We’re already halfway through summer and while we’ve worked extra hard to supply you with doc recommendations related to things happening through the season–the Men’s World Cup, Pride Month, and Canada Day–don’t forget to make the most of summer itself. Keeping that in mind, here’s a list of 10 documentaries that might inspire you to step outside, touch grass, go for a swim, and above all make the most of the heat while it lasts.
Adventures (1968), NFB
As is customary of our lists, we had to feature an NFB short from the ’60s. Adventures invites you to follow a raccoon as he explores the great big outdoors on his own, overcoming a few challenges and encountering a host of characters in this eventful journey. Accompanied by two voiceovers, one to propel the narrative and one that relays the inner monologue of the raccoon in a manner that is befitting of the adorable rodent, the film crafts an unusual solidarity with the viewer. Additionally, through magnified visuals of the flora and fauna around us, the film captures the beauty of nature that we may often take for granted.
Adventures, Michael Rubbo, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
The Falls (1991), VOD
Arguably the most comprehensive document about Niagara Falls, this documentary covers everything from the inherent beauty and immense power of the Falls themselves to the environmental disaster controversy surrounding the Love Canal. Despite being an informative motherlode with regards to the Falls, the film sidesteps the confines of a conventional documentary. It instead effectively blends together sketches of the tourism industry, historical accounts, and narrative interjections with a slick synth-heavy soundtrack to create a film that is as much a marvel as its subject of interest.
Waterwalker (1984) NFB
This serene film follows artist, author, conservationist, filmmaker, and naturalist Bill Mason as he sets off on an expedition through the Ontario wilderness in a canoe. In its stellar visuals of Ontario’s natural beauty, the film reminds the viewer of why the wilderness must not only be appreciated but rather valued as a resource that we are privileged to access. Mason’s musings on life, nature, religion, and art ground this meandering documentary as he paints the scenes that he seeks to immortalize, offering insight into the importance of nature for humanity itself. A must watch for anyone feeling trapped in the throes of urban life and seeking inspiration to escape it.
Waterwalker, Bill Mason, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
Canada’s National Parks, TVO
The only docuseries on this list, Canada’s National Parks takes the viewer on a journey through four of the country’s many recreation hubs and one marine conservation area, sharing Parks Canada’s role in recalibrating these areas to today’s time. There is an apparent sheen of corporate cleansing as the series brings to light the efforts being taken by the government to consult scientists, local stakeholders, and First Nations representatives to maintain these areas and protect Canada’s natural diversity, but in this context, the information received is essential and not disruptive. Informing audiences of the ecological and biological diversity that exists in the vast landscapes that make our country, the film invites the viewer to seek out at least one of these parks this summer.
Birders (2019), Netflix
An emotionally moving short, Birders centres on birdwatchers on either side of the U.S.–Mexico border as they share their love of these tender winged creatures. Grounded in the idea of migration, the film juxtaposes the freedom of the birds who travel fearlessly across borders with the harsh reality of the humans separated by these man-made divides that not only restrict mobility but also aspirations. The film manages to seamlessly include politics and human rights in its heartwarming discussions around birds and the wilderness, and how humanity is defined by and driven by nature itself.
Trans Canada Summer (1958), NFB
Released four years before the landmark Trans-Canada Highway opened for public access, the documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the process and challenges in constructing this transcontinental roadway. While the film is incredibly informative and a compelling document of the highway, it is problematic in its framing of the colonizers and discussions of Indigenous people, as it proposes colonial industrialization as a necessity in chasing development. The dated nature of the position makes this title a more complicated recommendation than others on this list, but we hope that watching this film motivates one to reflect upon about their relationship with nature, industrialization, and colonialism. It asks viewers to rethink how they seek to engage with the country’s diversity of landscapes and people this summer.
Trans Canada Summer, Ronald Dick, Jack Olsen & Jean Palardy, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
My Octopus Teacher (2020), Netflix
This inclusion is to remind you that the summer is the only time in the year where you can unflinchingly access the plethora of beaches and the incredibly diversity of marine life that this country has to offer. There is a decent chance that you have already seen this Academy-Award winning documentary in the pandemic years or are familiar with it’s unusual premise, but My Octopus Teacher remains as meditative of a watch irrespective of whether it’s your first or fiftieth time viewing it. The tale of a man and his friendship with a wild octopus in a South African kelp forest, the film will make you seek a marine friend of your own.
The Endless Summer (1966), VOD
An engaging documentary about a rapturous sport, The Endless Summer follows two surfers, Mike Hynson and Robert August, on a trip around the world. While director Bruce Brown’s passion for surfing shines through this film, so does his perspective on people who aren’t white men like himself. As the film hops all over from Australia to Tahiti to Hawaii to Senegal and more, there is an apparent difference in the manner the protagonists approach people and in how the film frames characters based off of their ethnicity and racial belonging. In line with Trans Canada Summer, the documentary is a product of its time, but we encourage readers to cautiously recognize the film’s exploration of how this unusual sport turned into a worldwide phenomenon.
In Pursuit of Silence (2015), MUBI
In Pursuit of Silence features people and places from across the world, exploring mankind’s relationship with silence. The film is an evocative reminder of how so little of our lives are actually spent in stillness, thinking and reflecting, as industrial development and capitalism have constructed elaborate soundscapes that surround us at every given interval. With its captivating visuals of spaces, ceremonies, and celebrations from around the world and extremely potent cultural and personal discussions on silence, the film is essential viewing for the summer where often one seeks the hubbub of large public gatherings outside and not enough moments of individual solitude in nature, which are equally as important.
My Friend The Green Horse (2024), NFB
This meditative documentary by legendary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, centres on her tender relationship with the titular Green Horse, who taught her the importance of appreciating all living creatures, big or small. As covered in our piece on the film, it “emphasizes the importance of nature and curiosity,” two essential identifiers of humanity that are being recklessly replaced in the pursuit of industrial development. Blending live-action footage and stop-motion animation, the film creates unforgettable visuals that are sure to inspire you to seek your own Green Horse – to find life outside of the one that you are experiencing yourself.
My Friend the Green Horse, Alanis Obomsawin, provided by the National Film Board of Canada
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