Netflix has plenty of movies to watch, but it’s a real mixed bag. Sometimes finding the right film at the right time can seem like an impossible task. Fret not, we’re here to help. Below is a list of some of our favorites currently on the streaming service—from dramas to comedies to thrillers.
If you decide you’re in more of a TV mood, head over to our collection of the best TV series on Netflix. Want more? Check out our lists of the best sci-fi movies, best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best flicks on Disney+.
Will & Harper
Will Ferrell likely needs no introduction, but as former head writer of Saturday Night Live, Harper Steele is more accustomed to life behind the camera. Joining the hit show in the same week back in 1995, the pair struck up a decades-long friendship—so when Harper wrote to tell Ferrell she was transitioning to live as a woman, it was a big change for them both. It also formed the basis for this beautiful, heartwarming, and often laugh-out-loud funny road trip documentary following the duo as they cross the US in an old Jeep Grand Wagoneer, reconnecting and learning what their friendship looks like now. It’s awkward viewing at times—some of Ferrell’s questions blur the line between bawdy and simply rude—but it’s a raw and authentic journey for them both. Beyond the personal touches, Will & Harper is a timely view of what America looks like for a trans person right now, making it possibly one of the most important documentaries Netflix has produced.
His Three Daughters
As their father approaches the end of his life, sisters Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), Katie (Carrie Coon), and Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) are forced to reconnect while waiting for the inevitable. Bleak stuff, but also grounds for masterful performances from the lead trio, with Rachel having taken on the bulk of care for months, Katie casting imperious demands despite avoiding the situation, and new-agey Christina trying to keep the peace—despite being at a breaking point herself. This is almost a locked-room piece, the apartment trapping the women, forcing them to come to terms with not only their father’s death but their own relationships with each other, all while Vincent (Jay O. Sanders) haunts them even before his passing. Death may loom over director Azazel Jacobs’ drama, but His Three Daughters ultimately proves oddly life-affirming.
Grave of the Fireflies
When Seita and his young sister Setsuko are orphaned in the wake of the fire-bombing of Kobe during the final days of World War II, the siblings are forced into terrible circumstances to survive. Stuck between abusive extended family and the sheer desperation of scavenging around the ruins of their destroyed hometown, it’s a bleak existence—and also the basis for one of Studio Ghibli’s finest works. Directed by Isao Takahata and based on a short story by Akiyuki Nosaka, Grave of the Fireflies is unapologetically harrowing in its exploration of how war and nationalism chew up the most vulnerable, yet peppered with moments of unwavering love as Seita attempts to protect Setsuko’s innocence. This searing wartime drama is sobering but essential viewing, a film that’s more than earned its ranking in the upper echelons of the Best Studio Ghibli films.
The Platform
Goreng (Iván Massagué) awakes in a cell in a vertical prison, where food is provided only by a platform that descends level by level, pausing only long enough for inmates to eat before traveling ever lower. While there’s food enough for all, prisoners on higher levels gorge themselves, leaving those below to starve. It’s the perfect recipe for violence, betrayal, and rebellion in director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia’s tense Spanish thriller. Equal parts horror, dystopian sci-fi, and social commentary, The Platform works as not only a none-too-subtle statement on consumption culture, but also a stark examination of the depths to which desperate people can sink. It’s absolutely not for everyone (scenes involving cannibalism and suicide make it a particularly troubling watch in places) but thanks to its claustrophobic, brutalist setting and stellar cast performances, it is mesmerizing entertainment. With a sequel about to land, now is the perfect time to dive into one of the most visually striking and narratively provocative films on Netflix.
Rebel Ridge
When corrupt cops run ex-Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre) off the road for cycling while Black, they also seize the money he had been planning to use to post his cousin’s bail. Despite the injustice, Terry tries to do everything by the book but finds almost every aspect of the legal system against him. Out of patience, and fueled by immensely justified anger, he sets about tearing out the rot from the small town, aided only by court clerk Summer (AnnaSophia Robb). Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier could have made Rebel Ridge merely a modern day First Blood, but while there’s plenty of visceral, bone-breaking fight scenes, it’s the film’s righteously angry look at the baked-in failings of the American legal system that gives this its bite—all while cementing Pierre as an action star to watch.
tick, tick… BOOM!
