Abby Quillen

Freelance Content Marketing Writer and Editor

5 Documentaries That Could Change Your Outlook on Life

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I love documentary films. They have a special capacity to entertain while making people think, shifting viewpoints, and increasing awareness of different subjects.

Here are 5 of my favorite outlook-changing documentaries:

1.   Rivers and Tides (2004)

Andy Goldsworthy creates ephemeral sculptures in remote areas from natural materials, like ice, stones, and wood. He meticulously plans and creates his works, and watching him do it is mesmerizing. Often unpredictable natural forces, like the tides, are integral to his installations. When he’s finished with a work, he usually must watch it dissolve before his eyes. This film can make you reexamine what art is and why we’re compelled to make it.

2.   Botany of Desire (2009)

Humans have been shaping and controlling the plant world for thousands of years. But what if it is actually plants that are manipulating us? That’s the question Michael Pollan asks in Botany of Desire, a film based on his popular 2002 book by the same title. He examines four species – tulips, apples, cannabis, and potatoes – and looks at how these plants have prospered because humans have desired them. It is a thought-provoking film that can make you reevaluate humans’ relationship with the natural world.

3.   Unknown White Male (2005)

At the age of 37, Douglas Bruce woke up on the subway headed toward Coney Island with retrograde amnesia. He had no recollection of who he was and no memories. He was carrying a backpack, but it contained nothing to identify him, except for one stray phone number.

In Unknown White Male, Bruce remeets his family and friends and rediscovers art, music, movies, and the taste of food. He swims in the ocean as though for the first time. Filmmaker Rupert Murray filmed Bruce starting one week post amnesia, allowing viewers to experience the world anew through Bruce’s eyes. After watching Bruce’s journey, it’s impossible not to think about the nature of identity, self, and memory.

5 Documentaries That Could Change Your Outlook on Life #documentaries

4.   Touch the Sound (2004)

This film, also by Thomas Riedelsheimer, the director of Rivers and Tides, features Evelyn Glennie, a deaf percussionist who uses touch to “hear” sound. Here’s an excerpt from the product description:

The drone of a suitcase’s wheels on concrete interrupted by the periodic zing of a zipper, the crackling of an icy pond, the echoic clang of metal scaffolding struck by Glennie’s shoe — these sounds become in Riedelsheimer’s skilled hands moments of revelation. Watching this film viewers will feel like they are hearing the world for the first time.

Moreover Glennie exudes a joyfulness about her life and music that’s contagious.

5.   The Business of Being Born (2008)

Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein demonstrate that birth has become big business in the United States, which hasn’t necessarily improved outcomes for mothers and babies. They follow a New York City based home-birth midwife and film some beautiful and surprising births. It’s an entertaining film, and it has helped convince many women that home birth is a safe option.

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If you liked this post, check out these related posts:

What’s your favorite documentary? Be sure to read the comments, where dozens of people have already shared their favorite life-transforming documentaries.

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Comments

  1. Loved Touch the Sound and have been meaning to watch The Business of Being Born after recommending it to pregnant friends sight unseen.

    As for a favorite for me, so hard to say. Loved The Cove, think The Thin Blue Line is fascinating… The Corporation was certainly eye-opening.

    • I’ve seen the Corporation, and yes, it was definitely thought-provoking. I can’t wait to watch the other two. Thanks for the recommendations.

      • Wow!! I haven’t seen any and to say, I’ve watched about 88% of top 250 on imdb..although not like it’s some sort of a big deal but now I feel ignorant!
        Nevertheless, I’ve absolutely loved – Future is Wild. Into Eternity. Chomsky’s Distorted Morality. Herzog’s Encounters at the end of the world. And I’m dying to watch Carl Sagan’s Cosmos.
        Hope my list is not too cliched!

  2. Thank you for these recommendations! We LOVED rivers and tides but that’s the only one on this list we’ve seen. So now I want to see the others (some of which I’ve heard about). My mind is blanking on my favorites right now. If I think about it I’ll come back and add them.

  3. I’ve added a few of your suggestions to my Netflix queue. We just watched Food, Inc. again and it’s hard to leave a film like that without wanting to get up and do something. The Business of Being Born is an easy favorite for me; I love that it makes home birth a little more hip and less backwoods. Born into Brothels was a good reminder that for all I could complain about when it comes to my own country, my freedom as a woman is not one of those things.

    • I just saw Food, Inc. It’s definitely a must-see. I haven’t seen Born into Brothels yet, but it’s on my list. Thanks for your recommendations!

