Importance of Documentaries

Documentaries can be very powerful films when done correctly. I enjoy watching documentaries every once in awhile, because they tell us what the world is really like, at least that's what the goal of a documentary should be. Documentaries are very important, and are the 21st century's history books, and I personally believe and I am sure many would agree, that documentaries are a million times better than reading a history book, but can also be a million times harder to digest. Just think, if we read about the holocaust of course it will be brutal and sad, but actually seeing video of the holocaust for some people might not even be bearable. They can be very hard films to watch or very interesting films to watch. I believe documentaries are very important because they shed light on issues and events around the world in an entirely different way than anything else, and can impact you emotionally. It is important to have documentaries over events such as 9/11, so we remember the lives that were lost and the heroes of that dreadful day. It is also important to have documentaries on issues such as child soldiers, like talked about in the reading. That is an issue that needs light shined on it and people need to be aware of. Like the reading said, the first step to fixing an issue is to raise awareness, you cannot fix something that no one knows about. I have a particular documentary that always comes to my mind when I think of good, important, informational documentaries. It is called Restrepo.








This film documents the lives and hardships of a U.S. Army platoon for one year at their base in Afghanistan. These men were in Korengal Valley, which while they were there was known as the "deadliest place on earth." They were situated on a mountain, and their goal was to secure the valley and gain the trust of the locals. These men were in fire fights almost every single day, and the hardships they went through were unbelievable. Their living conditions were very hard, they had to live on guard constantly because at any moment the enemy would begin to fire at them. Unfortunately, men were killed during this documentary, and I honestly got choked up watching it. It was very powerful. It shed a whole knew light on what our troops go through and the emotional toll it takes on each and every one of them. These types of documentaries are needed, so we can see what it is like around the world for many different situations and issues. Without these films people would never know about important events or issues around the world, and progress would never be made.