Netflix viewers have been moved to tears by a new series described as ‘gut-wrenching.’
The streaming service’s recent documentary about High School Catfish Kendra Licari is making waves in both the charts and media coverage.
However, it has somewhat eclipsed a Netflix original series that recounts one of the most heartbreaking natural disasters in U.S. history.
This series, which debuted on August 27, has achieved a flawless 100 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
Directed by renowned Hollywood filmmaker Spike Lee, each episode in the three-part series is individually directed by Geeta Gandbhir, Samantha Knowles, or Lee himself.
The show revisits the experiences of New Orleans residents who were profoundly affected by Hurricane Katrina, nearly two decades after the event.
Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, leading to catastrophic flooding in New Orleans following significant levee breaches.
The 17th Street, London Avenue, and Industrial canals were breached due to engineering deficiencies, resulting in approximately 80 percent of the city being flooded in what was termed ‘the worst engineering catastrophe in US history.’ Approximately 1,400 lives were lost, and over a million people were displaced.
Apart from the natural disaster, the documentary highlights how systemic issues, such as levee failures, sluggish emergency response, and institutional neglect, magnified Katrina’s devastating consequences.
The series, titled Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, has left viewers both outraged and emotional.
On the Netflix Bangers Facebook page, one viewer expressed: “Watching this Netflix documentary on Katrina has me in tears. The government [for real] failed them!” Another added: “Cried several times.”
Another viewer commented: “It is utterly gut-wrenching,” while one more shared: “I got SO angry I had to stop watching!”
The conversation extended to Reddit, where a viewer, describing the series as ‘very informative and well done,’ encouraged others: “Everyone needs to watch this.”
Not everyone was pleased with the third and final episode directed by Lee, as one person remarked: “The vibe shift of the Spike Lee episode was a bit jarring… but it is worth watching just to hear from the people who went through it. Who are still going through it. I cried more times than I’d like to admit…”
Offering a different view, another person said: “I liked the tonal shift of the third episode – it was about caring about the actual people rather than the disaster.”
A third social media user shared: “Watching now and have broken down in tears several times and I’m not a TV/movie crier…I knew it was bad but this is just a catastrophic nightmare that never should have happened.”
Katrina: Come Hell and High Water is now available for streaming on Netflix.