This Year’s Nominated Documentaries Are ALL on Netflix

I love documentaries. Always have. Yet one of the much/most-lamented facts of my early cinematic education was that it was astonishingly hard to get my hands on them.

With the Streaming Revolution, that’s all changed. Yet the forced documentary frugality of those early years makes it hard for me to grasp that fact, even now. So I’m still a bit amazed by the fact that all five of this year’s Oscar-nominated documentaries are currently streaming on Netflix.

Hang on. Once more, for dramatic effect:

ALL….

…FIVE!

If only my poor, doc-starved self could have seen this coming 15 years ago.

The Square is HERE.

As the Egyptian Revolution unfolds, this 2014 Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary Feature immerses the viewer in the intense emotional drama of young people on the streets of Cairo claiming their rights and creating a society of conscience. As two governments topple, the personal stories of the freedom fighters unfold in an inspiring tribute to the power of citizenship.

Dirty Wars is HERE.

A 2014 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature, this film explores America’s controversial covert operations around the globe.

Cutie and the Boxer is HERE.

A 2014 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature, this film explores the symbiotic relationship of artists Ushio and Noriko Shinohara.

The Act of Killing is HERE.

A 2014 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Feature, this film follows two former Indonesian death squad leaders as they reenact war atrocities.

And the eventual winner, 20 Feet from Stardom, is HERE.

Winner of the 2014 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, this film takes a look at the world of backup vocalists and the legends they support.

No, I haven’t seen a single one. But thanks to Netflix, that’s something for me to be ashamed of, rather than sad about. And that makes me very, very happy.