Cool New Series

TOP DOCUMENTARIES

TO STREAM THIS MONTH

‘Fact is stranger than fiction,’ or so the saying goes. Discover the extent to which it can be true in the following documentaries on fascinating people who dedicated their lives to acting, art, technology, music, and swindling!

COMPILED BY MARISA CUTILLAS

THE ANDY WARHOL DIARIES

Netflix

» Director: Andrew Rossi (Page One: Inside the New York Times)

Ryan Murphy, the brain behind hit series like Glee and American Horror Story brings us The Andy Warhol Diaries – a revelation of the avant-garde artist’s hidden inner life. The documentary is based on diary entries that reveal Warhol’s love for three men: Jed Johnson (an interior designer who was with him for 12 years), Jean-Michel Basquiat (a renowned painter with whom he seems to have had a platonic relationship), and Jon Gould (Paramount Pictures’ VicePresident). The documentary reveals that Warhol tried to portray himself as asexual and aloof to shield himself from a litany of fears and insecurities.

THE TINDER SWINDLER

Netflix

» Director: Felicity Morris (Don’t F*** with Cats)

While there is no doubt that online dating is predominant in current times, documentaries like The Tinder Swindler remind you that it pays to be cautious in the game of love as a whole. This is the true story of Shimon Hayut – a convicted fraudster who used dating apps to meet multiple women, take out loans in their names, spend their credit, then disappear from their lives.

© Peter Hutchins

JEEN-YUHS: A KANYE TRILOGY

Netflix

» Directors: Coodie Simmons, Chike Ozah (Benji)

Kanye West is, at the very least, an enigma. A man who has designed sell-out fashion, penned hits like Runaway, and who began producing music for renowned rap artists when he was still in his teens. This documentary takes us back in time to when Kanye was a young, upcoming creator who never for a second doubted his own genius. It also presents us with rare footage of Kanye interacting with the woman who was one of his greatest influences: his school teacher mom, Donda.

MORE THAN ROBOTS

Disney+

» Director: Gillian Jacobs (Community)

More Than Robots follows four teams of teenagers from around the world as they prepare to compete in the 2020 FIRST® Robotics Competition. Hailing from Los Angeles, Mexico City and Chiba, Japan (respectively), the teens face big challenges along the way – including limited resources and the onset of the pandemic. They persevere and hope to score the winning trophy while picking up valuable personal lessons such as the value of teamwork and sacrifice.

LUCY AND DESI

Amazon Prime Video

» Director: Amy Poehler (Moxie)

If you enjoyed the recent film, Being the Ricardos (which garnered Javier Bardem yet another Oscar nomination), then you may want to delve more into the behindthe-scenes life of Hollywood couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. While the film focuses on the witchhunt that called out the couple for supposedly being ‘communists’, this documentary is more about a beautiful love story between two talented but different individuals. The couple established Desilu Studios, which produced some of the greatest TV shows of all time (including Star Trek and Mission: Impossible). However, material success came at a huge personal cost. e