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s feature directorial debut sees Andrew Garfield as playwright Jonathan Larson, the real life creator of Rent, struggling to finish his signature work while approaching his totemic 30th birthday. An adaptation of Larson’s own semiautobiographical stage musical—produced posthumously, premiering in 2001—Miranda’s cinematic take perfectly captures the tortures of the creative process, charting Harper’s years-long battle to cement a legacy and exploring how perfectionism can be a demon. In reality, Larson died in January 1996, the same day as Rent’s preview performance off Broadway, a sad fact that lends tick, tick… BOOM! a sense of even greater urgency amid its joyous musical performances.
Wicked Little Letters
Based on real events, Wicked Little Letters is set in 1920, in the quaint English town of Littlehampton. When the well-to-do family of Edith Swan starts receiving abusive mail, Irish immigrant Rose Gooding—who has a reputation as a foul-mouthed troublemaker, and who recently fell out with Edith—is suspect number one. Yet as the plague of “poison pen” notes spreads, becoming a national scandal, only overlooked police officer Gladys Moss (Anjana Vasan) believes that Rose is being set up. Oscar-winner Olivia Colman is on top form as Edith, while Jessie Buckley delights with a fiery performance as Rose in this surprisingly uproarious comedy.
Lumberjack the Monster
First up: This is absolutely, positively, unquestionably not for younger viewers—but that’s to be expected from director Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer). Despite veering into more family-friendly fare with the video game and manga adaptations Ace Attorney and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Miike returns to his shock-horror slasher roots with Lumberjack the Monster. It follows Akira Ninomiya (Kazuya Kamenashi), a lawyer willing to kill to get ahead, and the city-spanning grudge match that follows when a masked serial killer—the titular Lumberjack—takes a stab at him. As gory and over-the-top as Miike has ever been, and with added edges of surreality, this isn’t for the squeamish, but it’s a captivating return to form for the infamous creator.
The Long Game
Based on the true story of the San Felipe Mustangs, The Long Game follows WWII vet turned high school superintendent J.B. Peña (Jay Hernandez) in the 1950s as he forges a group of Mexican-American teenagers with natural golfing talent—but nowhere to play, thanks to the racist and exclusionary practices of the official club in their Texan town—into a championship winning team. While the film has all the hallmarks of an underdog sports movie (and maybe a few too many golfing-as-life metaphors), director Julio Quintana dodges the genre’s most cloying clichés, instead focusing on the frustrations and ambitions of the young players—particularly Joe Treviño (Julian Works), the de facto leader of the team who subverts expectations by rejecting even wanting to play at a club that doesn’t respect him. With its fantastic cast bolstered by the likes of Cheech Marin, Dennis Quaid, and Jaina Lee Ortiz, The Long Game is a beautiful tale of shattering barriers, on and off the golf course.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
After two previous riotous excursions to glamorous Beverly Hills (we don’t count 1994’s Beverly Hills Cop III), detective Axel Foley (a resurgent Eddie Murphy, proving he’s lost none of his 1980s sparkle) is back in California after causing a modicum of public destruction in his native Detroit, only to find his estranged daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is in danger. Legacy sequels decades divorced from their original outings can be hit-or-miss, but Axel F hits that sweet balance between nostalgia and revival, giving Murphy plenty of old and new allies and enemies to bounce off. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in particular, impresses as Bobby Abbott, Foley’s new partner in BHPD—and Jane’s ex—while familiar faces Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser) make welcome returns without feeling like gratuitous cameos. Best of all is Axel F’s reliance on practical effects and stunt work, notably in a series of genuinely exciting chase sequences ripped straight from the ’80s. A throwback that’s looking forward, this is the best Beverly Hills Cop since the original.
