Watching TV doesn’t have to be mindless escapism or low-brow entertainment—you could actually learn something cool and interesting about cool and interesting people! Prime Video might not have the same grip on the streaming documentary genre that Netflix does, but never count it out.
It doesn’t take too long of a dig through Prime Video’s docs to find something neat and fascinating, including the three weekend recommendations below.
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Secret Mall Apartment
A few days after seeing director Jeremy Workman’s award-winning 2024 documentary Secret Mall Apartment on Prime Video, I found myself walking through my local shopping center, wondering what kind of hidden nooks and secret crannies there might be, and if people could be living there. It sounds crazy, but that’s exactly what a group of eight artist friends in Rhode Island did in 2003.
When their tight-knit artist community was demolished to make way for the mega Providence Place Mall, as it was being built, the group noticed an odd unused 750-square-foot spot inside that seemed like, well, a waste of space. In a cheeky statement against gentrification, they furnished it, made some modifications, and managed to live there undetected … for four years.
“It’s such a magic thing to take a space from the mall,” one of the artists says. Using old grainy footage taken during and throughout the building process (in which the group smuggles everything from cinder blocks, a couch, and cabinets in, undetected by mall security), as well as interviews from the group, Secret Mall Apartment mixes the joy of sticking it to the man with genuine heart. The award-winning doc was produced by Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and holds a 98% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Currently, the doc is only available for rent on Prime Video.
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Allen Iv3rson
There’s something about retrospective documentaries and series about famous or infamous figures that keep us coming back for more, especially when they’re told by the people themselves. In the three-part Prime Video original docuseries Allen Iv3rson, the NBA legend himself talks us through his storied career, his troubled upbringing in Hampton, Virginia (including the infamous bowling alley incident that almost derailed his life), through his illustrious All-Star career with the Philadelphia 76ers, and all the twists and turns along the way.
Produced by Shaquille O’Neal and Steph Curry’s production companies, Allen Iv3rson chronicles the Hall of Fame point guard’s life and impact on the culture of the sport. Through rare archival footage and interviews with Iverson himself, the doc also delivers intimate insight from the likes of O’Neal, Curry, Iverson’s coaches and teammates, and, of course, his family, who have played such a massive role in his life.
Even if you’re not a fan of basketball or have limited knowledge of Iverson, you’ll be fascinated by the candid and honest self-reflection that the 50-year-old retired NBA star shares on screen. It’s a look at a life well-lived, and a story of overcoming obstacles at all odds.
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Grizzly Man
Werner Herzog’s 2005 documentary Grizzly Man is one of the first docs I can remember really having an impact on me when it debuted 20 years ago. I’d never seen anything like it. And at the time, I hadn’t imagined that there were people in the world like Timothy Treadwell, the film’s focal point—not the actual bears.
Treadwell, an eccentric American environmentalist, collected hundreds of hours of footage over the 13 summers he spent alone, living in the wilds of the grizzly-inhabited lands of Alaska’s Katami National Park. Much of the video that Treadwell collected was stunning, often close-up encounters with the bears and other wildlife that lived there. Other footage consisted of his own personal video diaries and host-style segments that often featured self-aggrandizing proclamations of his role in protecting the bears, which he referred to as his friends.
As the nature doc progresses, and we hear from friends, park rangers, and more, Herzog reveals a haunting portrait of a lonely, obsessed man who, while well-meaning, lost sight of the true nature of the wild beasts he so dearly loved. And it would cost him his life. If you haven’t seen Grizzly Man, it’s got all the tense, knife-edge thrills of docs like Free Solo and Shark Water, but with a hint of misguided Tiger King intrigue. It’s a 93% fresh film on Rotten Tomatoes for good reason. You’ll watch it through your fingers, but you’ll watch it all the way through.
Prime Video has an excellent collection of documentaries, many of which are quirky, cool, and feature characters and topics you don’t see on many other streaming services. Sifting through them is your biggest problem, but hopefully, one or more of these recommendations hit the mark for your weekend viewing.
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Prime Video has a large volume of content to watch. The other Amazon perks are a bonus as well.
