7 Underrated Documentaries to Watch on Netflix in May

Netflix is a haven for documentaries, but let’s face it, there are so many to. choose from that sometimes it’s hard to decide which ones are worth your time. Well, you’re in luck. We’ve seen a lot of them, and now we’ve put together a list of some of the best underrated Netflix documentaries you may not have heard of.

These range from shocking true crime docs to music docs to even a film all about movies from the 1970s. They’re disparate in nature and tone, but all well worth checking out.

See our list of seven underrated documentaries to watch on Netflix this month below.

Breakdown: 1975

_Breakdown: 1975. Pictured: Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. Cr: mptvimages.com / Courtesy of Netflix © 2025

The 1970s are considered by many to be the greatest decade in American cinematic history, so Morgan Neville – the filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning “20 Feet From Stardom” — made a documentary about that. “Breakdown: 1975” focuses on how films like “Taxi Driver,” “Chinatown,” “All the President’s Men,” “Dog Day Afternoon” and more channeled the anxiety and distrust in the American public through the lens of independent film, with some of history’s greatest directors capturing the national mood through art. It’s a fascinating and wildly enjoyable doc.

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