The Imaginary
Between the lighthearted comedy IF… and horror flick Imaginary, cinema in 2024 is leaning hard on imaginary friends. This gorgeously animated Japanese take on the concept is the best of the lot, though, a whimsical fable full of stunning visuals and big ideas. Adapted from the book by A. F. Harrold, The Imaginary follows young Amanda and her best friend Rudger, brought into being by her own mind, as they share countless adventures. But as Amanda ages, Rudger faces the fate of all Imaginaries: fading away as their humans forget them. The latest film from director Yoshiyuki Momose (Mary and the Witch’s Flower) and Studio Ponoc—spiritual successor to the mighty Studio Ghibli—this is a stunning ode to the power of imagination and friendship.
Under Paris
This so-serious-it’s-ludicrous French creature feature sees Bérénice Bejo as marine specialist Sophia Assalas, who is hunting down a mako shark that has not only spontaneously mutated to survive in the freshwater Seine but is also about to give birth to a host of baby man-eating sharks. Worse still? Paris is about to hold a triathlon, with the swim portion set to become an all-you-can-eat buffet! Look, not everything on this list needs to be high art—sometimes, you just need to see a mutant shark straight up chomping on people while increasingly desperate humans start blowing stuff up. Press Play, turn brain off, enjoy.
Hit Man
Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a mild-mannered professor of philosophy—and a contract killer. Well, not quite. He just poses as one, working with the New Orleans Police Department to trap people looking to hire a hit man. It’s a role he’s surprisingly good at, but when Madison (Adria Arjona) looks to have her abusive husband “dealt” with, Gary begins to fall for her—and the consequences could be fatal for real. In another creator’s hands, Hit Man might have been either overly grim or simply insubstantial (it’s loosely based on a true story), but director Richard Linklater leverages his signature uses of sparkling dialog and brilliantly realized characters to deliver a smart action-comedy that explores the roles people play in society as much as it serves up mistaken-identity hijinks.
Godzilla Minus One
Despite the presence of the eponymous kaiju, Godzilla Minus One is a film rooted in the humanity of its protagonists, deserter kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), a survivor of the bombings of Tokyo. Thrown together as an ersatz family as they raise an orphaned baby, their attempts to build a new life turn chaotic when the irradiated reptile descends on the city just as it’s beginning to recover. Director Takashi Yamazaki’s reimagining of Japan’s premier kaiju netted the King of Monsters its first-ever Oscar, picking up a statue for Best Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards, but this is a film that exceeds mere spectacle—it’s a searing examination of life after war, and how a nation grapples with being on the losing side.
The Dig
Set against the backdrop of a Britain on the brink of war, The Dig chronicles one of the greatest archeological finds ever discovered in the Isles: the 1939 Sutton Hoo excavation. When wealthy landowner Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) hires archeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to dig up large mounds on her property, the pair make a startling discovery—a ship from the Dark Ages that turns out to be the burial site of someone of tremendous distinction. But as word of the treasure spreads, more high-profile archeologists move in on Pretty and Brown’s find to take ownership. A slow build but worthy of the acclaim it’s received, The Dig is a stunning, well-acted period drama about a largely untold piece of history.
City Hunter
Based on the 1985 manga by Tsukasa Hojo, City Hunter is a long-running franchise in its native Japan and has previously spawned Hong Kong and French live-action adaptations. Thankfully, there’s no homework required for this modern take, a stand-alone tale of wise-cracking, womanizing “sweeper” Ryo Saeba (Ryohei Suzuki)—think a cross between private detective, bodyguard, and bounty hunter. When his partner Makimura is killed by someone hopped up on a drug that grants super strength, Ryo is forced to partner with Makimura’s sister Kaori (Misato Morita) to avenge him, a quest that drags him into a vast criminal conspiracy and sets the stage for some of the most incredible action set pieces you’ll lay eyes on. Channeling the spirit of ’80s action flicks but with modern production values, sharp comedic beats, and a charismatic lead performance from Suzuki, City Hunter is hugely entertaining.
