Louis Theroux. The man, the myth, the legend. One of the greatest filmmakers of the 21st century. A British treasure. The face of many memes.
Our Louis has enjoyed a long and successful television career. His droll and offbeat manner quickly caught the attention of the BBC and the first episode of Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends aired on BBC2 all the way back in 1998. Since then he’s co-created an amazing 67 documentaries. Leave some underground subcultures for the rest of us to find please, Louis.
His self-deprecation and nerd aesthetics have earned him a worldwide cult following. He’s spent the last three decades travelling the world, finding the weirdest and craziest stories and people, all filtered through his curious viewpoint.
With much of Australia still under tight lockdown, there really isn’t a better time to binge his work. It was a gargantuan task but we’ve managed to select ten of the best for our list (although do feel free to check out more if you wish).
And don’t worry: every single one the documentaries on the list are immediately available to stream on Stan!
The Most Hated Family in America
An utter classic to begin with. Louis gets to know the notorious Westboro Baptist Church, well-known for their extreme homophobia. He meets the children, including Meghan Phelps, who would go on to defect from the family church.
Check out The Most Hated Family in America:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUO2MBKICiE
LA Stories: Among the Sex Offenders
Louis looks at how the California deals with sex offenders after release from prison. The state has some of the toughest regulations in the country when it comes to sex offenders. He visits the paroled offenders as they try to survive on the margins of society, where redemption seems improbable.
Check out LA Stories: Among the Sex Offenders:
My Scientology Movie
A different style for Louis with this one, a feature length documentary for the big screen. The movie explores the infamous Church of Scientology, home to the likes of Hollywood actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, and tries to find out what compels people to stay in the institution.
In an unexpected turn, the Church turn its own cameras on Louis and his team once they discover the real reason for his interest in documenting them. Multiple confrontations ensue as the filmmaker and his subject do battle.
Check out My Scientology Movie:
When Louis Met the Hamiltons
Louis follows the former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton and his wife Christine and it all gets messy. The pair just so happened to be in the middle of a huge sexual abuse scandal when Louis met them (the charges were eventually dropped). Witness the chaos as Christine has a bit too much to drink and gets a little too close to our intrepid filmmaker.
Check out When Louis Met the Hamiltons:
Louis and the Nazis
Another trip to California for Louis, this time to explore the growing American neo-Nazi movement. He spends time with the man supposed to be “the most dangerous racist in America,” Tom Metzger. It’s an unsettling watch, particularly when Metzger pressures Louis to admit if he’s Jewish or not.
Check out Louis and the Nazis:
Dark States: Heroin Town
Louis delves deep into America’s prescription painkillers epidemic which as seen widespread dependency on opiates. He focuses on the community of Huntington, West Virginia, which has been especially crippled. It’s a harrowing but necessary exploration of the dark drug underbelly of the country.
Check out Dark States: Heroin Town:
Altered States: Choosing Death
One of his latest documentaries, Louis investigates California and Oregon’s right to die laws for terminally ill people and those who are in pain but not terminally ill. He meets four people making a agonising decision to take the legally prescribed overdose.
Check out Altered States: Choosing Death:
Miami Mega Jail
In two episodes, Louis visits one of the most feared sections of Miami County Jail: the fifth and sixth floor of “Main Jail,” where many of the most dangerous inmates are held. He considers the positives and negatives of the prison system, offering a balanced look by focusing on both the guards and the prisoners.
Check out Miami Mega Jail:
By Reason of Insanity
Another double bill, Louis immerses himself in the dark world of two of Ohio’s State Psychiatric Hospitals. He meets patients who have committed crimes while under the stress of severe mental illness.
Check out By Reason of Insanity:
Louis Theroux: Gambling in Las Vegas
Louis heads to the bright lights of Las Vegas to explore the strip’s casino culture. He meets the people behind the money, including high rollers and the addicted who have lost their life savings.
Check out Louis Theroux: Gambling in Las Vegas:
