School is out, but documentaries are always in. The 31 best documentaries on Netflix School is out, but documentaries are always in. By Ilana Gordon, Kevin Jacobsen, James Mercadante, and Diedre Johnson on June 4, 2026 8:38 a.m. ET :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/BestDocumentariesonNetflix022426d4111fd4b09742a18999c8a4b559bd43.jpg) Amy Winehouse in 'Amy'; Buzz Aldrin in 'Apollo 11'; Seymour Hersh in 'CoverUp'.

School is out, but documentaries are always in.

The 31 best documentaries on Netflix

School is out, but documentaries are always in.

By Ilana Gordon, Kevin Jacobsen, James Mercadante, and Diedre Johnson

on June 4, 2026 8:38 a.m. ET

Amy Winehouse in 'Amy'; Buzz Aldrin in 'Apollo 11'; Seymour Hersh in 'Cover-Up'. Credit:

Daniel Boczarski/Redferns; Neon/CNN Films; Mark Mahaney/Netflix

The days are growing longer, and what better way to fill them than with new information? Netflix's robust documentary catalog is regularly restocked with the most interesting nonfiction films, with entries from around the world.

Highlights this month include the new documentary *Marty: Life Is Short*, a biographical look at actor Martin Short's life spent finding the funny while navigating tragedies. Also worth watching are two diametrically opposite films from 2024: *The Lost Children* is an against-all-odds tale of survival from Colombia, and *Secret Mall Apartment* is an off-beat story about eight artists squatting in a Providence shopping center for four years.

There's always more to learn. Here's **’s list of the 31 best documentaries on Netflix.

13th (2016)

A woman sitting in a chair in '13th'. Netflix

The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, but this searing documentary argues that both have only taken on different forms in the years since its adoption. The Emmy-winning work, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay, traces the systematic oppression of Black Americans following the official end of slavery in 1865, from segregation to the disproportionate targeting of minorities during the war on drugs to the prison-industrial complex, of which private contractors have benefited financially.

DuVernay tackles varied and complicated forms of corruption here, but *13th* is carefully plotted to show how each act of disenfranchisement leads to another, serving as a riveting rallying cry. —*Kevin Jacobsen*

Where to watch *13th*: Netflix

**Director:** Ava DuVernay

All the Empty Rooms (2025)

In the documentary short *All the Empty Rooms*, journalist Steve Hartman and photographer Lou Bopp cross the United States, photographing and memorializing the abandoned bedrooms of children and teenagers killed in school shootings. The film’s mission is to put a human face on the gun violence crisis, and the production couldn’t have accomplished their goal in a more visceral way. A true emotional gut punch, *All the Empty Rooms* reminds viewers that children once lived, slept, and dreamed in these now-vacant rooms. Moving with empathy and compassion, Hartman and Bopp capture how these spaces help loved ones grieve and remember. *—Ilana Gordon*

Where to watch *All the Empty Rooms*: Netflix

**Director: **Joshua Seftel

**Cast:** Steve Hartman, Lou Bopp

American Factory (2019)

Workers in a windshield factory in Dayton, Ohio, in 'American Factory'. Netflix

This first film from Barack and Michelle Obama's production company Higher Ground — and winner of the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature — is an even-handed look at the trials and tribulations of a Chinese-owned windshield factory in Dayton, Ohio. As its domestic workers are tasked with more intensive labor for lower pay, their Chinese employers experience culture shock while adjusting to the American way of life.

Told with matter-of-fact honesty, *American Factory* drew rave reviews that included EW's critic, who notes, "The heart and soul of *American Factory*, like all American factories, is never really politics of course; it's people." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *American Factory*: Netflix

**EW grade:** B+

**Directors:** Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert

Amy (2015)

Amy Winehouse on the poster for 'Amy'. A24/Courtesy Everett Collection

A haunting documentary celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime talent, *Amy* offers a glimpse into the world of a young jazz singer with a musical gift developed far beyond her years. Propelled into fame at an early age and ridiculed by the media, Amy Winehouse's journey from vocal prodigy to cautionary tale premiered four years after her tragic death at age 27.

