Editor’s note: With movie theaters closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, Micheal Compton’s reviews will focus on films available for streaming or on demand.

What a strange and glorious trip “Tiger King” is.

The five-hour-plus documentary from Netflix, which is divided into seven parts, is full of so many insane characters and crazy twists and turns that there is no way you would ever believe it was possible.

Except, of course, for the fact that it’s all (apparently) true.

Directors Rebecca Chaiklin and Eric Goode have taken this sordid tale and crafted an experience so compelling it’s nearly impossible not to want to watch the whole thing in one sitting.

“Tiger King” tells the story of Joe Exotic, a charismatic owner of an Oklahoma zoo that specializes in tigers. Joe almost seems like a cartoon character, with his long flowing mullet and his aspirations to be a country-western singer, who aspires to push his fame to new heights.

But Joe’s dreams of fame are thwarted by animal activist and big cat reserve owner Carole Baskin, who sets her sights on shutting down Joe’s zoo.

It’s a feud that boiled over for years with Joe eventually arrested after his involvement in a murder-for-hire plot.

That main plot alone is enough to make “Tiger King” compelling, but this is a story with so many layers. Baskin has her own dark past, one that she has rebuked since the documentary debuted last week. There are also other players in the story – including a businessman named Jeff Lowe, who became a partner with Joe, and another rival tiger owner named Doc Antle.

Their stories are just as unbelievable as Joe’s – adding layers to this documentary that really accentuates the price of fame and how some people will do anything to stay in the spotlight.

Some will argue that “Tiger King” relies too much on sensationalism, with this documentary only giving these seedy people more time in the spotlight.

While it is true it’s really hard to sympathize with any of the main players in this story, the tragedy of their tale is part of what makes this so effective.

Chaiklin and Goode don’t hold anything back, or even try to make these people redeemable. Instead, it presents them, and their story, warts and all – letting the audience decide how they feel about what they have seen.

The first six parts are outstanding, with each adding another jaw-dropping revelation that only raises the stakes. Because this is a story that in essence is still developing, it makes the final act a bit of a letdown, because there seems to be more of a story here to tell.

But perhaps that is part of what the filmmakers are trying to do in “Tiger King,” giving an audience a taste of a world that is still in the shadows – and still nowhere near its conclusion.

Starring: Joe Exotic, Carole Baskin

Directed by: Rebecca Chaiklin, Eric Goode

Rating: TV-MA for language, sexual situations, and violence

Playing at: Available for streaming on Netflix

Grade: A-