Documentary fans are in for a treat watching any of these hidden gems
Class Action Park is among the documentaries that deserve a spot on your watch list(Image: HBO Max)
There’s nothing more satisfying than discovering a documentary that packs in the twists, turns and mic-drop moments.
While streaming giant Netflix has become synonymous with shock factor documentary films and series, there are plenty that exist beyond its library.
One Redditor recently asked people for their suggestions on little-known documentaries that “blew your socks off” which brought in over 2,000 responses. The resulting recommendations spanned nature, crime and the weird and wonderful, exposing a multitude of stories that may have otherwise flown under the radar.
My Octopus Teacher
One of the most-suggested titles was My Octopus Teacher. Released back in 2020, the feature-length documentary film follows diver Craig Foster and the surprising bond he formed with an octopus over the course of a year.
Fans of the film described it as “not your typical nature doc”, while another said they “don’t eat octopus because of this movie.” As per its official synopsis: “A filmmaker forges an unusual friendship with an octopus living in a South African kelp forest, learning as the animal shares the mysteries of her world.”
The title actually won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature back in 2021, so you know it’s going to be good. You can currently stream it on Netflix.
The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia
Jackass star Johnny Knoxville is among the producers credited on this 2009 documentary about an infamous outlaw family living in West Virginia. The film’s director Julien Nitzberg spent an entire year with five generations of the White family in rural Appalachia.
The New York Times called it “compelling and complicated”, while one viewer dubbed it “one of the craziest docs to ever exist.” Another claimed: “Had a friend who grew up near that family. She said it is 100% accurate.”
While it isn’t readily available for streaming, the 10th Anniversary Edition can be rented or purchased via Prime Video. Alternatively, eager documentary fans can buy a physical copy.
Three Identical Strangers
A stranger-than-fiction tale, Three Identical Strangers, released in 2018, tells the incredible true story of how a set of triplets separated at birth somehow found each other again.
Bobby Shafran, Eddy Galland and David Kellman’s unique story sees them catapulted to celebrity status on a global scale, but a horrifying discovery about their beginnings casts a dark shadow over their lives.
The BAFTA-nominated film has a run time of just over an hour and a half and is currently available to purchase via YouTube, Apple TV and Prime Video. Sadly it is not included in any streaming service subscriptions at the moment.
Class Action Park
Another 2020 release is Class Action Park, which chronicles an amusement park in New Jersey and the high number of injuries that occurred there. In total there were six recorded deaths at the attraction before it closed down in 1996.
Available to watch on HBO Max, the documentary features newly-unearthed recordings and documents, as well as interviews with people who visited it for themselves and lived to tell the tale.
Its synopsis reads: “To some, New Jersey’s infamous Action Park was the most spectacularly fun amusement park on Earth: A place where unruly 1980s teenagers were given free rein to go gonzo on strange contraptions that seemed to violate the laws of common sense (and perhaps physics). To others, it was an ill-conceived death trap. One thing is sure: It’s the type of place that will never exist again.”
Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Currently available for free streaming via Plex, 2011 film Jiro Dreams of Sushi centres on 85-year-old Jiro Ono as he attempts to realise his life-long quest of making the most perfect piece of sushi.
He was the first sushi chef to earn three Michelin stars and considered the world’s best at what he does, but he is still not content that he has achieved perfection. Filmed at his world-famous Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, the documentary also follows his son, Yoshikazu, as he struggles with the pressure of trying to follow in his father’s footsteps.
The documentary has an impressive Rotten Tomatoes rating of 99 per cent from critics and an equally solid 91 per cent from audiences. One viewer shared: “It’s about a sushi restaurant, but is really about one man’s absolute, laser focus on absolute 100.0000% perfection. Odd title, odd theme, but an incredible documentary.”