Political Documentaries on Netflix
Last updated September 21, 2023
Miss Representation
2011 | NR | 4.3 out of 5 StarsExplore how the media's often disparaging portrayals of women contribute to the under-representation of females in positions of power, creating another generation of women defined by beauty and sexuality, and not by their capacity as leaders.
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Burzynski
2010 | NR | 4.3 out of 5 StarsThis true story follows a biochemist who challenged the Food and Drug Administration for his right to begin clinical trials on a new cancer treatment. In addition to recounting Burzynski's astonishing legal victories in the face of skepticism, this documentary also examines several of his patients and their success in fighting terminal cancer.
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Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry
2012 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsThis compelling documentary explores three years in the life of celebrated Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who uses social media and his art to inspire protests against the state, and suffers government persecution for his actions.
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Zeitgeist: Addendum
2008 | NR | 4.2 out of 5 StarsContinuing the discussion from Zeitgeist: The Movie about the controversial links between religion and the financial markets, this documentary explores the causes of social corruption and puts forth a solution based on human alignment with nature.
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A Good Day to Die
2010 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsIn-depth interviews and archival footage profile the life of Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, which staged protests, including the 1973 occupation of Wounded Knee, to draw attention to the mistreatment of Native Americans.
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Farmageddon
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsAmericans' right to access fresh, healthy foods of their choice is under attack. This documentary tells the story of farms that were providing safe, nutritional foods to their communities but were forced to stop, sometimes through violent action.
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Ken Burns: Prohibition
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsKen Burns's fascinating multipart documentary examines the history of alcohol in America, including the events leading up to the passage of the 18th Amendment, the social and legal effects of prohibiting alcohol, and the repeal of Prohibition.
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Ken Burns: Prohibition
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsKen Burns's fascinating multipart documentary examines the history of alcohol in America, including the events leading up to the passage of the 18th Amendment, the social and legal effects of prohibiting alcohol, and the repeal of Prohibition.
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Zeitgeist: Moving Forward
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsThis compelling documentary examines the current state of the global socioeconomic monetary paradigm and concludes that we need to transition to a new resource-based economy for our continued human and social survival.
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective
1994 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsThis documentary program focuses on the Civil Rights leader's many groundbreaking accomplishments. Footage covers Dr. King's war on poverty and his staunch opposition to the Vietnam War. Also included is his stirring "I Have a Dream" speech.
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Lynching Charlie Lynch
2011 | NR | 4.1 out of 5 StarsThis documentary explores the rift between state and federal laws regarding medical marijuana, following the story of a man who even called the DEA before opening his California dispensary -- but still wound up convicted on federal charges.
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Speaking Freely: Vol. 4: Chalmers Johnson
2007 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsWriter and professor Chalmers Johnson warns of the dangers of American imperialism, a trend evidenced in the presence of U.S. military bases abroad, the passage of the Patriot Act and the executive branch's use of military force.
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The Union: The Business Behind Getting High
2007 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis documentary explores one of British Columbia's most profitable industries: the illegal business of growing and selling marijuana. Interviews with law enforcement officials, doctors, celebrities and more shed light on the subject.
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The Big Fix
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsWhile turning their cameras on the devastating 2010 oil spill that pumped 779,037,744 liters of crude oil and other contaminants into the Gulf of Mexico, filmmakers Joshua Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell unearth a stunning stream of corruption.
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Speaking Freely: Vol. 1: John Perkins
2007 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsAuthor and former economic consultant John Perkins takes aim at himself, confessing his shameful role in helping organizations such as World Bank and the IMF drive poor nations into crippling debt while enriching U.S. corporations. His social conscience awakened, Perkins finally got fed up and quit his job. Now, he runs a successful nonprofit group that works to help indigenous peoples protect and strengthen their environments and cultures.
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GasLand
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIn this Oscar-nominated documentary, director Josh Fox journeys across America to examine the negative effects of natural-gas drilling, from poisoned water sources to kitchen sinks that burst into flames to unhealthy animals and people.
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Ethos
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsWoody Harrelson hosts this exploration of the systemic ways in which modern society is self-destructing, from the disproportionate power of corporations, media and the military to the failure of government and democratic ideals.
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The House I Live In
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThis documentary shines a harsh light on America's "war on drugs" and its long-term impact on society. Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki captures the stories of dealers, police officers, prison inmates and others affected by the crusade.
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How To Survive a Plague
2012 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsFaced with their own mortality, a group of mostly HIV-positive young men and women break the mold in taking on Washington and the medical establishment. Their activism and innovation turns HIV from a death sentence into a manageable condition.
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Zeitgeist: The Movie
2007 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsPeter Joseph explores the controversial links between organized religion, the global financial markets and the international power structure in this thought-provoking documentary that probes several well-known conspiracy theories.
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Kennedys' Home Movies
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsThree generations of Kennedys as we've never seen them before captured in home movies and rare footage. From Joe Kennedy and Joe Jr. through John, Robert and Edward "Teddy" Kennedy. Narrated by Stockard Channing.
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The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
2011 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsFrom 1967 to '75, a film crew aimed cameras at major figures in the Black Power movement, creating hours of footage that remained unreleased for decades. In clips, Stokely Carmichael, Huey P. Newton and Angela Davis discuss the movement's evolution.
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Secrets of the Dead: Churchill's Deadly Decision
2010 | NR | 4.0 out of 5 StarsIn the summer of 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was faced with a difficult decision after France's capitulation to Germany. Unless Churchill acted, warships of the French Navy harbored in Algeria would fall into Hitler's hands.
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Hot Coffee
2011 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsThis documentary examines the so-called "hot coffee lawsuit" in which a woman sued McDonald's after she spilled her coffee and burned herself, specifically looking at the reasons why the fast-food giant invested heaps of money to sway public opinion.
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Hank: Five Years from the Brink
2013 | NR | 3.9 out of 5 StarsFrom Joe Berlinger, the director of the "Paradise Lost" trilogy, comes this documentary about U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and his efforts to convince Congress that only a trillion dollar bailout of Wall Street would prevent economic ruin.
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