Back in 2020, during the first Covid lockdown, I found myself watching an unusual amount of television. But my consciousness was rising, and time was precious, so I wanted to learn whilst doing so. I did not want to turn away from the truths I was learning about, and so I turned to documentaries. I have since learnt the harmony of balance, and now intersperse mind-opening documentaries with the joys of emotionally regulating in the form of Friends, Gossip Girl, or if I'm really feeling sentimental (and dark), American Horror Story.
Watching a great documentary is like taking a bite of a sweet onion that's been growing in your garden. Satisfying, surprising, and igniting of an inner fire. A great documentary can offer lightbulb moments served on a silver platter of convenience and beauty. On the flip side, finding a great documentary to invest a few hours in can be a frustrating experience. There are so many out there on so many different subjects. It's a good thing - this world is extremely interesting.
The documentaries listed below come highly recommended, tried-and-tested, fully consumed and evaluated. They are emotive, empowering, fact-full, funny, artistic, interesting, and each one has left a lasting impression. So when you get the feeling to watch a documentary, please make use of this list. Share it around. And more importantly, send me YOUR recommendations, please, so I can learn too. Awareness awaits...
Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
Parks and Recreation alumni Nick Offerman and Adam Scott guide the viewer on this trip of a documentary (pardon the pun), embellished with comedy, vivid graphics, comments by medical professionals and interviews with a handful of musicians and movie stars on their adventures in psychedelics. Each story is unique, but similar patterns and advice are shared.
Documentary snippets
"When you treat the world as just an object, you tend to treat it badly. If you see the world as part of you, then you will treat it better" - Sting's realisation.
"I have no idea why there was a rainbow coming out of my penis. I don't even like rainbows" - ASAP Rocky's personal re-telling of a psychedelic experience.
JANE
Grand, emotive video footage of chimpanzees existing in their natural habitat + the story of a young woman utterly determined to live her dream, to do what she always envisioned herself doing = this biographical documentary of Jane Goodall's life and career, a must-watch. It is simply a lovely story and the imagery is breathtaking. I had never before seen a chimpanzee, not really, not for an extended period of time (approximately two hours, it's a film), and found myself feeling slightly uneasy when watching. That is when a realisation occurred to me. I am that disconnected, that I feel a fear of the unknown looking at my own predecessor. I was almost frustrated at my unease. I watched on, and it diminished as I began to connect with the animals through the screen, enjoying each character, as Jane sets such a vivid scene with her storytelling.
This documentary should be a great kick up the butt for anyone sitting on the fence between 'setting aside ego and going for what I want, giving it a shot' and 'unconscious living' - a true waste of time and energy. I also recommend this to those who would enjoy the time spent immersing themselves in some magical foreign nature from the comfort of a couch. I might also add, I could not double-screen with this documentary. It was truly gripping.
That Black British Feeling
In late 2016, BBC journalist Nesta McGregor investigated the Black Lives Matter movement and spoke to different people with varying views for this 30-minute documentary. Depressingly, the content could easily make sense applied to 2022, which should be a reminder of how imperative it is that the movement for equality does not, as it does, get swept under the rug of white supremacy, and the comfort of what is.
The Ignorance Project
Hans Rosling, author of one of our favourite books Factuflness, along with his son Ola, gives this TED talk all about ignorance. In 20 short minutes, they give tips on how to be less ignorant as part of a self-conditioned human race whose collective (and individual) ego relies on such a trait. A must-watch and a must-read.
Coronavirus, Explained
In the Explained documentary series, each episode takes on a current, relevant theme and explores it within a short 30-minute-on-average episode, leaving the viewer with a bit of general knowledge on the subject, and a feeling for whether they fancy exploring it further or not. These documentaries are a great option for those who don't want to commit to a full feature documentary film before knowing they're definitely interested in the subject and committed enough to sit and learn about it. Of course, it is impossible to explore all the intricacies of the themes they tackle, which range from sex to memory, dreams, anxiety and the Coronavirus, but these films are a great place to start digging.
Becoming
What a woman. What a role-model. What a human being. Former First Lady of the USA, Michelle Obama, the first African-American to ever serve that role, brings her bestselling book and memoir 'Becoming' to the screen with this inspirational documentary on her life. The viewer gets a behind-the-scenes look into her life as she works through her book tour, meeting all sorts of people along the way, touching their lives with a genuine love and passion we wish all politicians and people in charge had in their hearts too. Buy the book too, and if you loved the music from the documentary, listen to and download the Becoming playlist on Spotify.
History 101: Fast Food
A History 101 episode is a bite-sized history lesson full of digestible infographics and archival footage. The series tackles a range of subjects and explores them generally, from conception to present day, in short episodes. Episode 1, 'Fast Food' takes the viewer back to when fast food was first being eaten, to the rise in its popularly, to its eventual takeover, and how it impacts the planet and our bodies.
Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things
Opening your mind to the ideas shared and explored in this documentary could very well be life-changing. The documentary is largely narrated by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, otherwise known as The Minimalists; two American authors, podcasters, filmmakers, and public speakers who deeply believe in and share the message that when it comes to happiness, material things are not the answer nor cause. The documentary holds a mirror up and encourages recognition that unconscious consumerism is useless and detrimental, exposing flaws in those ideals we as consumers are so shamelessly pushed to accept as our own. Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things also looks at work and the pursuit of money, making it a particularly thought-provoking watch at this moment in time; following a dramatic period of mass unemployment, furlough and, for some, more free time than ever before.
13th
In this award-winning documentary, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, along with scholars, activists and politicians, expose the deception that is the 13th amendment, which supposedly abolishes slavery. 13th offers the viewer a crucial reality check. Spoiler alert: it was never abolished, the wording just changed. With chilling statistics and personal stories, 13th will no doubt light a fire in your belly and make you hungry for a long-overdue overhaul of our non-rehabilitating, abyss-like prison systems all over the globe.
The School of Life - can people change?
The School of Life's YouTube channel is where you'll find short videos exploring a multitude of subjects, on themes such as relationships, the soul, work and capitalism, western philosophy, great ideas, comedy, and many how-to's. The School of Life tackles big questions we don't get substantial, pure guidance on in our academic school careers, and makes them user-friendly, accessible and understandable, with simple terminology, cartoons and colours. Here are the videos we've watched and learnt from:
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