Here are 10 people on a documentary that absolutely changed their lives.
“Koyaanisqatsi 1982 on Tubi. Not a traditional documentary. Koyaanisqatsi means life out of balance. Just stunning visuals no commentary. About the progress of society”–taubs1
“Roger and Me taught me early to never trust a corporation to do the right thing.”–Bar_Har
“We just had our first child and we were exhausted and overwhelmed. We saw what the penguins were doing and how desperately they tried to survive and thrive and raise their chicks and we thought that if they could do it, surely raising a Human in modern society is even easier.”–Dothemath2
“I don’t know if I was just young and impressionable, but it made a huge impact on me. Something about Micheal Moores style and subject really brought it together.”–GumGuts
“That documentary ripped me apart. There are truly just EVIL EVIL people in this world. Another level evil. I started watching it not familiar with the story at all – I don’t live in Cali or USA. But what a failure of parenting, family, government, schools and the community. The whole world failed that little boy. I hope that he is one of God’s favourites up where he is now. That doco has made me take more notice of children around me, including ones I don’t know, and questioning what I see around me more often. Possibly not ‘inspiring’ but certainly something you cannot unsee and changes you.”–mashable88
“A PBS documentary called The Calling: A Medical School Journey, which followed a group of medical students through school and deep into their practicing years. What changed, what stayed the same, what grew, what broke was a real wake up call about the significant endeavors we take on in our lives and how they define and remake us in unexpected ways. I was young when I saw it and it was an eye opener that gave me some awareness around the importance of looking ahead to what kind of person I wanted to be when making choices for myself in the present.”–Fishinluvwfeathers
“It starts off being about a group of friends that love skateboarding, before veering off into more serious topics about abuse and continuing they cycle, generational trauma, adulthood, friendship… The skateboarding becomes an afterthought. Wonderful documentary.”–uncle_monty
“A Lion in the House. Very realistic look at the lives of parents of kids with cancer and how it challenges ethics in regard to how long to fight the disease when your child is terminally ill.”–InternationalCat5779
“The Twister: Caught in the Storm on Netflix. They had a phenomenal narrative thread and they really focused on the community aspect of a natural disaster.”–PositiveChaosGremlin
“The Social Dilemma really shook me, made me rethink how much control tech has over our thoughts and attention. After watching, I changed how I use social media completely.”–Hi_I_Am_Bilby
1. Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Watch On Tubi“Koyaanisqatsi 1982 on Tubi. Not a traditional documentary. Koyaanisqatsi means life out of balance. Just stunning visuals no commentary. About the progress of society”–taubs1
2. Roger & Me (1989)
Rent From YouTube“Roger and Me taught me early to never trust a corporation to do the right thing.”–Bar_Har
3. March of the Penguins (2005)
Watch On YouTube TV“We just had our first child and we were exhausted and overwhelmed. We saw what the penguins were doing and how desperately they tried to survive and thrive and raise their chicks and we thought that if they could do it, surely raising a Human in modern society is even easier.”–Dothemath2
4. Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Watch On Tubi“I don’t know if I was just young and impressionable, but it made a huge impact on me. Something about Micheal Moores style and subject really brought it together.”–GumGuts
5. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez (2020)
Watch On Netflix“That documentary ripped me apart. There are truly just EVIL EVIL people in this world. Another level evil. I started watching it not familiar with the story at all – I don’t live in Cali or USA. But what a failure of parenting, family, government, schools and the community. The whole world failed that little boy. I hope that he is one of God’s favourites up where he is now. That doco has made me take more notice of children around me, including ones I don’t know, and questioning what I see around me more often. Possibly not ‘inspiring’ but certainly something you cannot unsee and changes you.”–mashable88
6. The Calling: A Medical School Journey (2025)
Watch On PBS“A PBS documentary called The Calling: A Medical School Journey, which followed a group of medical students through school and deep into their practicing years. What changed, what stayed the same, what grew, what broke was a real wake up call about the significant endeavors we take on in our lives and how they define and remake us in unexpected ways. I was young when I saw it and it was an eye opener that gave me some awareness around the importance of looking ahead to what kind of person I wanted to be when making choices for myself in the present.”–Fishinluvwfeathers
7. Minding The Gap (2018)
Watch On Hulu“It starts off being about a group of friends that love skateboarding, before veering off into more serious topics about abuse and continuing they cycle, generational trauma, adulthood, friendship… The skateboarding becomes an afterthought. Wonderful documentary.”–uncle_monty
8. A Lion In The House (2006)
Watch On Netflix“A Lion in the House. Very realistic look at the lives of parents of kids with cancer and how it challenges ethics in regard to how long to fight the disease when your child is terminally ill.”–InternationalCat5779
9. The Twister: Caught in the Storm (2025)
Watch On Netflix“The Twister: Caught in the Storm on Netflix. They had a phenomenal narrative thread and they really focused on the community aspect of a natural disaster.”–PositiveChaosGremlin
10. The Social Dilemma (2020)
Watch On Netflix“The Social Dilemma really shook me, made me rethink how much control tech has over our thoughts and attention. After watching, I changed how I use social media completely.”–Hi_I_Am_Bilby