What was the last documentary you watched?

[Witchard Changeling]

Despite my unequivocal adoration for @Richard Channing

Stop it you're making me blush!

this "what was the last documentary you watched?" thread eliminates the need for the Documentary page as a whole (just as the "what was the last movie you watched?" and "movies from the '30s to the '60s"/"movies from the '70s until this morning" threads neutralize the need for the Movies page).

Most films won't spark any discussion whatsoever and therefore it doesn't make sense to clutter the film forum with individual threads for every film we've watched.
It usually only works for the popular classics and film series (I hate the word franchise).

Yes, unfortunately the documentaries forum doesn't see a lot of traffic. The only threads that tend to gain momentum are ones about high profile celebrities/scandals that many people have an opinion on, like Leaving Neverland or Harry & Meghan. So maybe that's not too encouraging for people to start threads about other kinds of docs and hopefully a thread like this one doesn't also discourage that, and maybe it does, or maybe there'd be even less traffic in here without it? Hard to know.

 

[Friend!Food! Oleson]

My favourites are the cults and also scientology, there's something so creative about their wacky theories.

 

[Witchard Changeling]

Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal. Pretty good.

 

[Friend!Food! Oleson]

I was in the mood for some mystery & misery but couldn't find anything that didn't look completely stupid so I figured a documentary could do the trick.

Considering how and where the murdered British couple lived at that time - kinda like a recipe for disaster - it is peculiar that the tragedy unfolded in this particular way.

Even though I hate to compare human sufferings, I think the #1 worst nightmare is when a loved one goes missing and never gets found. It's such an impossible kind of grief.
That's not what happens in this documentary but it does show how important closure can be even if it's just a symbolic one.
I don't think that confronting a sociopath with his/her misbehaviour will result in satisfaction or justice, but at least there's the public acknowledgment of what happened and by whom.

It's all very nasty and I got more misery than I had bargained for.
Btw, should you ever stumble upon a documentary about Marc Dutroux, think hard before you click on it.
I watched one on youtube (possibly made for television because it didn't look as slick as the streaming documentaries) and I was seriously disgusted and depressed for more than a week. Not that I didn't know what it was all about but I really wish I hadn't watched that video about unfathomable horrors.

 

[CryptCreeper72]

I just finished OJ: Made in America on Netflix. It originally came out in 2016 and won an academy award, but at the time, I was so sick of OJ Simpson I couldn't bring myself to watch it.

It is one of the best documentaries on the case I have ever seen. The filmmakers struck a balance between making it absolutely clear OJ was guilty and explaining exactly why he was acquitted. The prosecution made so many HUGE mistakes, but it seems to be they lost the minute they added Christopher Darden to the team for no other reason than he was black. The interviews with two jury members make it very apparent that the jury was never going to convict - no matter what - but the prosecution team gave them every excuse under the sun.

If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend it.

 

[DallasFanForever]

I just finished OJ: Made in America on Netflix. It originally came out in 2016 and won an academy award, but at the time, I was so sick of OJ Simpson I couldn't bring myself to watch it.

I felt just like you at first. What else could be said about this case that we hadn’t heard before? I was surprised at how engaging this was. By far the best documentary I’ve ever seen on his life and the case. They interviewed just about everyone you could ever think of for this. It deserved an award.

 

[CryptCreeper72]

Me and my kid re-watched Blackfish again last night. It saddened me to realize we really haven't come all that far since the film's original release. Yes - Sea World stopped capturing whales, but large magnificent wild animals are still being held in captivity for the amusement of humans all over the world.

The other thing that struck me watching this time was the emphasis on the danger to HUMANS working with these animals over the plight of the animals themselves.

 

[Witchard Changeling]

What a fascinating woman.

 

[Witchard Changeling]

Wow, this was really good. Mind blowing cinematography and also the fact that they both documented so much of what they do for social media means the makers had a lot of footage to work with. My heart was in my stomach for a lot of it though, severely vertigo inducing stuff!