  4. These recommendations look great — I love documentaries, but have only seen one of these (The Business of Being Born). Can’t wait to check out the others!
    I loved Man on Wire, Food, Inc., and God Grew Tired of Us. Man on Wire especially is truly amazing.

    • Oh yes, Man on a Wire is so excellent. I’m going to put God Grew Tired of Us on my list. Thanks!

  5. I love documentaries. I thought King of Kong was excellent, Wordplay was really good, Grizzly Man is my husbands favorite (I haven’t seen it though), Surfwise was really interesting as well. I also found Enron – the smartest guys in the room very interesting. We’ve also been watching a lot of Louis Theroux – he did this one piece on “swingers” which I found absolutely fascinating.

    I guess I’m mostly into documentaries about people when I think about it. Although I do like some nature documentaries, especially stuff by David Attenborough – he’s absolutely fantastic!

    • Hi Stina. Wow, I have not seen so many of those! I’m looking forward to adding them to my list. I enjoyed Wordplay and Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room as well, although the Enron one was so infuriating. Thanks for the recommendations.

  6. When History Channel was first launch some years back, it showed some of the really great documentary-like films about different people & nations both…I really liked some of these as these showed how a simple human being can change the History of a nation…my fav documentary is about Julius Ceaser in Roman Empire…:)

  7. Hello,

    I love your blog and have added to my site as a url extension for people to find your site.
    GOD bless you and your family two and four legs,
    Melody

  8. So another Freshly Pressed post today is on summer reading lists — and now I have documentaries to check out as well. Guess my next few months are now booked!

    Thank you for sharing — can’t wait to watch.

    🙂

  10. Glad to see Man on a Wire get a mention. A few more: Remembering the Friedmans–although, dang, I hope it didn’t spawn the “reality” show junk. An old one, that I haven’t seen in 25 years, but that is still haunting, Night and Fog. Grizzly Man. And after the heavy stuff, rewatch Stop Making Sense.

  11. Fabulous recommendations! One of my favorites is “Born into Brothels”–about a photographer who gives cameras to children in India–the children of prostitutes–and encourages them to document their lives. A life-changing peek into another, almost unimaginable world (to middle America, at least).

    And congrats on Freshly Pressed; hang on for the ride!

    Kathy

  13. I’ve seen The Business of Being Born. Glad to see it on your list. Just like great documentaries, I believe there are some historical biography’s that change your life as well. One that comes to mind is Four Queens or The Lady Queen, both by the same author. And even though they are about people that lived hundreds of years ago… it doesn’t matter. Strength, courage and awareness still mean something…ya? Great post!

  14. I’m excited to check out the documentaries you mentioned. I saw Unknown White Male a few years ago and really liked it.

    I recommend with all my heart two documentaries that have stuck with me: Amargosa, about the artist/dancer Marta Becket, and A Family Undertaking, about a more natural way to approach the death and burial of loved ones. Both are moving and absolutely excellent.

    Thank you for your suggestions! I’m heading over to Netflix right now…

  21. I loved The Business of Being Born. My sister-in-law is studying to be a midwife and because of her and that documentary, I anticipate a home birth in my future!

  22. I saw the first two and will definitely watch the others. Once a month I’ll find something like “Rivers and Tides” and watch it with my 12 year old. We do live in the city and I want him to be aware. The urban pace can easily give license for that disconnect so we discuss these documentaries. Thank you for sharing!

  23. I love the fact that documentaries add something to my knowledge and life. I have seen Rivers and Tides and the Business of Being Born- both are extremely interesting. I have three sons who were all born in the water, this experience was empowering and life changing. It is nice to see a film that portrays the beauty of natural birth and the ugliness of the business side of birth.
    Two of my favorite documentaries is Babies and Tapped. Check them out!

  25. I enjoyed the book “Botany of Desire” and the documentary “Unknown White Male.” I agree, Man on Wire was pretty amazing.

    While I’m much more of a book reader and therefore have seen limited amounts of documentaries, I’ve thought many times of how I could make documentaries of things that I think are important for people to know, or would be interesting to watch– such as the young face of HIV (children who are HIV+) or life in a South African township.

  29. Funily enough it’s something I’m watching on vable at the moment. It’s ” tony robinson explores australia” and is telling me things about my own country I didn’t know. If you get a chance and you’re at all interested in Austrlalia, there is some great shots. It’s on UKTV I think…

  31. I’m going to make it my goal to watch one of these each month throughout the summer. Another good one is “The Cove”…not a date movie. Made the mistake of watching it with a new guy I was kind of seeing, and it doesn’t warm the heart.

