What Documentary Shows and Movies to watch on Plex
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Blue Gold: American Jeans
The history and lore of America's most iconic symbol and global export, the blue jean.

- 2014
Egon Schiele: Death and the Maiden
Egon Schiele is one of the most provocative artists in Vienna at the beginning of the 20th Century. His life and work are driven by beautiful women and an era that is coming to an end. Two women will have a lasting impact on him - his sister and first muse Gerti, and 17 year old Wally, arguably his one true love, immortalized in his famous painting 'Death and the Maiden'. His radical paintings scandalize Viennese society while daring artists like Gustav Klimt and art agents alike are sensing the exceptional. But he is also prepared to go beyond his own pain and to sacrifice Love and Life for his art that inspires us up to this day.

- 2016
Finding the Gold Within
Six young black men from Akron, Ohio, enter college, determined to redefine society's images and low expectations. Despite their confidence, the stark reality of being away from home brings a series of crises. Well trained in critical and metaphorical thinking, and unusually articulate about their inner lives, each of the protagonists guides us to his core. Since sixth grade, they have been part of an innovative mentoring program called 'Alchemy, Inc.' that uses mythological stories, drumming and writing. In the twice-yearly reunion workshops everyone speaks of his trials and his triumphs with authenticity, intelligence, honesty and heart. In turns quiet, thoughtful and exuberant, the six protagonists grow before our eyes, whether navigating racial provocations, or seeking support with new friends, estranged fathers and wise grandmothers.

- 2014
The Robber
Based on the real-life story of one of Austria’s most-wanted bank robbers, The Robber is a breathless thriller “as lean and taut as its marathon-winning title character.” (LA Times).

- Metascore65
- 2010
An Empress and the Warriors
Can a kingdom change its nature? Yan, one of the Ten Kingdoms, is constantly at war. Yan's emperor dies from a battle wound and a general's treachery. His successor is unclear: his daughter Feier, who would be the kingdom's first empress; his favorite, Xuehu, a warrior of noble heart but not noble blood; and, Hu Ba, the ambitious traitor. Xuehu is Feier's protector and teaches her how to be a warrior queen. Hu's followers plot her failure, first in a kidnapping plot, then in a coup. Feier is saved from the kidnap attempt by Duan Lanquan, an ingenious hermit with a shrouded past. He treats her wound and gives her a vision of a different kind of kingdom. Can his dream become hers?

- 2008
Jens Pulver: Driven
JENS PULVER | DRIVEN takes you behind the scenes for an emotional roller coaster ride that proves equally heartbreaking and inspirational as we follow legendary mixed martial arts champion, Jens Pulver, on his 'last march' toward a do or die comeback after suffering four losses in the cage.

- 2011
Old Goats
Old Goats is the hilarious and heartfelt story of three older men who refuse to go quietly into the night of retirement and old age. The film finds humor in the everyday realities of retirement life, providing a refreshing perspective through the eyes of three men who don’t feel (or act) anywhere close to as old as they look.

- Metascore55
- 2011
Nightwatching
The year 1642 marks the turning point in the life of the famous Dutch painter, Rembrandt, turning him from a wealthy respected celebrity into a discredited pauper. At the insistence of his pregnant wife Saskia, Rembrandt has reluctantly agreed to paint the Amsterdam Musketeer Militia in a group portrait that will later become to be known as The Nightwatch. He soon discovers that there is a conspiracy afoot with the Amsterdam merchants playing at soldiers maneuvering for financial advantage and personal power in, that time, the richest city in the Western World. Rembrandt stumbles on a foul murder. Confident in the birth of a longed-for son and heir, Rembrandt is determined to expose the conspiring murderers and builds his accusation meticulously in the form of the commissioned painting, uncovering the seamy and hypocritical side to Dutch Society in the Golden Age. Rembrandt's great good fortune turns. Saskia dies. Rembrandt reveals the accusation of murder in the painting and the conspirators plan revenge. They set out to discredit him at home and abroad. They plant a treacherous mistress, Geertje, to seduce him. They try to blind him. They plan his social and financial ruin, and to create the circumstances for his slide into penury, insult his young mistress Hendrickje, conspire to destroy his son, and bring Rembrandt to his knees. The bold and courageous painting of the Nightwatch, exceptional in aesthetics and content, is Rembrandt's most celebrated painting, it consolidated his reputation as a master-painter but it also destroyed him socially and financially.

- 2007
Free Men
Paris, occupied France, 1942. Younes, an uneducated Algerian immigrant, ekes out a very modest living on the black market. After the police catch him, they set him free provided he infiltrates the Paris Mosque and spies on the imam. Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit is indeed suspected not only of providing false papers to Jews, but of harboring some of them as well. Once within the precincts of the mosque, Younes proves a poor secret agent, which displeases the police inspector in charge of him. In fact, at the mosque, Younes becomes more alert every day to the great tragedy in progress because of the Germans. He also develops a deep friendship with a singer named Salim Halali. To his amazement, he discovers that Salim is both Jewish and homosexual.

