Welcome to The Watchlist 004.
Back once again with some good documentary recommendations for you. One quirky, one tear-jerker, and one taxi ride around Damascus.
I’m off to Field Maneuvers festival this weekend, so expect next week’s picks to be hangover appropriate, and might all just be episodes of The Dog House.
01 THIS WEEK’S PICKS
Directed by Bryan Carberry & J. Clay Tweel · 2015
Finders Keepers
I can’t believe I’d forgotten about this film from 2015. I can’t really explain it beyond a guy loses his amputated leg, another guys finds it and decides to turn it into a tourist attraction.
I realise that barely makes any sense, check the trailer out and it makes a tiny bit more sense. But really you should just watch it.
Watch the trailer here.
Directed by Benjamin Ree · 2024 · Available on Netflix
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
An absolute gem on Netflix, which had me in tears. This is the story of Mats Steen, a young Norwegian gamer whose parents believed he’d lived an isolated life because of his disability.
But after he passes away they discover his social life inside World of Warcraft.
It’s really sweet, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you might even be tempted to download Warcraft.
Hosted by Kareem Rahma · 2026 · Available on YouTube
Keep the Meter Running: Syria
Hands down my favourite TV show of 2026 so far. If you haven’t seen it, it’s Kareem from Subway Takes getting into taxis and asking the driver to take him to their favourite places.
In the last episode of the series, he heads to Syria, and it really is Bourdain-esque. Apparently the episode has become a hit in Syria, and deservedly so, as the taxi driver Bashar is an amazing host.
There are a few films I’m really excited to see in the cinema coming up, I wish I was in the States to see Crows are White.
In the UK: The Last Guest of the Holloway Motel arrives in cinemas on 22nd August. It follows Tony Powell, a former Norwich City footballer who left England in 1981 and, decades later, is found living as the sole resident and manager of a fading West Hollywood motel.
Hanging by a Wire comes out on 28th August. It follows the story of eight passengers, including six schoolboys, left dangling 900 feet above a ravine after a cable car wire snaps in northern Pakistan. Looks like a sweaty palm inducing watch.
In the US: Crows Are White comes to cinemas on 26th August. I actually can’t wait to see this when it makes its way to the UK. A filmmaker travels to a secretive Buddhist monastery in Japan looking for answers about faith, but gets rejected by the monks. The only person who’ll talk to him is an outsider who prefers Slayer and ice cream to meditation.
03 THIS WEEK ON DOCS TO WATCH
I just put one more film up on Docs to Watch, it’s called Wrestle. If you’re a fan of Hoop Dreams or Last Chance U, this one’s for you.
Thanks for reading!
See you next week.
Adios, Patrick.