The Best Documentary On Netflix You Keep Passing Over
The subject of this documentary is video games, but DO NOT let that turn you off from watching it.
I’d like to think most of us are HUGE fans of Netflix. But we may or may not be a fan of documentaries because they can be so hit or miss. Anytime we decide to watch a documentary, I like to think it is mainly because of the topic covered. Whether we want to educate ourselves about a specific issue, or learn more about something that interests us, we watch because the subject matter of the documentary pulls us in. Because this is how most of us select our documentaries we watch on Netflix, you have been missing out on the best documentary available for you to watch!
The subject of this documentary is video games, but DO NOT let that turn you off from watching it. You have to watch Indie Game: The Movie. In short, the documentary covers the stories of three independent game developers (real people, not corporations) on their journey to make their dream video game. But it is so much more than that.
I champion Indie Game: The Movie to EVERYONE I know that has Netflix, why? Because it is the best documentary I have ever seen, and here is why:
1. The Story Is Incredible
Whether you like video games or not, you will be captivated by the stories in this documentary. This film is defined by the stories it so eloquently shares with the viewer.
After watching the movie 5+ times over the past year or so, I recently convinced my wife to watch it with me (she is not a gamer). Throughout most movies we watch, I will check on her to see if she fell asleep (she’s a tough film critic ;) ) and most of the time she does. But she was captivated with this documentary, NOT being a fan of video games. Being shocked she did not fall asleep, I asked her why.
She responded, “Because I have to see what happens to these guys in the end!”
2. The Characters
The characters in Indie Game: The Movie are so diverse in their approaches to chasing their dream, it is almost surreal. Like any great story each character will invoke a strong emotion from you. You will find yourself rooting for one of them, while questioning yourself why you want to see the other fail.
I knew there was something special to this documentary, when I referred it to my buddy across the country, and he called me immediately after. He told me he got teared up because of one of the characters in this story.
Assuming, I asked him if it was because of Edmund McMillan’s wife (the part that gets me emotional) and he said “no.” He got emotional because of Phil Fish (the guy I was rooting against in this film), and I was shocked.
We had totally different viewpoints on the film, and whom we liked in it, but still mutually agreed it is one of the best documentaries of all time.
3. The Conclusion
In comparison to other documentaries where you may get a still shot of Character A with some text over it describing what happened to them 6 months after the movie was completed, this documentary SHOWS you the conclusion.
Everything in this movie builds up to the completion and reactions to the live-releases of their games. You get to experience the conclusion along with them, not just read about them as an afterthought like typical documentaries.
In the end, the next time you find yourself looking for a great story to watch on Netflix, you need to watch this movie. Even if you do not like video games, you will walk away from Indie Game: The Movie inspired and happy that you decided to watch it. Just don’t blame me when you tear up while watching it. 