Suzume
Suzume Iwato (voiced by Nanoka Hara in Japanese, Nichole Sakura in English) lives with her aunt on Japan’s southern island, having lost her mother in the Tōhoku earthquake of 2011. When a handsome young stranger named Souta (Hokuto Matsumura, Josh Keaton) asks her for directions to some local ruins, she follows him out of curiosity but disturbs a living keystone, accidentally unleashing an ancient power that threatens to destroy the entire country. Drawn into Souta’s world, the pair chase the keystone, now in the form of a cat, across Japan in a desperate bid to reseal the destructive entity—a quest that would be easier if Souta hadn’t been transformed into a child’s wooden chair. The latest film from Makoto Shinkai (Your Name, Weathering with You), Suzume is a breathtakingly animated slice of magical realism with a surrealist edge—but beyond the spectacle, it’s a heart-warming tale of community and humanity, each stop on the unlikely pair’s journey a snapshot of people and families coming together in the wake of tragedy.
The Wandering Earth
A colossal hit in its native China, The Wandering Earth earned more than $700 million at the country’s box office, prompting Netflix to snap up the rights to stream the sci-fi sensation internationally. The film follows a group of astronauts, sometime far into the future, attempting to guide Earth away from the Sun, which is expanding into a red giant. The problem? Jupiter is also in the way. While Earth is being steered by 10,000 fire-blowing engines that have been strapped to the surface, the humans still living on the planet must find a way to survive the ever-changing environmental conditions. An adaptation of a short story by Cixin Liu, this is the perfect accompaniment for Netflix’s adaptation of Liu’s The Three-Body Problem.
Maboroshi
By any measure, Masamune lives a normal teenage existence in his rural Japanese hometown—until the local steel works erupts, mysteriously sealing the entire town in an inexplicable time bubble where no one ages. As the small community struggles to adapt, a culture that fears change emerges, initially from the presumption that residents would need to rejoin the outside world as they left it, and eventually forbids even new relationships. Yet when Masamune’s strange classmate Mutsumi lures him to the ill-fated factory and introduces him to a feral young girl who should not exist, the bizarre reality they all inhabit begins to collapse. A fantasy twist on notions of youthful rebellion, the prison of familiarity, and fears of change, Maboroshi—meaning “illusion”—is a dazzling sophomore feature from director Mari Okada—whose 2018 debut Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms won accolades around the globe—and one that firmly establishes her as one of the most exciting creators working in animation today.
Orion and the Dark
Young Orion is afraid of everything—but especially the dark. Sure would be a shame if the manifestation of darkness itself turned up one night, huh? While a small twist in tone could make for a horror story, this charming animated feature from DreamWorks is instead a delight, as Dark—along with the other embodiments of the night, including Sweet Dreams and Insomnia—take Orion on a journey to show that the night isn’t anything to be afraid of. Hitting similar vibes as Inside Out, this exploration of childhood fears—and overcoming them—makes for a great family feature.
Always Be My Maybe
Written by and starring Ali Wong and Randall Park, Always Be My Maybe tells the story of two inseparable childhood friends whose lives veer dramatically apart after a grief-stricken rendezvous in their teenage years. Wong plays Sasha Tran, a superstar chef whose stratospheric career barely papers over the cracks in her faltering relationship. Park, meanwhile, plays Marcus Kim, whose ambitions have taken him no further than the local dive bar and his father’s air conditioning firm. Fate—and a bizarre cameo from Keanu Reeves—conspire to bring the two leads back together in a thoughtful and hilarious romantic comedy.
Leave the World Behind
A weekend getaway at a luxury vacation rental property for Amanda, Clay, and their kids, Archie and Rose, takes a sinister turn in the wake of an inexplicable blackout. When the house’s owner, George, and his daughter, Ruth, return early, suspicions mount—but a growing herd of deer lurking outside the house, failing vehicles, and scattered reports of attacks across the country force the two families to rely on each other in the face of what may be the end of the world. Adapted from the novel of the same name by Rumaan Alam, and with a star-studded cast including Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon, this film relishes in keeping the audiences as uncertain as its characters are, explaining little and leaving questions you’ll be mulling for days.
