The 19 best documentaries on Netflix Canada right now

Feb 12 2021, 5:00 pm

If you’re looking for some thought-provoking content to keep busy, Netflix Canada has an impressive library of docs to check out.

From crime, sports, nature, and of course, Tiger King, here is a bevy of documentaries on the streaming service.

We’re highlighting some of the newest documentaries as of February 2021, as well as some must-see docs that hide deep inside Netflix’s vast library.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (2021)

The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is the first season in a new documentary series that deconstructs the mythology and mystery surrounding infamous locations in contemporary crime.

Part of the series follows college student Elisa Lam, who went missing in 2013 after staying at the Cecil Hotel. When she vanished, it ignited a media frenzy and mobilized a global community of internet sleuths eager to solve the case, offering a chilling and captivating lens into one of LA’s most nefarious settings.

Strip Down, Rise Up (2021)

In an effort to reclaim their bodies and lives, a group of women explore the intersections of movement and meaning in a powerful pole-dancing program.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)

Beneath the sunlit glamour of 1985 LA lurks a relentless serial killer, a willing acolyte of evil. Two detectives won’t rest until they catch him.

CRACK: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy (2021)

In the early 1980s, the crack epidemic tore through America’s inner cities like a tsunami, ravaging all in its wake. Decades later, the destructive effects on people’s lives, families and communities are still deeply felt.

Pretend It’s a City (2021)

Writer Fran Lebowitz discusses life in New York City as a reader, walker and incisive observer of the changes in contemporary culture and the city.

We Are: The Brooklyn Saints (2021)

From Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez (The Sentence), Imagine Documentaries, and Disarming Films comes We Are: The Brooklyn Saints, a four-part documentary series following a youth football program in the heart of inner city East NY, Brooklyn. 

Surviving Death (2021)

From director and executive producer, Ricki Stern (Reversing Roe, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work), and based on best-selling author and journalist Leslie Kean’s book, Surviving Death is an in-depth investigative series exploring the possibility of an afterlife.

The Minimalists: Less Is Now (2021)

They’ve built a movement out of minimalism. Longtime friends Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus share how our lives can be better with less.

In case you missed any of these spectacular documentaries or if you really want to dive deep into the platform, here are some other can’t-miss docs on Netflix Canada.

Amanda Knox (2016)

American exchange student Amanda Knox is convicted and eventually acquitted for the 2007 death of another student in Italy.

Wild Wild Country (2018)

This documentary follows a controversial cult leader who builds a utopian city in the Oregon desert, resulting in conflict with the locals that escalates into a national scandal.

The Last Dance (2020)

Charting the rise of the 1990’s Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, one of the most notable dynasties in sports history.

Quincy (2018)

Artist. Father. Visionary. QUINCY is an intimate look at musical icon and influential legend Quincy Jones.

Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)

An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the infamous unravelling of the Fyre music festival.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (2020)

You can’t mention Netflix documentaries without following this rivalry between big cat owners, a controversial animal park boss, and a murder-for-hire plot.

Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez (2020)

This three-part series examines what led to the murderous fall of former NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez.

The Staircase (2004)

After the mysterious death of his wife, author Michael Peterson watches his life go under the microscope.

After losing his memory at age 18, Alex Lewis relies on his twin brother, Marcus, to teach him who he is. But the idyllic childhood Alex paints is hiding a traumatic family secret that the twins must finally face together decades later.

The Battered Bastards of Baseball (2014)

This is the colourful true story of the Portland Mavericks, a scrappy, independent baseball team of underdogs started by actor Bing Russell in the 1970s.

My Octopus Teacher (2020)

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.

Ty JadahTy Jadah

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