Our team compiled the best documentaries on Amazon Prime video and here is what they came up with
Documentaries can be an entertaining way to learn more about our world. They need not be reserved for routine nature specials and bog-standard history recounts. While there’s no shortage of those types of films on Prime Video, plenty of stellar films tap into vastly exciting topics. This can span everything from the legacy of bookstores to the criminal justice system to controversial theme parks. Here are ten best documentaries on Amazon Prime Video to broaden your mind.
Here are the 10 best documentaries on Amazon Prime video to check out on the streaming service.
1. Best documentaries on Amazon Prime video – The Booksellers
Despite digital books being all the rage, physical books still have a lasting legacy that continues on to this very day. The Booksellers track the history of books, their collectability, and their future. Famous and valuable books are showcased by collectors willing to showcase what makes books such high-profile treasures. Stories are told of how bookstores rose to relevancy and continued after the fall of Borders and the decline of Barnes & Nobles. It may even surprise you to hear from literary experts that the young people of the next generation are far more interested in physical books than digital ones.
2. Time
Rob G. Rich and his wife Fox Rich committed a robbery in the 1990s out of desperation for funds. Rob was given a 60-year sentence for his crimes while Fox was free after serving three years. She devotes her entire life to ensuring that Rob won’t have to spend all of his behind bars. Director Garrett Bradley stages this decades-long drama with deep intimacy with the many interviews and captive black-and-white style choice. The film is an eye-opening look at the criminal justice system and how long it takes to fight to free someone from its shackles.
3. Val
Val Kilmer is a name that most people know from movies like Top Secret, Top Gun, and Batman Forever. But how much do people know about the man behind the scenes? The aged actor lets us into his world with this revealing documentary showcasing his career’s soaring highs and depressing lows, including the illness that would eventually take his voice. You’ll never look at a Val Kilmer movie the same way again when witnessing the entire story behind the actor.
4. Good Night Oppy
When NASA sent the space rovers of Spirit and Opportunity to Mars, they projected the mission would only last for ninety days. Those days turned into years as the rovers gained some of the most valuable information on the red planet. In this fascinating documentary, Opportunity’s legacy is recreated through accurate CGI to paint a picture of the little rover that could and the brilliant minds who made this landmark mission possible.
5. Blackfish
Seaworld was once a top theme park for its underwater attractions. Their highlight was the orca whales, but these additions to the park turned out to be the most controversial. The dark history behind the captivity of these whales is documented in this shocking film that reveals the hideous nature of the park’s practices and the deadly consequences of angered whales who struck out violently at the staff. Nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary, this is an engrossing documentary that will change how you look at animals in theme parks forever.
6. All In: The Fight for Democracy
Amid the crucial 2020 election, Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes directed and produced this insightful documentary on the nature of voter suppression. Voting seems like great freedom in America, but it is stifled by oddly shaped voting districts and several hurdles that create loopholes to prevent votes from mattering. As an example of demonstrating this issue, the race of Georgia state representative Stacey Abrams has her election process followed in the film. It’s an insightful look into the voting issues of the early 2020s as well as highlighting voter suppression issues that linger to this day.
7. The Secret Life of a Cruise
This documentary explores every part of a cruise operation on the MSC Seasode as they go behind the scenes on one of the most detailed documentaries made on cruise life. They talk to employees, passengers and many other people to discover everything there is about cruise life.
8. Sour Grapes
The world of wine is explored in this documentary, centering on the next generation of wine savants. Rudy Kurniawan was a wine collector who bought as many expensive wines as he sold. He managed to make a lucrative business out of wines by selling some exotic bottles. The problem was that he was lying about the info on the wines and managed to con investors out of millions of dollars for paying for fraudulent wine. It’s a fascinating crime documentary that will make you question the price of certain bottles more than ever.
9. Dior and I
Dior and I explores the fascinating world of fashion and follows the Christian Dior fashion house. It also showcases the creation of Raf Simons’ first haute couture collection as its new artistic director along with behind the scenes footage of how the fashion house has become a part of the cultural zeitgeist.
10. Best documentaries on Amazon Prime video – Generation Wealth
Director Lauren Greenfield points her camera directly at the core components of capitalism. The aspects of consumerism, celebrities, and social media are all targeted and interrogated to understand better the upper class that runs on fame and greed. The consumption for more is followed in locations like Los Angeles, Moscow, Dubai, and China in the social and economic documentary debuting at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. It’s also a solid companion piece for Lauren’s book on the same subject.