27 Eye-Opening Documentaries You Can’t Miss

One way or another, we all connect to Documentaries. However, the element that most of us tend to drift is the essence of the reality that one gathers from the collections of chronological clips, pictures, talking heads, audio, and sequences of the physical expedition or simple mundane tasks.
Great documentaries are this irrefutable feeling of authenticity even when watching something obviously biased. Even in cases where the overall attention is narrowed to fit a preconceived plot, there’s a distinctive feeling of intimacy, of being into a quick flash. In using snippets of the natural world in various forms, good documentaries use images of universal, familiar existence to reveal something personal and sometimes intimate.
With the recent explosion of the “docuseries” layout, we now go deeper into a story than ever before.
Below, out team at Cluster Corner compiled a list of what we believe are the 27 documentaries that everyone must watch.
Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
2019 | 3h 7m | Drama, Crime
3 Episodes
IMDB: 8.0

With its deconstruction of the psyche of an internet killer, Don’t F**k with Cats on Netflix is one of the most compelling true crime docuseries by Netflix to date. This Internet Hunt documentary is for you, It has just 3 episodes but it will get you hooked.
It is an intriguing look at how normal people can root out a killer using the same web tools that are available to everyone.
Just like any well-directed movie, this three-episodic show catches you with the intensifying degree of the crime committed just to play cat and mouse.
The Social Dilemma
2020 | 1h 34m | Documentary, Drama
1 Episode
IMDB: 7.6
In just 94 minutes, Social Dilemma on Netflix convinced many viewers to stop using social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. It is one of the best documentaries available on Netflix.
This harrowing film features a tonne of interviews with real Silicon Valley insiders and explores the real-life repercussions of every online tweet, like, and share.
These men essentially blow a bombshell by telling the whole truth about what’s happening on the other side of your screen, revealing how social media is reprogramming the world. Warning: it’s not pretty.
Wild Wild Country
2018 | 6h 43m | Drama, Crime
6 Episodes
IMDB: 8.1

Wild Wild Country is, nonetheless, one of the most enthralling documentaries you can watch on Netflix.
It revolves around an Indian guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, who makes an effort to build a gigantic rambling commune for what was basically a sex cult in the state of Oregon, United States. It is one of those documentaries that, at some point, makes you wonder if it’s fake.
It’s a strange story that keeps getting stranger with unexpected twists. Much like Tiger King, the tale plumbs depths you won’t believe. Sometimes it’s a slog, but Wild Wild Country is worthwhile.
The Spark Brothers
2021 | 2h 20m | Documentary, Comedy, Biography
IMDB: 7.8
The Sparks Brothers is one of the best music documentaries on Netflix that was released in 2021.
Directed by Edgar Wright, the Sparks Brothers is about Russell Mael and Ron Mael, members of the pop and rock group Sparks.
This musical Netflix documentary features interviews with Ron and Russell, along with short interviews with musicians such as Steve Jones, Alex Kapranos, Gillian Gilbert, Beck, and so on.
Upon release, this documentary movie gained positive reception from the critics and audience and won 2 awards.
My Octopus Teacher
2021 | 1h 30m | Documentary
IMDB: 8.1
After years of documenting some of the most endangered creatures on the planet, Craig Foster was exhausted, and unhappy, and his relationships with his family were in disarray. To get back in touch with his roots, the magnificent world of water of the kelp forest off the shore of his hometown of Cape Town, South Africa, he decided to pause his career.
Craig abandoned his wetsuit and scuba equipment in one of the areas with the greatest concentration of predators for nearly ten years, diving every day in the icy-cold seas.
The common octopus he encountered and pursued afterward served as both his teacher and subject, revealing to him things no other person had ever seen. 3000 hours of film were shot over eight years. My Octopus Teacher on Netflix forms a unique friendship, communication, and animal intelligence ever seen before.
13th
2016 | 1h 40m | Drama, Crime, History
IMDB: 8.2
Silence is oppression, and by being silent we become tolerant. 13th is a documentary with terrifying truths. Ava DuVernay channels the understanding through the knowledge of the past.
It explores the injustices at the heart of America’s painful racial history by examining the systemic failures of the penal system.