Featuring direction from Asif Kapadia, *Amy *does right by its namesake, celebrating her love of music and interrogating how that passion was dulled by a toxic relationship, familial struggles, and the substances she used to cope with her public existence. Nothing can bring Winehouse back, but this documentary does its best to capture her life in all its glory and complexity. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Amy*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Asif Kapadia

**Cast:** Amy Winehouse

Apollo 11 (2019)

Buzz Aldrin in 'Apollo 11'. Neon/CNN Films/Sundance Institute

Human achievement leveled up during the summer of 1969 when America successfully sent three astronauts to the moon. In the almost six decades since, the historic Apollo 11 mission has folded into American history and culture, but it’s never been experienced like this.

*Apollo 11*, a 93-minute documentary, takes viewers on an immersive journey behind the scenes of the launch and into the galaxy, thanks to an archival trove of 65mm footage and thousands of hours of audio recordings. The documentary is in a category all its own, with EW’s critic calling it “an inspiring, magical, and transcendent testament to human know-how, ambition, and achievement of the seemingly impossible. It’s, in a word, awesome.”** ***—I.G.*

Where to watch *Apollo 11*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A

**Director: **Todd Douglas Miller

**Cast:** Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Charles Duke, Bruce McCandless

Becoming Led Zeppelin (2025)

Jimmy Page in 'Becoming Led Zeppelin'.

Sony Pictures Classics/Courtesy Everett Collection

The summer of ‘69 wouldn’t have been the same without the formation of Led Zeppelin. The rock band missed the British Invasion, but took America by storm at the end of the ‘60s, becoming the number one music group by 1970, and one of the best-selling acts of all time.

*Becoming Led Zeppelin* is the band’s first authorized documentary and follows the group’s creation and early years together. Featuring three of the four bandmates — John Bonham died in 1980 at 32 years old, his story is presented through archival interviews — *Becoming Led Zeppelin *is music history told right. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Becoming Led Zeppelin*: Netflix

**Director: **Bernard MacMahon

**Cast:** Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant

Cover-Up (2025)

Seymour Hersh in 'Cover-Up'.

Mark Mahaney/Courtesy of Netflix

The My Lai massacre. The secret bombing of Cambodia. The Watergate Scandal. Domestic spying conducted by the CIA. Torture at Abu Ghraib. Freelance journalist Seymour Hersh investigated some of the 20th century's most incendiary stories. His reporting created lasting cultural and political impact — and earned him his fair share of enemies.

For the first time ever, Hersh allowed filmmakers into his world of political and military intrigue, offering insight into his reporting process, sources, and body of work. A documentary as gripping as a thriller, *Cover-Up* is a journey through political history via Hersh’s archives and anecdotes. The film is a crucial reminder of the importance of a free press, and its release couldn’t come at a better time. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Cover-Up*: Netflix

**Directors: **Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus

**Cast: **Seymour Hersh

Crip Camp (2020)

Activist Judith Heumann in 'Crip Camp'. Netflix

Following the success of *American Factory*, Higher Ground released this Oscar-nominated documentary about a New York summer camp called Camp Jened, which served as a haven for people with disabilities. Featuring footage of co-director James LeBrecht's experiences there in the early 1970s, the film demonstrates how the campers went on to fight in the disability rights movement of the late-20th century.

Balancing warmth with the urgency of its message, *Crip Camp* gives a more three-dimensional view of this marginalized community than most films, emphasizing the power of advocating for one's rights. As EW's critic writes, "Like most good storytelling, it takes care to make the political personal." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Crip Camp*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Directors:** Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht

Dick Johnson Is Dead (2020)

Dick Johnson (left) in 'Dick Johnson Is Dead'. Netflix

Life and death are inexorably linked in this unique film by celebrated documentary cinematographer Kirsten Johnson (*Cameraperson*). As her father lives with dementia, Johnson stages various fictional scenarios in which he accidentally dies — from tripping down the stairs to getting hit by a falling air conditioner — which he charmingly acts out for the camera.

What may sound morbid in writing is actually a bittersweet meditation on the stigma surrounding death and a daughter's special way of bonding with her dad before it's too late. Come for the absurdly planned schemes, stay for, as EW's critic observes, "the immeasurable love between [the film's] maker and its muse." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Dick Johnson Is Dead*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Kirsten Johnson

Disclosure (2020)

Lilly Wachowski in 'Disclosure'. Ava Benjamin Shorr/Netflix

Similar to the 1995 landmark film *The Celluloid Closet* — which discusses LGBTQ+ representation on screen — this documentary narrows in on depictions of trans characters in Hollywood. From problematic movies such as *The Crying Game* (1992) and *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* (1994) to groundbreaking shows like *Orange Is the New Black* and *Pose*, *Disclosure* deftly tracks the evolution of trans acceptance and how far we still have to go.

