Documentary Scanner - Which to Watch?

★★★★☆ Released on Netflix in 2016, this obviously expensive production which had been picked up by the streaming service is focused on the already quite fatigued but tragic case of the death of Meredith Kercher and the public obsession with American student Amanda Knox and her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. What makes this production unique however, is the level of access to Knox that was granted to the production team. With lots of engrossing interviews combined with archive footage and commentary on the court cases it does actually provide a good narrative of the story and with Knox herself taking part, it is finally what people perhaps have been waiting to see. Also with the years having passed, a more complete look back over what happened is possible and this feature-length documentary does exactly that. Meredith Kercher Nick Pisa Giuliano Mignini The talking heads in this production are impressive. Nick Pisa, the British journalist that br...

★★★★☆ This six part Netflix docu-series is set in the 1980’s in the USA where an Eastern philosophy clashes with middle America. However, what is actually revealed is stranger and much darker than you may imagine. Rajneesh followers were known for their unconventional practices Beginning in India, the Rajneesh movement of orange clothed followers (named after their leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, aka ‘Osho’) purchased a large area of rural Oregon to build a ‘utopia’ and establish themselves as a township. Political war soon followed as the local residents of the nearby small town battle to retain the identity of the area as more people were abandoning their homes and businesses to the Rajneesh. However, the politics within the movement itself is what will actually dumbfound you. Showing how easily the mind can manipulate – and be manipulated – this series explores the internal conflicts of the group and how their ostensible plan for ‘utopia’ was far removed ...

★★★★★ Simply put, this documentary is an absolute must see for anyone remotely interested in the topics of religion, mind control, Hollywood conspiracies and of course – Scientology itself. But don’t go thinking this is some cheap shot one hour ‘special’ used to fill broadcast space in between advertising. It is evident quite quickly that a lot of time, effort and money went into this production. L. Ron Hubbard To the average viewer, this film contains some pretty fantastical facts about Scientology. The type that had it not been proven to you, you might not believe. Thankfully though, to even the most knowledgeable about the cult itself, it is still very much worth a watch as it strings all these pieces together to form a rather strange looking tapestry of what exactly goes on behind the scenes of this organisation. Tom Cruise An organisation which has captured the minds (and pockets) of many people, but has become synonymous with having within its ranks, a ...