This documentary will fill your mouth with bitter anger but, if there’s a way forward, it’s one like DuVernay can get behind. There’s hope in the power of imagery. Watch 13th on Netflix
House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths
2021 | 2h 15m | Drama, Crime
3 Episodes
IMDB: 7.4
Why would 3 generations of a family living under one roof one day decide to hand themselves? Or is it a perfectly planned massacre?
The three episodic film focuses on the bizarre deaths of 11 family members living in Burari, Delhi, India, in 208.
House of Secrets is full of mysteries with a mind-boggling conclusion that makes you rethink patriarchism. Watch House of Secrets: The Burari Deaths on Netflix.
Tinder Swindler
2022 | 1h 54m | Drama, Crime
IMDB: 7.1
We’ve all seen guys on Tinder who seem to be too good to be true. Images of jet-setting lifestyle, fancy watches and clothes, and a neatly groomed life. However, for some, it’s about the possibility of meeting their dream partner, and although some may swipe left, others will enthusiastically swipe right to give it a shot.
This is the start of Simon Leviev’s con. Luring women in and love-bombing them with presents, costly trips, and protestations of love, it doesn’t take long for a woman to fall in love with the charismatic Simon and quickly send money.
The Tinder Swindler shows how conmen do anything to complete their deception and trust isn’t something that should easily be earned in the world of online dating. Watch The Tinder Swindler on Netflix.
FIFA Uncovered
2022 | 3h 41m | Sport, Crime
IMDB: 7.5
With FIFA 2022 Qatar literally taking place right now, you can’t find a better time to sneak into FIFA’s misty behind-the-scenes conduct.
The documentary shows power battles in global politics, and an exploration of FIFA exposes the organization’s checked past and what it takes to host a World Cup.
This documentary is quite frightening. Beware: some accusations are so outrageous that you could feel forced to quit watching the World Cup. Watch FIFA Uncovered on Netflix.
Our Father
2022 | 1h 37m | Drama, Crime
IMDB: 6.6
Scandalous, creepy, and – at times – just plain weird, Our Father proves that sometimes the truth is somewhat stranger than the story.
The documentary reveals Donald Cline, a fertility doctor who used his semen to impregnate loads of his patients in his own clinic. None of his patients had knowledge of him doing so.
There are jaw-dropping moments galore as a group of youngsters from sperm donor programs come together only to find they have many more half-siblings. Watch Our Father on Netflix.
The Keepers
2017 | 7h 16m | Mystery, Crime
7 Episodes
IMDB: 8.0
We are all aware that the Catholic church has held some dreadful secrets. As “Spotlight” and other examples demonstrated, priests have abused minors sexually while protected by the Church, which has used its influence to stifle news coverage.
The Keepers on Netflix, though, is shocking. An ongoing Catholic scandal from the 1960s is revealed in Ryan White’s documentary series. This actual cold-case crime story is still developing with new information and has not yet been solved.
The creators did a lot of research before conducting their interviews, which is something appreciated throughout the series. The editing stands itself, and honestly, it is very interesting to watch The Keepers just for the story itself.
Made you look: A True Story About Fake Art
2020 | 1h 34m | Crime
IMDB: 7.4
Even if you were a wealthy art collector and knew famous names, could you spot a near-perfect fake? Probably not on sight, well that’s why most collectors leave it to brokers and galleries to undertake the authenticity of the art.
But what happens when the broker is found to be a willing accomplice in the scam? The case of this True Story About Fake Art is the biggest art scan history has ever seen. It was the famous and reputable Knoedler & Company who perpetrated it.
However, the question arises how much did the employees know about it? Were they deceived like their clientele or did they voluntarily look the other way because they had chosen the reward? Unveil this mystery of a True Story about Fake Art on Netflix.
Formula 1: Drive to Survive
2019 | 40m | Documentary, Sport
42 Episodes
IMDB: 8.6
Although Formula 1 sports documentary on Netflix aren’t quite as well-known in the United States as it is in the rest of the globe, this fast-paced series has been gradually catching the interest of American spectators. The docuseries offers viewers exceptional access to the individuals who are responsible for one of the most popular and risky sports in the world.
You will see the drivers, teams, and decision-makers in their element as you delve deeply into the struggle for the heart, soul, and direction of the multibillion-dollar industry.
