13 Documentaries to Immediately Add to Queue After ‘You Can See Everything’

Oh, man. If you’re here, then I can assume we now share the same life-changing experience of witnessing the chilling story behind those big, bouldering blue eyes of Elizabeth Holmes. You Can See Everything, the new genre-bending documentary about the famed Theranos founder—known for inventing a fraudulent blood-testing technology that scammed investors out of billions of dollars—is taking over every corner of the internet right now.

It has already become Letterboxd’s highest-rated movie ever after one weekend in theaters, but more importantly, it is easily the best $20 I’ve ever spent, thanks to a wild second half that takes such a crazy, unexpected turn it almost feels like fiction. Until you realize it is a story about real people and real lives, which makes it all the more thought-provoking.

After being swept into a truly incredible year of fictional cinema (read: Obsession, The Invite, Fjord, The Odyssey, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day), You Can See Everything has reminded me just how crucial documentary storytelling is—especially when it offers a pivotal look as insightful as that one about the people and systems that are actively shaping our world.

If you’re feeling inspired to learn more about the edges of our real world after three hours of Nathan Fielder-branded cray, here are a few more powerful documentaries you should definitely be adding to your list; post being deceived:

Quick picks

• If you want to learn more about Elizabeth Holmes: The Inventor: Out for Blood, streaming on HBO Max
• If you’re curious about Ponzi-style romance schemes: The Tinder Swindler, streaming on Netflix
• If our political climate gives you the ick, but you also want to know more about our presidential election processes: The Great Hack, streaming on Netflix
• If you’re fascinated by the dangerous impacts of social media: Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, streaming on Hulu

Prime Video

The History of Concrete

OK, hear me out. The title might not be the most enticing at first glance, but girls, I swear to god, this is one of the best films I’ve watched all year. It has a playful rhythm that feels like a close cousin to Nathan Fielder’s quirky humor in You Can See Everything and Nathan for You, and if this is your ideal flavor of laugh, a little story about a filmmaker trying to find his fun in the small things we take for granted is definitely your vibe. The History of Concrete is currently playing in theaters and is expected to hit streaming early next month.

The Booksellers

If your favorite pastime is cozying up with a good read, The Booksellers is the education story you should dive into next. For starters, Parker Posey (The White Lotus) executive-produces and narrates it, and it also features fun appearances like Fran Lebowitz. Featuring the wonderfully eccentric world of rare-book dealers in modern-day New York City, The Booksellers is an enlightening discovery about physical books and why they remain such a treasure. Released in 2019, it feels like our literary climate has changed drastically since then, which is part of what makes it fascinating. You can watch it on Prime Video, but it’s also free on YouTube!

Other documentaries we’re watching on Prime Video:

• Paul McCartney: Man on the Run
• The Blue Angels
• Frida
• Lucy and Desi
• Dior and I

Netflix

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist

I’ve seen people watching AI-generated fruit people on the train so many times it’s concerning, but rather than squirm at the thought of AI killing us all, I figure hearing it straight from the source is, at the very least, a slightly more educational way to panic. This new Netflix doc explores the growing anxiety around AI as an expecting father grapples with the same existential question we’re all loudly asking: Are we doomed? Hoping to find answers before his kid enters the world, the soon-to-be father interviews industry leaders, researchers, and even OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

The Perfect Neighbor

Like You Can See Everything, The Perfect Neighbor is a special kind of documentary that relies solely on bodycam footage to tell its story. No music, no interviews, just what the subjects were actually doing in the moment. The footage follows a long-running neighborhood dispute in Florida, where one resident repeatedly calls the police over seemingly minor incidents like local kids playing outside. As tensions escalate, one of those calls ends up being about a murder scene, and transforms the already unsettling conflict into a conversation about racial prejudice and self-defense declarations in the legal system.

Girl Climber

In a pursuit to become the first woman to climb the Golden Gate route on Yosemite’s El Capitan (in under 24 hours), “girl climber” Emily Harrington perseveres through a near-fatal fall, a largely male-dominated field, and the pressures of motherhood as she strives to not just be the best girl climber out there, but one of the best PERIOD. If you’ve watched Alex Honnold scale a 100-floor skyscraper in Taiwan, or found yourself holding your breath through Free Solo, this documentary is another insane venture that pushes the limits of what we deem humanly possible.

