Waco: American Apocalypse
(Image credit: Netflix)
The disastrous standoff at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, TX was permanently etched into the memories of those old enough to have watched it take place in real-time in 1993. Over a little under two months, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) and the FBI were on one side, and David Koresh’s apocalyptic Branch Davidians were on the other — and then it ended in flames.
Decades later, director Tiller Russell’s three-part docuseries analyzes the catastrophe from all angles. It includes interviews with many involved, including those who lived on the compound, as well as never-before-seen footage of FBI negotiations during the standoff. And as you learn about how the dual FBI teams on the scene had different goals, you’ll start to question everything you knew about Waco. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 81%Director: Tiller Russell
Making a Murderer
Hey, you remember this! Making a Murderer in many ways has become the archetype for the true crime episodic documentary on television.
Read more
Making a Murderer Season 2: Creators Discuss Cautionary Tale
It’s the decades long story of Steve Avery, his first wrongful conviction for murder, and the legal effort to prove that his second conviction for murder is equally wrongful. Making a Murderer has had its biggest cultural moment but parts of the case continue to move through the legal system and its always worth watching the crime masterpiece once again. It’s truly the beginning of documentary renaissance on Netflix.
Emboldened by the success of Making a Murderer, Netflix has now tried its hand at several other true crime documentaries. Casting Jonbenet doesn’t quite reach the delirious highs of Making a Murderer or achieve the cultural zeitgeist like the former did.
Making a Murderer
(Image credit: Netflix)
Every so often, something is made that manages to break all social and cultural barriers and find an almost universal appeal to audiences.
True crime absolutely dominates the documentary and podcasting worlds, but the powder keg of murder, corruption and captivating characters gave Netflix one of its most explosive hits. The story of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey regarding the murder of Teresa Halbach is one that is littered with complications and confusion, and audiences everywhere couldn’t look away.
The response was so great, that Brendan Dassey’s case was reopened and a new investigation was launched regarding his allegedly coerced confessions. A second series serving as an update was released a few years later, but fans are still speculating about what really happened even to this day.
“Money Shot: The Porn Hub Story”
Netflix
One of the most recent documentaries on this list, “Money Shot: The Porn Hub Story” is exactly what it says on the tin: the tale of the Canadian-owned internet porn site, which is the 13th most-trafficked website in the world. Director Suzanne Hilliger uses interviews with sex workers, ex-Pornhub employees, journalists, and anti-sex-trafficking activists to discuss a 2020 Pornhub scandal involving non-consensual pornography on the site, and its aftermath. Rather than taking a “pro” or “con” stance on the website and industry, Hilliger lets her variety of subjects give their opinions and perspective, which makes for a broad, albeit sometimes frustrating watch.
Read NextThe Best Movies on Max Right Now
“Period. End of Sentence”
Netflix
A documentary short clocking it at only 26 minutes, “Period. End of the Sentence” is a quick yet impactful glimpse into a vital topic: period poverty, aka a lack of access to menstrual products. In this 2018 doc, director Rayka Zehtabchi follows a group of local women living in a Kathikera village in the Hapur district of India, as they learn how to work a machine designed to make low-cost, biodegradable sanitary pads. The short is about the implementation of this machine, but it is also about the cultural taboo around menstruation—a taboo that exists in some form in most cultures around the world.
“13th”
Netflix
With “13th,” Ava DuVernay set out to answer the question of how the United States became the country with the highest rates of incarceration in the world. The 2016 documentary answers that question by drawing a line from the end of slavery in America (enacted with the 13th Amendment, which is where the film gets its name) to our modern carceral system, where Black Americans are incarcerated at nearly five times the rate of white Americans. The 100-minute documentary does this with a mix of archival footage and interviews with activists, politicians, and historians, including Angela Davis, Cory Booker, and Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Голяр все еще настаивает на своей невиновности
Голяр отбывает наказание в женском исправительном центре штата Небраска.
Несмотря на растущее количество улик против нее, Лиз по-прежнему утверждает, что она была совершенно невиновна во всем этом, сообщает Business Insider (со ссылкой на ABC News). «Я не перестану сражаться, пока не освобожусь и они не найдут нужного человека», — сказала она Лесли Рул, автору книги по мотивам этой истории «Запутанная паутина: киберсталкер, смертельная одержимость и скручивание». Путь к справедливости.
Несмотря на это, после суда Голяр была признана виновной не только в убийстве Фарвера (преступлении, за которое она получила пожизненное заключение без шанса на условно-досрочное освобождение), но и в поджоге второй степени за поджог своего дома. В общей сложности ей пожизненное заключение без права досрочного освобождения плюс от 18 до 20 лет.
