What comes to mind when you think of a documentary?
I would assume a two-hour-long bore of footage filled with facts and interviews. Since streaming platforms have become popularized, though, Netflix has made documentaries its brand of film marketing.
When Netflix released House of Cards, its first original scripted series, in 2013, the idea of studio-produced documentaries and docu-series seemed like a great idea. The movement of streaming documentaries established a whole new standard for docu-made films.
True crime documentaries have been piquing the interest of the younger generations. The intricate storylines of crimes, the first-hand audio recordings of victims, and interviews with the investigators are the core qualities that have captivated audiences.
I remember watching American Murder: The Family Next Door when it first released without knowing about the crime or investigation beforehand. I was engrossed watching the first-hand recordings and security camera footage of the husband denying his charges but—spoiler alert—he was the murderer.
Unsolved Mysteries, Netflix’s Crime Scene series, and the Conversations with a Killer series all cover well-known crimes and conspiracy theories that have captured Gen-Z’s attention. Social media platforms broadcast these investigations, planting this obsessive interest to crack the crime’s mysteries—even I am guilty of getting caught up in the documentaries.
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal was a Netflix hit in 2021 that covered the then-controversy of Rick Singer and his family’s attempt to cheat the college admission process. Operation Varsity Blues is the epitome of an enticing and necessary documentary as it exposes the fraudulent minds of the rich while presenting the controversy in an entertaining light.
Netflix sports documentaries are booming, documenting prominent athletes, teams, and sports. Formula 1: Drive to Survive creates an even bigger platform for motor racing. Break Point laments on the lows and the intensity of tennis tournaments. Quarterback delves into the glorified, yet strenuous lives of NFL’s current quarterbacks.
But Netflix does not stop there with the sport-oriented documentaries, as it drills down on specific athletes’ plays and private lives. The Last Dance perfectly captures Michael Jordan’s acclaimed career, while Beckham further publicizes the British footballer’s glamorous life with his “posh” wife and family.
Many documentaries have faced backlash due to their violation of privacy and trust. The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: Unheard Tapes is an exposé on Marilyn Monroe’s career and her untimely death. When watching the documentary, her raw voice and explicit images draw chills down my spine—the movie seems like another Hollywood strategy to profit off of its so-called American sweetheart.
Lines must be drawn when it comes to documentaries at the presentation of the subject. Is the topic a matter of artistic rights or a violation of one?
Biographical documentaries like Taylor Swift’s Miss Americana and Pamela Anderson’s Pamela, A Love Story show an authentic image of who they are. These types of documentaries feel more like a celebration of careers and identities rather than a marketing strategy.
I revel in Netflix’s pop culture filmography, especially the films about actors and musicians, which I think has geared my generation toward the world of documentaries.
Netflix documentaries target audiences with obsessive interest on current trends and pop culture, but this is where the idea of documentaries gets blurry.
What is the purpose of a documentary?
The intention and approach of documentaries are to inform on and signify the topic of their subject. Tracing back to the mid-1900s before the existence of Netflix, documentary filmmakers gained popularity due to their fearless ability to broadcast controversies of historical reforms and current social issues.
Consider the infamous Academy Award winner, Michael Moore, who made Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11. He stylized documentaries as satirical commentary against political figures and leaders. Moore used this mode of filmmaking to voice his political stance and effect change in American politics.
Documentary is a form of cinema that conveys necessary videos, images, and stories to bring change in the realms of the arts, history, and politics. Looking back at the Academy Awards this year, a Ukrainian filmmaker took back the golden statue for his documentary, 20 Days in Mariupol.
The documentary contains footage and images in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion and military attacks captured by the director, Mstyslav Chernov. The heavy-hearted narration and the raw handheld videos are what established 20 Days in Mariupol to be such an important form of cinema.
“Cinema forms memories, and memories form history,” Chernov summarizes in his Oscar acceptance speech. It’s a perfect summary of the power that documentaries can hold.
