With its onslaught of original programming, Netflix continues to change the television landscape. There is so much new content available, the streaming service’s exclusive and terrific lineup of documentaries often receives less attention.

Two recent additions will help to distinguish Netflix as the go-to outlet for non-fiction filmmaking. In “Amanda Knox,” directors Rod Blackhurst and Brian McGinn dive into the aggressively publicized 2007 murder of exchange student Meredith Kercher in Italy. Knox, Kercher’s roommate at the time, was accused of the murder alongside her then-boyfriend Raffael Sollecito, based on a sex-tinged theory by lead prosecutor Giuliano Mignini. Tabloid journalists, including Nick Pisa of the British outlet, The Daily Mail, ran with the story and uncovered all sorts of salacious (and circumstantial) evidence.

All four people are interviewed extensively throughout the documentary, which crams the crime, conviction and subsequent appeals into a too short 90-minute runtime. With a little more distance from the case, the entire ordeal would be perfect for a long-form documentary like “O.J.: Made in America” or “Making a Murderer.”

“Amanda Knox” is less about the case and more about how these four people factored into what amounted to a media frenzy that nearly reached O.J. Simpson levels of sensationalism. Pisa’s interview segments are particularly shocking, as the reporter repeatedly defends and deflects his involvement in Knox’s media prosecution.

Recommending the film comes with an understanding that there are people still out there convinced of her guilt, despite evidence to the contrary. The movie does a good job dismantling the misconceptions of the case, though it may be impossible for some who followed the coverage at the time to simply dismiss those previous impressions. That more than anything speaks to the responsibility of media in crime reporting and the choices we as the audience make in where we get our information. “Amanda Knox,” even in its brevity, conveys that message well.

Similar thematic ideas and much more can be found in “13th,” an ambitious and compelling examination of racial inequality in the U.S. prison system. Ava DuVernay, director of the acclaimed dramatic feature “Selma” from 2014, crafts a film that begins with the passing of the 13th Amendment (which outlawed slavery except as punishment for a crime) and makes a case for how slavery has existed in a different form via the country’s decades-long approach to mass incarceration.

On paper it’s a bold claim, but DuVernay’s film makes a convincing case with insightful interviews, statistics and stunning archival and digital-age footage. Even those fundamentally against the ideas presented would have to acknowledge the precision in which DuVernay assembles her argument.

The film compiles evidence from years and years of unrest, charting the rise of a prison system that routinely punishes minorities and the poor by uneven standards. It hits especially hard on policies enacted by both Republican and Democratic politicians in the ’80s and ’90s, and connects those laws to the continued tension between minorities and law enforcement.

DuVernay also doesn’t pass on the opportunity to include Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and both don’t exactly get glowing depictions. The country has some significant choices to make in how the prison system should be reformed, and the success of such reform, the film argues, shouldn’t depend on the choices and opinions of politicians too far removed from the problem.

“13th” climaxes on a particularly sobering montage of violence, and it’s a series of images that can’t be ignored. Regardless of political leanings, the film deserves a chance, especially from those who maintain the opinion that America has freed itself from systemic racism.

In theaters: ‘The

Girl on the Train’

At this point in the election cycle, not everyone wants to jump into depressing documentaries about real world murder and societal conflict. Luckily, the plot of “The Girl on the Train” is so removed from reality that it serves as a schlocky distraction from actual human misery.

Based on the popular novel by Paula Hawkins, Emily Blunt stars as a lonely and depressed alcoholic who stumbles into a mystery surrounding her ex-husband, his new wife and the disappearance of one of her former neighbors. The film, owing its tone, twists and basic existence to the popularity of “Gone Girl,” won’t be anybody’s idea of high-brow entertainment, especially when director Tate Taylor (“The Help”) fumbles through the nonsense of the story’s convoluted third act.

Until its leaky final 30 minutes, “The Girl on the Train” operates efficiently as an acting showcase for Blunt and her captivating depiction of a woman broken by her addictions. She’s so good the movie doesn’t really need its genre machinations.

Then again, without the sensational threat of murder and sex, “The Girl on the Train” wouldn’t be a major blockbuster but instead a shattering depiction of alcoholism. There’s probably a Netflix documentary on the subject already.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].