Good Grief
Written and directed by Dan Levy, this touching drama explores the difficulty of moving on from tragedy. When Marc’s (Levy) husband Oliver dies, he is unable to grieve after learning of an affair—and a weekend in Paris with his supportive friends Sophie (Ruth Negga) and Thomas (Himesh Patel), each facing their own existential relationship dilemmas, only makes things worse when it’s revealed Oliver was secretly renting an apartment there. While the mournful subject matter will be tonal whiplash for anyone drawn to this by Levy’s performance in Schitt’s Creek, Good Grief proves an empathetic exploration of the complexities of bereavement, one that’s a lot warmer and more life-affirming than viewers might expect going in.
Rustin
Directed by George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), this biopic explores the life of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin. While perhaps best known as one of the chief organizers of 1963’s March on Washington, Rustin was also openly, unapologetically gay at a time when that was phenomenally rare—and the film doesn’t shy away from how that alienated many of the people he worked with, his sexuality often seen as a threat to the movement. A much-needed spotlight on an overlooked but pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement, elevated by a central performance from a spectacularly well-cast Colman Domingo as Rustin himself.
His House
Fleeing war-torn South Sudan, Bol (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) are now living in a run-down house at the edge of London, harassed by their neighbors even as they try to fit in. The couple are also haunted by the lives they left behind—both figuratively and (possibly) literally, with visions of their late daughter Nyagak, who did not survive the journey, fading in and out of the walls of their dismal new home. The real horror of His House isn’t the strange visions, haunted house, or potential ghosts, though—it’s the bleakness of the lives Bol and Rial are forced into, the hostility and dehumanization of the UK asylum process, the racism both overt and casual, all coupled with the enormous sense of loss they carry with them. Blending the macabre with the mundane, director Remi Weekes delivers a tense, challenging film that will haunt viewers as much as its characters.
The Black Book
Paul Edima (Richard Mofe-Damijo) lives a peaceful life as a church deacon, trying to atone for—or at least forget—his former deeds as a highly trained special agent. Plans to leave his violent and bloody past behind fall apart when his son is framed for a murder and then killed by corrupt police, forcing him to fall back on old skills as he seeks vengeance. Shades of Taken, yes, but it’s director Editi Effiong’s raw energy and fresh takes on familiar action movie formulas that—backed by one of the highest budgets in “Nollywood” history—have this gritty outing topping the most-watched lists as far afield as South Korea. Expand your cinematic horizons and see what the fuss is about.
Nyad
There’s about 110 miles of mean water between Cuba and Florida, filled with jellyfish, man o’ wars, and sharks and prone to terrible weather. The idea of trying to swim the route solo might raise a few concerns, let alone doing it with as few protective measures as possible—but that’s exactly what long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad did, and at the age of 64, no less. This biopic from directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo) casts Annette Bening as an almost monomaniacally obsessed Nyad, determined to prove to everyone—or maybe just herself—that she can complete the marathon swim that had bested her all her life. Meanwhile, Jodie Foster’s turn as Bonnie Stoll, Nyad’s friend, coach, and ex-partner, provides a sense of stability against the force of nature that the increasingly, almost dangerously determined Nyad becomes. While Nyad is somewhat more fanciful than Vasarhelyi and Chin’s documentary works and glosses over some aspects of the real-life Nyad’s history, it stands as a testament to human determination, friendship, and the power of sheer stubbornness.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Ignore its 41-minute runtime and set aside any arguments over whether its brevity “counts” as a movie—this fantastic outing sees Wes Anderson adapt a Roald Dahl work for the first time since 2009’s Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the result is just as brilliant. Rather than stop-motion, as with Mr. Fox, this is a live-action affair headlined by a top tier performance from Benedict Cumberbatch as the eponymous Henry Sugar, a bored rich man who gains a strange power and ultimately uses it to better the world. With a broader cast including Dev Patel, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley, and shot with all of Anderson’s trademark aesthetic sensibilities, this really is a wonderful story. And, if you’re still bothered by the short run time, take solace in the fact that this forms a tetraptych with The Rat Catcher, The Swan, and Poison; 15-minute shorts with same cast, directed by Anderson, and all adapting other Dahl tales in his signature style.
