This Is The Best Netflix Documentary I've Watched This Year

I'm afraid to tell you what The Overnighters is about at the risk - in fact, the certainty - that it will not sound like an appealing watch.

In short, the documentary is about a pastor who lets newly arrived workers in North Dakota stay in his church until they find a home. However it is so so much more than that. What it really tells us is that life is fucked up. There is no clearer distinction between what course of action is right and what course of action is wrong.

The recent oil boom in the formerly quiet state of North Dakota has led to thousands of Americans and immigrants arriving looking to get jobs. Such was the demand that people with the most questionable of backgrounds were gaining employment within a couple of days of arriving. However this of course led to a severe housing shortage and the small town of Williston was one of the worst effected.

Enter Pastor Jay Reinke to the story.

The Overnighters will make you question yourself, our idea of community and society's ability to forgive and allow people rebuild their lives. However as the documentary goes on it will cause you to question the actions of Reinke and what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

It offers no straight narrative. This isn't some sort of heartwarming tale of love and acceptance, it's much more real than that.

I'm afraid I can't say too much more for risk of spoiling it on people but once you've watched it, make sure to Google the names Jay Reinke and most of all, Keith Graves. What has happened to them since it aired is almost as 'interesting' (for want of a better word) as the show itself.

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