43 of the Absolute Best Movies to Watch on Netflix

43 of the Absolute Best Movies to Watch on Netflix



CURSR FILMS LIMITED 2022

Netflix has a bulging library of flicks, and as every week brings new content material, it turns into an train of sifting by means of the perfect of the bunch.

To minimize time, you will discover highlights of latest content material beneath, in addition to CNET’s full listing of finest film originals on Netflix.

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What’s New to Stream for April 2022

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What’s new this week (April 11-17)

The starting of each month brings a swathe of film additions. Here are this week’s highlights.

Wednesday

The Taming of The Shrewd (2022) — Polish rom-com. A scientist strikes again residence the place her scheming brother hires a good-looking stranger to persuade her to promote their land.

Friday

Choose or Die (2022) — British horror thriller starring Asa Butterfield. A broke faculty pupil performs a lethal ’80s pc recreation for a $100k prize.

Saturday

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) — Horror directed by Mike Flanagan. A Ouija board spirit possesses a younger lady.Man of God (2022) — African drama. Samuel forsakes his non secular upbringing to reside his personal life.

Read extra: The Absolute Best TV Shows on Netflix

The full listing of finest Netflix unique motion pictures

At time of writing, these movies all rating at the least 70 on Metacritic.

Action/Adventure

Okja (2017)

Netflix

2017’s Okja comes from Parasite director Bong Joon-ho — which needs to be incentive sufficient to observe it. Part cheeky darkish comedy, half surreal environmental thriller, Okja follows a younger South Korean farmer lady whose pet pal is a genetically enhanced super-pig. But Okja is the goal of an enormous company that wishes her scrumptious flesh. With an English supporting solid together with the likes of Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal, Okja sucks you in with its sweetness earlier than displaying you a distressing close-up of the meat business.

Crime/War

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Netflix

Spike Lee’s fierce struggle drama follows a bunch of getting older Vietnam War veterans who return to the nation seeking the stays of their squad chief — in addition to buried treasure. With a frenzied vitality coursing by means of it, Da 5 Bloods provides you a take a look at the Vietnam War by means of Black experiences, delivering an all-too-timely critique of racism and warfare.

The Irishman (2019)

Netflix

Spanning the lives of its mobsters over a number of a long time, The Irishman pulls off a 3-and-a-half-hour crime saga. But don’t be concerned — you’ll be able to break up this tour de drive if you should. Always intelligent and entertaining, with Martin Scorsese favorites Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci commanding the display screen, The Irishman creeps up on you, providing a haunting take a look at getting older mobsters and the havoc they wreak.

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Netflix

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga provides you a sobering take a look at the lifetime of a boy who turns into a toddler soldier in a West African nation embroiled in civil struggle. Idris Elba stars because the ruthless Commandant together with the astonishing Abraham Attah because the younger Agu. A confronting but quietly hopeful snapshot of struggle from a human perspective, Beasts of No Nation must be in your radar if it is not already.

Comedy

The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020)

Netflix

The title of this comedy-drama may sound acquainted, however its focus is an unconventional story. The Forty-Year-Old Version follows Radha, a playwright and instructor who finds herself drawn to the forgotten ardour of her youth: rapping. Inspired by author, director and star Radha Blank’s actual life, this stunning diary of a struggling artist will encourage and hit residence, with relatable themes of failure and unfulfilled potential.

Paddleton (2019)

Netflix

Tennis-playing buddies Michael (Mark Duplass) and Andy (Ray Romano) obtain devastating information: Michael has terminal abdomen most cancers. Struggling to let go of his dying pal, Andy joins Michael’s street journey seeking medicine to finish issues earlier than they get too painful. Folding comedy into melancholy, Paddleton eases the touching friendship at its core into deftly-affecting locations.

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Netflix

Eddie Murphy returned from his performing break with an excellent efficiency as Rudy Ray Moore, a comic who performed a personality known as Dolemite in stand-up routines and blaxploitation movies from the ’70s. Dolemite Is My Name follows Moore from his job at a file retailer to the large display screen. Tracking Moore’s rise to fame and its weird and enthralling turns, Dolemite Is My Name does justice to each Moore’s and Murphy’s abilities.

Private Life (2018)

Netflix

Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn starring in a comedy-drama with one thing to say about trendy marriage? Private Life is a singular and relatable slice of a New York middle-age couple’s struggles with totally different avenues to have a toddler. But as a result of Hahn and Giamatti are in it, it sparkles with wit and attraction. Add Kayli Carter to the combo as Sadie, a school dropout, and you’ve got one other layer to this compelling film concerning the unpredictability of heading into a brand new stage of life.

Win It All (2017)

Netflix

Jake Johnson co-writes this comedy from prolific indie director Joe Swanberg (he was behind the Netflix anthology TV sequence Easy as effectively). Win It All follows Eddie, a playing addict who agrees to stash a duffel bag of money for a neighborhood thug heading to jail. Making one in every of many questionable choices, Eddie dips into the funds. If you are a fan of easy, grounded storytelling with a deal with character, Win It All is a delight that brings out Johnson’s humor and charisma.

