7 Documentaries You Have to See to Believe

Earlier this year, Netflix released another jaw-dropping, must-see documentary titled Tell Me Who I Am.

Following a car accident, Alex Lewis, then 18, woke up in the hospital with no recollection of who he was. In fact, he had no idea who anyone was, with the one exception of his twin brother Marcus.

A remarkable story in and of itself, this slow-burning three-act doco lures you in as the twins, now in their 50s, explain how Marcus was tasked with teaching Alex about everything, from the simple questions about what things were, to the bigger questions, like “who am I, really?”

Without giving too much away, this is an incredibly complex, powerful story about the bond between twins, dark family secrets, and the cost of truth. 

After you’ve watched Tell Me Who I Am, you’re sure to be craving more documentaries, so we’ve rounded up some of our favourites that just have to be seen to be believed.

The Imposter

Anyone who’s seen The Imposter will tell you that it’s a wild ride from start to finish. After all, this is a film where the fact that a French adult posing as a missing Texas teenager is revealed so early on that it’s hard to fathom what more the documentary will be able to deliver, but wow, does it deliver. An eyebrow raising journey that will leave you with plenty of questions, you’ll find yourself suspecting pretty much everyone as you try to work out the truth.

Streaming on: Stan

Capturing the Friedmans

A dark and disturbing documentary that interweaves home videos with interviews. Initially, filmmaker Andrew Jareki was setting out to make a film about children’s birthday party entertainers, but after interviewing David Friedman — aka “Silly Billy” — and then learning that his brother and father had both pled guilty to child sexual abuse, Jareki pivoted the film to focus on the family.

Watch on: YouTube, Google Play

Icarus

Originally, director Bryan Fogel was planning to film himself using performance-enhancing drugs while competing in cycling competitions, to show how elite athletes like Lance Armstrong are able to do so without getting caught for so long, and to show how to game the system and get away with it. As the story unfolds, however, it grows bigger and bigger, as every twist and turn takes it to new heights.

Streaming on: Netflix

Abducted in Plain Sight

Abducted in Plain Sight is a film that’s so incredibly baffling that even after you’ve finished watching it, you’ll have trouble believing it. A mindblowing and frustrating film, you’ll scream at your screen as every new turn is revealed, but you won’t be able to look away.

Voyeur

With the many differing perspectives of multiple unreliable narrators, it’s safe to say that there’s a lot going on in this documentary, which follows journalist Gay Talese as he reports on a motel owner alleged to have spied on all his patrons via an “observation platform” he built into the roof of the motel. 

Streaming on: Netflix

Long Shot

If you’ve ever seen Curb Your Enthusiasm, you’ll know that the character of Larry David is far more likely to land you in jail than to help you get out. The real-life Larry David, however, happened to be filming the series at a baseball game with a man accused of murder. Hoping to have been caught by the cameras in the raw footage of the show in order to prove his innocence, this is a needle-in-a-haystack story about how a chance encounter saved a man’s life.

Streaming on: Netflix

Read more stories from TheLatch— and follow us on Facebook.