  34. Three must-sees: Dear Zachary (have a box of Kleenex handy), Countdown to Zero (have your liberal outrage handy), and Very Young Girls (have your credit card handy to donate).

  38. Some great suggestions. Thank you for the ideas.

    I was glad to see that Man on a Wire was mentioned a few times. I recently took a second look at Grey Gardens and also enjoyed Les Paul: Chasing Sound.

  39. I love documentaries!!! Makes you think!

    “Botany of Desire” seems really interesting—would definitely like to check that one out. I have heard amazing reviews of “The Business of Being Born”, so definitely will have to check that one out too— I have a friend who is a midwife so I’m all for that! 🙂

  40. I had no idea Thomas Riedelsheimer is this popular / well known in the US. He studied at my film school and occasionally teaches there. Lovely list.

  42. Waiting for Superman was a good documentary. A must see for any parent who cares about their child’s education if they have chosen to let our disgusting government school system attempt to educate them.
    Congrats on FP.

  46. I never encountered these documentaries before. But thanks for the list, I will try finding these soon. Sounds all of them have interesting content. Keep on sharing!

  47. Dear Zachary…No it didn’t change the outlook of my life…but it did change part of me forever…It was on one night and I left it on so I could fall asleep…yes, I’m one of those guys…anyway, the more it was on, the more I couldn’t sleep…Then the story changed, I won’t tell you what happened, and I was devastated…I didn’t fall asleep until 2 or 3 hours after the movie was over…It was a wonderful movie, not because of what happens in it, but because it holds the truth so much more than anything I had seen in a long time…the filmmaker, Kurt Kuenne, did something that I wish I could do…which he did not for himself, and that may be why it was so good…watch it if you can make it all the way through without going through 93 different emotions in the 93 minutes it’s on…

  50. Thanks for the additions for my “To Watch” list, everyone!

    Freely admit, I’m a documentary addict! Some of my faves:

    Crash of ’29 (PBS)
    Food Inc.
    The Science of Healing
    Stress: Portrait of a Killer (National Geographic)
    War Made Easy

    For those who like to learn, hear different perspectives on current issues, I have to share RSA Animate – a sub-category at the RSA website (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) – this section takes 10 minute clips from full lectures given by a variety of perspectives and professional angles (think from financial analysts to social psychologists to authors) I love RSA animate, because it communicates the ‘meat of the topic’ and then conveniently gives you the link to see the full 1 or 2 hour lecture. Also a great place for seeing a wide range of perspectives via their Comment section – – So many of the ideas and logic contained in the documentaries I love sharing with others can be found in these clips – they are great for sharing with friends/family, for a short ‘intro’ to a topic –

    http://comment.rsablogs.org.uk/videos/

    Disclaimer: I frequently link to this site in my blog, I am not a member of RSA, do not receive any kind of compensation, etc., etc….. Just thought by the comments I saw here from others who like to spend their free time watching shows that educate, this might be of interest to you all!

    Thanks for sharing, everyone, and congrats on being FP’ed!

  51. P.S. – Forgot three of my all-time favorites (how could I do that?!? LOL)

    Freakonomics
    Six Degrees of Separation
    The Secret Life of Plant Intelligence

  52. I have a problem with “Waiting for Superman” – it’s definitely a documentary with a spin for their own gain. It talks about unions making it impossible to get rid of a bad teacher – but more than that, they save good teachers from being lost because of the same bureaucratic BS that is the problem in that movie. It also talks about charter schools as being amazing – but you note they say the “top charter schools.” Guess what?!? Top public school are amazing as well. Many many MANY charter schools (90% of the ones in my school system) have the same or worse outcomes than the public schools. Those kids in the movie will be fine no matter what school they go to because their parents CARE and put EFFORT into their education. If we got that from more parents, they could demand great things from any public school their child goes to.

    My recommendation is King Corn – it follows two guys and an acre of corn – showing how the govt has taken over the food supply and what actually goes into high fructose corn syrup (scary!)

  53. My vote goes to “The Business of Being Born”. It is so important that women know they can have the birth experience that they want, NOT the birth experience they are told to have. There are so many misinformed about natural childbirth and terrified of the idea of having a baby at home. I have been a doula for my friend at a home birth as well as attended a birth at a birth centre. Both were the most beautiful experience I’ve ever had.

