Despite being a fairly new addition to the legions of streaming services already on the market, Apple TV+, which had its debut in late 2019, has already managed to build a catalog of award-winning and critically acclaimed content, including some of the most buzzed-about documentaries in recent memory. It’s time to explore some real lives, real facts, and real drama with our round-up of the best documentaries that Apple TV+ has to offer.

Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry

On Uptime

I feel the dark things, why would I not talk about them?

Songstress Billie Eilish inspires a lot of enthusiastic adjectives. She’s a hero to some and an iconoclast to others. The myth of Billie Eilish is unlocked in this documentary, which follows the musician's massive rise from cult viral status to mainstream and awards acclaim. 

Touching on Billie’s upbringing, her family dynamic, and the ups-and-downs of teen pop stardom, The World’s A Little Blurry is a music documentary that is interested in sharing the complex story of a complex person, who her fans are truly growing up with. We learn about Billie’s lens on the world, and what informs her to create the way that she does.

If you’re interested in the music industry, the creative process, or just think that Billie Eilish is oh-so-cool, this documentary is a great primer for either of those curiosities. 

Roadrunner

On Uptime

I'm never happier than when I'm standing in the backyard with a BBQ being the TV dad. Being normal.

Famous for his enviable lifestyle and unmatchable curiosity, Anthony Bourdain was so many people’s favorite celebrity chef. His fans weren’t expecting him to become such a tragic figure, but in 2018, Bourdain committed suicide. 

Roadrunner is interested in understanding Bourdain’s tragic figure-dom, and what led to his eventual death. It is also interested in remembering him with fondness and sensitivity. This documentary runs through the scope of his career, from his New York kitchen origins to his globe-crossing adventures. He seemed to spend his whole life unsure of what path he truly wanted to follow. 

The public shock and outcry when Bourdain passed away illustrate exactly what his position as a public figure meant to thousands of people. It’s also a fable of a man with a lot of external joy, but not very much internal. Roadrunner is not a cautionary tale, but a memorial for an icon of the 21st century. 

Boys State

On Uptime

We shouldn't be inspired by fear, we should be inspired by hope. And it comes down to knowing what you believe you're doing is in the best interest of everybody, not just yourself.

- Steven Garzen, Boy State Nationalist Party Leader

A documentary that shows you exactly what someone will do to get ahead, Boys State follows a historic program that brings high school boys together to form a mock government. Attended by former presidents and athletes alike, Boys State specifically chronicles the 2018 Texas Boys State competition, and follows a selection of participants as they explore their morals, and what it means to really be a politician in modern-day America. 

From the outside looking in, you get to recoil at the difficult and questionable decisions the participants make to further their way in the program, whilst wondering what exactly your representatives were up to when they were 17.

The major takeaway from Boys State is that a true belief in what you do, and what you care about, is ultimately more powerful than any moves you make in the chess game that is politics. It’s a great insight into the struggle between truth and deceit, and a great watch for those interested in the inner workings of modern American politics. 

Fireball

On Uptime

Meteors were an email sent from God.

- Simon Schaffer

Meteorites are the main subject of Fireball, directed by Clive Oppenheimer and Werner Herzog. In the bid to find out why we are here, how we survive and what is holding us together, scientists have turned to meteors. What did they bring when they wiped out a whole species? Was their significance more than that definitive act? 

The questions posed by Fireball are structured to get you thinking about these cosmic objects in a nuanced way, and the evidence is brimming with intrigue.

From the spiritual meaning of an asteroid, with some craters acting as pilgrimage spots for some religious communities, to the environmental benefits the structures brought with them all of those centuries ago, the rich minerals that micrometeorites gave us, Fireball is definitely designed to question your current idea of why our planet is here, through the evidence from renowned scientists and meteoriticists.

Flee

On Uptime

Most people cannot even begin to imagine how fleeing like that affects you, what it means for your relationships with other people, how much it destroys you.

- Amin Nawabi

Flee, an animated documentary from Denmark, stems from a series of radio interviews with Amin Nawabi, a real refugee from Afghanistan, who fled the country with his family during wartime in the mid-1980s. Amin’s story is a grim reminder of the reality that refugees still have to face up to this day. Without a consistent home until his early adulthood, Amin and his family were constantly shifting and moving from place to place, detention center to squalor and back again, although Russia was the first country to grant them asylum. 

Dealing with identity, discrimination, and the plight of innocent people, Flee is still full of hope throughout. Amin’s story, a story that thousands share, was one that he held close for two decades; sharing it was a step forward in growth and healing. Among many things, Flee is a reminder.

So now that you’ve got the lowdown, go forth and use that subscription before it expires - or, catch up on all of the best bits on Uptime. We don’t judge. 

And if you’re more of a Netflix person, why not browse our picks of the best documentaries on Netflix?

Follow us & share

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn