It's been said many times that the greatest quality of movies is their ability to transport us to another another culture, another time, another world. While fictional films are of course wonderful at doing this, there's nothing like a good documentary to allow you to experience the unbelievably true lives of other individuals.
Specifically, Netflix really brought documentaries to a wider audience in the past few years, not only through its treasure trove of hundreds of films but also through its original content. The latest of those is Virguna, which premieres on Netflix Instant Streaming Nov. 7. The documentary, executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, chronicles the fight to protect eastern Congo's Virunga National Park, home to the last mountain gorillas, from rebels, poachers and corporations all trying to take its valuable resources.
It looks like Virunga will be a captivating and visually stunning film, and there are plenty more documentaries like that on Netflix that are definitely worth 90 minutes of your time. Here are the very best.
1. 7 Up series (1964 to 2012)
This groundbreaking British documentary series follows a group of individuals every seven years of their lives starting at age 7 all the way up to the most recent installment at age 56. There's really been nothing like it before or since.
2. Paris Is Burning (1990)
Paris is Burning is a vibrant, touching and heartbreaking look at New York drag culture in the late 1980s, and it is a must see.
3. Food, Inc. (2008)
Food, Inc. is an in-depth look at how food makes its way from the farm to our stomachs. After watching this, you'll probably never want to eat again.
4. Man on Wire (2008)
In 1974, Philippe Petit walked across a tightrope strung between the newly-constructed Twin Towers in Manhattan. That was an unbelievable feat in and of itself, but this documentary is masterful before we even get to that point in the story, playing more like a feature film than a historical account.
5. Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010)
This trippy documentary, directed by none other than elusive British street artist Banksy, explores the underground world of street art, fame and the perception of reality itself.
6. Restrepo (2010)
Restrepo is a startlingly raw and up-close look at what it's like to fight in Afghanistan.
7. The Act of Killing (2012)
The Act of Killing should have won the 2014 Academy Award for "Best Documentary Feature," in my opinion. It's a haunting and unbelievable film that follows a group of former executioners involved in the mid-1950s mass killings in Indonesia as they create a film re-enacting those events. It sounds confusing, but you'll really never see anything else like it.
8. How to Survive a Plague (2012)
This is the inspirational story of how activists from the organizations ACT UP and TAG (Treatment Action Group) fought for the medical care of those living with AIDS in the 1980s and 1990s.
9. The Queen of Versailles (2012)
This documentary is a fascinating look at what happens to a billionaire couple as the economic crisis of 2008 causes their fortune to crumble.
10. Room 237 (2012)
Calling all Stanley Kubrick fans. Room 237 is your chance to geek out at all the possible hidden meanings in the director's 1980 classic The Shining.
11. 20 Feet From Stardom (2013)
The 2014 winner of the Academy Award for "Best Documentary Feature" shows that just because you're not in the spotlight doesn't mean you don't feel any pressure.
12. Blackfish (2013)
Blackfish is a fantastic example of how a documentary can make a difference. Since this film, which explores the treatment of one of SeaWorld's killer whales in captivity, gained traction over the last year, the theme park's stock price and attendance have taken a major hit.
13. Cutie and the Boxer (2013)
This nominee for the 2014 Academy Award for "Best Documentary Feature" is a brilliant look at how art — and love — change throughout the years.
14. The Square (2013)
Another one of Netflix's original documentaries, The Square, captures the hope, danger and emotion of the Egyptian protests in 2012.
Image: Magnolia Pictures
