Documentaries offer unprecedented insight into the lives of real people and the extraordinary events that surround them. Fiction is great, but fact truly has the power to move and inspire people like nothing else. With that said, here are some of the best documentaries currently available to stream on Netflix Australia.
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Netflix nabbed a huge exclusive when it locked down the rights to Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé – an in depth documentary showcasing the megastar's awe-inspiring performances at Coachella 2018, intercut with extensive behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage. More than an incredibly entertaining concert film, Homecoming also acts as a rallying cry for women of colour the world over. A powerful and politically-charged statement that just happens to be filled with absolute bangers, Homecoming is surely to please Beyoncé fans.
IMDB Rating: 7.5, Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Watch Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé on Netflix right now
Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
It was promised to be the most high-end, luxurious island-set music festival experience known to man, with supermodels, yachts, five-star accommodation and dining all set to provide an experience unlike any other. Unfortunately, festivalgoers were in for a rude shock when they arrived at their supposed paradise, instead finding a setting that looked more like an internment camp than Club Med. Netflix's original documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened tells the story of how this event unraveled, going from party of the century to Hell on Earth.
IMDB Rating: 7.3, Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
Watch Fyre on Netflix right now
Get Me Roger Stone
The Trump presidency has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons, and has been a source of entertainment for late-night shows and comedians across the US. There are books aplenty already published on the Trump White House, yet the world is yet to meet the President-maker, “the trickster”, behind the scenes. Get Me Roger Stone is about the man who puts a Republican in the White House, using every (underhanded) technique he possibly can to get his man the top job. And he does so unashamedly. The documentary follows this self-acclaimed “agent provocateur” – reminiscent of a dapper character right out of a James Bond novel or movie – as he reveals everything he’s done during his long career, from Nixon to Trump. The documentary not only puts the subject, and his Nixon tattoo, centre-stage, it also reveals how the American democracy works in its current form.
IMDB Rating: 7.4, Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Amanda Knox
Following the enormous success of its original docu-series Making a Murderer, Netflix has once again returned to the ever-popular 'true crime' well with Amanda Knox. The Netflix Original documentary tells the harrowing story of an American exchange student who spent four years in an Italian prison after being convicted for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. Forced to endure the prosecution's various character assassination tactics, including public slut-shaming, Knox maintains her innocence at all times, with her appeals eventually reaching Italy's Supreme Court. Amanda Knox is an effective and truly eye-opening documentary that is not to be missed.