Eldorado: Everything The Nazis Hate
Centered on the eponymous Berlin nightclub, this documentary explores the lives of LGBTQ+ people during the interwar years, from the roaring 1920s through the rise of the Nazis and into the horrors of World War II. With a blend of archival footage, recreations, and first-person accounts, director Benjamin Cantu paints a picture of gleeful decadence, the Eldorado as an almost hallowed ground where performers and patrons alike experimented with gender expression and were free to openly display their sexuality. It’s an ode to what was lost, but with an eye on the bizarre contradictions of the age, where openly gay club-goers would wear their own Nazi uniforms as the years went by. Everything the Nazis Hate is emotionally challenging viewing in places, but it serves up an important slice of queer history that many will be completely unaware of.
Marry My Dead Body
Wu Ming-han (Greg Hsu) is not a great guy. A homophobic police officer, his life—and prejudices—are changed when he picks up an unassuming red envelope while investigating a case. Now bound under “ghost marriage” customs to Mao Mao (Austin Lin), a gay man who died under mysterious circumstances, Wu has to solve his “husband’s” death before he can get on with his life. Directed by Cheng Wei-hao, better known for his thrillers and horror movies, Marry My Dead Body sees the Taiwanese director bring his supernatural stylings to this ghostly absurdist comedy for a film that transcends borders.
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
Cherry struggles with speaking to other people, preferring to share his feelings through haiku. Smile is a vlogger who always wears a mask, afraid to reveal her braces to the world. Both young people are terrible at communicating, until a chaotic meeting at a mall draws them together, and they begin to bring each other out of their shells. This feature directorial debut from Kyōhei Ishiguro (Your Lie in April) is a charming slice-of-life romcom that transcends its teen romance trappings. Its gorgeous animation, stunning color palette, and eye-catching pop art aesthetic are further bolstered by a genius soundtrack that blends Cherry’s haiku with hip hop influences. True to its title, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is an effervescent, joyful affair that will bring a smile to the face of even the most jaded viewer.
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead
How much does Akira Tendo (Eiji Akaso) hate his soul-crushing, meaningless, abusive office job? Put it this way: He considers the zombie apocalypse an improvement. Freed from the shackles of workaday monotony, Akira and a handful of fellow survivors are now free to do everything they ever wanted—so long as they can avoid becoming undead flesh-eaters themselves. Adapted from the manga by Haro Aso (creator of Alice in Borderland) and Kotaro Takata, this raucous zom-com is packed with gloriously stupid moments—zombie shark fight!—but with a central theme of learning how to truly live for yourself, it has plenty of heart too.
They Cloned Tyrone
Drug dealer Fontaine (John Boyega) got shot to death last night. So why has he just woken up in bed as if nothing happened? That existential question leads Fontaine and two unlikely allies—prostitute Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) and pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx)—to uncovering a vast conspiracy centered on a Black-majority town called The Glen, where people are kept mollified by hypnotic rap music, dumbed down with drug-laced fried chicken and grape juice, and preached into obedience at church. But who’s using the town as a petri dish, and why is there a cloning lab buried underground? This lethally sharp satire from writer and debut director Juel Taylor masterfully blends genres, from the use of visual motifs and dated clichés from 1970s Blaxploitation cinema to its frequent steps into sci-fi territory and laugh-out-loud comedy. But it’s the powerhouse performances from its central cast that mark this as one to watch.
Nimona
Shapeshifter Nimona can become anything she wants, a gift that causes people to fear and shun her. If society is going to treat her like a villain, she’s going to be one, so she decides to become the sidekick of the hated black knight, Ballister Blackheart. Unfortunately for the aspiring menace, Blackheart isn’t quite the monster he’s made out to be, and he instead tries to rein in Nimona’s more murderous tendencies as he seeks to clear his name of a crime he didn’t commit—and face down his old friend Ambrosius Goldenloin in the process. Adapted from N. D. Stevenson’s groundbreaking graphic novel, Nimona is more than just another fanciful fantasy—it’s a tale of outsiders and exiles, people trying to do right even when their community rejects them, and the joy of finding their own little band along the way. After an almost decade-long journey to the screen, this dazzlingly animated movie has become an instant classic.