13 Wild Wild Country (2018)
Wild Wild Country goes behind the scenes for a look at Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh (Osho) and his followers in the Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon. They settled in Oregon after being banished from India in 1981, and things did not go much better in America, where most considered them a cult.
The town they came to only had 40 residents, but Osho brought in several thousand followers to flood into the town and claim it as their own. This documentary tells the entire story and includes everything from attempted murder, immigration fraud, a terrorist attack, and more. The cult documentary picked up five Emmy nominations, winning for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
The Tinder Swindler (2022)
Cecilie Fjellhoy, Ayleen Charlotte, and Pernilla Sjöholm in ‘The Tinder Swindler’.
Joshua Wilks/Netflix
This Emmy-nominated documentary describes how con artist Shimon Hayat posed as a jewelry mogul on Tinder and scammed millions of dollars out of women who believed him to and fell for his charms. The Tinder Swindler was so timely that, when it debuted last year, Hayut was still very much on the loose and duping more unsuspecting victims out of their cash. That is, until he was banned from the app after the revelations presented here. This documentary doubles as a cautionary tale for those swiping right and hoping to find their soulmate, showing just how easily one can get tricked into believing their date is who they say they are. —D.J.
Director: Felicity Morris
Видео можно было легко отследить
IP-адрес уникален и может идентифицировать местоположение устройства в Интернете или локальной сети, хотя его также можно легко замаскировать.
В какой-то момент в документальном фильме отмечается, что Голяр отправил Крупе видео, на котором видно, как кто-то выходит из его квартиры. Сообщается, что это видео было загружено на YouTube кем-то, выдавшим себя за Фарвера. Но если бы его отследили, было бы легко увидеть, что оно пришло с IP-адреса, зарегистрированного в доме Голяра.
Это видео было обнаружено после того, как детективы Райан Эвис и Джим Доти взялись за дело, желая пересмотреть его с разных точек зрения. Если бы это видео было исследовано, оно могло бы привести к Голяру хотя бы для допроса.
Killer Ratings
(Image credit: Netflix)
Would a television producer and politician order murders to increase ratings for his TV show? Surely not, right? And yet, that’s exactly what many alleged Brazilian Wallace Souza was guilty of doing for more than a decade. The success of his Canal Livre show was largely based on Souza somehow managing to catch and «out» notorious criminals and even allowed him to be elected to public office, but not all was what it seemed. Killer Ratings exposes what just might be one of the most nefarious cover-ups in Brazil’s recent history. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%Director: Daniel Bogado
American Factory
This documentary explores the dynamics of a Chinese-owned factory in Dayton, Ohio. It works to capture the economic challenges faced by both American workers and Chinese employers at the location while portraying the struggles of American workers adapting to demanding work conditions and lower wages. Meanwhile, their Chinese counterparts deal with the nuances of American culture and work ethics. It offers a fair and balanced look at globalization’s impact on the workforce as well as the human beings it affects to pack an emotional punch. — BV
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%Dir: Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert
American Murder: The Family Next Door
(Image credit: Netflix)
Sadly, domestic violence and even murder between romantic partners isn’t all that uncommon, so the fact that Chris Watts killed his wife Shannan believing it would enable him to move on with his mistress is depressing but not all that surprising. Where this story does take a turn for the incredible, however, is when we learn that not only was Shannan pregnant, meaning Chris killed his unborn child, but that he also killed his two young daughters as well. American Murder: The Family Next Door tells the story of their tragic deaths as well as the web of lies and deceit Chris Watts weaved in an attempt to get away with it. It’s harrowing to say the least. — JS
Rotten Tomatoes score: 86%Director: Jenny Popplewell
The Civil War
Creating the definitive Civil War documentary is only slightly less insane and difficult for making the definitive documentary for all of planet Earth. That’s the business that documentarian Ken Burns is in, however, making incredibly, completely definitive documentaries on big, American subjects.
The Civil War is a nine-episode series that ran on PBS in 1990 and the scope of it is absolutely breathtaking. Still, it’s ability to turn long-dead soldiers from a different era into living, breathing human beings through only their letters is why Burns is considered one of our finest documentarians.
Shirkers (2018)
‘Shirkers’.
