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DOCUMENTARIES WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE IN 2020

2020 is set to be the year we get curious, with documentaries on everyone from Rihanna to Hillary Clinton on the horizon

30.01.2020
 

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Hip Hop fans, rejoice! Beastie Boys are hitting our screens in the form of a documentary, directed by none other than Spike Jonze (director of Her and Being John Malkovich). What’s that? Not a fan of 80s/90s rap rock? What about a little modern pop by way of Taylor Swift, or Billie Eilish? Because they’ve got docs coming out soon, too. And once you’ve had enough of the melodramas of the music industry, you can make a start on something more political, with exposés on Hillary Clinton and Greta Thunberg also in the works. We break down the documentaries to look out for this year.

BEASTIE BOYS

After the success of the Beastie Boys Book, charismatic hip hop collective the Beastie Boys are dishing up a ‘live documentary’ with longtime friend and collaborator, Spike Jonze - who famously directed the video for their hit 1996 single Sabotage. This up close and personal doc experience features Adam Horowitz and Mike Diamond of the band talking intimately to a live audience about 40 years of music and friendship - including stories and videos of the late Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, the other member of the trio who sadly passed away in 2012. Coming to Apple TV+ in April 2020.

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GRETA

Kind of like Rihanna, Beyoncé and Madonna, no surname, subtitle or context is needed for the documentary named after TIME’s Most Influential Person of the Year - Greta Thunberg. The title may be subject to change, but Greta’s determination isn’t - which is made clear in this BTS film, which follows her from Sweden’s school strikes for climate change to addressing the UN. If you’re searching for inspiration, look out for this arriving on Hulu later this year.

RIHANNA

Eagerly awaiting for Rihanna to bring out new music? Us too. Perhaps the news of an upcoming documentary may serve as an ideal distraction from all the radio silence? You may be wondering what it costs to get an intimate look at Rihanna behind closed doors - well, the answer is a cool $25million. This is what Amazon has reportedly paid for the rights to her upcoming documentary, which has been directed by Battleship director, Peter Berg. Not only looking at her ascent to becoming one of pop music’s biggest stars, but also her entrepreneurial journey with her lingerie and beauty brand, Fenty, the documentary will be an edit of over 1,200 hours of footage spanning over several years.

MISS AMERICANA

Taylor Swift’s upcoming documentary Miss Americana is much more than your typical ‘rise to fame’ feature. Shot by Lana Wilson, the award-winning feminist documentarian that did After Tiller and The Departure, the film follows Swift around the time she recorded her 2019 album Lover, and sees her go through a personal journey of the self that makes her entirely relatable, even though her pop-princess lifestyle is not. Through the duration, Swift deals with the paparazzi, perceptions in the media and an eating disorder.

HILLARY

This four-part series on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will feature interviews from Clinton herself, her husband Bill, colleagues and close friends. Covering her personal and political life as an overachieving academic to First Lady to the competing candidate against Trump, it's a flattering portrayal, but one that still looks at the sour spots in her career, such as the emails scandal and her husband’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. If you enjoyed her book, be sure to catch this.

BILLIE EILISH

If The Morning Show wasn’t enough reason to buy into Apple TV+, surely a Billie Eilish documentary will push you over the edge? Another $25million deal, you may be thinking that at just 18 years old, there’s not much of Eilish’s life to cover - but you’d be wrong. The upcoming documentary follows her on the wake of her award-winning album When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, showing BTS footage of her public appearances as well as deeply personal moments with her family. ICYMI: The gothic pop star just won five Grammys for her debut studio album, so getting insight into the making of is an opportunity not to be missed.

MCMILLION$

If true crime is your genre, this Mark Wahlberg-produced docuseries coming to HBO will whet your appetite. Tackling the incredible story of a policeman who rigged the McDonald’s Monopoly Game and stole millions from the franchise, the film interviews ex-employees, lawyers, FBI agents and real life prizewinners. You’ll never play Monopoly in the same way again.

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