Critically-acclaimed Documentaries on Netflix
The Critically-acclaimed Documentaries category on Netflix is identified by the secret code 8673. Below are 20 Critically-acclaimed Documentaries titles currently traceable on Netflix, sorted by rating. Top picks include 13TH (2016), I Am Not Your Negro (2016), The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016).
How to open this category: on a web browser, sign in to Netflix and visit netflix.com/browse/genre/8673. On the mobile app or a TV, use the title search below or open the code in a browser. What you see depends on your country and Netflix plan, so some titles may not appear for you.
Last updated: 28 Sep 2021. Independent reference, not affiliated with Netflix.
13TH (2016)
In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 8.2
Netflix rating: 3.6/5
Runtime: 01:40:42
Netflix ID: 80091741 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
I Am Not Your Negro (2016)
Based on James Baldwin's unfinished book, this visual essay explores racism through the stories of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.8
Runtime: 01:33:26
Netflix ID: 80144402 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week (2016)
Interviews and archival footage document the Beatles' early years -- as well as the impact international touring had on their music and pop culture.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.8
Runtime: 01:45:35
Netflix ID: 80118170 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened (2016)
The cast and crew of the 1981 Broadway musical 'Merrily We Roll Along' recall joy and heartbreak during the production of a surefire hit that wasn't.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.7
Netflix rating: 3.2/5
Runtime: 01:36:44
Netflix ID: 80132964 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Fire in the Blood (2012)
Filmmaker Dylan Mohan Gray delves into Africa's AIDS crisis to put a human face on those caught in the battle over inexpensive, generic HIV drugs.
Year: 2012
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 01:23:11
Netflix ID: 70268209 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Unrest (2017)
In this heart-wrenching documentary, a 28-year-old Ph.D. student turns the camera on herself to capture her struggles with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 01:37:25
Netflix ID: 80168300 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
For the Love of Spock (2016)
The son of actor Leonard Nimoy directs this moving look at his father's portrayal of Spock, the iconic 'Star Trek' character he played for 50 years.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.6
Netflix rating: 3.3/5
Runtime: 01:51:35
Netflix ID: 80115102 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Shirkers (2018)
In 1992, Sandi Tan and her friends shot a quirky film on the streets of Singapore. Then the footage disappeared, sending her on a hunt for answers.
Year: 2018
IMDb: 7.4
Runtime: 01:37:12
Netflix ID: 80241061 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016)
Known for his spectacular pyrotechnic displays, Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang creates his most ambitious project yet in this breathtaking documentary.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.3
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Runtime: 01:19:39
Netflix ID: 80097472 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
I Called Him Morgan (2016)
Decades after her release from prison for the shooting death of her jazz musician husband Lee, Helen Morgan reflects on his legacy and their lives.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.3
Runtime: 01:31:21
Netflix ID: 80147988 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016)
This documentary turns the spotlight on the man behind the iconic 'All in the Family,' with comments from friends, family and famous collaborators.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.2
Netflix rating: 2.8/5
Runtime: 01:31:19
Netflix ID: 80097360 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Embrace (2016)
Activist-media sensation Taryn Brumfitt leads a crusade to shed negative body images and body shaming to create a new way of perceiving our bodies.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.2
Runtime: 01:26:30
Netflix ID: 80162341 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017)
As she fights the tide of violence against trans women, activist Victoria Cruz probes the suspicious 1992 death of her friend Marsha P. Johnson.
Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.2
Runtime: 01:45:48
Netflix ID: 80189623 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Notes on Blindness (2016)
Based on the audio diaries of academic and theologian John Hull, this film offers an impressionistic re-creation of his slow descent into blindness.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.1
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Runtime: 01:26:31
Netflix ID: 80098842 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography (2016)
Filmmaker Errol Morris probes the life, work and studio of his pal Elsa Dorfman, a Polaroid photographer who's shot luminaries and regular folk alike.
Year: 2016
IMDb: 6.6
Runtime: 01:16:02
Netflix ID: 80145699 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
The Most Unknown (2018)
Traversing disciplines from physics to psychology, nine scientists share ideas and seek common ground by delving into deep existential questions.
Year: 2018
IMDb: 6.6
Runtime: 01:32:25
Netflix ID: 80222042 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Sample This (2012)
This doc traces the impact of the Incredible Bongo Band's 'Apache,' which played a key role in the birth of hip-hop after Kool Herc began sampling it.
Year: 2012
IMDb: 6.4
Netflix rating: 2.6/5
Runtime: 01:23:28
Netflix ID: 70290909 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Strong Island (2017)
The forces of family, grief and racial injustice converge in this powerful documentary exploring the murder of filmmaker Yance Ford's brother.
Year: 2017
IMDb: 6.4
Runtime: 01:47:54
Netflix ID: 80168230 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Casting JonBenet (2017)
Local actors from JonBenet Ramsey's hometown offer multiple perspectives on her 1996 murder as they vie to play roles in a dramatization of the case.
Year: 2017
IMDb: 6.1
Runtime: 01:20:42
Netflix ID: 80142316 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb
Bill Nye: Science Guy (2017)
The dynamic, bow-tied host behind the young adult science show faces climate-change skeptics as he demonstrates the importance of scientific evidence.
Year: 2017
IMDb: 6
Runtime: 01:36:48
Netflix ID: 80182411 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb