The 19 Best Documentaries on Netflix to Watch Right Now

Stories you won't be able to stop thinking about.

Best Netflix Documentaries
(Image credit: Netflix)

In a perfect world, everything you watch would teach you something. But that isn't always the case. Enter documentaries, known for their ability to enlighten, spark charge, and leave you feeling some kind of way. One of life's greatest treasures, Netflix, has enough of these kinds of flicks to entertain you for days on end. From an intimate look into former first lady Michelle Obama's life to the crazy story of how what was supposed to be the greatest party of all time never happened in Fyre, these 19 documentaries will keep the possibility of boredom non-existent. (Check out the best documentaries on Amazon Prime here, and on Hulu here.)

'Becoming' (2020)

Becoming | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube Becoming | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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Partly based on Michelle Obama's powerful memoir of the same name, this doc follows the former first lady on her book tour and features intimate interviews about her life and the most important people in it.

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'Athlete A' (2020)

This doc follows investigative journalists at the Indianapolis Star and their work breaking the story of doctor Larry Nassar's years-long history of assaulting young female gymnasts.

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'Icarus' (2017)

Icarus | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube Icarus | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube
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This Oscar-winning documentary chronicles filmmaker Bryan Fogel as he explored doping in amateur cycling—and ended up stumbling on a major international doping scandal.

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'Voyeur' (2017)

Voyeur | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube Voyeur | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube
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In Voyeur, journalist Gay Talese investigates a certifiably creepy motel owner named Gerald Foos, who spies on his guests from a hidden platform in the motel's attic. 

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'Knock Down The House' (2019)

Knock Down The House | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube Knock Down The House | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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See the origin story of U.S. representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and three other amazing women during the 2018 midterm elections. You already know how it ends for most of the congressional contenders, but the stories of these grass-roots campaigns are all the more inspiring for it.

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'The Great Hack' (2019)

The Great Hack | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube The Great Hack | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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This documentary sheds light on the complex scandal involving data company Cambridge Analytica and the role it place in the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

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'A Secret Love' (2020)

A Secret Love | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube A Secret Love | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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This touching film tells the story of former All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player Terry Donahue and her lifelong partner, Pat Henschel, who kept their lesbian relationship a secret from their families for nearly seven decades.

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'Audrie & Daisy' (2016)

AUDRIE & DAISY Trailer (2016) - YouTube AUDRIE & DAISY Trailer (2016) - YouTube
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This gripping and heartbreaking documentary tells the story of two young women, Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman, who were victims of sexual assault. The film explores and investigates toxic rape culture, aiming at spreading awareness through the girls’ raw stories and accounts.

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'Miss Americana: Taylor Swift' (2020)

Miss Americana | Official Trailer - YouTube Miss Americana | Official Trailer - YouTube
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Swifties everywhere love this documentary for its ability to capture the artist they have admired for so many years. Newcomers will look at this documentary of Swift as a welcome into her private world she's been hiding for so long. Also, still looking into getting the same backpack she has for her cat, for my own fluffball.

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'Abducted in Plain Sight' (2017)

Abducted In Plain Sight - Trailer - YouTube Abducted In Plain Sight - Trailer - YouTube
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A girl from an Idaho family was not abducted once, but twice from her psychotic next-door neighbor after a series of really odd and abnormal events. It's the weirdest true crime story you'll ever see and will have you second-guessing who you live next to, I guarantee it.

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'Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened' (2019)

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube
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Back in 2017, your social media feeds were probably overrunning with mentions of Fyre Festival, a music event that was supposed to be the ultimate getaway. When festival-goers got to the island where the event was going to take place, they found out quickly nothing was what it seemed. Get ready to learn more about "the greatest party that never happened."

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'Diana: In Her Own Words' (2017)

Ten years into her marriage to Prince Charles and five years from their eventual divorce, Princess Diana sat down with Dr. James Colthurst at Kensington Palace. These conversations would later help write Andrew Morton's 1992 biography Diana: Her True Story. The interviews can be heard for the first time here as they discuss everything from depression to Charles' involvement with Camilla Bowles.

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'Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution' (2020)

CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION | Official Trailer | Netflix | Documentary - YouTube CRIP CAMP: A DISABILITY REVOLUTION | Official Trailer | Netflix | Documentary - YouTube
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In the 1970s, a group of disabled teenagers got together for a summer of fun at Camp Jened. It was known as a ramshackle camp "for the handicapped" in the Catskills. Friendships and bonds soon went beyond campgrounds as they found themselves leading a political movement to make sure there was accessibility for all.

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'Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator' (2019)

BIKRAM: YOGI, GURU, PREDATOR | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube BIKRAM: YOGI, GURU, PREDATOR | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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You may or may not know about Bikram Choudhury, the creator behind Bikram Yoga, who rose to fame for his practice of hot yoga in the seventies. When people grow as fast as Choudhury did, theirs a pretty big fall waiting around a corner, and that's precisely what Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator documents here.

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'Homecoming' (2019)

Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube
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When you thought Beyoncé couldn’t surprise you anymore, she writes a documentary about herself. And directs it. And executive-produces it. You can’t physically attend concerts right now, but you can definitely watch them. Get ready to sing your lungs out streaming Queen B’s concert documentary about her performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival—you won’t regret it.

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'Period. End Of Sentence.' (2018)

Period. End of Sentence Official Trailer 2018 - YouTube Period. End of Sentence Official Trailer 2018 - YouTube
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If you’re a woman, being on your period isn’t just normal, it’s also natural. But for some cultures more than others, menstruation is taboo. In this short docu-film, a group of Indian women decide it’s time to fight the all-time stigma surrounding menstruation, and begin manufacturing sanitary pads.

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'The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson' (2017)

The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube
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The transgender legend Marsha P. Johnson was found dead, floating on the Hudson river, in 1992. At the time, the case was closed and labeled as suicide, but for many people facts didn’t quite add up. In this film, filmmakers investigate her death, and try to get to the bottom of it.

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'Hot Girls Wanted' (2015)

Hot Girls Wanted - Official Trailer - Only on Netflix [HD] - YouTube Hot Girls Wanted - Official Trailer - Only on Netflix [HD] - YouTube
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What was supposed to tell the story of porn watching on college campuses changed when filmmakers Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus found out more men were watching porn with younger women than ever before. Produced by actress Rashida Jones, Hot Girls Wanted looks at five women between the ages of 18 and 25 as they step into the world of amateur porn in Florida.

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'13th' (2016)

13TH | official trailer (2016) Netflix - YouTube 13TH | official trailer (2016) Netflix - YouTube
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In this essential film, director Ava DuVernay dives deep into the roots of racial inequality in the United States and how it developed through the years. Focusing on American prisons as a pillar example of racial disproportion, the documentary is a fierce call to action that can’t be missed.

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Bianca Rodriguez
Audience Development Manager

Bianca Rodriguez is the Audience Development Manager at Future, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Marie Claire, Who What Wear US and Who What Wear UK. In addition to spearheading SEO content across brands—whether writing about wardrobe must-haves or strategizing how to make eye-catching content—she is also an avid reader with a deep love and knowledge for books of all genres. More often than not, you can find her lounging with a good book on the weekend.