Lesser-known Strange & Amazing Docs - All on Netflix Stream! :)

RATSMAGIC · #1 ● 01-18-2013, 12:11 PM

1) "Cropsey"
An incredibly creepy and fascinating doc! One of my favorite crime mystery docs, and I have seen 'em all. The interviews with the interrigation cops at the end are utterly chilling...
"Directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio explore an urban legend that always disturbed them while growing up in Staten Island, N.Y. -- a rash of child abductions that struck the area in the 1970s and 80s -- in their gripping documentary"

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2) "Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale"
Believe it or not, a surprisingly sweet and inspiring flick about the life of an elderly gay artist, anthropologist, one-time cannibal and "wild jungle man" fetishist ;) Might be a bit slow for some, but I like its gentle pace. It suits its charming subject well.
"In 1955, Tobias Schneebaum disappeared into the Peruvian Amazon and emerged a year later as a modern-day cannibal. Now, follow the stranger-than-fiction tale of Schneebaum's return to the jungle in 1999, 45 years after his original visit."

3) "Marwencol"
Mentioned this one on this site before, absolutely love this sweet, sad, strange, sincere man and his work. VERY inspiring film for artists! Especially blocked ones. Will remind you of why you started making art (writing, making music, etc) to begin with. Great twist halfway, too...
"After a terrible beating left Mark Hogancamp brain damaged, he began creating models of a fictional town, Marwencol, to process the trauma. Jeff Malmberg's documentary explains how Hogancamp uses the elaborate dioramas as stand-ins for real life."

4) "Loss of Nameless Things"
Another great TBI survivor film. First half drags a bit, but worth it in the end.
"This documentary from filmmaker Bill Rose examines the life and career of fast-living playwright Oakley Hall III, who was poised to take the theater world by storm when he suffered a brain-damaging fall from a bridge in upstate New York in 1978."

5) "Prodigal Sons"
A bit messy, maybe not the greatest doc but the rawness and completely out of left field twist makes it totally worth watching.
"In high school, Kimberly Reed was male, a straight-A student and captain of the football team. But since leaving his rural Montana hometown, he's become a woman -- and a filmmaker whose documentary could not be any more personal. Half the story involves her attending her high school reunion as a transgendered female; the other half involves reuniting with her siblings, including her estranged adopted brother."

"Life With Murder"
An intense, quiet flick about a young man accused of murdering his sister. Heartbreaking and REALLY makes you think about the complexities of family relationships & the bond between parents and children.
"When 18-year-old Jennifer Jenkins is shot dead at home, all evidence points to the guilt of her 20-year-old brother, Mason -- but the siblings' parents maintain an unwavering belief in their son's innocence. Director John Kastner's unflinching documentary chronicles Mason's 11-year march through the Canadian court system, from first interrogation to appeal attempts, and culminates in an unforeseen revelation."

sassieroses · #2 ● 01-18-2013, 01:07 PM

I've seen Cropsey. It's actually one of my favorite crime documentaries. Life with Murder is on my instant que list, just haven't watched it yet. You would like Into the Abyss, check that out on netflix. I thought the point of view was very interesting.