(curious, tense music)
An Essay About Documentaries
The studios won’t admit it but there is a season for documentaries. Despite the fact that several documentaries and series come out in the summer, you’ll often see an influx in the production of them when it gets dark. The thinking is that it’s cold and we’ve devoted the little bit of daylight they have to work, so let’s give them a story to fixate on in the dark. Even with this knowledge in mind, I watch anyway. But like all things in my life, I have found it impossible to simply enjoy something without examining the content in depth. Or why I enjoy it.
so what are the types
There are 5 main types of documentaries, as far as I have been able to tell. The first is the celebrity interest puff pieces, usually put on by the big studios. Think the Impact x Nightline collabs on Hulu. Often they only cover whatever the most recent mainstream gossip is but they call up other celebrities and that one former prosecutor you see everywhere to give it some credence. Therefore, the topics vary wildly and are unfortunately treated with the same level of seriousness, from an influencer abusing her kids to a foiled scam to steal Graceland.
Next is the quirky true crime documentary that has managed to take a serious “not-crime” crime that tries to make it as light as possible so we aren’t left wondering why the perpetrators haven’t faced any justice. These docs will often try to style themselves as the next type (more on that) but will always give itself away in the edit. I really liked Anatomy of Lies and thought it was well done but I will call it like I see it.
Third are the documentaries that are honest and don’t make you feel a little skeevy after you finish. These are few and far between so I won’t harp on it.
Following that, there are the super serious award contender types of documentaries that only seem to be exclusively on MAX on feel incredibly expensive. This is where you are sure to hear the titular curious, tense music. They usually have hours of footage to rely on for some reason and are always, always, ALWAYS split into parts that come out on a weekly basis. Oh and these usually center around cults. Nothing is more high brow that a 6 part docuseries on a cult led by a devious west coast elite.
Lastly, there are the trash ones that wear their exploitation on their sleeve and lead with salaciousness. A certain Netflix documentary that actually had the gall to use A.I. to fake photos of the subject, come to mind. These are the most despicable but ubiquitous.
so why do people (and me) like them
For the curious, these documentaries answer questions that you may not have known you had before. Whether it’s about a certain person or cultural phenomenon, you can relay on a documentary to provide you enough basic information about it. This will also set you on the right path to do more research on a subject, which has personally led me in interesting directions creatively.
They also serve as a way to connect with other through by way of pivotal world events. It’s one thing to experience the world around you as an individual but to hear how others reacted and felt highlights the connections between all of us. This is a powerful incentive to keep watching and the creators play into that by emphasizing that connection to keep the viewers attention.
However, more than anything else, these documentaries provide assurance to the anxious mind. The allure is that you aren’t the subject and the most successful documentaries go to great lengths to highlight that. For example, most of us are too busy with work and trying to keep our heads above water financially to sit around and question our purpose (at least that’s what the studios think). So by emphasizing these people as the type of people who a) are more susceptible to being indoctrinated into a cult for example and b) not like you and me, it feeds the part of us that needs to be told that we are doing better than others. Like a pat on the head by the invisible hand of Hollywood.
so what’s the problem
These documentaries, especially ones revolving around true crime, either dull or heighten our defenses in extreme ways. Depending on the type of person you are, it may fill you with a false sense of security. “I could never fall for this, I’m too sensible” without realizing that for a lot of us the only thing protecting us from predation by these groups is the fact that we haven’t come across them. I’m currently watching, “Breath of Fire” on MAX and there’s emphasis on the subject, Guru Jagat or Katie Griggs’ history of trauma and loss. Though they don’t explicitly say it, this serves as a subtle explanation as to how she got here. The fact of the matter is, many have experienced the trauma she has. We can’t assume we can’t be susceptible to falling down the same path as her.
There’s also the question of what this does to us socially. If you believe you are inherently better than someone else based on their experiences, it’s easy then to become sanctimonious and cruel to those who fall victim to the same situations. This attitude serves to even further silo us into our little bubbles in a time where we should really be linking up. Plus I have personally grown annoyed with the holier than though culture of interacting with people online that seems to seep into every virtual space. This feels like just another means of doing so and I don’t think we should encourage loser behavior like this in ourselves and others.
On the other hand, we are now well aware of the phenomenon of people overly identifying with the victims of crimes in a way that isn’t statistically reflective of the truth. Or their present realities and the subsequent paranoia that follows is life derailing. I’m reminded of a woman I saw on TikTok saving pieces of her hair for police in the event that she is abducted and later found deceased. That is a lot of fear to be living with on a day to day basis and I don’t doubt it’s because of consuming a lot of true crime.
I also question the levels of harm that may be inflicted on the family and friends. Are they being fairly compensated? How are they being edited? Would they have done this documentary if they could’ve have seen the final version before release? These questions are too many for me to be comfortable with and I have a sneaking suspicion that the right people aren’t asking them.
so what should I and you do
Ultimately, it’s up to us to be cognizant of what we’re watching. We can’t sleepwalk through our programming. We must fight against the second-screenification of documentaries and shows in general, Netflix business model be damned. It is only then that we can pick up on some of these patterns and circumvent them. I am just very invested in the belief that we are smarter than the studios give us credit for and I’d like to see us all live up to that. Also, if something feels icky or exploitative when you’re watching it, please understand that you don’t have to finish it. You don’t owe the creators your attention and you can revoke it at any time.