Netflix
Anyone who’s ever had their artistic dreams dashed will resonate with the plight of Sandi Tan, who directs this underrated gem. In 1992, Tan and her friends made an independent film in Singapore called Shirkers, but their mentor, Georges Cardona, made off with the footage and disappeared. Decades later, the movie finally resurfaced thanks to Cardona’s ex-wife, who mailed it to Tan following his death. This documentary follows the filmmaker’s decision to repurpose her once-lost project as she processes her adviser’s devastating betrayal. Deeply personal and inventive, Shirkers is a testament to creativity, with Tan telling EW that, «After every screening, people are vibrating with wanting to . If we can carry that energy throughout the world when people are watching the film, then I’ve succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.» —K.J.
Director: Sandi Tan
Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy
(Image credit: Jeen Yuhs / Netflix)
Epic multi-part music documentaries being all the rage, Netflix’s new four and a half-hour film Jeen-yuhs is a timely, fascinating, if troubling study of Kanye West that looks set to prove essential viewing, regardless of your opinion on his more recent, headline-grabbing behaviour.
Released in three parts over the coming weeks, the first episode of Jeen-yuhs introduces us to West as an ambitious 21-year-old producer, prized (and occasionally taken advantage of) by other artists for his beats, but desperate to rap himself. While it now seems surreal to see West accosting PAs at the Roc-a-Fella Records offices, begging them to listen to future classics like All Falls Down, it’s easy to see why his endearing but frantic attempts to secure a record deal weren’t immediately successful. He doesn’t sound like his contemporaries and, presciently large ego aside, he doesn’t act like them either, constantly whipping in and out of his retainers to the disgust of the artists he’s trying to impress.
Directed by West’s longtime friend, Clarence ‘Coodie’ Simmons, who has been filming him since 2004, and Chike Ozah, Jeen-yuhs may not be wholly objective but it presents West as an artist with an empathetic frankness, and offers us a voyeuristic glimpse into his creative process and the early 2000’s hip-hop scene. The directors’ close relationship to their subject also produces some of the film’s most poignant moments, such as when West’s unreservedly devoted mother Donda, who died in 2007, reveals the tenacious bond between mother and son. It’s impossible to watch without feeling moved. Hated, adored, but never ignored, this Kanye West documentary is fascinating viewing.
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
This jaw-dropping documentary brings you into the world of Sarma Melngailis, a popular restaurant owner beguiled by the enigmatic Shane Fox. As he promises to expand her prosperous New York restaurant empire while swindling her out of millions, Melngailis finds herself embroiled in one of the most infamous scams the restaurant business has ever seen. From Shane promising Sarma and her pug immortality to globe-hopping trips shrouded in secrecy, every moment is so much more unbelievable than the last. It’s difficult to see how Sarma could ever have found herself under Shane’s spell, but sometimes, we do the unimaginable in the name of love. — BV
Rotten Tomatoes score: 88%Director: Chris Smith
The Tinder Swindler
(Image credit: The Tinder Swindler / Netflix)
Watch this true story, as told in just two hours by the victims of a carefully conceived dating app scam, and whatever happens this weekend you can sleep soundly in the knowledge that unwittingly buying the designer clothes, sports cars, Michelin-star meals, magnums of Cristal and first class flights your partner needs to snag their next squeeze isn’t on the agenda.
Assuming it’s a basic ‘why me?’ sob story from the mouths of three naive women who fell for the wrong guy would be a huge error: ‘diamond dealer’ Simon Leviev (of course that’s not his real name) has a story so water-tight, expertly-honed and aided by a dedicated cast of cohorts that even the most experienced and cynical of Tinder users falls foul of his advances.
Picture the scene: you’re sitting on a private jet, talking to Simon’s amenable ex about what a supportive dad he is to the two-year-old on her knee. His bodyguard takes a picture of the two of you and says how nice it is that he’s finally met someone perfect for him. Later, he buys you a lovely meal, right after his important meeting. On a balcony in Barcelona, you Google him. You tell your friends to Google him! All confirm he’s legit, there he is with his parents – although naturally his father demands the family keep a low profile on social media, billionaire diamond dealers would.
He sends you home on a first class flight. It was all real. It’s just that somewhere, in another city, another woman is suffering… and soon it’ll be you. If you’ve ever watched The Serpent, the parallels are striking.
Fyre
It was a great idea: the world’s best, most fun, most ambitious, most exclusive festival. On a beautiful island. In the Caribbean. With and for the world’s most beautiful, desirable people. And the best DJs. And top chefs providing the food.
The problem with great ideas, of course, is that you also need great organisational, management and logistical skills to make the great idea a reality.
Fyre is the story of a great idea gone horribly wrong. A disaster of epic proportions is made all the more enjoyable to watch of course, because the festival-goer ‘victims’ are for the most part extremely privileged, entitled people – Instagrammers and ‘influencers’ who help to promote an event that becomes an unmitigated shambles – the organiser is ordered by the court to pay back more than $25million.
As always with these things, though, the real victims of the whole sorry affair are the locals who have to help out where possible, clean up the mess and, inevitably, also end up out of pocket for something not of their doing, and entirely out of their control.
Fyre is a salutary lesson for these social-media obsessed times – and very entertaining at the same time.
Making A Murderer
One of the biggest Netflix success stories when it comes to true crime documentaries, Making A Murderer sees a family pitted against a police force.
The story begins in 2003 with Steven Avery being exonerated and freed from prison, having served 18 years in prison for sexual assault. Upon his release, he files a $36 million civil lawsuit against the local Manitowoc County police force and several county officials associated with his arrest and conviction.
Two years later, in 2005, Avery was arrested and charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach – despite having an alibi, protesting his innocence and claiming he’d been set-up.
Two seasons, filmed over 13 years, detail every morsel of evidence and the endless legal manoeuvring, as everyone involved – and of course ourselves, as armchair detectives – tries to figure out who to believe and what really happened. Gripping.
MORE:
Making a Murderer
Image credit: Netflix
The documentary: Have you heard about Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who served 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit? Two years after his exoneration he was found guilty of murder. So, did he do it? This docuseries covers his life extensively, beginning with his first brush with crime right up until the present day.
Why it’s worth a watch: One of the best documentaries on Netflix – if not one of the best true crime documentaries ever made – this is utterly compelling storytelling. It’s the murder trial episodes that carry the most tension, as Avery’s defense team argues he was framed by the Manitowoc police department and backs it up with some pretty convincing evidence. There’s a reason this show has captured the public’s interest.
Fyre (2019)
Netlfix
The extravagant 2017 deserted island musical festival never took place, but it did manage to land organizer/scammer Billy McFarland a prison sentence and inspire two documentaries. At least as far as Emmy nominations are concerned, Netflix’s Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is the superior option, providing a comprehensive look at the events that led to the festival’s formation and subsequent downfall. A film that put event organizer Andy King on the map as the poster boy for hard-working employees, Fyre is fascinating, exasperating, and one of the ultimate tales of scamming gone wrong. Directed by Chris Smith (also of Bad Vegan fame), Fyre is an entertaining romp through early influencer culture — and now that tickets are on sale for what will (allegedly) become Fyre Festival II, there’s no better time to watch it. —I.G.
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Chris Smith
Почему родители идут учиться
На хороших курсах для родителей не только дают знания, но и работают с личностью. Матери и отцы учатся самостоятельно принимать решения и ориентироваться в проблемах. В идеале им нужно прийти к «родительской самоэффективности» — ощутить себя уверенными и компетентными воспитателями, отмечают исследователи. Такие родители лучше воспитывают детей. Например, решают проблемы, а не кричат на ребенка.
По данным исследования, больше половины родителей хотят посещать занятия по воспитанию и развитию ребенка. Среди них 64% матерей и 45% отцов. При этом 36% опрошенных мам 11% пап уже посещали занятия для родителей.
Обычно родители идут учиться, чтобы:
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узнать больше о воспитании;
-
получить разные варианты решения проблем и задач, связанных с ребенком;
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под воздействием родительского сообщества или «тусовки заинтересованных».
5 А как насчет Тодда?
Баттербо был сетевым администратором в округе Поттаваттами.
Одно загадочное имя, которое в документальном фильме лишь замалчивается, — это имя Тодда Баттербо, который в то время был парнем Гольяра. Отправленные ею сообщения были прослежены до его адреса, так что было почти подтверждено, что Голяр отправлял много сообщений из своего дома. Знал ли он, что она задумала, и знал ли он вообще что-нибудь о Крупе и о существовании ее отношений с ним?
Подразумевается, что Баттербо был допрошен и освобожден, поскольку не было ничего, что указывало бы на то, что он имел какое-либо отношение к преследованию или убийству. После того, как пользователь Redditor предположил, что настоящим преступником все это время был Баттербо, сетевой администратор, который работал на Тони Кава, человека, который отслеживал звонки до его дома, Кава сам опроверг эту теорию. Он сообщает Dexerto, что, хотя не все детали удалось включить в 90-минутный документальный фильм, среди них есть важные, подтверждающие, что это был Голяр. В частности, он говорит, что сотни файлов на SD-карте, найденной в старом планшете, соответствуют фотографиям ее телефона, которые она сделала в 2013 году. У них даже были файлы журналов с ее электронной почтой и серийным номером телефона. Так что нет никаких сомнений в том, что изображения, в том числе и те, на которых она фигурирует, поступили с телефона Голяр. Тем временем карта, вероятно, была очищена (по крайней мере, она так думала) и повторно использована в планшете.
