The “Documentary” section of Amazon Prime video features a plethora of cheaply made, shoddy movies, making it quite daunting. Many of the free documentaries that were formerly available to Prime members are now only available as part of supplemental memberships like Topic, Doc Club, and Sundance Now. Nevertheless, among the garbage are some treasures, such as films by renowned directors and Oscar winners Jim Jarmusch, Sarah Polley, and Steve James. With your Prime video subscription, you can stream all of these movies for free. Regardless of your emotions, there’s a true story that can compete with any work of fiction.
I Am Not Your Negro
Description
I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck, delves into James Baldwin’s incomplete novel “Remember This House”, which was intended to honour three of his friends: Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. The movie emphasizes Baldwin’s deep anguish and his sympathy for the spouses and kids of the soldiers who were killed. It is a portrayal of grief, the experience of losing friends, and the focus of the world, in addition to being a portrait of an artist. Peck’s choice to bring Baldwin into the audience’s presence fosters closeness and enables the audience to sit with his thoughts without the need for an interpreter or explanation.
- Genre – Documentary
- Director – Raoul Peck
- Writer – Raoul Peck
- Age Restriction – PG-13
Rating
IMDB: 7.9/10 (23K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 99% (214 Votes)
Time
Description
Time by Garrett Bradley delves into the feelings of Sibil “Fox” Rich, a woman attempting to liberate her husband from Louisiana jail after a failed bank heist. Her battle to overcome a callous bureaucracy is depicted in the movie, yet her power and poise create an amazing image of resolution. Even if Time addresses the Rich parents’ justified transgressions, it does not extend much support to the system that disregards the humanity of those who commit these crimes. Rather, the movie concentrates on the inner dynamics of the main couple, showing how love and life may endure despite being separated by a harsh and unforgiving institution. The film’s soundtrack brings the deeply intimate to legendary heights, leading to a climactic cathartic moment brimming with cinematic elegance.
- Genre – Documentary
- Director – Garrett Bradley
- Age Restriction – PG-13
Rating
IMDB: 6.8/10 (6K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 98% (131 Votes)
Whose Streets?
Description
Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis’ political documentary Whose Streets? explores the selective media coverage surrounding the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. The movie raises doubts about whether black lives are important to American police, State’s Attorneys, or prosecutors; instead, viewers turn to activists like David Whitt and Brittany Farrell. The video centres on the activists’ individual experiences, emphasising the ways in which their decisions and sacrifices have an immediate effect on their families and children. The significance of the rage and passion that keeps the subjects on the streets, as well as the filmmakers who risk their own lives, are emphasized throughout the movie. A compelling and intimate documentary, Whose Streets? is exactly what Black America needs in 2017.
- Genre – Documentary
- Director – Sabaah Folayan
- Writer – Sabaah Folayan
- Age Restriction – A
Rating
IMDB: 6/10 (1K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 98% (87 Votes)
Human Flow”
Description
A documentary exploring the worldwide refugee problem, Human Flow centres on the border between the United States and Mexico. Chinese director Ai Weiwei is shown in the movie as a modest and kind person. The movie emphasizes how serious and ever-growing the refugee crisis is, emphasising the necessity for action rather than simply rhetoric. Human Flow pays homage to the doctors, academics, relief workers, volunteers, legislators, and doctors who struggle to protect and treat refugees with the dignity they deserve. The movie challenges viewers to think about the extent they would go to shield the defenceless and offer chances for development. Because of Ai’s passion for his themes, we are tragically reminded of the work that has to be done to assist the defenceless. The conclusion is that we are not doing enough.
- Genre – Documentary
- Director – Ai Weiwei
- Age Restriction – PG-13
Rating
IMDB: 7.2/10 (2K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 91% (118 Votes)
City of Ghosts
https://www.primevideo.com/detail/City-of-Ghosts/0RE467O6UWHHY38H4JFFS44F43
Description
The Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently organisation is dedicated to using citizen-based journalism to expose the horrors done by ISIS and the Assad regime in Syria. Matthew Heineman’s documentary City of Ghosts follows members of this group. These young, hesitant resistance soldiers are followed throughout the movie as they witness the crimes and express their desire to be protected. Heineman’s film highlights the need of seeing in the modern world, but it mostly concentrates on these men’s faces as they assume the duty of bearing witness. The film emphasises the need for more compassionate and nuanced reporting and the absence of complexity in foreign news.
