Don’t have time to invest in a long book or a podcast series? Below are recommended documentaries that can still help you deepen your understanding of politics and history and how they relate to our current moment.
Streaming platforms for all documentaries are provided where available.
Bad Faith (2024)
Bad Faith explores the dangerous rise of Christian Nationalism in the United States. Part archival chronicle, part exposé, the film reveals the secretive political machinery that has relentlessly sought to weaken and destroy American democracy in order to promote its authoritarian vision.
Available on these streaming platforms: Prime Video, Tubi, Peacock, YouTube, Google Play, AppleTV, Kanopy, OVID
1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture (2022)
Many conservative religious leaders have used biblical texts to condemn and marginalize LGBTQ+ Christians for decades. And American society at large has been shaped — at least in part — to believe the idea that sexual and gender minorities must choose between their faith and their identity. But what if all these leaders have been wrong, and that recent evidence has been uncovered to prove it? 1946, which has won numerous audience awards at film festivals around the world, is a thrilling detective story punctuated with moving personal accounts of those who uncovered the truth.
Available on these streaming platforms: Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play, AppleTV, Fandango
13th (2016)
This documentary explores the intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States. The title refers to the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery, except as punishment for convicted criminals. 13th argues that this exemption has been used to continue the practice of involuntary servitude in the form of prison slave labor, and what is called the “school to prison pipeline” primarily for African-American men. Highly acclaimed, It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
Available on these streaming platforms: Netflix
God & Country (2024)
Produced by the late Rob Reiner, this documentary also addresses the emergence of Christian nationalism and its close relationship with American far-right politics, exploring its threat to democracy as well as the politicization of Christianity. The documentary is based on Katherine Stewart’s book The Power Worshippers (2020).
Available on these streaming platforms: Pluto, Tubi, Plex, Amazon Prime, Xumo, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango, AppleTV