OT: The Craziest Documentary
My wife and I are obsessed with wild docs/docuseries with the sweet spot being these three episodes, easy-to-binge setups. While this list ranges in episodic length, the ones we find the most bananas so far are:
- Wild, Wild Country
- Don’t F@$k with Cats
- The Invisible Pilot
- Class Action Park
- Three Identical Strangers
All of the big ones (Tiger King, Making a Murderer, etc) we’ve likely seen (but maybe we’re missing a few) so I ask you:
What should be next?
April 10th, 2023 at 11:30 PM ^
Wild Wild Country was insane! Ma Anand Sheela was one of the most bizarre “bad guys” I’ve ever watched. And it was all real.
April 10th, 2023 at 11:40 PM ^
If you haven't seen McMillions, I would recommend it highly based off of your list.
April 10th, 2023 at 11:42 PM ^
Probably my favorite documentary ever is Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth. He was a leading scholar on world mythology and this was a 6-part series with Bill Moyers. The whole playlist is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiYnNom7SVRMjsi2WSpIGBlo1UDhlXyvz
Ken Burns recent documentary on The US and the Holocaust was also really well done. His Vietnam War documentary was also excellent, though it goes well-beyond the 3-episode limit that you mentioned.
Edit: I guess these don't really qualify as the craziest documentaries. But what the hell, I enjoyed them anyway.
Ken Burns has done a number of very good documentaries.
April 11th, 2023 at 10:19 AM ^
Cool story bro: I was almost in one of his documentaries (several of my friends/colleagues are). They filmed Cancer: The Emperor of all Maladies at my hospital and were setup to film some "behind the scenes" medical stuff with my team, but I politely asked them not to given the nature of the patient's situation and care.https://www.pbs.org/video/story-cancer-emperor-all-maladies-cancer-emperor-all-maladies-trailer/
To answer the OP question, I watched the first 20min of 2nd Chance on Showtime a few nights ago and if you're looking for documentaries on wild characters with a local angle, that might be worth checking out.https://www.google.com/search?q=2nd+chance+documentary&rlz=1C1GCEO_enUS1021US1021&oq=2nd+chance&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j46i131i433i512j35i39j0i512j0i131i433i512j0i131i433i650j0i512j0i131i433i457i512j0i402i650l2.2574j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:1183a2b1,vid:yA-UkbmlFcM
April 11th, 2023 at 12:03 AM ^
If you haven't seen 'The Defiant Ones", and you are into the history of music, then you owe it to yourself. It's 4 parts, but well worth it.
Also would recommend "Facing Nolan", and "Won't You Be My Neighbor"
I tried to rewatch it a couple of months ago, but it wasn't on HBO Max, Pisses me off when a show made by HBO, for HBO, isn't available to watch on an HBO streaming service that I pay for.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:04 AM ^
Evil Genius is a real good true crime one, since it actually has a satisfying conclusion.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:11 AM ^
I thought Evil Genius was one of the better ones too. Also liked Prohibition 3 part series by Ken Burns.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:05 AM ^
Grizzly Man
April 11th, 2023 at 11:06 AM ^
"Animals rule!"
April 11th, 2023 at 12:06 AM ^
The Jinx, The Staircase, Operation Odessa, Cocaine Cowboys, Tread, Evil Genius, Icarus
The Jinx was great! Very riveting all the way through.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:24 AM ^
The documentary about the 1999 Woodstock Concert turned White Boy Riot on Netflix was good. Titled Trainwreck.
I didn’t like it, fwiw.
I actually liked the HBO version better, I think it's just called Woodstock 99.
Along those same lines "crazy music festival" docs... assuming OP has seen both Fyre Fest docs?
Also, unrelated to music, but I don't see it mentioned so far... The Way Down. HBO doc about woman who invented the Jesus-shame weightloss plan, turned Nashville cult leader, with a "crazy" progression of events in between and at end.
April 11th, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
Going to check that one out.
Netflix documentary went out of its way to make excuses for the rioters which I didn’t really like. With respect to MLK riots aren’t always the language of the unheard.
So, I don't want to pre-spoil your viewing of the HBO version but the documentarian with HBO also brings a "POV" into the doc.
Ultimately, I think it's important to remember with all of the docs that are mentioned above and below that there's someone behind the camera with "editorial control." They're telling a story. Their story. In most circumstances, we're unaware. The "crazy" in the OP's "crazy documentary" is the revelation of unknown facts and seeing how a well told story unfolds. With regards to something like Woodstock 99, if you're old enough, you may remember enough facts. There were certainly things I didn't remember. But docs arent news stories, they're stories. Yes, they need to be accurate depictions of the events and facts. But, they're not without POV.
That's a hefty preamble to just say, yeah I didn't love the "why" in the Netflix version. And I don't really love the "why" (which is a different why) in the HBO version. I think what likely makes this story so compelling is both the what/how it all happened, and the difficulty people have putting a finger on the why.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:28 AM ^
This is an old one, but if you haven’t seen Dear Zachary… you should. It’s bonkers, heart breaking, and beautiful.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:28 AM ^
I recently watched and recommend "Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake" on Netflix. It's not the craziest documentary, but I found one story particularly tense in a way I didn't expect.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:43 AM ^
The Vow on HBO is pretty nuts. A sex cult involving the Seagrams heiress, actresses, branding of female members, carving the cult leaders initials on the women, etc. The NXIVM cult even managed to look legit enough to attract the Dalai Lama to visit on his US trip in 2018. They had major money before everything fell apart as well.