The Boys in the Band
Set in New York City in 1968, The Boys in the Band is a snapshot of gay life a year before Stonewall brought LGBTQ+ rights to mainstream attention. When Michael (Jim Parsons, fresh from The Big Bang Theory) hosts a birthday party for his best frenemy Harold (Zachary Quinto), he’s expecting a night of drinks, dancing, and gossip with their inner circle—until Alan, Michael’s straight friend from college, turns up, desperate to share something. As the night wears on, personalities clash, tempers fray, and secrets threaten to come to the surface in director Joe Mantello’s tense character study. Adapted for the screen by Mart Crowley, author of the original stage play, this period piece manages to be as poignant an exploration of queer relationships and identities as ever.
Cargo
In a world already ravaged by a zombie-like plague, Andy Rose (Martin Freeman) only wants to keep his family safe, sticking to Australia’s rural back roads to avoid infection. After his wife is tragically bitten, and infects him in turn, Andy is desperate to find a safe haven for his infant daughter, Rosie. With a mere 48 hours until he succumbs himself, Andy finds an ally in Thoomi (Simone Landers), an Aboriginal girl looking to protect her own rabid father. But with threats from paranoid survivalists and Aboriginal communities hunting the infected, it may already be too late. A unique twist on the zombie apocalypse, Cargo abandons the familiar urban landscapes of the genre for the breathtaking wilds of Australia and offers a slower, character-led approach to the end of the world.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
The modern master of the macabre brings the wooden would-be boy to life like never before in this exquisitely animated take on Pinocchio. In a stop-motion masterpiece that hews closer to the original 1880s tale by Carlo Collodi than the sanitized Disney version, Guillermo del Toro adds his own signature touch and compelling twists to the classic story that make it darkly enchanting—expect a Blue Fairy closer to a biblically accurate many-eyed angel and a Terrible Dogfish more like a kaiju. It’s the decision to transplant the tale to World War II that’s most affecting though. Cast against the rise of fascism, with Gepetto mourning the loss of his son, the film is packed with complex themes of mortality and morality that will haunt audiences long after the credits roll. If that doesn’t sell you, perhaps the fact that it won Best Animated Feature at the 2023 Academy Awards will.
Call Me Chihiro
An idyllic slice-of-life movie with a twist, Call Me Chihiro follows a former sex worker—the eponymous Chihiro, played by Kasumi Arimura—after she moves to a seaside town to work in a bento restaurant. This isn’t a tale of a woman on the run or trying to escape her past—Chihiro is refreshingly forthright and unapologetic, and her warmth and openness soon begin to change the lives of her neighbors. Directed by Rikiya Imaizumi, this is an intimate, heartfelt character drama that alternates between moments of aching loneliness and sheer joy, packed with emotional beats that remind viewers of the importance of even the smallest connections.
The Sea Beast
It’s easy to imagine that the elevator pitch for The Sea Beast was “Moby Dick meets How to Train Your Dragon”—and who wouldn’t be compelled by that? Set in a fantasy world where oceanic leviathans terrorize humanity, those who hunt down the giant monsters are lauded as heroes. Jacob Holland (voiced by Karl Urban) is one such hero, adopted son of the legendary Captain Crowe and well on the way to building his own legacy as a monster hunter—a journey disrupted by stowaway Maisie Brumble (Zaris-Angel Hator), who has her own ambitions to take on the sea beasts. However, after an attempt to destroy the colossal Red Bluster goes disastrously wrong, Jacob and Maisie are stranded on an island filled with the creatures, and they find that the monsters may not be quite so monstrous after all. A rollicking sea-bound adventure directed by Chris Williams—of Big Hero 6 and Moana fame—it secured its standing as one of Netflix’s finest movies with a nomination for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Oscars.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc in this brilliant follow-up to 2019’s phenomenal whodunnit, Knives Out. Writer-director Rian Johnson crafts a fiendishly sharp new case for “the Last of the Gentlemen Sleuths,” taking Blanc to a Greek island getaway for a reclusive tech billionaire and his collection of friends and hangers-on, where a planned murder mystery weekend takes a deadly turn. While totally accessible for newcomers, fans of the first film will also be rewarded with some deeper character development for Blanc, a role that’s shaping up to be as iconic for Craig as 007. As cleverly written and meticulously constructed as its predecessor, and featuring the kind of all-star cast—Edward Norton! Janelle Monáe! Kathryn Hahn! Leslie Odom Jr.! Jessica Henwick! Madelyn Cline! Kate Hudson! Dave Bautista!—that cinema dreams are made of, Glass Onion might be the best thing Netflix has dropped all year.
