Ask HN: What documentary had an impact on you? - kindaenticing
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stuxnet79
Last year I had the privilege of watching two really great documentaries:

Connections - James Burke

Century of the Self

It's hard to judge the lasting impact both these docs will have on me, but
boy, I can't even remember how I used to think before watching them. Watching
Century of the Self and the AMC show Mad Men right after was also a very
interesting contrast.

~~~
xsmasher
I love James Burke. The first "Connections" is available on Kanopy if you have
a library card. Lots of episodes on Youtube too.

"The Day the Universe Changed" was my intro to Burke; I loved it as a child an
still as an adult.

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muzani
Jiro Dreams of Sushi.

I come from a nation where there's no gradient in quality. Someone who is a
"rice expert" is unthinkable, almost laughable. And even if they were really
good at rice, it would be meaningless, just a form of hobby.

But in Jiro's world, there are rice specialists, tuna specialists, specialist
butcher. Every one a master of their trade. The rice specialist needs the
sushi specialist because no other person in the world could cook rice
"properly" and so the best rice would be wasted. It tells how one of the chefs
spent years learning to cook a type of egg sushi before it's even worthy of
being served.

It resonated with me - I always loved this idea of higher quality. In this era
of Candy Crush and Clash of Clans being the most profitable software, it's
really tempting to stray. Jiro gave me the resolve to focus on that path.

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seattle_spring
"The Secret" had a major impact on me, in that all of my friends that watched
it turned into huge self-centered assholes who thought they could get
something for nothing. It also made them think that anyone down on their luck
just "wasn't positive enough."

------
NavyNuke
The Israel Lobby:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N294FMDok98](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N294FMDok98)

It is a great examination of the power and influence that Israel has over U.S.
politics...

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fetus8
Exit Through the Gift Shop came out when I was in college and changed my
relationship with documentaries and films in general. I won't discuss much of
the plot here, but it forces you to really change the way you understand
documentaries and to be more critical.

Generation Wealth made me really re-consider the world around me and how
culture has shifted in the past 10 years. It was quite eye opening and also
forced me to think differently about the people around me.

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wjossey
On Death Row (mini series) and Into the Abyss.

Both focus on death row inmates and their crimes, not perceived innocence or
“wrongfully accuses” sort of situations.

Herzog is an absolute master and leaves the viewer thinking, not with a pre-
determined narrative.

The other one I’ll mention is 13 years old and is “The Bridge”. Suicide and
depression are tough subjects but The Bridge navigates the conversation
thoughtfully and powerfully.

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serbiruss
Free Solo

Mainly because of Alex Honnold's perspective on why he does what he does and
his singular laser-like focus. 10/10.

~~~
rboyd
+1 -- Meru and The Dawn Wall are amazing too

There was also this slacklining short doc, maybe not of the same caliber but
probably interesting to you if you liked the climbing videos
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac_t4pNYr1g](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac_t4pNYr1g)

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gubsz
Whore's Glory - Extremely raw documentary that gives an inside look into the
lives of prostitutes from various countries (Bangladesh, Thailand, Mexico). It
was seriously fucked up and eye opening.

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2038AD
Robert Hughes' _The Shock of the New_ and _The New Shock of the New_

Adam Curtis' _All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace_

An old documentary on plastic pollution and its possible effects on the
endocrine system which I can't remember the name of. I believe it was produced
by the BBC and was made before the recent wave of concern over plastic.

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whatamidoingyo
A short documentary on YouTube had the greatest impact on me. It's called Rule
From the Shadows - The Psychology of Power

After watching this, I read the books recommended, and it is completely mind-
blowing. It will truly change the way you think about "groups", such as
Antifa, the alt-right, etc.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ERfxWouXs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ERfxWouXs)

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Memosyne
The Choice is Ours - The Venus Project

It was refreshing to watch a video that didn't subscribe to the dystopian
narrative usually accompanying depictions of the future. It led me to discover
open-source software and how it can be used to form the foundation of the
future envisioned by the documentary, which subsequently made me want to
become a software engineer.

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olcor
Jiro Dreams of Sushi -- the price of commitment

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room -- the necessity of using your head and
keeping your eyes and ears open in the face of corporate carrot-and-stick

Secret History of the Credit Card -- the workings behind all the credit card
bonuses and other tricks banks play

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troydavis
For those looking for more documentaries, here's a similar thread:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18271167](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18271167)

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nealmueller
Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Man on Wire

Both redefined for me what it means to be mission oriented and committed. And
I have a Guinness Record, so I thought I was obsessive already, but I’m
nothing compared to the commitment of the two men in these documentaries.

------
WheelsAtLarge
The Century of the self-

[https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-century-of-the-
self/](https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-century-of-the-self/)

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coppolaemilio
Earthlings. It wasn't instant but couldn't get it out of my head until I
started living in a different way.

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jotjotzzz
The Venus Project: Future By Design - By Jacque Fresco. Introduced Jacque
Fresco's philosophy, R.I.P., and also the empathy we must have in designing
something that is good for the planet and for the future. I highly recommend.

Mike Maloney's "Hidden Secrets of Money" is a beautiful set of YouTube
documentaries financed by Mike himself. It educated me and millions out there
how money really worked in the real world, and how the Federal Reserve and
banking manipulates currency. [https://goldsilver.com/hidden-
secrets/](https://goldsilver.com/hidden-secrets/)

The Corporation - When Corporations started to get the same rights and
treatment as regular citizens, we have created a monster that have changed our
world for the worst.

The Cove and Blackfish. Really sad and made me stay away from Sea World and
circuses and places that held animals in captivity for entertainment.

The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara - The 11
lessons are worth learning:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fog_of_War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fog_of_War)

Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room/Inside Job - When corporations are run by
sociopaths.

An Inconvenient Truth - Global warming.

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel/Bill Cunningham New York - Learned so
much about creativity and just being true to your unique self regardless of
what the world thinks.

Zeitgeist - Esoteric knowledge.

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andrei_says_
Mr Gaga - changed how I relate to dance.

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ghostpirate
I really liked Before the flood.

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daedalus2027
Zeitgeist

~~~
coppolaemilio
This documentary changed the way I see the world. It was great to meet all the
people around the world from different chapters and some of them are still my
friends today. I really thank it a lot even if most of it is just BS. Still
made a huge impact in my life.

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entelia09
Dirty Money Hoop Dreams

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srrge
The thin blue line

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im1983
Touching the Void

Check it out..

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enosanto
Startup.com

Painful to watch...

~~~
mimixco
That's _so_ good. An old one but definitely recommended for anyone in the tech
biz. I was just thinking about watch it again this week!