While the footage often speaks for itself, the value of this documentary comes from real-life actors and artists discussing how those cultural depictions shaped not only the societal perception of trans people but also how they view themselves. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Disclosure*: Netflix

**Director:** Sam Feder

Found (2021)

Lily, Chloe, and Sadie in 'Found'. Everett Collection

The effects of China's one-child policy are explored through the stories of three adopted American teenage girls in this rousing documentary. Each is adopted from China and come to discover they're cousins, leading them to explore their ancestry.

What makes *Found* fascinating is in how it allows for multiple perspectives from the cousins — one feels perfectly at home in America, while another is hoping that reconnecting with her roots will provide some resolution. It also makes room to honor the caretakers who house orphaned children and the sensitive nature of the adoption process. Have tissues nearby when watching. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Found*: Netflix

**Director: **Amanda Lipitz

The Greatest Night in Pop (2024)

The dozens of recording artists who participated in singing 'We Are the World,' as documented in 'The Greatest Night in Pop'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Remember that cringeworthy moment when Gal Gadot and a gaggle of celebs sat in their respective lavish homes and recorded a sing-along to John Lennon's "Imagine" during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic? Well, let's rewind to 1985, when 46 music legends responded to a crisis and produced a hit that made a *real* impact.

Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, artists including Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross united Avengers-style in A&M studio to record "We Are the World" — a chart-topping anthem that raised more than $80 million to combat famine in Africa, clinched four Grammys (including Record of the Year and Song of the Year), and became one of the best-selling singles of all time. *—James Mercadante*

Where to watch *The Greatest Night in Pop*: Netflix

**Director:** Bao Nguyen

Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)

A woman from the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints being interviewed in 'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey'.

Courtesy of Netflix

When did serving as a religious leader turn into a quest to have sex with as many underage girls as possible? That’s the question *Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey* attempts to answer in its four-episode docu-series centered on Warren Jeffs, former head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). This documentary draws you in as it explores the philosophies and teachings of the FLDS, Jeffs’ rise to power, the many girls forced to become wives and mothers before their time, and the families torn apart by his misdeeds. —*Diedre Johnson*

Where to watch *Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey*: Netflix

**EW grade: **A–

**Directors: **Rachel Dretzin, Grace McNally

The Lost Children (2024)

Magdalena Mucutuy in 'The Lost Children'.

In 2023, a small plane containing seven people — including four children under the age of 13 — crashed in the Colombian Amazon. When rescuers located the aircraft in the jungle two weeks after the accident, they found the bodies of the three adult passengers — but the kids were missing.

An astonishing tale of survival, *The Lost Children* details how the children's Indigenous upbringing prepared them to withstand their punishing environment, and highlights how the search and rescue effort aligned two groups historically at odds: the Colombian military and local native communities. The events are recent, but the storytelling is timeless. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Lost Children*: Netflix

**Directors: **Jorge Duran, Lali Houghton, Orlando von Einsiedel

Marty: Life Is Short (2026)

Martin Short in 'Marty: Life Is Short'.

Courtesy of Netflix

With a comedic resume that includes *SCTV*, *Saturday Night Live*, and almost five decades' worth of film, TV, and stage work, Martin Short built his career on making people laugh. His ability to do so is a superpower, enhanced by years of early personal loss. Orphaned at 20 years old and the youngest of five siblings (the eldest who died in a car accident when Short was 12), Short’s joyful approach to comedy and life gave him a unique lens through which to view Hollywood and made him a beloved figure among his large cadre of industry pals and co-workers. Director Lawrence Kasdan (1983's *The Big Chill*) — another longtime friend — invites a few of Short’s closest comedy peers to help flesh out the actor’s story, and explain how metabolizing tragedy can shape a life of positivity. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Marty: Life is Short*: Netflix

**Director:** Lawrence Kasdan

**Cast: **Martin Short, Steve Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin

Miss Americana (2020)

Taylor Swift in 'Miss Americana'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour inspired one of the biggest pop culture conversations of 2023, but even as Swift proved over and over why she’s one of the best in the business, it’s worth traveling back in time a few years to a period when her reputation was on the line and much less respect was afforded to her work. *Miss Americana** *allows Swift the chance to get truly vulnerable, scrubbing away her strategically crafted image to reveal the human being behind the lyrics.

