Women have made history many times over and are continuing to make history now. These tales should be recorded and broadcast. There are many crime thriller documentaries and television shows on notorious murder cases and serial killers, but very few about women. In the sea of numerous true crime movies about odd riddles and extremely rare crimes, women-centric films are sometimes overlooked. Among the countless documentaries on influential women who made history, we have selected five for you to binge-watch this weekend.
1. The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, and model. Her life is the subject of a Netflix documentary. In the 1950s and 1960s, she was hailed as the “sex symbol” and “emblem of the era’s sexual revolution”, in addition to being the highest-paid actor. The death of the icon made front-page news and was ruled to be “probably suicide.” Despite allegations that her death was caused by an accidental drug overdose, the doses of drugs detected in her body were much in excess of the deadly threshold. Through never-before-heard interviews with her closest friends and family, the documentary investigates the mystery surrounding her passing. Where to watch: Netflix
2. The Story of Diana
Charles’ first wife was Diana, Princess of Wales, sometimes known as Lady Diana (Prince of Wales). Diana had distinguished herself from the British royal family by becoming a global figure thanks to her advocacy and glitz, which kept tabs on her life constantly. She never held back in interviews, whether it was about her suspected adulterous affair with her husband or her own mental health concerns. Diana was much more closely watched by the media when she and the prince divorced. Diana died in a car accident in August 1997 while evading the paparazzi, which sparked a number of conspiracy theories. This 2017 documentary features interviews with her brother and other family members to examine Diana’s life and personal issues. Where to watch: Netflix
3. Gulabi Gang
This 2012 Norwegian-Indian-Danish co-production, written and directed by Nishitha Jain, saw a national distribution in 2014. The movie won two national prizes for best non-feature film editing and best film on social issues. The film explores the revolution that was brewing among the impoverished as the tenacious women of the Gulabi Gang took up the struggle against sexual assault, caste discrimination, and pervasive corruption in Bundelkhand. Where to watch: Youtube
4. Dark Girls
The colourism that exists in the African American community and is still regarded as taboo by certain black Americans is documented in this 2011 documentary film, which was directed by Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry. The documentary features interviews with African American women, including Viola Davis (a Primetime Emmy winner), who discuss how colourism has affected their lives. It also contains an updated version of the American psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s groundbreaking black doll experiment from the 1940s, which demonstrated that black children had internalized prejudice.
5. Diana: In Her Own Words
The recordings Lady Diana made for the book by Andrew Morton, in which she explains her life and the events that surrounded her, are featured in this 2017 documentary.
