Recommend a documentary based on what I have watched and liked

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you watched the Up! series?

7-Up (or 7-Up!)
Seven Plus Seven
21 Up
28 Up
35 Up
etc…I think they are at 56 Up now.

you can get it on netflix. They film the same individuals every seven years throughout their lives, staring when they were 7 years old. It's a British series.

Ok here is another and it doesn't quite fit in with your parameters, but it totally affected my life so I'll throw it out there:

National Parks: America's Best Idea

LOVED the Up Series. They completely hooked me in.

OP, I heard - but have not seen - that there was a follow-up to Waiting for Superman called The Lottery. Looked interesting. Has anyone else seen it or can recommend? I still cry when I think about Waiting for Superman.

Since watching this, my kids have hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, been to Zion twice, Bryce, Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and were on the way to Yellowstone when we had to cancel to move to DC for DH's job.

I even pulled my kids out of school to do some of these trips (and education is important in our household).

[Anonymous]

LOVED the Up Series. They completely hooked me in.

OP, I heard - but have not seen - that there was a follow-up to Waiting for Superman called The Lottery. Looked interesting. Has anyone else seen it or can recommend? I still cry when I think about Waiting for Superman.

[Anonymous]

Winter in America
I can't recall the name but hbo did a documentary on motel kids (that might be the name). Kids living in motels outside Disney, the schools trying to work with them all that.
Remembering Sam

[Anonymous]

Oh another good one
Can't recall the name (sorry) is a beauty pageant one where a miss America contender (who has a handicap) starts a beauty pageant for girls with all types of handicaps. But everyone gets a prize or an award.

I cried in the first 5 minutes!!!

[Anonymous]

Miss you can do it.

[Anonymous]

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Not sure it is on Netflix anymore, pretty sure it was just put on Amazon.

It was a real eye-opener to me about how dysfunctional entire families can be, mom, dad, aunts, grandparents....Does make you think some kids will never have a chance.

[Anonymous]

Mad Hot Ballroom is good. It's about the elementary students in different areas of NYC during their ballroom dance PE unit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There was a really good documentary about a DCPS high school that was shown on PBS within the last year. The high school was DC Metropolitan but I can't remember the title... 180 Days maybe? It was pretty wrenching.

Yes. That was a good one.
Frontline had an episode on hunger and kids. It was heartbreaking. Then when you read all the vitriol about FARMS and food stamps, you'll know they are talking about these kids. In the US. I made a donation to the food bank after I watched it.

[Anonymous]

Mad Hot Ballroom. Probably my all time favorite documentary. It's about inner city NY kids that learn how to ballroom dance. It's awesome

[Anonymous]

Also loved Standing in the Shadows of Motown. Not about education, but about music. So good. Also like Buena Vista Social Club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia. Not sure it is on Netflix anymore, pretty sure it was just put on Amazon.

It was a real eye-opener to me about how dysfunctional entire families can be, mom, dad, aunts, grandparents....Does make you think some kids will never have a chance.

This one is like a train wreck. I did feel it was a bit exploitative ("poverty porn" maybe), but yeah, the dysfunction and pill addiction are eye opening and devastating. Somebody in that documentary called their lifestyle "disability culture," which is just so sad and true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I've watched a few documentaries online recently that I've really liked. I've liked the ones about education topics (I am a teacher) liked Waiting for Superman. This weekend, I watched one on poverty on Frontline called Country Boys. Does anyone have any suggestions for ones on education, poverty or children in general?

I remember Country Boys and loved it too. There was an Independent Lens (PBS) last year called Kind Hearted Woman, that was great too.

[Anonymous]

Have you seen Spellbound?

[Anonymous]

Stevie
Young At Heart
(2 completely different movies, may or may not fit the bill).

[Anonymous]

Nine lives of Marion Barry. Very eye opening.