Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve

In my new favourite documentary series Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve (and I don't say that lightly; you know how I feel about David Attenborough) Simon Reeve travels around some of the countries that boarder the Indian Ocean. Including but not limited to: South Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles, Somalia, Indonesia and Australia. This show is super interesting and Simon is a brilliant host so I highly recommend it. Plus there's a Turtle in pretty much every episode and Turtles are one of the cutest animals in the whole word and if you don't like them you have no soul.

The thing I absolutely love about this show is that it doesn't skip over the sad or slightly less pretty parts of these countries. Not only does it show you the beautiful beaches, amazing culture and totally rad turtles but it covers shark fining in Mozambique, the drug trade in South Africa and the pirates in Somalia among other harsh truths.

I have learned so much watching this show, it's a really awesome look into how the Indian Ocean effects the lives of so many different places, people and animals.

(Plus Simon Reeve is super handsome).

I can't believe this is happening

Or Documentaries that'll open your mind without stretching your brain.

Not quite sure when watching documentaries became socially acceptable, rather than something only bereted and be-scarfed New York tri-hards and your dad did. Maybe it was when Big Brother and Survivor became acceptable forms of entertainment. After all, they're not scripted or directed at all. Right?

Ahahahahaha, I am witty.

Anyway, there are some really great-sounding films or series out there that are - at least supposed to be - completely factual. Here are some highlights.

Imposter
I couldn't believe this was real when I heard about it. A 13-year-old boy is kidnapped from his home in America, and disappears for three and a half years. Then he pops up again, and his family welcomes him back with open arms. Even though he is pretty obviously not from America, or in fact, their child. What would motivate someone to pretend to be someone else's child, and - to my mind, more importantly - why on Earth would the family go along with it? Mind you, The Simpsons got there first with Principal Skinner.

Project Nim
In the 1970s, they conducted experiments to see if they could teach a chimp to talk and behave like a human. This film is the result. The packet says: "What we learn about his true nature - and indeed our own - is comic, revealing and profoundly unsettling."

First Position
Think Fame or Spellbound for ballet dancers. How far will kids go to win a prestigious dancing award? Once you've watched this, have some fun and watch the mockumentary version, Razzle Dazzle.

Civilization
We're all doomed. DOOMED! Apparently. Niall Ferguson takes us through the rise - and he says, the fall - of western civilisation, explaining how we in the west came to dominate the world, and why it can't possibly last.

Happy
What makes you happy? This documentary interviews people in India, the States and all around the world, finding out whether money really does buy happiness - or is it something else? The film has already won multiple prizes.

Louis Theroux: The Odd, the Bad and the Godly
Louis Theroux is always worth a watch - the Englishman who loves nothing better than to expose the foibles of his counterparts across the Atlantic. Here he investigates the prescription of medicine to hyperactive children, extreme religion and also visits settlements in Jerusalem and the West Bank to interview the settlers risking their lives for the expansion of their country.

Conspiracy
Explores some of the biggest conspiracy theories in the world (read: the United States of America), from Area 51 and the aliens to whether the CIA and the Nazis ever collaborated. Says it lays out the facts so viewers can make up their own minds. Who doesn't love a good conspiracy theory?

7 Signs of the Apocalypse
And now for a bit more scaremongering...What if the Book of Revelation is right, and we're in for the last days? Could the signs be happening right now, under our noses? Woooooo...This documentary examines the evidence. (P.S. Then go for a walk and an ice cream. You're fine.)

And if you're wanting a little more help selecting just the right documentary for you, here are some tips from Filmofilia.