Documentaries are the perfect film genre to watch after a long, exhausting day. There is something so intriguing about learning new things from documentaries. Whether it be exposing the controversies surrounding SeaWorld or learning how certain foods are made, documentaries are for everyone regardless of age.
Hulu has a vast library of documentaries, some of which were nominated for or won Academy Awards.
10 Identical Triplets Finally Meet In Three Identical Strangers
Three Identical Strangers is a 2018 documentary about identical triplets living separate lives who encounter each other by chance. 19-year-old Bobby Shafran is attending community college in New York when he gets confused with Eddy Galland, another university student.
Bobby and Eddy meet each other and are shocked by what they see. The two look exactly alike but have different adoptive parents. Their story gains the attention of their triplet, David Kellman. They became a media sensation and discovered they were part of an experiment on adopted children.
9 Blackfish Exposes SeaWorld's Inhumane Practices
SeaWorld has been under fire for the cruel treatment of their orcas in captivity. Blackfish is a 2013 documentary that highlights SeaWorld's inhumane practices, particularly in regards to their famous orca, Tilikum. Tilikum died of a bacterial infection four years after Blackfish's release, but was initially captured in Icelandic waters in 1983.
The film exposes the consequences of keeping killer whales in captivity, like Tilikum. Blackfish was met with disapproval from SeaWorld Entertainment for its alleged inaccuracies but performed well with critics.
8 The Mole Agent Offers An Inside Look On The Treatment Of Elders
The Mole Agent is a Chilean documentary released in 2020 by Maite Alberdi. The Mole Agent follows the life of 83-year-old Sergio, who goes undercover at a nursing home in Chile at the request of Rómulo, a private investigator. Rómulo equips Sergio with several pieces of spy equipment, like a camera pen and camera glasses, to assist his client, who wonders if her mother is being mistreated at the facility.
The Mole Agent is a heartwarming film where viewers meet the different residents of the nursing home through their unique personalities.
7 RBG Chronicles the Life Of Women's Rights Trailblazer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
RBG is a 2018 documentary about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. The film details her early life and lengthy legal career, which lasted many decades, and paved the way for many women.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg died recently in September 2020, and Hulu allowed people to watch the documentary free for 24 hours to honor her achievements. Her legacy lives on as a pop culture icon and one of the biggest advocates of women's rights in Anerican history.
6 Learn All About Ramen In Ramen Heads Documentary
Food documentaries on how a certain food is made or the best restaurants for each dish are quite the craze. Ramen Heads is a 2017 documentary that even Naruto would watch, and is ideal for all the foodies out there.
Ramen Heads is directed by Koki Shigeno and follows the life of Osamu Tomita, known as the "King of Ramen" in Japan. The film takes viewers step by step through the assembling of Tomita's dishes and ramen's cultural backstory. Ramen Heads also details five other ramen shops in Japan that will make viewers hungry for some noodles.
5 Minding The Gap Is About Skateboarding & Struggles
Minding the Gap is a 2018 film directed by Bing Liu and produced through Chicago-based production company, Kartemquin Films. The documentary details the lives of three friends living in Rockford, a suburb outside of Chicago, Ill. The friends all share a love for skateboarding and grew up in abusive households.
The film chronicles their current struggles of relationship problems and financial difficulties. Minding the Gap was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and cited by former President Barack Obama as one of his favorite films in 2018.
4 The Donut King Shows A Sad Backstory Of Donut Shop Owners
The Donut King is a 2020 documentary chronicling the life of Cambodian immigrant Ted Ngoy and his Californian donut business. Ngoy arrived in California in the 1970s, when war devastated Cambodia. Ngoy soon found interest in donut-making and was dubbed "The Donut King" for his delicious desserts in the iconic pink boxes.
The film doesn't just speak of Ngoy's life, but also of other Cambodian families who started donut shops. Their achievements established competition to chains like Starbucks and Dunkin' for their mouth-watering donuts.
3 Paul McCartney Discusses His Music Career In McCartney 3, 2, 1
McCartney 3, 2, 1 is a six-episode docuseries released in July 2021 with Paul McCartney and Rick Rubin. The series chronicles McCartney's early life, his time with The Beatles, and his career as a solo artist. The pair spend time closely listening to tracks and discussing McCartney's songwriting choices and aspects of his life that influenced the lyrics of certain tunes.
The series received largely positive reviews and even achieved a 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Another docuseries about The Beatles, titled The Beatles: Get Back, released in November 2021 on Disney+.
2 I Am Greta Tells Of Greta Thunberg's Achievements
Greta Thunberg gained worldwide popularity for her address at the 2018 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
Nathan Grossman directs the 2020 documentary I Am Greta, which details her achievements as a young, Swedish climate change activist. The film received mainly positive reviews, and Thunberg continues her fight for change.
1 Fyre Fraud Documents The Fyre Festival's Complete Failure
It's been hard to forget Fyre Festival's utter failure, considering how crazy the past two years have been. Fyre Festival was supposed to be a luxury music festival in 2017 in the Bahamian island of Great Exuma. The 2019 documentary, Fyre Fraud, shows how the festival itself couldn't be any different.
Hulu released their documentary four days before Netflix's Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened. Both films document the unbelievable scams that con artist and Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland pulled on performers and attendees.