Swift opens up about her struggles with feuds and fame, her issues with disordered eating, her political frustrations, and ultimately, the responsibility she feels towards her fans, her music, and her legacy. *Miss Americana *will, as EW’s reviewer writes, make “you wish you’d seen more of this Taylor a long time ago.” *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Miss Americana*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director: **Lana Wilson

**Cast: **Taylor Swift

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My Octopus Teacher (2020)

Craig Foster and an octopus in 'My Octopus Teacher'.

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2021, *My Octopus Teacher *is a story of relationships, as told by a filmmaker who bonds with an octopus. Craig Foster spent a year free-diving and following an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, and the bond he develops with the animal as she invites him into her underwater life helps to inform and transform his relationships with his fellow humans — especially his son.

It takes a talented production team to make a movie about sea creatures feel like an important story about humanity, but this crew pulls it off, creating a piece of art that is affecting, educational, and inspiring. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *My Octopus Teacher*: Netflix

**Directors: **Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed

**Cast: **Craig Foster, Tom Foster** **

The Only Girl in the Orchestra (2023)

Orin O'Brien in 'The Only Girl in the Orchestra'.

Courtesy of Netflix

In 1966, there were 104 members of the New York Philharmonic: 103 men and one woman. The woman’s name is Orin O’Brien, and she was hired by Leonard Bernstein to play double bass. As the first woman invited to perform in the orchestra, O’Brien’s incredible story as a pioneer within classical music was captured by her niece, filmmaker Molly O’Brien, and won the Best Documentary Short at the 2025 Oscars. The film is only 35 minutes long, but it packs a punch, allowing O’Brien to reflect on her love of craft and 55-year career with the Philharmonic, which ended when she retired in 2021. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Only Girl in the Orchestra*: Netflix

**Director: **Molly O'Brien

**Cast: **Orin O'Brien

The Perfect Neighbor (2025)

Ajike Owens' family in 'The Perfect Neighbor'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Florida is known for employing a stand-your-ground law, a legal policy that provides residents the option of employing lethal force rather than retreating as a means of self-defense. The law has proven controversial in the past, but in 2023, it was tested when 35-year-old Ajike Owens was shot through a locked door while waiting to speak with her neighbor.

*The Perfect Neighbor* gives an unvarnished accounting of the events leading up to and following Owens’ murder using body cam footage collected during the police’s prior visits to the killer’s house. What emerges is a documentary free from editorializing — the story is told by Ajike, her neighbors, the police investigating the conflicts, and the killer herself. The events in the film are hard to stomach, but the systemic issues the documentary highlights make *The Perfect Neighbor* a must-watch. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *The Perfect Neighbor*: Netflix

**Director:** Geeta Gandbhir

Race to the Summit (2023)

An alpinist on the face of a mountain in 'Race to the Summit'.

Fans of *Free Solo *will find new heights to explore in *Race to the Summit*. This sports and climbing documentary chronicles the rivalry between alpinists Ueli Steck and Dani Arnold as both climbers race to secure the fastest times on their ascents up the Swiss Alps' great north faces.

As with all climbing documentaries, non-climbers will struggle to understand what drives a person to risk their life like this, but the film’s stunning vistas and the athletes’ dedication to their sport needs no explanation. Viewers with fears of heights may want to steer clear, however: These shots are guaranteed to raise your heart rate and take your breath away. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Race to the Summit*: Netflix

**Directors: **Nicholas de Taranto, Götz Werner** **

**Cast: **Dani Arnold, Alex Honnold, Ueli Steck

Rolling Thunder Revue (2019)

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan in 'Rolling Thunder Revue'. Netflix

Martin Scorsese blurs the line between fiction and reality in this glimpse into Bob Dylan's eponymous 1975 tour. The director blends archival footage with modern interviews from those who were in the singer's circle, including Joan Baez and Sam Shepard, as well as from fictional characters, played by the likes of Sharon Stone and Michael Murphy. This fluid style pays tribute to Dylan's 1978 film *Renaldo and Clara*, which also combines documentary footage and fictional vignettes.

