“The Dust Bowl” is a 2012 documentary that details the consequences of the catastrophic dust storms and severe drought on the North American prairies during the 1930s. The Dust Bowl displaced farmers and laborers, leading to a larger migration to California than the 1849 gold rush. These displaced people were perhaps the most devastated of the ’30s by this disaster and the simultaneous Great Depression because they lost their land, work and stability.

“I.O.U.S.A.” is a 2008 documentary that breaks down the root causes of the national debt. The film covers citizens spending outside of their economic means and the imbalance of imports to exports in the U.S. It offers scaling back government funding and raising taxes as solutions to reducing the debt. With a January release, the film predates the economic crisis that happened later that year.

“Inside Job” is a 2010 documentary that retrospectively analyzes the economic crisis of 2008. The film addresses the 1980s origins of the crisis, its effects and who was accountable. Despite the impact on American citizens, the executives of insolvent companies tied to the crisis retained their wealth. The increased rate of unemployment and propping up of the upper class set the scene for significant and persistent economic issues in the country.

“Inequality for All” is a 2013 documentary that examines the widening wealth gap in the U.S. The film follows the experience of former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, with his narration of events and economic issues. Reich, through experience and statistics, makes an argument for a government that serves people of all economic classes, rather than the current status quo of inequality.