You will also learn what kind of craziness it takes to drive 235 mph around winding tracks against dozens of other cars.
American Murder: The Family Next Door
2020 | 1h 23m | Crime
2 Episodes
IMDB: 7.2
There are tons of true crime documentaries on Netflix and this list, of course, but American Murder: The Family Next Door is worth watching.
It tells the story of a seemingly regular guy who murdered his family of wife and children. The access to footage is staggering and edited and produced uniquely, with the use of text messages and social media posts to show the case. It’s a terrible reminder of domestic violence’s banal, incredibly common existence.
Return To Space
2022 | 2h 8m | Documentary
2 Episodes
IMDB: 7.3
For the first time, Academy award-winning directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi of Free Solo and Jimmy Chin from The Rescue point their cameras to the heavens, showing the encouraging rise of commercial space traveling with SpaceX.
It shows Elon Musk’s two-decade effort to revive America’s long-lost space travel desire.
This Netflix Original Return to Space documentary offers up valuable access to the first crewed mission launched from US soil since the retreat of the Space Shuttle in 2011.
The Last Dance
2022 | 8h 11m | Documentary, Sports
10 Episodes
IMDB: 9.1
Back in 2020, in the middle of the epidemic, Netflix offered us this piece of sports documentary excellence.
The Last Dance emphasizes the team Chicago Bulls during their 1997-1998 NBA season. To be honest, it’s a little jumping-off point when it becomes a documentary that narrates the life story of its star.
Not surprisingly, many criticized it for being a bit too Jordan-focused, nonetheless, The Last Dance is an event documentary that lives up to the hype.
Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
2022 | 3h 12m | Documentary, Crime
IMDB: 7.3
Many Netflix documentaries on cults gone crazy are there, but Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey may be the most disturbing of them all.
Keep Sweet is a really grim story about a grim human being in Warren Jeffs, as opposed to Murder Among the Mormons, which nearly handled its subject as a screwball comedy.
Although it’s a terrific documentary and one of Netflix’s best offerings, a strong content warning is included.
Seaspiracy
2021 | 1h 29m | Documentary, Adventure
IMDB: 8.1
Seaspiracy, the follow-up from the co-creator of the ground-breaking film “Cowspiracy,” reveals startling truths about the massive environmental damage that human behaviour is causing to our waters.
Filmmaker Ali Tabrizi explores the damage that humans cause to the oceans, from plastic pollution and fishing gear to bottom trawling’s irreparable destruction to destructive fishing and hunting methods. Humanity is wreaking havoc on marine life.
What Tabrizi ultimately found shocks anyone who cares about the wonders of ocean life, the hope of the planet, and our position on it. It also challenges ideas of sustainable fishing.
The Ripper
2020 | 3h 15m | Documentary, Crime
4 Episodes
IMDB: 7.1
The Yorkshire Ripper killings, which occurred between 1975 and 1980, had a profound impact on the lives of women in Northern England for five years. National hysteria reigned at the time since 13 women had been killed and the killer had not yet been apprehended by the authorities. Every man was a suspect, and nobody felt secure.
This stirring four-part docuseries re-examines the felonies within the context of England in the late ‘70s: a time of radical change, deindustrialization, poverty, manliness, and misogyny, all of which caused the Ripper to evade capture for so long.
The Ripper on Netflix shows the surprises and turns of the biggest police manhunt in British police history.
Dancing With The Birds
2019 | 52m | Documentary
1 Episode
IMDB: 8.2
Birds of Paradise dance, shake their feathers and gather the most beautiful rocks they can get their tiny beaks on to entice a mate in the depths of the planet’s unique jungles.
Produced by the visionaries of Our Planet Series, Dancing with the Bird on Netflix gets up close to some of nature’s most stunning performances from some of her oddly intriguing creatures.
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
2021 | 1h 29m | Documentary, Crime, History
1 Episode
IMDB: 6.7
America has spent billions on its “war on drugs,” but has it been successful?
Through the accounts of those whose lives the drug has destroyed, including the dealers who formerly made modest sums from their trade, Crack: cocaine, corruption & conspiracy on Netflix traces the emergence of crack cocaine in the 1980s and 1990s.
It discusses the history of the substance, its unauthorized entry into the US, and the media hysteria around “crack babies.”