While your enjoyment may vary depending on your tolerance for experimentation, EW's critic writes, "The Rolling Thunder Revue was Dylan's personal magical mystery tour — and in Scorsese's hands, there's no shortage of magic or mystery." —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Rolling Thunder Revue*: Netflix

**EW grade:** A–

**Director:** Martin Scorsese

Secret Mall Apartment (2024)

A man in red shorts walking into a living room in 'Secret Mall Apartment'.

One of 2024’s buzziest documentaries began as a Rhode Island urban legend. In 2003, a group of eight young adults snuck a secret apartment into a new mall in Providence. The artists squatted there for four years without detection, until one of them was discovered.

The documentary, released 21 years after the friends first moved in, is a fascinating portrait of a project that started as a protest against gentrification, and evolved into a combination of prank, performance art, and sustained act of meta-rebellion. The events depicted in *Secret Mall Apartment* occurred years before filming everyday life became de rigueur, but the eight artists who lived in the shopping center recorded everything using RadioShack cameras, giving director Jeremy Workman plenty of visual highlights to illustrate the story. *—I.G.*

Where to watch *Secret Mall Apartment*: Netflix

**Director: **Jeremy Workman

**Cast:** Michael Townsend, Colin Bliss, Adriana Valdez-Young, Andrew Oesch, Greta Scheing

The Social Dilemma (2020)

Tristan Harris, Sandy Parakilas, and Roger McNamee in 'The Social Dilemma'. Everett Collection

"I always felt like, fundamentally, it was a force for good," says Alex Roetter, former head of engineering for Twitter in this incisive documentary. "I don't know if I feel that way anymore." *The Social Dilemma* dives deep into the manipulation tactics of sites like Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Instagram to keep users hooked and the negative consequences that result — from the spread of misinformation to depression and suicide.

The doc features various talking heads from former employees of these social media sites, who explain their companies' insidious practices. Additionally, the film presents a dramatization of an average family of five to demonstrate social media addiction in various forms. After watching *The Social Dilemma*, which presents its thesis in sobering fashion, it will be hard not to think twice before mindlessly scrolling Facebook or Instagram again. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *The Social Dilemma*: Netflix

**Director:** Jeff Orlowski

''Sr.'' (2022)

Robert Downey Sr. in ''Sr.''. Everett Collection

Before Robert Downey Jr. became one of the faces of mainstream cinema, there was his counterculture filmmaker father. Robert Downey Sr. made a name for himself in the independent cinema scene in the '60s and '70s, directing a series of anti-establishment films. His life is profiled in this moving documentary, delving into his unconventional career and his relationship with his son.

Downey Jr. — one of the producers on *"Sr."* — unpacks family traumas and shares his remembrances of his father throughout the doc. The film serves as a deeply personal tribute from a son to a father, and a loving eulogy, as Downey Sr. died in 2021 from complications of Parkinson's disease. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *"Sr."*: Netflix

**Director:** Chris Smith

Tell Me Who I Am (2019)

Marcus Lewis and Alex Lewis in 'Tell Me Who I Am'. Netflix

Documentaries don’t come much more riveting — or harrowing — than *Tell Me Who I Am*. The film centers around a pair of middle-aged identical British twins: Alex and Marcus Lewis. When Alex was 18, a motorcycle accident resulted in brain damage, impairing his memory and leaving him with only one truth: Marcus was his brother, and he could trust him implicitly.

Marcus helped Alex rebuild his life, but when the twins were 32, they discovered a photo in their deceased parents’ home that sent both of their realities spiraling. EW’s critic writes, “the truth, when it does come out, is devastating — to the point that it can feel invasive to watch such a profoundly private moment unfold on camera for our benefit.” *—I.G*

Where to watch *Tell Me Who I Am*: Netflix

**EW grade: **B

**Director: **Ed Perkins

**Cast:** Alex Lewis, Marcus Lewis

To Kill a Tiger (2023)

A young woman sits with her back to the camera in 'To Kill a Tiger'.

One of the best documentaries to premiere in 2022, *To Kill a Tiger *is a Canadian film that tells the story of one family’s fight for justice for their 13-year-old after news of her rape becomes public in their small village in India. Emotional, educational, and deeply personal, the film was nominated for a Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2024, and cleaned up on the film festival circuit in 2023. Executive produced by Mindy Kaling, Dev Patel, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and the poet Rupi Kaur, among others, *To Kill a Tiger *is a necessary film with an important message, told and packaged with bravery and compassion by director Nisha Pahuja.** ***—I.G*

Where to watch *To Kill a Tiger*: Netflix

**Director: **Nisha Pahuja

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)

Lauryn Licari in 'Unknown Number: The High School Catfish'.