- Metascore58
- 2011
Control Room
A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see.

- Metascore79
- 2004
Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story
This biography of country music star Barbara Mandrell looks at her early career and follows her career through the tragic auto accident in 1984 which almost killed her, and her ultimate recovery and change of outlook on life. Mandrell portrays herself in her later life, and Maureen McCormick offers a good portrayal of the younger Mandrell.

- 1997
Polycarp
A young slave girl, Anna, is rescued and adopted by Christians in 2nd Century Smyrna and befriended by their aged bishop, Polycarp. As Anna is taught by Polycarp and her new family, she struggles to reconcile her beliefs with those of the Christians. When the Roman proconsul demands that all citizens worship Caesar to show their allegiance to Rome, Polycarp and the Christians must find courage to stand for their faith against the growing threat of persecution. Anna is forced to come to grips with the truth and choose whom she is willing to live-and die-for.

- 2015
A Billion Lives
The story of the vaping revolution and tragic corruption leading to a billion deaths around the world.

- Metascore35
- 2016
Meet the Mormons
Meet the Mormons examines the very diverse lives of six devout members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Filmed on location and across the globe, Meet the Mormons takes viewers on a journey into the day-to-day realities of individuals living in the U.S., Costa Rica, Nepal and beyond. From their individual passions to their daily struggles, each story paints a picture as rich and unique as the next while challenging the stereotypes that surround the Mormon faith.

- Metascore29
- 2014
Eden
Paul, a teenager in the underground scene of early-nineties Paris, forms a DJ collective with his friends and together they plunge into the nightlife of sex, drugs, and endless music.

- Metascore81
- 2014
Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst
February 4, 1974: Patty Hearst, granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), who first demanded a prisoner swap for Hearst, then, as it failed, demanded $6 million worth of food for the poor of the Bay Area.

- 2004
American Beer
In June of 2002, five friends left New York City by minivan and set out across the United States to visit 38 breweries in 40 days.

- 2004
Out of the Blue
Producer James Fox and his team travel the globe, interviewing eyewitnesses and high-ranking military & government personnel about their UFO knowledge and experiences. As narrator, actor Peter Coyote guides the viewer through these interviews and through new and historic film footage & information related to the UFO Phenomenon.

- 2003
Day of Miracles
During the disaster of 9/11 there were many miraculous survivors whose stories are great. Sujo John was in Tower One and led many down the staircase while the building was peeling like a banana. He got out only to realize that his pregnant wife was in Tower Two. Janelle Guzman prayed for God to help her while the building was crumbling over her. She was the last person found alive the next day. When they found her, she was standing up asleep. She asked for Paul, the policeman who was holding her hand all night and they told her that there was no one named Paul on the team that day.

- 2005
Funke
When prodigious chef Evan Funke inexplicably walks away from his critically acclaimed restaurant his life and career are thrust into a dark vortex. Years later, still healing from the pain of emotional and financial ruin, Evan begins mounting his comeback, eyeing the most competitive street in America as a stage for the dying art of handmade pasta. Reconnecting with the best artisan pasta makers in the world, Funke finds himself fighting to fulfill his artistic destiny while battling the impossibly volatile LA restaurant industry.

- 2018
Ski Bum: The Warren Miller Story
SKI BUM: THE WARREN MILLER STORY chronicles the life and times of the legendary filmmaker who, through his annual ski films and national tours which began in the early 1950's, was a driving force in the development and promotion of the ski industry in America and throughout the world. Miller, who died last year at 93, sat months before his passing for his final interview. He reminisced about living off rabbit stew and sleeping in a teardrop trailer in his endless pursuit of the perfect ski run and he explained in great detail the challenges - both personal and professional - he faced over the course of his career.

- 2019
Elton John: Becoming Rocketman
2019 is the year of Elton John, with the release of the box office hit 'Rocketman', his autobiography and his final farewell tour all eyes are on the musical genius. Find out what it took for this shy young man to become 'Rocketman'.

- 2019
First to the Moon
In 1968, NASA sent three men farther and faster than anyone had gone before. This is the story of how Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders changed history on the flight of Apollo 8.

- 2018
The Wonder of it All
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth." These words spoken by President John F. Kennedy in May 1961 changed the lives of twelve Americans who walked on the moon. The Wonder of it All focuses on Apollo astronauts; Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Edgar Mitchell, John Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt as they reflect on the training, tragedies, being on the moon and the effect of space travel. Becoming heroes to a nation, they fulfilled the dream to set foot on another world and in so doing, forever changed the way we view ourselves.

- 2007