Tell Me Who I Am
2019 | 1h 26m | Documentary, Drama, Mystery
1 Episode
IMDB: 7.6
An occasionally lengthy but always compelling documentary about brotherhood and trauma—both psychological and physical—is called Tell Me Who I Am. When southern English teenager Alex Lewis, 18, is involved in a motorcycle accident and loses practically all memory of his life, the latter and the former intersect.
The only thing Alex can recall is that the young guy sitting at his bedside is his twin, Marcus and that he can be trusted. Alex asks Marcus to aid him in piecing together his past when they are back at their house.
Has he ever been with a girl? How do his ties to their parents stand? Alex has lived in Marcus’ beautiful environment for more than ten years.
However, the amnesiac twin realizes that his brother might have embellished the past after the passing of their mother.
Misha And The Wolves
2021 | 1h 30m | Documentary
IMDB: 6.7
Would you question a person who claims to be a survivor of the Holocaust even if their story is completely bizarre?
The compelling documentary Misha and the Wolves by Sam Hobkinson revolves around that subject. In the movie, Misha Defonseca plays a lady who claims that when she was seven years old, the Nazis kidnapped her parents.
As a result, she fled to Germany in search of her parents, joining a pack of wolves along the way. This memoir became a best-seller all over the world, but a legal dispute between Misha and her publisher, Jane Daniel, revolved around its veracity.
Here, the focus isn’t just on a fantastical story but also on why we seek out happy stories at the price of somber facts that might not be consoling.
An American Murder Mystery: The Staircase
2017-2018 | 2h 6m | Documentary, Crime
3 Episodes
IMDB: 7.4
Author Michael Peterson was charged with killing his wife Kathleen Peterson more than 20 years ago after her body was discovered at the bottom of the family’s stairway.
As his family rallied to his defence and he was put on trial, Peterson invited a French documentary crew to accompany him around. But as The Staircase was being filmed, Peterson’s long-kept secrets started to come out, and his wife’s daughters from her first marriage started to suspect that Peterson had committed the crime.
It’s a riveting tale in and of itself, and HBO Max dramatized the story to great effect. But this is what took place.
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed
2021 | 1h 32m | Documentary
IMDB: 6.9
The Bob Ross documentary on Netflix does not demonstrate that this well-liked figure was a nasty man, which is the first thing to be aware of. But it does expose the unsettling reality of Bob Ross Inc.’s operations, particularly what transpired after Ross’ tragic passing.
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed, which includes interviews with Ross’ son and best friend as well as other people who knew him, shows how he came to be a pop culture star by chance and discusses his artistic philosophies. It also delves a little into his private life, allowing us to see the person behind the paintbrush.
The main focus of the film, however, is on Ross’s exploitative business practices and the consequences of his passing. Considering that it lasts barely 90 minutes, the movie is engaging.
The Ivory Game
2016 | 1h 52m | Documentary
1 Episodes
IMDB: 7.8
The filmmakers Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani uncover the inside story of the ongoing ivory trade and elephant poaching in this Netflix Original. The movie presents a bleak picture of the political and economic systems that have developed in areas where the illicit market for ivory is allowed to flourish due to legal loopholes.
The Ivory Game on Netflix seeks to highlight the brutality of the ivory trade and encourage people working to put an end to it from Africa to China to Italy.
It shares a similar aesthetic to devastating documentaries like Blackfish and The Cove, and as a result, frequently comes across as an advocacy piece for animal rights rather than an objective piece of reporting.
American Factory
2019 | 1h 50m | Documentary
1 Episode
IMDB: 7.4
American Factory, the Best Documentary Oscar winner for 2020, won’t leave you feeling optimistic about the status of American institutions. The inaugural offering from Higher Ground, a production business started by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, is a look into a former General Motors plant in Dayton, Ohio.
Prior to that, it was created by Participant Media, who also presented it and won Best Documentary at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The documentary shows how a Chinese businessman invests in the Dayton plant to use it as a new American glass-making facility for his firm, Fuyao, giving it new life. As a result of human skill being sacrificed to save a few pennies, the skilled workforce struggles.
American Factory depicts the hardship of the trained working force as they fall prey to the wealthy and powerful, both in America and China. It takes a good, honest look at whether the American Dream still holds.