Matthew Ellmore/Staff Writer
Netflix offers a wide array of content for its viewers to watch, and it can be daunting to skim through its large collection to try and find something that interests you. However, there are some documentaries, series, and movies that are available on Netflix and that stand out from the rest. Some of them may be well-known, others may not. Hopefully, you can find something that interests you.
“Blue Valentine” (2010)
It sounds strange to describe a romance film as heartbreaking and depressing, but it’s the only way I know how to describe “Blue Valentine.” This is not the usual happy rom-com or something that you can watch when you’re looking for a laugh. It’s a deep and honest look at the complexities of relationships and the pain of heartbreak. The film’s plot is one that’s familiar and simple – it follows a married couple and cross-cuts between periods of their marriage – but the way that it’s executed is anything but simple. Instead of using cliches and humor, the film tackles its subjects with grace and unrelenting honesty. Carried by outstanding performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, “Blue Valentine” is an unsettling ride through love and marriage and it’s one that should be seen.
“The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” (2018)
The original “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” series aired in 1996 and ran until 2003. The show was filled with laugh tracks, wacky situations, and a talking cat. This rehash is the complete polar opposite of that. The show follows Sabrina Spellman, a half-witch, as she struggles to manage her life as human and her life as a witch. “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” is darker and bloodier than the original series, properly showcasing the horrors that surround Sabrina in the world of witchcraft. Instead of constantly filling episodes with jokes and laughs, episodes have depth to them. Although the main character is young, the series still places her in mature situations and shows how she grows from them. It’s certainly not perfect; at times the dialogue feels stiff and a bit heavy handed, especially in the first two episodes, and the blurred vision around the camera can be disorienting. But the show is a refreshing rehash that goes in a completely new direction, successfully managing to tap into its source material while still being its own thing.
“Wild Wild Country” (2018)
“Wild Wild Country” follows Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his Neo-Sannya followers who attempt to build a city in Wasco County, Oregon. Conflict begins to occur with the locals and eventually evolves into a national dispute. This dispute leads to illegal wiretapping, assassination attempts, and the first reported bioterror attack in the United States. At times, this docuseries feels like a work of fiction because some of the stories and events seem too absurd to believe. But the docuseries uses news footage and first-hand accounts from interviews with former followers of Bhagwan to provide evidence that these insane events did actually happen. “Wild Wild Country” attempts to define the blurred line that exists between cult and religion, something that few documentaries do successfully. The series focuses on all sides of the Bhagwan/Neo-Sannya events and does not try to vilify one specific person; instead, it paints people as the complex beings that they are.
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