Three unforgettable documentaries everyone should watch

I don’t often watch documentaries, but I should make more of a habit of it. Though I am no doubt passionate about comedy, action and art films, there is something else in me that resides with the documentary/biopic genre. Documentaries stress the importance of the past while attempting to render the human life as intricate, malleable and at times ignorantly cyclical. Even if you haven’t really sat down and watched a documentary, I think there’s a type that will speak to everyone, so I’ve got three top-tier recommendations below.

**“I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter” (2019)** **Watch on HBO Max**

You don’t have to be a crime junkie to be interested in this documentary, which follows the 2015 court case and psychology of Michelle Carter. For those unaware, Carter was a 17-year-old in a relationship with Conrad Roy, who committed suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning at 18. Upon reading through the text messages between Carter and Roy, it was determined that Carter encouraged Roy’s suicide and was subsequently charged with his involuntary manslaughter.

Over the course of its two episodes, the series takes an in-depth look at teenage mental health, the narratives associated with masculinity and popularity and the question of whether or not someone can legally be found guilty for another’s suicide. Though from the first minute to the last this film is a heavy watch, it’s such a respectable documentary because it forces you to see the complexity of the human character.

**“Three Identical Strangers” (2018)** **Watch on Hulu**

With the amount of memoirs I’ve read lately, I’m no stranger to the idea that life is oftentimes stranger than fiction. No other description could define “Three Identical Strangers” better; this movie tells the true story of identical triplets who were separated at birth and found each other when they were 19. But that’s not all; as more and more pieces fall together, the triplets—and their parents—find the unimaginable reason why they had been secretly separated. Part of what makes a documentary compelling to me is that they are engines of the truth; their purpose is to paint as accurate a picture as possible of a life-changing event. Indeed, the interviews in this documentary are so raw that it’s like you’re watching someone speak to you, not through the camera. “Three Identical Strangers” still blows me away even though I’ve now seen it three times. Heartwarming and then heartbreaking, it’s the story of three lives that loved hard but hurt harder. Prepare to think about it long after the credits roll.

**“Amy” (2015)** **Watch on HBO Max**

Amy Winehouse fans will relish this documentary, which gracefully undertakes the hard role of a music biopic: crafting an accurate and private tale of someone who was markedly always public. Winehouse’s death in 2011 was a tragedy that many mourned. This documentary acts not only as a tribute but as a tell-all story; it is interested in Winehouse’s rise to fame just as well as her fall from it. “Amy” follows the rollercoaster of Winehouse’s life, from her beginnings as a jazz artist to her tumultuous relationship with Blake Fielder to her struggle with bulimia, alcohol and drugs. Stylistically, this film feels close to the heart. Most of the documentary is like a home video; the runtime is dominated with hand-held camera footage while Winehouse’s close associates and friends narrate in a voice-over. There are also snippets of her performing in small jazz bars and large sold-out shows, her lilting voice floating over the crowds as if a person of its own. Perhaps because of its format, “Amy” gave me everything I missed from “Elvis;” it managed to make a worldwide celebrity into a knowable person. And for that alone, it’s definitely worth the watch.