Social & Cultural Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated May 04, 2025
Flicker
2008 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Nik Sheehan delves into the unique life of artist Brion Gysin, who collaborated with his best friend and beat generation icon William S. Burroughs to create the Dream Machine, which was meant to liberate its users' minds. Interviews with pop culture figures such as Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithfull and DJ Spooky convey the potency of the dreamlike creative state achieved with the help of this light-based machine.
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The Memories of Angels
2008 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsThis nostalgic tableau of more than 120 clips from works produced by Canada's National Film Board traces the evolution of Montreal from industrial hub to one of the country's major cultural centers and site of the 1967 World's Fair. The retrospective includes selections from such notable directors as Gilles Carle and Denys Arcand, and is a moving homage to the development of the arts in Quebec and the growth of Canada's film industry.
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Jedi Junkies
2010 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsThe Star Wars phenomenon has inspired a creative outpouring on the part of fans inspired by its visionary technologies, characters and themes. This admiring documentary profiles some of the projects inspired by the deep space epic.
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Graffiti Verite 10: Hip-Hop Dance: Moving in the Moment
2010 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsKick it with real life b-boys and b-girls as they share deeply personal stories of tragedy and triumph while showing off a variety of sick hip-hop dance moves, which unite impressive concentration, unbelievable acrobatics and infectious rhythms. Directed by Bob Bryan, this energetic documentary introduces viewers to an array of unique street dance styles and explores how performers lose themselves in the moment.
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If the Weather Permits
2004 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsTeenagers lap up 'southern' culture and play golf on the tundra. Most of their elders are former nomads and hunters.
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After Porn Ends
2010 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsInterviewing some of porn's top stars, this documentary explores their careers and delves into their lives after leaving the adult entertainment industry, examining their adjustment to "normal" society.
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Who Cares
2012 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsThe risks are high for the sex trade workers who wander the streets of Edmonton, Canada. Several prostitutes share their tragic stories in this documentary that depicts the hardships they endure every day on the streets.
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The People of the Kattawapiskak River
2013 | NR | 2.9 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Alanis Obomsawin explores the causes of the deplorable housing conditions faced by 1,700 Cree in Northern Ontario in 2011, a crisis so dire the tribal chief declared a state of emergency in the Attawapiskat First Nation community.
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Poetry in Motion
1982 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsWith Charles Bukowski articulating the everyman view that poetry is irrelevant, self-indulgent, dull and nonsensical, two dozen North American poets -- including Allen Ginsberg -- provide the counterpoint with stirring interpretations of their words. William S. Burroughs, Anne Waldman and Jim Carroll are among the other hipster bards on hand in this impressive anthology of recitations. Also included is a brief interview with director Ron Mann.
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How to Cook Your Life
2007 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsGerman filmmaker Doris Dörrie documents a summer in the life of renowned Zen practitioner and cook Edward Espe Brown as he teaches culinary classes in Zen centers in Austria and California, revealing the role food plays in our bodies and spirits.
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Graffiti Verite 8: The Fifth Element: The Art of the Beat Boxer
2010 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsAt the heart of old-school hip-hop were the human beat boxes who drew out the percussive beats that drove the MCs' rhymes home, from the depths of their throats to the tips of their tongues. This documentary celebrates them. Los Angeles beat box artists Click 88, Pretty Chi and Joshua Silverstein talk tools, techniques and what it takes to turn beats into art. Performance footage shows an art form evolving.
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High Grass Circus
1977 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsDiscuss the entertainment value of the circus of bygone days. What elements of circus life attracted workers and performers?
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A Whisper to a Roar
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsThis rousing documentary examines how protesters dedicated to democracy and nonviolence have changed the political landscapes in five tumultuous countries -- Venezuela, Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine and Zimbabwe -- that have been ruled by corrupt regimes.
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Heart of the King
2007 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsThe lives of four unique Elvis impersonators intertwine in this inspiring story of passion and hardship. From small-town America to the bright lights of Vegas, this documentary highlights the performers' undying love for Elvis Presley.
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Face 2 Face
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsWhen major surgery leaves her feeling isolated and alone, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Katherine Brooks sets out on a cross-country journey to meet 50 Facebook "friends" she's never met before.
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Aroused
2013 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsDuring a photo shoot for a book featuring 16 adult film stars, the subjects shed their emotional inhibitions along with their clothes, answering questions about their careers, their lives and why they got into porn.
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Rebirth: New Orleans
2013 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsIn the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans officials transformed the city's education system by increasing the number of charter schools as they rebuilt. This inspiring documentary traces the creative new model's evolution through four schools.
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Petals
2009 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsIn this documentary, photographer Nick Karras composes an art book devoted to the human vulva. Women's health professionals, sex educators, feminist activists, artists, and men and women on the street are called upon to respond to the mystery of the female form. The film also examines the recently developed plastic surgery process known as labiaplasty, suggesting that it's a fraudulent scheme to redefine feminine beauty.
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Sex Magic
2010 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsIt's your average "Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, Boy gets Girl back story." But, in this story, the Boy is BABA DEZ, a renowned polyamorous, sacred sexual healer, and the Girl, MAYA, is a sacred prostitute. To get her back, Dez must embark on a heroic journey that pitches him into a labyrinth of philosophical challenges and contradictions. SEX MAGIC takes an irreverent look at the devotees and practitioners of Tantra as they travel down a risky emotional path.
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Graffiti Verite 5: The Sacred Elements of Hip-Hop
2003 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsExploring the positive influences of hip-hop on American teens, filmmaker Bob Bryan's fifth documentary chronicles a Hip-Hop Summer Workshop -- which focuses on DJ'ing, dancing, MC'ing and graffiti art -- at Metro High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Designed to create a bridge between educators and students, the course provides teens with the supportive environment they need to freely express themselves and develop self-esteem through the arts.
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The Workshop
2007 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Jamie Morgan spent 10 days at a Northern California self-help workshop, where spiritual advisor Paul Lowe challenges participants to shed their hang-ups about modern relationships, as well as their inhibitions and their clothes.
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General Orders No. 9
2009 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsPart dream, part analysis and part history lesson, this experimental documentary uses the state of Georgia to illustrate the way in which man's presence ultimately changes, and sometimes destroys, the Earth's natural environment.
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United States of Africa
2012 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsUnited States of Africa follows Senegalese hip-hop pioneer Didier Awadi through more than 40 countries as he crafts an album celebrating black revolutionary leaders -- and their dream to see Africa as a united, independent continent.
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Fight
2012 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsErvin Chartrand's inspiring documentary follows one Winnipeg teacher's efforts to turn two at-risk high-schoolers' lives around through boxing. But getting the kids hooked on a new pursuit might not be enough to covercome a lifetime of hardship.
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Butterflies
2009 | NR | 2.5 out of 5 StarsFilmmaker Ester Brymova examines how the offbeat content created and posted online by Lisanova, Boh3m3, Mr. Safety (aka Lisa Donovan, Ben Going and Cory Williams) and other popular YouTube personalities is changing the face of 21st-century media. In this documentary, these young artists are questioned as flashes in the pan as the "Weblebrities" of the moment or as the vanguard of a paradigm shift in global information distribution.
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