- Genre – Documentary
- Director – Matthew Heineman
- Age Restriction – A
Rating
IMDB: 7.4/10 (4K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 98% (104 Votes)
Gleason
Description
The film Gleason centres on the ALS difficulties of former defensive back Steve Gleason of the New Orleans Saints. The video emphasizes the agony and overwhelming nature of terminal disease; rather than being inspirational, it is graphic. The family of Gleason Varisco, his wife, is depicted as tenaciously battling the illness. Along with heartwarming and humorous beats, the movie follows Gleason as he records video diaries for his newborn kid. The movie is not without its difficulties, though, as each of Gleason’s victories and failures serves as a reminder of the difficulty and the need of accepting life’s negative parts. For spectators, the movie is a unique and disturbing gift.
- Genre – Documentary
- Director – J. Clay Tweel
- Write r- J. Clay Tweel
- Age Restriction – A
Rating
IMDB: 8.3/10 (3K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 96% (70 Votes)
Long Strange Trip
Description
Amir Bar-Lev’s nearly four-hour documentary, Long Strange Trip, portrays the Grateful Dead as a legendary band. The movie chronicles their rise from a group of experimental drug users in San Francisco to a worldwide sensation known for its best-selling products. It includes interviews with record executives, backstage personnel, ex-members, and self-described “Deadheads.” The band’s ups and downs, their significance in music history, their individuality as a performing group, and their devoted following are all covered in detail in the film. The film’s greatest accomplishment is persuading audiences that the Grateful Dead embodies the concept of unrestricted freedom that is American.
- Genre – Documentary, Music
- Director – Amir Bar-Lev
- Age Restriction – A
Rating
IMDB: 8.2/10 (1.8K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 100% (32 Votes)
Gimme Danger
Description
Gimme Danger, the documentary by Jim Jarmusch, opens with the band’s first breakup following the release of their 1973 album Raw Power. The film follows the band’s ascent, decline, and resurgence across several decades in an uncomplicated rock documentary format. Interviews with members Iggy Pop, drummer Scott Asheton, guitarist Ron Asheton, and guitarist James Williamson are included in the documentary. Iggy Pop remembers his life with August introspection and bluntness, while the other members have the aura of former bad boys reflecting nostalgically but without sentimentality on their better days.
- Genre – Documentary, Music
- Director – Jim Jarmusch
- Writer – Jim Jarmusch
- Age Restriction – A
Rating
IMDB: 7.2/10 (6K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 95% (112 Votes)
One Child Nation
https://www.primevideo.com/detail/One-Child-Nation/0GZ2LE5BY2CRP61ER2IEOTWHEG
Description
Perceived as propaganda, the idea of the ideal family unit is deeply ingrained in political and cultural consciousness. In their book One Child Nation, Nanfu Wang and Lynn Zhang examine the remnants of propaganda that contributed to the success of China’s “One-Child Policy”. The documentary examines the cultural materials that promoted the policy’s advantages and the individuals engaged in its effects while striking a mix between investigative journalism and memoir. It exposes how politics may influence family life and questions the institutions that permitted the implementation of such a harmful program.
- Genre – Documentary
- Director – Nanfu Wang, Jialing Zhang
- Age Restriction – A
Rating
IMDB: 7.2/10 (7K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 98% (101 Votes)
Val
Description
Leo Scott and Ting Poo’s documentary on the renowned actor Val Kilmer is a subjective self-portrait that shares his opinions about himself and his career. Kilmer’s enthusiasm for acting and being in front of and behind the camera is showcased in this documentary, which is based on video he has collected since he was a little child in Los Angeles. Kilmer’s commitment to chronicling his life is not a result of egotism, but rather of a desire to capture his place in the world as well as the other individuals and artists he has had the honour of meeting. The film is eloquent, motivational, hilarious, and shattering; it expands the myth and provides a window into the man, exposing as much as it keeps hidden.
- Genre – Documentary, Biography
- Director – Ting Poo, Leo Scott
- Age Restriction – A
Rating
IMDB: 7.6/10 (14K+ Votes)
Rotten tomato: 93% (122 Votes)
Conclusion
We may sum up by saying that documentaries are what bind us all together. Even in instances where the main focus of the picture is limited to fit a preconceived plot, there’s a definite feeling of intimacy, as if we are granted a fleeting glimpse inside the director’s thoughts. Excellent documentaries use a variety of ways to provide us peeks into the real world, using footage of ordinary people going about their daily lives to communicate sensitive messages. Amazon Amazon Prime Video has a number of great documentaries covering a variety of subjects, such as true crime, sports, and even filmmaking.