Courtesy of Netflix

In 2021, a scandal divided a small town in Michigan. A high school girl and her boyfriend started receiving threatening texts from an unknown number — and no one could figure out who was sending them. The harassment continued for a year, during which time the school, law enforcement, and FBI got involved. They eventually figured out where the texts were coming from, and the culprit shocked *everyone*.

*Unknown Number: The High School Catfish* is one of those documentaries that is so outrageous, it gets people talking. And if you’ve somehow managed to avoid spoilers, log off right now and watch the film before that changes. But even if you’ve had the twist spoiled by the online discourse, the film is still worth watching: It's one of those stories that's so wild, you have to see it to believe it. *—I.G*

Where to watch *Unknown Number: The High School Catfish*: Netflix

**Director: **Skye Borgman

Virunga (2014)

A gorilla and one of the workers fighting to protect the endangered primates in 'Virunga'. Netflix

The Oscar-nominated documentary *Virunga* is one of the prime examples of a documentarian shifting perspectives dramatically to follow the more interesting story. Filmmaker Orlando von Einsiedel set out to document the preservation efforts of workers at the Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park to protect endangered gorillas. Shortly into filming, a rebellion by the military group M23 took place in the region, adding further dimension to Einsiedel's original plan.

The doc explores the impact of the rebellion on the park, in addition to the exploits of a British oil company hoping to drill in the area. Unfolding with earned dramatic tension, *Virunga* is urgent and powerful in its message of mankind's destruction on natural environments, while giving us heroes worth rooting for. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Virunga*: Netflix

**Director:** Orlando von Einsiedel

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

Nina Simone in 'What Happened, Miss Simone?'. Netflix

Netflix is home to numerous documentaries about celebrities and artists, but few have led a life as fascinating as Nina Simone's. The iconic jazz blues singer — responsible for definitive versions of such classics as "Feeling Good," "I Put a Spell on You," and "Sinnerman," as well as originals like "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" — was an outspoken activist during the civil rights movement, infusing progressive messages into her music and risking her own career to stand up for what she believed in. *What Happened, Miss Simone?* will have you searching for her virtuosic performances on YouTube for hours on end. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *What Happened, Miss Simone?*: Netflix

**Director:** Liz Garbus

Will & Harper (2024)

Will Ferrell and Harper Steele in 'Will & Harper'.

*Saturday Night Live* launched Will Ferrell’s comedy career and turned castmates and co-writers into lifelong pals. Ferrell’s nearly 30-year friendship with one of the show’s former head writers changed one day when he received an email stating that said writer was transitioning to live as a woman.

*Will & Harper* follows Ferrell and comedy writer Harper Steele as the two embark on a road trip across America to better understand their new dynamic and explore this next phase in their friendship. A buddy comedy unlike any you’ve seen before, *Will & Harper* is an ongoing conversation about show business, platonic relationships, and living one's authentic life in modern America. Since leaving *SNL*, Ferrell has taken on dramatic roles, but never has he been more human and honest than in this prescient and funny documentary. *—I.G*

Where to watch *Will & Harper*: Netflix

**Director: **Josh Greenbaum

**Cast: **Will Ferrell, Harper Steele

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015)

Someone waving Ukraine's flag in 'Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom'. Everett Collection

Released seven years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, *Winter on Fire* follows a Ukrainian fight of a different kind. The visceral documentary centers on the Maidan Uprising of 2013 and 2014, which began after a free-trade deal with the European Union fell through at the last minute, with then-Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych making a deal with Russia instead.

Through immersive on-the-ground footage, *Winter on Fire* tracks protestors from peaceful demonstrations to violent confrontations with police as people from all walks of life fight against a government preventing them from moving forward as a nation. The galvanizing documentary earned an Oscar nomination, and director Evgeny Afineevsky released a companion film in 2022, *Freedom on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom*, which chronicles the Russian invasion. —*K.J.*

Where to watch *Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom*: Netflix

**Director:** Evgeny Afineevsky

- Documentary Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Documentary"

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Source: Documentary

Published: June 5, 2026 at 12:38AM on Source: MANUEL MAG

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