Society37 Videos

Situated in Japan, the Aokigahara forest is the most popular suicide spot in the country, with up to a hundred deaths reported each year. In fact, the site consists of so many dead bodies that the Yakuza pays homeless people to sneak into it and rob the corpses. The forest is located at the base […]

Waiting for ‘Superman’ uncovers the failures of the US public education system by following students and documenting their struggles and triumphs within their academic settings. It seeks to promote more stringent accountability both for teachers and charter schools as an effective solution to America’s educational crisis. The film’s premise is simple and straight-forward. It follows […]

Catfish is a strange and peculiar documentary. It relates to a modern type of romance – the one lived over the internet. It was also taken for a hoax, but the filmmakers have protested their legitimacy. It begins in a small office owned by Henry, Ariel and Nev. They enjoy shooting modern dancers of all […]

The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan reveals how countless numbers of Afghan boys, who are sometimes as young as ten years old, are lured off the streets with the promise of a new and better life. This horrific practice is known as Bacha Bazi, and involves young boys who are sold to particular powerful businessmen and […]

The Street Kids of Mumbai records the everyday lives of children living in one of India’s impoverished slums. The stories of Salam, Deepa, and twins Hussan and Hussein reveal the desperation and determination of Mumbai’s street children, who provide not only for themselves, but for their families. For these children, rummaging through garbage, joining gangs, […]

Few topics invite more heated feelings and controversy than that of adults who are attracted to children. In A Place for Paedophiles, filmmaker Louis Theroux seeks to get to the root of the issue by speaking with patients at the Coalinga Mental Hospital in California. At Coalinga, more than 500 convicted sex offenders are in […]

Miracle of the Hudson Plane Crash chronicles the extraordinary story of US Airways Flight 1549 and the pilot who heroically landed the plane in the Hudson River in 2009, thereby saving all 155 lives on board. Several of the passengers describe what happened and how they reacted to the event, while eyewitnesses and rescuers tell […]

Louis Theroux explores the world of plastic surgery by traveling to Los Angeles and even experiencing a procedure first-hand. Plastic surgery has become exceedingly popular over the years and many individuals are making appointments to have breast lifts and augmentations, facelifts, tummy tucks, liposuctions, nose reshaping, and another well-known procedure. Under the Knife reveals the […]

Gambling in Las Vegas follows Louis Theroux as he travels to Las Vegas, a city popular for its bustling casinos filled with tourists hoping to become rich. He meets several people who have dedicated significant time and money to gambling, including high-rollers who have wagered millions of dollars, the casino employees whose job it is […]

God Grew Tired of Us is a memoir about the torturous journey of three Southern Sudan boys, John Bul Dau, Daniel Pach and Panther Bior, across Africa to the United States of America. The film’s title is based on a statement from John, when he says that the civil unrest in his country may be […]

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world’s most popular suicide spots. Originally constructed in order to connect Marin Country with San Francisco, it has become a legendary point of departure for people who are determined to end their lives. Filmed over the course of a year, The Bridge not only reveals the breathtaking […]

Born Into Brothels chronicles the story of the children of prostitutes in India’s city of Kolkata. Directors Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman enter the underworld of prostitution in Sonagachi, the red light district of Kolkata where they encounter children whose mothers work as prostitutes. Briski offers to teach the children photography in exchange for permission […]