Thoughts: best documentaries

Recently I've really gotten in to watching documentaries. I've always liked to keep up with Louis Theroux's latest films, but I rarely looked elsewhere for thought-provoking material; enter Netflix,with it's countless films to choose from- please tell me I'm not the only person who probably spends more time choosing films rather than watching them? Anyway, with that in mind I thought I'd write about a few of my favourites so far in case you happen to be looking for inspiration:

The Lady in Number 6 - I first heard of this film when I was watching the Oscars and saw that it had been nominated for (and then went on to win) the award for best short documentary. I searched around the internet with no luck, then one day up it popped on Netflix. It tells the story of Alice Herz-Sommer, a holocaust survivor who spends hours every day playing the piano- much to the joy of her neighbours who love to hear her play. Alice says that music, without a doubt, helped her to survive her horrific ordeal and is what helps to keep her going, even now at the age of 109 years old. You can't help but feel inspired to be more positive, as Alice says "I have no space nor time for pessimism and hate". I urge anybody to watch this film, which now stands as a well-deserved tribute to Alice's wonderful soul. 

The Woman Who Wasn't There - Unfortunately my next pick is less inspiring. This film re-lives the unsettling story of Tania Head, a woman who claimed to be a 9/11 survivor- but who, in reality, had never set foot in the twin towers. Perhaps I'm a little biased in my thinking, being a bit of a psychology-nerd, but it was fascinating to see how far a person will go in order to find acceptance and meaning for themselves.

Aileen: The Life and Death of a Serial Killer - Again I may be biased in my interest towards this one but this film explores the life of Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute and now death-row inmate convicted of killing 7 men. The director, Nick Broomfield, interviews Aileen a number of times in the build-up to her execution which allows us to see the unravelling of her mental state over time. The last interview, the day before her execution, is particularly hard to watch and, although I'm firmly against the death penalty anyway, really makes you think about the obvious questionable ethics of killing a clearly unstable person.

The Bridge - My apologies- apart from my first choice on this list these really aren't getting any more cheerful. This film is the result of the Golden Gate bridge being filmed for one year; as the bridge is the second most 'popular' suicide location in the world, the cameras capture some disturbing footage which may be a bit too hard-hitting for some people to watch. The families & friends of some of the jumpers are also interviewed, allowing us to gain an insight in to the possible reasons behind their final moments. Some may find the film unethical, but a quick google tells me that the filmmakers raised the alarm to save lives whenever they suspected a potential jumper. Alas as the film shows, the majority looked completely casual beforehand which made it impossible to intervene- although the case of Gene, who is followed throughout the film, is a bizarre and almost theatrical example of the opposite. I'm not really sure why I found this film so interesting- perhaps sheer morbid fascination- but I would recommend it.

I wish I had another less depressing pick to finish this off nicely (I did cry at 'Being Elmo', after-all) but it seems that I'm all about exploring the darker side of the world. This is why I love documentaries so much though, as they can really help to educate a wide audience about so many different issues that more mainstream media would rather avoid.

Do you have any good documentary recommendations? Have you seen any of the above?