  54. Love that you put Unknown White Male and The Business of Being Born on the list. The former is important for incredible introspection about what we take for granted and our outlook on life, and the latter is an eye opening look at what essentially is a corporate takeover of a woman’s birthing process. Being Born inspired me to deliver my baby drug free 6 months ago and I have recommended it to many many friends , expecting or not.

    My recco’s probably echo those of previous posters but they are worthy of repeating:

    God Grew Tired of Us – an amazing story that stirs up many questions about what is really going to be the aid that helps people in refugee situations. Our first instinct is that they would be happier/safer/better to be taken out of their geographical situation and relocated but unfortunately life is never that simple.

    Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father – I am normally not one for crime documentaries but I soon realized that this was actually more of a heartbreaking social and political documentary based around an initial crime. Kleenex is a must have, but do not let the possibility of misty eyes dissuade you as this film carries some incredibly important messages.

    King of Kong: Sat down and watched this one last year upon losing a bet and I still think about the docu to this day. A fantastically filmed plunge into the underbelly of the secret world of competitive arcade gamers, this film follows gaming royalty and serf simultaneously as they both attempt the same feat – to have and to hold the all time highest score on old school arcade King Kong. An amusing ride that will have you yelling at your TV, no matter which side you take.

  55. Thanks for these recommendations (and great to see documentaries on Freshly Pressed!), can’t wait to check them out. I love the docs of director Kim Longinotto, who always finds the most fascinating characters and situations. Nick Broomfield is also good, although he seems to have moved on to drama now. Like some of the others I thought Man on a Wire was great. And everyone should check out McLibel by Franny Armstrong – saying the unsayable – broadcasters are terrified of upsetting big business!

  57. Seems interesting. Ill have check some of these out. But i doubt any of them will stand up to the importence of Food, inc, Loose change or Sweet misery.
    Thank you for a good blog

  59. Thanks for this list! I haven’t had the time to catch any awesome documentaries lately. But I do like Wordplay. I’m going to check out the ones posted here soon as I can! 😀

  61. I love documentaries – but I haven’t seen any on your list. I’d love to see Unknown White Male.
    My favourite is actually a doco series, Tribe with Bruce Parry. Bruce goes and lives with various tribes around the world, fully immerses into their culture and traditions, and lives exactly as they do for one month – pretty amazing.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/tribe/bruce/index.shtml

  63. My favorite documentary is ‘Who Killed the Electric Car’

    I have not yet seen the Business of Being Born but I think I will be watching it very soon, I have heard great things about it.

    Congrats on FP!

  65. To all who loved Business of Being Born – you need to watch BABIES. All about 4 babies – one in San Francisco, USA and 3 from around the world. No talking except for a few of the parents talking to their babies ….. but don’t let that stop you ……. incredible to watch the development of infants from birth to just over a year and how the develop with or without the play groups and “stuff” in their lives. Really worth watching.

    Thanks for this list – have seen some but not all that were mentioned in post plus comments!

  66. Rivers and Tides is astonishingly good. Andy Goldsworthy is probably one of the most talented, innovative living artists today. Also loved the Business of Being Born, something that is so easily taken for granted and overlooked. Nice list! Id add, just for fun, H2oil, which is pretty new.

  68. Once in a while I’ll watch a documentary. A few you listed sound pretty good. I would recommend Google Baby and a friend of mine told me about this horrific one about the dolphins they use for Sea World and other marina variety shows and how they capture and kill them. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s really changed my view on going to places like that knowing where their entertainers come from.

  70. Wow, I can’t believe no one posted ‘Home’. It’s a life changing documentary. You can watch it full, in high-def on youtube.

  71. Thanks for the great suggestions 🙂

    I would like to suggest the series “Wonders of the Universe” With Professor Brian Cox

    And Another one “Revelation of the Pyramids” Watch them and see for yourself why these experiences I deem as passionate and life outlook changing.

    Enjoy, as I have!!

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  6. […] 5 Documentaries That Could Change Your Outlook on Life (via New Urban Habitat) I love documentary films. They have a special capacity to entertain while making people think, shifting viewpoints, and increasing awareness of different subjects. Here are 5 of my favorite outlook-changing documentaries: 1.   Rivers and Tides (2004) Andy Goldsworthy creates ephemeral sculptures in remote areas from natural materials, like ice, stones, and wood. He meticulously plans and creates his works, and watching him do it is mesmerizing. O … Read More […]