What is The Twister: Caught in the Storm on Netflix all about? Everything you need to know before you watch the documentary

Netflix’s latest documentary The Twister: Caught in the Storm explores one of the most devastating tornadoes in US history, the 2011 Joplin tornado. The feature-length film, directed by Alexandra Lacey, revisits the catastrophic EF5 tornado that tore through Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011, killing 158 people and injuring more than 1,000 as per USA Today, March 17, 2025.

According to The Hollywood Reporter (March 19, 2025), Lacey approached the documentary as a coming-of-age narrative, chronicling the stories of survivors such as Steven Weersing, dubbed the “Miracle Boy,” who survived being pulled into the tornado and later battled a rare fungal infection.

Lacey is known for producing The Tinder Swindler and Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me.

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What is The Twister: Caught in the Storm all about?

The Twister: Caught in the Storm is Netflix’s latest dive into true disaster, this time turning the spotlight on Joplin, Missouri. On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado ripped through the city with winds soaring past 200 miles per hour. It tore buildings apart and left a deep scar on the community. The storm killed 158 people and injured more than 1,000 others. USA Today (March 17, 2025) ranks it among the deadliest tornadoes in American history.

Director Alexandra Lacey brings the story to life by focusing on young survivors. Many were on the brink of adulthood, celebrating their high school graduation when the twister struck. Through their eyes, the documentary tells a story that is as much about coming-of-age as it is about loss and survival.

In The Twister: Caught in the Storm, Lacey focuses on survivors like Steven Weersing, who was pulled from his car and thrown into the tornado, only to later contract a rare, deadly fungal infection called zygomycosis, which affected several others exposed to debris from the storm as per People, March 19, 2025.

The documentary uses firsthand testimonies and over 6,000 archival clips, blending slow-motion visual recreations with footage filmed by Joplin residents themselves according to The Hollywood Reporter, March 19, 2025.

Unlike traditional disaster documentaries, this one is positioned as a coming-of-age narrative, focusing on how young people from Joplin were forced to confront trauma and survive. Lacey interviews a diverse cast that includes a local diner worker, a pair of teenagers sheltering in a freezer, and a high school football captain turned first responder as noted in The Hollywood Reporter, March 19, 2025.

The documentary also explores themes of grief, community resilience, and mental health, with Lacey noting that “the lasting mental health impact on the folks there in Joplin” remains profound, especially when weather sirens sound or storms return.

The Twister: Caught in the Storm avoids heavy reliance on statistics and instead immerses viewers in personal narratives that highlight survival and recovery amid overwhelming destruction.

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Viewing options for The Twister: Caught in the Storm explored

The Twister: Caught in the Storm is now available for streaming exclusively on Netflix as of March 19. The feature-length documentary can be accessed globally on the platform, directed by Alexandra Lacey, The Twister: Caught in the Storm examines the harrowing experiences of young people affected by the deadly storm, including firsthand accounts from survivors like Steven Weersing and Cecil.

To view the documentary audiences will need an active Netflix subscription. Netflix offers multiple pricing tiers: the Standard with ads plan at $7.99 per month, the Standard without ads at $17.99 per month, and the Premium plan priced at $24.99 per month.

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