Five documentaries that will make you question everything you know

[W]e live in a post-Blackfish culture. Documentaries, when well-crafted and given the right platform can rally up enough momentum to effect real tangible change. Seaworld for example announced in November last year that it would be phasing out its live performances of orcas as well as terminating their orca breeding program. Great for whales and great for the future of funding documentaries.

The so-called golden age of television (ahem, Netflix) has made these documentaries more accessible and far-reaching than ever. Here are five that peek behind the curtain at a huge personal risk to capture the truth. Scroll through and stay woke.

Virunga (2014)

If we learned one thing about Gorillas in 2016 it’s that people get really, really pissed when they die. Which is why the DiCaprio-produced Netflix original Virunga deserves another push. Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel, the gonzo-style journalism follows those living in Virunga National Park: the remaining Gorillas, the poachers, the rebel mililtia and SOCO, a London-based oil company exploiting the natural habitat. Virunga‘s dramatic footage and clear delineation of good and bad guys mirrors the adrenalin of a decent Bourne movie. However, when rooted in its tragic real-life-happening-right-now context, it’s a harrowing and impactful watch.

In short: If you don’t already love Gorillas you will after this. You will hate big oil companies.

CARTEL LAND (2015)

The Mexican drug war is a brutal, savage and until now quite invisible conflict that hasn’t had much exposure on international press. Since 2007, the related violence has resulted in the deaths of as many as 164,000 people. As well as revealing the abhorrent crimes of the drug cartels, this documentary also sheds a light on the vigilantes taking it upon themselves to defend their country’s borders. Educate yourself about the real cost of drugs.

In short: It’s like the film Sicario but real life and substantially more relevant.

the hunting ground (2015)

In light of Brock Turner, the rapist at Stanford who only received a six-month jail sentence, rape culture’s prevalence in society is overwhelming and yet still so ignored. It’s important to learn what people really mean by terms like rape culture and how these ideas ingratiate themselves into college campus lifestyle. Lady Gaga famously wrote the theme tune and won an Oscar for it.

in short: silence is violence, this is a voice that needs to be heard.

West of memphis (2012)

West of Memphis tells the story of the West Memphis Three, where in 1994 the trial and conviction of three teenagers for the murder of three eight year old boys spurred a public outcry. The quality of film-making is hypnotic, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Amy J. Berg, West of Memphis accurately sketches out what is a complex and nuanced collection of evidence in a way that gives clear indication of police incompetence and civil hysteria perverting the court of justice.

In short: If Making A Murderer intrigued you, this is one to watch.

GOING CLEAR: Scientology AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF (2015)

Scientology has been notoriously private about its practices, its tremendous source of wealth and accusations of brainwashing, blackmail and other reprehensible methods of control. Based on the book by Lawrence Wright Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief, Director Alex Gibney investigates how Scientologists target vulnerable individuals to join and in particular, the church’s fanatical obsession with recruiting celebrities. Read our list of unsuspecting celebrity Scientologists and watch the trailer for the film below.

In short: the scale of this shit is just enormous. Tom Cruise is troubling.