Weekends are perfect for documentaries. There are no spoilers to dodge, no huge commitments, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to learn something fascinating or enlightening you can share with your workmates on Monday. It’s a good thing, then, that Netflix has a ton of documentaries.
For the first weekend of the new year, I’ve got three very different vibes for you—a new true-crime movie that’s been climbing the Netflix Top 10, a stylish series about the wonders of design, and a stunning nature docuseries narrated by the soothing voice of Cate Blanchette.
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Murder in Monaco
It’s written right on the tin: Billionaire, black widow wife, Monaco. How much more intrigue do you need to hunker down with this new Netflix documentary that’s in the global Top 10 of the streaming giant’s rankings? But as with many of Netflix’s documentaries of the same ilk, nothing is quite as it seems. Murder in Monaco is as sensational as it seems, dropping viewers in Monte Carlo in 1999, when 67-year-old billionaire private banker Edmond Safra was tragically killed after his fortress of a penthouse at the top of the prestigious Belle Époque building went up in flames.
At the center of the still-scrutinized events was Safra’s American nurse, a former Green Beret named Ted Maher, who first told authorities that intruders had broken in and attacked him, and that he had started the fire to set off the alarms to alert the authorities while Safra, and another nurse, Vivian Torrente, were holed up in a panic room—both would succumb to smoke inhalation. Maher would later admit that the whole thing was a twisted stunt that spun out of control. There were no intruders, and Maher had started the blaze to save Safra and be the hero.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg with this story. Murder in Monaco gets crazy, with rare interviews with Maher and other key players, such as lawyers, business partners, Maher’s prison cellmate Luigi (who helped Maher escape!), and eccentric aristocrat Lady Colin Campbell—who all spin theories of conspiracy, Russian mafia involvement, and even some dodgy suggestions that Safra’s social climbing wife Lily had something to do with it. Murder in Monaco is a salacious true-crime documentary with more to it than you think.
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Abstract: The Art of Design
If you are at all a fan of art and design—whether in the galleries, buildings and structures around the world, clothes we wear, or the products we use everyday—then Abstract: The Art of Design is going to be a fascinating watch. The two seasons of this highly watchable docuseries holds a 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and even if you’re not an expert or fan of this creative world, you may be surprised and delighted at some of the episodes and how relatable they are.
Each 45-minute episode of Abstract spotlights a different design heavyweight and the real-world impact of their work. Episode one highlights New Yorker illustrator Christoph Niemann and his process when creating works for the prestigious magazine. Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield talks about how his love of sports, blended with his background in architecture, somehow helped him develop some of the most iconic shoes in history, with several in the Air Jordan series. Renowned stage designer Es Devlin talks about the importance of space and her process in designing sets and experiences for concerts, stage plays, and even Super Bowls. Additional designers highlighted in season one include graphic icon Paula Scher (graphic design), architect Bjarke Ingels (architecture), photographer Platon, and interior designer Ilse Crawford, and then season two pivots to figures like Olafur Eliasson (immersive art/environment), Neri Oxman (bio architecture), and Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter.
Using intimate interviews with the designers, as well as some cool graphics and stunning photography, Abstract: The Art of Design is an inside look at this high-concept world and some of its most enigmatic and creative minds.
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Our Living World
“This is the wondrous, untold story of our interconnected living world,” Cate Blanchette says, in her smooth, sophisticated Australian accent, as she narrates the gorgeous four-part Netflix docuseries, Our Living World. The Oscar-winner is no stranger to these series, having narrated a few of them already, and matched with some of its ethereal and mystic footage from all over the planet, I swear sometimes she’s channeling her elven Lord of the Rings character, Galadriel.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-binge visual and intellectual nature feast, Our Living World ticks both boxes and more. Its four, 50-minute episodes all work together to drive home the series overall message—that everything on our fragile planet is connected, and that all its species—us included—depend on each other in ways we don’t even understand. Each episode does this by focusing on an animal or plant, and then detailing its importance in how it affects and/or helps another plant or animal. A rhinoceros adapts to human urban environments; wolves hunt reindeer, forcing them to graze on a wider area, thus changing the snow cover, which in turn creates a larger reflective panel on the planet, dispersing heat differently; changing ocean currents affect temperatures, rainfall, and in turn, the revitalization of nutrients in the African savannah—it’s all connected.
With the stunning imagery we’ve come to expect from similar Netflix docuseries, Our Living World is a visual delight with a message—the world is delicate and even the smallest bumps can have rippling effects. But while it outlines what the planet’s breaking points are, it also relays hope that it can be recovered. Our Living World has a 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Netflix has so many documentaries and series that it can be overwhelming to find one that’s good. Hopefully one of the above suggestions helps you cut to the chase so you can spend less time searching and more time watching.
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Yes, $8/month
Simultaneous streams
Two or four
Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.