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

I remember this one going viral when the documentary came out, but I candidly never got around to it. Bad Vegan explores questions about the entanglement of love and manipulation. The story follows a famous restaurateur’s marriage with a strange man she met online, who convinces her that he has supernatural powers that can make her beloved dog immortal. The audience reception is also vastly different than the critics’ for this one, which makes it all the more intriguing for me.

Other documentaries we’re watching on Netflix:

• Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald (NEW)
• Lorne
• Daughters
• The Social Dilemma
• Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart

Paramount+

Predators

You Can See Everything co-director, Lance Oppenheim, is also one of the masterminds behind Primetime. Pulling from experiences that exist within that same world, Predators examines the rise, fall, and complicated legacy of To Catch a Predator—with interviews from host Chris Hansen himself. If you’re on a roll with other Oppenheim viewings, this educational watch is worth entertaining.

Other documentaries we’re watching on Paramount+:

• Burden of Guilt: Haunted by Lies
• Favorite Daughter
• June
• Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert

Hulu

Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel

When I first read the story behind this one, I had actual chills go down my spine. A kill-for-hire plot, an 11-year investigation, and a mysterious wealthy family at the center. This story takes place at both extreme ends of the human experience (wealth and murder). It’s one of those true-crime rabbit holes that makes you question how well you really know the people closest to you.

Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult

Posing as a legitimate self-help and coaching company, the famous NXIVM cult in Albany, New York, was responsible for manipulating women into forced labor, sex trafficking, and blackmail. The series specifically follows India Oxenberg, who suffered extreme abuse for several years by the organization, before eventually making her escape. If you’re interested in learning more about cult manipulation tactics and how exactly smart, ambitious people get coerced into them, this watch is extremely thought-provoking.

Brats

Featuring a truly iconic It-group of actors—Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Lea Thompson, Jon Cryer, and Timothy Hutton—Brats follows the cultural impact of a single New York magazine article that negatively changed their careers forever. Calling the crew of rising Hollywood stars the “Brat Pack,” the actors reflect on how the label significantly shaped their public personas and relationships with the industry.

Other documentaries we’re watching on Hulu:

• Ask Dr. Ruth
• Ballet Now
• Sally
• Scamanda
• Minding the Gap

HBO Max

My Mom Jayne

I had no idea Hollywood icon Jayne Mansfield was Mariska Hargitay’s mother, but learning that made me even more intrigued to watch this one. Having grown up watching lots of Law & Order when I was a kid (even when I probably shouldn’t have), I love the idea of getting to witness a more vulnerable side of Hargitay as she explores her mother’s life and legacy for the first time since she died in a car crash at just 34 years old.

How to With John Wilson

The Nathan Fielder-to-John Wilson pipeline is pretty inevitable. Eventually, it will come for you, if it hasn’t already. And if The History of Concrete doesn’t send you spiraling into obsession, HBO Max’s How To with John Wilson just might. Sharing a similar offbeat storytelling style, but in its own world, this hilarious docuseries serves up colorful, unconventional advice from the wonderfully eccentric people who call New York City home. There’s no shortage of fascinating characters lurking about, but because this is John Wilson we’re talking about, his sprawling tour of urban life is just as profound as it is entertainingly quirky.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

In search of the violent serial killer that stalked the state of California during the 70s and 80s, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark follows journalist and true-crime blogger Michelle McNamara, who reignited public and police interest over the unsolved case and whose research helped lead to the eventual capture of the killer in 2018. If you’re drawn to documentaries fueled by an almost insatiable determination to uncover the truth, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is a compelling follow-up.

Other documentaries we’re watching on HBO Max:

• Paris is Burning
• Marc by Sofia
• The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story (NEW)
• Born to Bowl
• The Jinx

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Madigan Will, Contributing Writer

As a contributing writer and former Assistant Editor for The Everygirl, Madigan has written and edited content across every topic under the digital media sun. As the oldest of four siblings, she brings a big-sister perspective to her work, helping readers discover new ways to maximize their everyday.

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