The Wonder
Florence Pugh dazzles in this not-quite-horror film from Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio. Set in 1862, English nurse Lib Wright (Pugh) is sent to Ireland to observe Anna O’Donnell, a girl who claims to have not eaten in four months, subsisting instead on “manna from heaven.” Still grieving the loss of her own child, Lib is torn between investigating the medical impossibility and growing concern for Anna herself. Amid obstacles in the form of Anna’s deeply religious family and a local community that distrusts her, Lib’s watch descends into a tense, terrifying experience. Based on a book of the same name by Emma Donoghue, The Wonder is a beautiful yet bleakly shot period piece that explores the all-too-mortal horrors that unquestioning religious fervor and family secrets can wreak.
RRR
One of India’s biggest films of all time, RRR (or Rise, Roar, Revolt) redefines the notion of cinematic spectacle. Set in 1920, the historical epic follows real-life Indian revolutionaries Alluri Sitrama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) but fictionalizes their lives and actions. Although they come from very different walks of life, their similarities draw them together as they face down sadistic governor Scott Buxton (Ray Stevenson) and his cruel wife, Catherine (Alison Doody). No mere period fluff, RRR is a bold, exciting, and often explosive piece of filmmaking that elevates its heroes to near-mythological status. Director S. S. Rajamouli deploys brilliantly shot action scenes—and an exquisitely choreographed dance number—that grab viewers’ attention and refuse to let go. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Indian cinema or just looking for an action flick beyond the Hollywood norm, RRR is not to be missed.
I Lost My Body
An award winner at Cannes in 2019, this tale of burgeoning young love, obsession, and autonomous body parts is every bit as weird as you might expect for a French adult animated film. Director Jérémy Clapin charts the life of Naoufel, a Moroccan immigrant in modern-day France who falls for the distant Gabrielle, and Naoufel’s severed hand, which makes its way across the city to try to reconnect. With intersecting timelines and complex discussions about fate, I Lost My Body is often mind-bending yet always captivating, and Clapin employs brilliantly detailed animation and phenomenal color choices throughout. Worth watching in both the original French and the solid English dub featuring Dev Patel and Alia Shawkat, this one dares you to make sense of it all.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Aspiring filmmaker Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) has a strained relationship with her technophobic father Rick (Danny McBride)—not helped by his accidentally destroying her laptop right as she’s about to begin film school in California. In an effort to salvage their relationship, Rick decides to take the entire Mitchell family on a cross-country road trip to see Katie off. Unfortunately, this road trip coincides with a robot uprising that the Mitchells escape only by chance, leaving the fate of the world in their hands. Beautifully animated and brilliantly written, The Mitchells vs. the Machines takes a slightly more mature approach to family dynamics than many of its genre-mates, with the college-age Katie searching for her own identity while addressing genuine grievances with her father, but it effortlessly balances the more serious elements with exquisite action and genuinely funny comedy. Robbed of a full cinematic release by Covid-19, it now shines as one of Netflix’s best films.
Don’t Look Up
Frustrated by the world’s collective inaction on existential threats like climate change? Maybe don’t watch Don’t Look Up, director Adam McKay’s satirical black comedy. When two low-level astronomers discover a planet-killing comet on a collision course with Earth, they try to warn the authorities—only to be met with a collective “meh.” Matters only get worse when they attempt to leak the news themselves and have to navigate vapid TV hosts, celebrities looking for a signature cause, and an indifferent public. A bleakly funny indictment of our times, bolstered by a star-studded cast fronted by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Don’t Look Up is, somewhat depressingly, one of the best portraits of humanity since Idiocracy.
