I’m writing this on the train, still processing the Elizabeth Holmes story. You Can See Everything, the new documentary about the Theranos founder and her fraudulent blood-testing scheme that cost investors billions, is doing something rare right now: it’s the thing every single person I talk to is talking about.
It already tops Letterboxd as the highest-rated film of all time, and after one weekend in theaters I can say it’s genuinely the best $20 I’ve spent on a movie in a long time. The second act takes a turn that almost feels made up β until you remember it’s all real.
If you’ve just finished it and now need something else to feed the documentary hunger, you’re in the right place. I’ve pulled together a queue organized by platform, with a few personal picks mixed in. No fluff, no filler β just films I’d actually press play on.
Quick picks: the fastest way back in
Short on time? Here are the four I’d start with, depending on what the Holmes story left you wanting:
- Want more on Elizabeth Holmes? The Inventor: Out for Blood is on HBO Max.
- Curious about a Ponzi-style romance scam? The Tinder Swindler is on Netflix.
- Want the politics behind our election process without quite the ick? The Great Hack is on Netflix.
- Fascinated by social media’s darker pull? Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke is on Hulu.
Prime Video
The History of Concrete
Rent on Prime Video starting November 2.
The title undersells it. I went in skeptical and came out calling it one of the best films I’ve seen this year. It has a playful, deadpan rhythm that shares a family with Nathan Fielder’s humor in You Can See Everything β a filmmaker chasing fun in the small things we take for granted. If that’s your flavor, it’s a match.
The Booksellers
Stream on Prime Video (also free on YouTube).
If a good book is your favorite comfort, this is the one. Parker Posey executive-produces and narrates, and Fran Lebowitz makes a welcome appearance. It follows the wonderfully eccentric world of rare-book dealers in modern-day New York β and it landed in 2019, which makes it feel like a document of a literary moment that’s already shifted. Part of why it’s still worth your time.
Also on Prime Video if you want to keep scrolling: Paul McCartney: Man on the Run, The Blue Angels, Frida, Lucy and Desi, and Dior and I.
Netflix
The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist
Stream on Netflix.
I see enough AI-generated fruit people on the train to be concerned. Rather than just squirm about the future, this new doc lets you hear it straight from the source: an expecting father wrestling with the same question we’re all quietly asking β are we doomed? Before his kid arrives, he interviews industry leaders, researchers, and even OpenAI’s Sam Altman. The most educational way to panic I can think of.
The Perfect Neighbor
Stream on Netflix.
A documentary told entirely in bodycam footage. No music, no interviews β just what actually happened in the moment. It follows a long-running dispute in a Florida neighborhood, where one resident kept calling the police over minor incidents, like local kids playing outside. When one of those calls turns out to be about a murder scene, it becomes something bigger: a story about race and self-defense in the legal system.
Girl Climber
Stream on Netflix.
Emily Harrington’s attempt to become the first woman to climb the Golden Gate route on Yosemite’s El Capitan in under 24 hours β surviving a near-fatal fall and the weight of a male-dominated sport along the way. If you held your breath through Free Solo, this is the same energy. One of those films about what we keep deciding is humanly possible.
Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.
Stream on Netflix.
This went viral when it came out and I’ll be honest β I never got around to it. A famous restaurateur marries a stranger she met online who convinces her he has the power to make her dog immortal. The audience and critics couldn’t agree on it, which is exactly why it keeps pulling me back.
Also on Netflix: Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald (new), Lorne, Daughters, The Social Dilemma, and Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart.
Paramount+
Predators
Stream on Paramount+.
You Can See Everything co-director Lance Oppenheim is behind this one too. It examines the rise and complicated legacy of To Catch a Predator, with interviews from host Chris Hansen. If you’re on a roll with Oppenheim’s work, it’s the natural next step.
Also on Paramount+: Burden of Guilt: Haunted by Lies, Favorite Daughter, June, and Epic: Elvis Presley in Concert.
Hulu
Welcome to the Family: The Murder of Dan Markel
Stream on Hulu.
When I first read this story I had actual chills. A kill-for-hire plot, an 11-year investigation, a mysterious wealthy family at the center. It sits at both extremes of the human experience β money and murder β and it’s the kind of true-crime rabbit hole that makes you wonder how well you actually know the people closest to you.
Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult
Stream on Hulu.
Posing as a self-help company, the NXIVM cult in Albany, New York, manipulated women into forced labor, sex trafficking, and blackmail. The series follows India Oxenberg, who endured years of abuse before escaping. If you want to understand how smart, ambitious people get pulled into cults, this is the watch.
Brats
Stream on Hulu.
Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Lea Thompson, Jon Cryer, and Timothy Hutton β the so-called Brat Pack β on how a single New York magazine article shaped their careers and public images. A good reminder that a label, once stuck, has a way of staying.
Also on Hulu: Ask Dr. Ruth, Ballet Now, Sally, Scamanda, and Minding the Gap.
HBO Max
My Mom Jayne
Stream on HBO Max.
I had no idea Jayne Mansfield was Mariska Hargitay’s mother. That alone made this a must-watch. Hargitay explores her mother’s life and legacy for the first time since the Hollywood icon died in a car crash at 34 β a more vulnerable side of an actor I grew up watching on Law & Order late at night, probably when I should have been asleep.
How to With John Wilson
Stream on HBO Max.
The Nathan Fielder-to-John Wilson pipeline is pretty inevitable. If The History of Concrete doesn’t send you down a rabbit hole, this docuseries will: offbeat, funny advice from the wonderfully eccentric people of New York City. It’s as profound as it is quirky, which is exactly what makes it work.
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
Stream on HBO Max.
Journalist and true-crime blogger Michelle McNamara reignited interest in the Golden State Killer case β the violent serial killer who stalked California through the 1970s and 80s β and her research helped lead to the capture in 2018. If you like documentaries driven by a refusal to stop digging, this is the one.
Also on HBO Max: Paris is Burning, Marc by Sofia, The Pet Cemetery Murders: A Ghost Story (new), Born to Bowl, and The Jinx.
The Edit
My pick: The Perfect Neighbor. No music, no interviews, just bodycam footage β the most honest way a story can be told. And if you only watch one after You Can See Everything, make it this one.
FAQ
Where can I watch You Can See Everything?
It’s currently playing in theaters, and most of the follow-ups on this list are already on their streaming platforms.
Which of these is closest in tone to You Can See Everything?
The History of Concrete shares the deadpan, Fielder-adjacent humor. The Perfect Neighbor shares the ‘no-narrator, let the footage talk’ approach.
Are all of these available right now?
Streaming windows shift. Prime, Netflix, Paramount+, Hulu, and HBO Max availability is as of this writing β worth a quick check before you commit the evening.
a note from Margot: I’ve spent ten years editing magazine racks, and I can tell you β the best thing about a great documentary is that it doesn’t ask permission. You just sit there, and it rearranges something. I hope this queue does the same for you.