I truly don’t understand how anyone could fall for this kind of thing in the smartphone and internet age…but it continues to happen.
I truly don’t understand how anyone could fall for this kind of thing in the smartphone and internet age…but it continues to happen.
In this world of confirmation bias, with hucksters transparently lying, then screaming "fake news!" when confronted with their lies, plus when you factor in basic human stupidity ... yeah, I can understand it happening very easily.
April 11th, 2023 at 11:18 AM ^
Social Media being an echo chamber makes it more likely nowadays because the cult's reach goes further & if they have savvy social media people (like NXIVM did) then they can make the cult seem like an incredibly welcoming environment.
People are often feeling lost looking for something or someone to believe in and these are the people that are targeted by cults. Once the person feels connected they will do nothing to look for faults in the group despite having the google machine in their hand at all times.
Everybody is susceptible to becoming a cult member, all it takes is hearing the right/wrong message in the right circumstances.
Everyone? I disagree. If you're capable of and willing to think independently and ignore social "pressures", it's an easy trap to avoid.
April 11th, 2023 at 10:28 AM ^
Never say always or never, right? Never say everyone or nobody. That said, most everyone is susceptible to social pressures one way or the other. For better or worse. And the really good con artists can ascertain a person’s motivational levers and know exactly who and what buttons to push. Keith Raniere was a really good con man. His problem, like so many others with his “very particular set of skills” is that they start believing their own con and lose control of themselves.
you had me at "sex cult"
This Is Spinal Tap
Loudest documentary ever.
Eleven… 11..
A lot of good comments here! Some more:
- Grizzly Man
- Touching the Void
- American Movie
- No End In Sight
- The Kid Stays in the Picture
Last one is not as “crazy” but interesting and well-made.
I'd say Robert Evans is pretty crazy.
Plus he makes a mean biscuits and gravy. Don't forget to tip your waitress.
April 11th, 2023 at 11:08 AM ^
+1 for Touching the Void
The Gods Must be Crazy.
Great doc from the 80s
A bit older, and have a few more episodes than you are looking for, but definitely worth it:
WeWork
The Dropout
Couldn't get through one episode of WeWork. What a complete asshat douchbag that guy was...
Watch Dear Zachary. It's a fun one
I wouldnt’t call it fun.
This is old, but I just watched it for the first time: Gimme Shelter.
It's a Rolling Stones documentary from around 1970 and it has some interesting (to put it mildly) footage of the infamous Altamont concert.
This was midnight movie material for us in high school. This and "The Kids are Alright" which is good if you're a Who fan.
Pepsi, where's my jet?
MH370 on Netflix tells the story of the lost Malaysian flight - It's 3 episodes and I am fascinated by the concept that an airliner could vanish in today's day and age.
While not a documentary in the strict sense, the Chernobyl miniseries on HBO is riveting... Based on the bestselling nonfiction book "Midnight in Chernobyl". I read the book before I saw the miniseries - The book is better because it really explores the technical causes that led to the disaster (as an engineer I get nerded out on that stuff so take it FWIW). But the movie is very dramatic and 100% based on the actual events.
Same here. It gave me a greater appreciation of how a failing government half way around the world can impact us.
April 11th, 2023 at 10:55 AM ^
Chernobyl is an outstanding show. It is clearly the best limited run show I have ever seen. There is a big issue with it, however, and that is how many liberties they take with the facts. Major issues, not small things.
Like, radiation poisoning cannot be passed from person to person. There would be no reason somebody would be restricted from visiting somebody suffering from it. Helicopters did not crash as a result of radiation. The three men who went down to drain the reactor did not die. They weren't even wearing masks. And only two first responder personnel died as a result of the explosion, and neither died of radiation. And there are a number of times where people are threatened to be shot or killed by government actors. 1980s Soviet Union was not the greatest place to be but government bureaucrats did not go around just killing people. It wasn't Nazi Germany.
It is an amazing dramatic show, and on balance they get the facts correct in terms of what lead to the explosion, but they take so many liberties to create drama that it is hard to even classify it as a true story.
My wife and I think kind of along the same lines as you. Our favorites lately have been The Tinder Swindler, Trainwreck, Fear City, McMillions, Murder Among the Mormons, and probably a few others that aren't coming to me right now.
Bad Sport on Netflix doesn't quite fit the same mold- each episode is a standalone story, but they are pretty fascinating- each one deals with a different sports scandal. One is on a kid whose mafia-connected dad bought him a minor league hockey team. Another is on the race horse insurance fraud business (not for the faint of heart, that one).
Those are all great! Watch "Abducted in Plain Sight"
It Is one of the wildest that I've ever seen. The story is straight bonkers
Not a documentary, but I just binged Beef on Netflix. I really enjoyed it. Korean American film about a road rage incident that leads to craziness. Highly recommend.
My wife and I just watched episode 1 last night.