We know, we know, there’s some great new action flicks on Netflix this month. But leave The Mummy and Kickass on hold for two secs—there’s a bunch of epic docos that are probably more important. This month we’ve got terrifying AI game machines, a group of inspiring women in the Congo, and a hot-of-the-presses glimpse into Trump’s midterm campaign.
Here’s all the documentaries you should be watching this month.
AlphaGo
Depending on where you sit (and what shares you own) AI is either very exciting or super terrifying. Either way, you’re gonna want to watch AlphaGo. It tells the story of Google’s DeepMind project and their groundbreaking AI, AlphaGo, which crushed the world’s best Go player, Lee Sedol, back in 2015. It was a watershed moment for neural networks. But Skynet looks like it’s still a while off. It’s up on Netflix now.
The Most Unknown
The Most Unknown is a doco that tries to answer the BIG questions. What is time? How did all this start? How much do we really know? Where do all the socks go? The filmmakers took nine leading scientists from around the world, got them together and dropped them into weird fields of research. The results are kind of freaky. It’s also on Netflix right now.
City Of Joy
This one’s been nominated for just about every award out there, and picked up a bunch of gongs, including the Jury Award at Woods Hole Film Fest, the Impact Award at Illuminate and Jury Prize at the Arizona Film Festival. First-time director Madeleine Gavin takes us into the Democratic Republic of Congo and a group of women who are trying to change things from the inside. City Of Joy is out on Sep 7.
Quincy
Is there anything Rashida Jones can’t do? Fresh off the back of Hot Girls Wanted (which everyone should check out), Jones is back to tell the story of legendary record producer Quincy Jones (AKA her dad). The film will follow Jones’ life as a trumpeter, film composer, jazz conductor and music producer. Did we mention he’s the most nominated person in Grammy history? Just a lazy 27 wins. Quincy is dropping on Netflix on 21 Sep.
The Circus
It’s been gone for a while, but it’s back. The Circus—a ground-breaking political doco that follows the rise and rise of Donald Trump. The new episodes are all about the run-up to the hotly contested midterm elections. It’s Trump’s first real domestic test. And you’re gonna get front-row seats. Look out for new eps on 17 September.
Dark Tourist
You might have seen this one hanging around your Netflix feed, but if you haven’t checked it out yet, get on board. It’s all about so-called ‘Dark Tourism’, which basically means visiting fucked up places around the world—nuclear fallout zones, disaster sites, war zones, contested borders. Journalist David Farrier is checking them all out (in the name of good journalism, and good holidays).
The Bleeding Edge
You probs don’t need a hip replacement just yet (we’re guessing), but before you get one, check out The Bleeding Edge. It’s a critical look at the $400bn medical device industry, and the havoc it can wreak on people’s lives. Not a barrel of laughs, sure. But it’s compelling stuff. You can check it out on Netflix.
Too much truth to handle? Maybe these are more your speed: check out everything worth binging in September.
Image credit: City Of Joy