How To Fix A Drug Scandal
In the space of six months, two (unknown to one other) chemists employed to test illegal narcotics in Massachusetts court cases, were arrested – one for faking tests, the other for drug theft and evidence tampering.
These two cases set in motion a chain of events in the New England state that would bring into question the verdicts of more than 20,000 convictions from the previous years.
This four-parter looks at the two cases in detail, but also then takes things further by investigating a system of injustices in the ‘war against drugs’ that exposes some extremely uncomfortable truths for the Massachusetts state attorney general’s office. A rather scary look at a system that seems rotten almost to the core.
“White Hot: The Rise of Abercrombie & Fitch”
Netflix
Millennials who were alive and shopping during the 90s or naughts might find particular nostalgia interest in “White Hot: The Rise of Abercrombie & Fitch,” but this documentary is a must-watch for anyone who is interested in the cycles of systemic discrimination that plague American culture. Alison Klayman’s 2022 doc breaks down the successes and failures of the retail brand, and how its commitment to white, rich, thin beauty standards not only in its advertisements but in its hiring policies led to its fall from cool-kid grace. While the talking head interviews with former A&F employees and journalists are insightful, the film may be most effective in its soundtrack, which conjures up turn-of-the-millennials vibes with hits like Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” and The Offspring’s “Self Esteem.”
FAQ
What finance documentaries are available on Netflix?
Netflix offers a wide selection of finance documentaries that cover various topics including money management, investing, and financial education.
What is “How to Get Rich” by Ramit Sethi about?
“How to Get Rich” is a popular finance documentary series based on Ramit Sethi’s best-selling book, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.” The series focuses on helping individuals and families improve their financial situations through practical advice on budgeting, debt management, homeownership, and investing.
What does the documentary series “Dirty Money” explore?
“Dirty Money” is an investigative documentary series that exposes cases of corporate greed and corruption. It delves into scandals involving big corporations such as the Wells Fargo banking scandal, fraudulent practices of Volkswagen, and money laundering schemes connected to HSBC.
What is the movie “Get Smart With Money” about?
“Get Smart With Money” is a Netflix movie featuring financial advisers sharing simple tips on spending less and saving more. The movie aims to help individuals achieve their financial goals through practical advice on budgeting, reducing debt, and making wise financial decisions.
The Social Dilemma
(Image credit: Exposure Labs/Netflix)
Maybe it’s because we were all trapped at home and existing on our screens 24/7 at one point, but Netflix had another cultural takeover on its hands with The Social Dilemma when it was released.
Sure, we all know that social media is bad for us, but The Social Dilemma breaks down just how our dependency on social media has completely warped our perspectives on reality and wrecked the way society functions.
The documentary sprinkles dramatizations throughout which serve as both warning bells and unexpected relief from the increasing understanding that we’re being technologically manipulated, coded, and data mined by nefarious forces.
Girl in the Picture
Skye Borgman’s gripping Girl in the Picture tells the harrowing tale of Sharon Marshall, a woman found dying on the roadside, leaving behind a young son and a man claiming to be her spouse. The twists don’t stop coming as it’s soon revealed a man named Franklin Floyd not only kidnapped Sharon but raised and wedded her, all while hiding in plain sight. The story, perfect for true crime sleuths, is equal parts maddening and perplexing, as it exposes Floyd’s web of deception and exploitation — and the young woman at the center of it all who, in the end, never lived the life she was supposed to live. — BV
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%Director: Skye Borgman
How to Get Rich with Ramit Sethi
Ramit Sethi’s “How to Get Rich” is a popular finance documentary series based on his best-selling book, “I Will Teach You to Be Rich.” The series follows Ramit as he helps individuals and families improve their financial situations.
Each episode covers different aspects of personal finance, including budgeting, debt management, homeownership, and investing. Through real-life examples and practical advice, Sethi provides actionable steps to help viewers achieve financial health and design their own rich lives.
| Key Topics Covered: |
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| Budgeting |
| Debt Management |
| Homeownership |
| Investing |
If you’re looking for guidance on managing your money and building wealth, this series is a must-watch. Ramit Sethi’s expertise and relatable approach make it easy to implement his strategies in your own financial journey.
