed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Congress, The Times of Harvey Milk documents Milk's rise to political success in an era of blatant homophobia and his devastating murder at the hands of a colleague that caused ripples throughout the country. A thoughtful look at a figure whose impact, had it been allowed to go on, could have been an untold force for good. You can watch The Times of Harvey Milk on Amazon.
Best documentaries to watch on Disney+:
Howard
When it was announced that Disney+ would be removing some of its output from its streaming service, one of the films people were most incensed by was Howard, the story of Howard Ashman, a songwriter responsible for songs in Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. Considered one of the pioneers of the Disney musical renaissance, Ashman lost a battle with AIDs when he was just 40 years old. Disney has since announced that the film will stay on its platform, so go and watch the history of one of the silent figureheads of cinema as we know it. You can watch Howard on Disney+.
The Beatles: Get Back
Compiled by Sir Peter Jackson from more than 60 hours of unseen video and 150 hours of unheard audio, The Beatles: Get Back shows us John, Paul, George and Ringo in 1969, as they prepare for their first live show in two years and attempt to record an accompanying album. Creative and personal tension is interweaved with moments of musical joy and genius, including footage of the famous Savile Row rooftop concert – their last live performance as a group – in its entirety. It's a fascinating study of musical creativity and the balance between writing the perfect song and getting the job done. No matter your opinion of The Beatles, watching Sir Paul McCartney's brain compose “Get Back” from scratch in real time is one of the most magical moments in documented music history. You can watch The Beatles: Get Back on Disney+.
Jaws at 50: The Definitive Inside Story
Plagued by technical difficulties, conflict between its co-stars, and a mechanical shark that never worked, no one had a good time making Jaws. Nonetheless, its effect on Hollywood cinema was monumental — and it prompted a young Steven Spielberg's ascent into filmmaking stardom. 50 years on, the filmmaker and a number of his Hollywood colleagues — including fellow mega-directors like George Lucas and James Cameron — come together to recount the disastrous making of the definitive blockbuster. You can watch Jaws at 50 on Disney+.
Best documentaries to watch on Apple TV+:
Paris is Burning
Filmed in the late 1980's Paris is Burning offers us a completely one-of-a-kind glimpse into the world of drag and ballroom culture at a time just before its ‘golden age’ was considered over. Paris is Burning does what all great documentaries of its kind should, which is to teach us about a subculture know little about while also humanising the people who inhabit it. Focused around the annual ‘Paris Is Burning ball’, a vogueing competition, we get insights into the day-to-day lives of LGBTQ+ at a time that has never been more threatening, with a special, thoughtful lens on African-American and Latino members of the community. With drag culture pretty mainstream at this point, Paris is Burning is a seminal text. You can watch Paris is Burning on Apple TV+.
Summer Of Soul
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s directorial debut bagged two awards at Sundance earlier this year and has since been dubbed the “best concert film of all time”. It stitches together footage from the forgotten 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, featuring electric performances from Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Set against the backdrop of civil unrest in the US, Thompson’s film is a much-needed ode to Black consciousness, artistry and joy in the 1960s. You can watch Summer of Soul on Apple TV.
Hoop Dreams
Hoop Dreams follows two high-school students as they vie to become professional basketball players. It’s also about race, class, education, privilege, and the modern American experience. Film critic GOAT Roger Ebert said watching it for the first time was “one of the great moviegoing experiences of my lifetime,” and it came top of several critics’ (including Ebert’s) lists of the best films of 1994 – a year that also saw the release of Pulp Fiction, The Lion King, Forrest Gump, Quiz Show and The Shawshank Redemption. So you know it's good. You can watch Hoop Dreams on Apple TV.
Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You
To coincide with his 20th(!!) studio album, Letter to You, Bruce Springsteen released this 2020 film to document its production with his longtime collaborators the E Street Band. It's part insight into the professional grind of one of our most enduring (and still touring!) musicians, part concert film in its own right. There are full songs performed by The Boss along with a behind-the-scenes look at him tinkering at the forthcoming album. If there's one thing about Bruce Springsteen, he just really digs this whole music thing: he approaches it like the hardened New Jersey labourers he gruffs about, and Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You reveals the heart and soul that goes into that grind. You can watch Bruce Springsteen’s Letter to You on Apple TV+.
For Sama
Documentaries often come from the point of view of hindsight, of examining past truths through a new and exploratory lens. For Sama lands us directly in the Syrian warzone as it's happening and as we, the rest of the world, were looking on. For Sama tells the all-too-normal human story of falling in love, getting pregnant and giving birth but all against the backdrop of the uprising in Aleppo. As cataclysmic horrors rain down across Syria, Waad Al-Kateab narrates a love letter to her daughter, Sama, about the internal debate over whether to flee to save their lives or stay and protect the freedom of the country she loves. For Sama forces us to confront the humanity that exists in conflict. You can watch For Sama on Apple TV.
Best documentaries to watch on BBC iPlayer:
Louis Theroux's Forbidden America
Louis is back in the USA and delving deeper into the underbelly of a nation in flux. This three-part series sees Louis at his probing, off-guard best, exploring how the internet and social media have impacted some of the most controversial subcultures in American society. From the young online extremists of the American far right to Florida's rap scene and the US porn industry's #MeToo reckoning, Forbidden America is as fascinating as you'd expect from one of the UK's greatest documentarians. You can watch Louis Theroux's Forbidden America on BBC iPlayer.
Live Aid at 40: When Rock ‘n’ Roll Took on the World
Over four decades ago, the world's then-biggest pop acts — Sting, George Michael, Phil Collins and Bono among them — assembled for a charity single, “Do They Know It's Christmas?”, in aid of a devastating famine in Ethiopia. It was a staggering hit and led to one of the biggest music concerts ever organised the next year: Live Aid, an international music festival simultaneously taking place in London and Philadelphia, with performances from megastars like Queen, David Bowie, Elton John and The Who. Using all-new interviews and archive footage, this documentary retells the story of the greatest cultural event of all time. You can watch Live Aid at 40 on BBC iPlayer.
