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Even though secrets typically refer to something that is not widely known, there are some that are common knowledge to many (even if certain people would rather they weren’t). These often include stories of someone’s bad deeds, intrigues, and even crimes, all of which are far from positive, yet often captivating nevertheless.
In a recent interview with Bored Panda, the redditor who started the thread, ‘Ninac4116’, shared that it was curiosity that led them to pose the question. “As an exposé junkie, I was curious what more in the world we don’t know about yet,” they said.
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Discussing what tends to captivate people the most when it comes to documentaries, the redditor suggested that whenever they cover something that affects viewers directly or paints something in a completely different light from how they viewed it before, it immediately gets their attention. “Due to our contentious political climate, anything with a political tie will draw in more viewers [nowadays],” they said.
“Many answers were surprising,” the OP added, “but a common theme [that was] somewhat unsurprising were the Jeffrey Epstein and Trump comments. It makes you wonder why certain things don’t get more media attention.”
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Discussing what “open secrets” they would want to see presented as a documentary, the OP said that an exposé on chiropractics is long overdue. “Many people consider them a back doctor and blindly go see them. But the reality of its foundations and its practice are pretty mind-blowing.”
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Seeking to learn more about what makes a good documentary, Bored Panda got in touch with Cinema Studies lecturer at Rutgers University, Albert Nigrin, who said that for him, a good documentary is one where new information is presented in an interesting and unbiased way.
“Documentaries are very important as they are a window into the life of our planet,” he added. “They play an increasing role in helping us understand ourselves and our lives better.”
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According to the expert, popular topics for documentaries vary by time period. “During World War II, documentaries focused on the war effort [were popular]. During the 1960s, documentaries started to focus on the turmoil of that period.
“Today's documentaries are all over the place given that there are so many more outlets for these; everything from ‘reality TV’ to series on the climate crisis.”