The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)

Netflix

The Meyerowitz Stories is a bittersweet comedy-drama advised by means of Noah Baumbach’s grounded lens. The titular tales concern dysfunctional grownup siblings, performed by Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller, attempting to reside within the shadow of their father. An effervescent solid, together with Dustin Hoffman, play these clever, albeit depressing, characters as they weave their poignant tales.

Tramps (2016)

Netflix

This indie gem may need flown beneath the radar, so in the event you’re on the lookout for a contemporary romcom overflowing with attraction, positively give Tramps a watch. Callum Turner and Grace Van Patten star as Danny and Ellie, a honest good child and a streetwise lady who try to hold out a shady deal for somewhat money. Tightly scripted and deftly avoiding hackneyed territory, Tramps will effortlessly win your coronary heart.

Horror

Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020)

Netflix

Vampires vs. the Bronx is a singular comedy-horror in additional methods than one. Set within the New York borough of the Bronx, it follows younger Miguel Martinez, a big-hearted child serving to to boost cash for his struggling native bodega. But it is not simply new designer outfitters threatening to maneuver in: Creepy pale residents with a style for blood are consuming up folks and their properties. A commentary on gentrification with goofy attraction, twists and thrills, Vampires vs. the Bronx is a contemporary, entertaining spin on the style.

His House (2020)

Netflix

His House is a horror flick that, yep, hits near residence. Revealing its supernatural evils by means of a harrowing human story, it follows Bol and Rial, a refugee couple from Sudan, who wrestle to adapt to their new life in an English city. Don’t anticipate easy bounce scares — His House performs into the psychological specters of the previous, including much more corridors of torment. A heartrending, highly effective piece.

Cam (2018)

Netflix

This sensible psychological horror is partially drawn from co-writer Isa Mazzei’s experiences as a camgirl (or webcam mannequin). Yet Cam is not any documentary, following Alice Ackerman, a younger camgirl who someday discovers a precise duplicate of herself has taken over her present. This distinctive thriller flashing crimson with the specter of know-how is a superb characteristic to hit play on.

1922 (2017)

Netflix

One of the extra profitable Stephen King diversifications, this horror drama based mostly on the novella 1922 is a sluggish burn with a mesmerizing efficiency at its core. Thomas Jane, who you will additionally know from Boogie Nights and 2004’s The Punisher, provides one in every of his profession finest performances because the ever proud Wilfred James, a farmer who makes the completely clever choice to homicide his spouse with the assistance of their teenage son. The penalties are harrowing on a number of ranges (in the event you don’t love rats, you actually will not like rats after this).

Gerald’s Game (2017)

Netflix

If you have been mesmerized by The Haunting of Hill House, then Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King novel Gerald’s Game is a must-watch. A pair goes on vacation at an remoted lake home, the place one factor results in one other… and Carla Gugino’s Jessie finally ends up handcuffed to the mattress with no seen escape. Gugino places in an immense efficiency, packing out the enclosed bed room setting. Expect narratively and emotionally satisfying conclusions, with melancholy-suffused horror that surges into quiet triumph for its haunted characters.

Western

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Netflix

More than a decade after her earlier movie, Bright Star, extraordinary filmmaker Jane Campion has unfolded the director’s chair once more to supervise The Power of the Dog. She ended up successful an Oscar, so it was a great transfer. The Western facilities on Phil Burbank, a domineering rancher who makes use of the ability of poisonous masculinity to have his method, mocking his brother for falling in love. The Power of the Dog is a mesmeric train within the refined shifts of emotion and energy in relationships. Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are immense, serving to to carry Campion’s masterful imaginative and prescient to life.

News of the World (2020)

Netflix

Tom Hanks in a Western directed by Jason Bourne’s Paul Greengrass. Enjoy Hanks going full Mandalorian single dad mode as Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a Civil War veteran who discovers a younger lady years after she was captured by Native Americans as a child. In between serving to to return her to her household, he does his regular job of touring to cities and studying newspapers for a small payment. Don’t anticipate high-octane motion: This street film is fueled extra by character improvement and the attractive views. Still, you will wish to settle in for a comforting trip with pure sympathetic Hanks on the steering wheel.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Netflix

The Coen Brothers kick up the western mud with an anthology movie that offers you six vignettes all set on the American frontier. One of them is concerning the titular Buster Scruggs, a chipper singing cowboy who casually units off a shoot-up in a cantina. But there is a darkish twist that retains you in your toes. Sewing the remainder of its tales along with a relentless black humor, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a Coen Brothers winner.

Drama

Passing (2021)

Netflix

Rebecca Hall makes her directorial debut in magnificent trend along with her adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel Passing. It tells the story of two light-skinned Black ladies, one in every of whom chooses to “go” as white. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga embody the duality on the coronary heart of this delicate story, shot in black and white. Gracefully dealt with, Passing is a young portrait revealing highly effective psychological depths.

Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021)

Netflix

Andrew Garfield takes the highlight for this biographical musical drama about Jonathan Larson, the late composer behind Rent and Tick, Tick… Boom! The film, helmed by Lin-Manuel Miranda in his directorial debut, follows Larson’s profession and the time strain he feels to depart a long-lasting impression. With joy-inducing music, a significant narrative concerning the artistic course of and a passionate efficiency from Garfield as Larson, Tick, Tick… Boom! is a swish and feel-good tribute.

The Dig (2021)

Netflix

This high-quality British drama excavates an entire lot of buried treasure with a distinguished solid in Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James and Johnny Flynn. It’s based mostly on the true occasions across the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo, yielding a priceless trove of Anglo-Saxon artifacts hidden in a burial ship. Romantic, mental and shifting, The Dig is a full sweep of magnificence.

The Boys within the Band (2020)

Netflix

The Boys within the Band units a brand new stage for an ensemble solid who all carried out the traditional play-by-the-same-name’s 2018 Broadway revival. Among them, Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto and Matt Bomer. The film brings new views to a party celebrated by a bunch of homosexual males in 1968 New York City. The social gathering takes an surprising flip when a customer from the host’s previous calls in. With a solid that is aware of the right way to play off one another and compelling themes akin to self-loathing and internalized homophobia, The Boys within the Band is a thought-provoking, participating drama.

Mank (2020)

Nikolai Loveikis/Netflix

A black-and-white David Fincher story concerning the unsung screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz who helped Orson Welles write Citizen Kane. Step again into Old Hollywood, with stunning cinematography and take within the behind-the-scenes of how studio methods functioned in a distinct time. Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried are among the many distinctive solid of this biographical drama full of the lightness and darkness of its hero’s life.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

Netflix

An Aaron Sorkin drama based mostly on a real story? The Trial of the Chicago 7 lives as much as its pedigree, following the real-life trial of a bunch of anti-Vietnam War protestors charged with conspiracy to incite riots. With a stellar ensemble solid, together with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is each topical and stuffed with compelling theatrical vitality.

High Flying Bird (2019)

Netflix

This sports activities drama from 2019 marked the second event director Steven Soderbergh used an iPhone to shoot a characteristic movie (the primary was 2018’s Unsane). High Flying Bird tells the story of a sports activities agent dealing with the ax until he pulls off a company-saving plan in 72 hours. Capturing the excessive tensions {of professional} sports activities by means of a singular capturing fashion, High Flying Bird is an enchanting piece put along with skilled path, modifying and performances.

Marriage Story (2019)

Netflix

A film about divorce may not sound like the perfect viewing expertise, however Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story is a journey you will wish to take. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver give two of the perfect performances of their careers as Nicole and Charlie, a pair who embark on the emotionally and logistically sophisticated authorized processes concerned in prying a partnership aside. Painted with an emotional complexity that features poignantly humorous moments together with the painful ones, that is happy-sad at its finest.

The Two Popes (2019)

Netflix

Set primarily in Vatican City, this biographical drama follows Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio within the aftermath of the Vatican leaks scandal. It’s as fascinating because it sounds. The Two Popes carves up a slice of real-life drama with a first-class two-hander that includes Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins.

Roma (2018)

Carlos Somonte

Alfonso Cuaron’s semi-autobiographical snapshot of the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City tells a small story with staggering prowess. Let Cuaron steer you thru the ups and downs of a live-in housekeeper of a middle-class household. His lens captures intricately stunning scenes in an album that quietly envelopes you with surprise and style.

Happy as Lazzaro (2018)

Netflix

This Italian movie has the seal of approval from Bong Joon-ho, so let’s take heed to the Oscar-winning director of Parasite and add it to this listing. Written and directed by Alice Rohrwacher, Happy as Lazzaro is about within the ’70s on a tobacco farm, the place good-hearted younger peasant Lazzaro dutifully works. When a nobleman convinces him to assist him pretend his personal kidnapping, a narrative of friendship, innocence and social commentary unfolds. A gorgeously shot, cinematic fairytale.

Sunday’s Illness (2018)

Zeta Cinema

This elegant Spanish movie will steep you in its wealthy imagery and phenomenally good performances from its two leads. Susi Sánchez and Bárbara Lennie star as Anabel and Chiara respectively, an estranged mom and daughter who reunite for causes that are not as clear as they first appear. The precision of the filmmaking right here is worthy of absorbing for individuals who are a fan of intentionally paced meditations on ache, love and loss. Masterful.

The Kindergarten Teacher (2018)

Netflix

Maggie Gyllenhaal provides a profession finest efficiency in The Kindergarten Teacher, a drama about, yep, a kindergarten instructor. Lisa is dissatisfied along with her personal life, which leads her to make some questionable choices concerning one in every of her younger college students. When Jimmy displays baby prodigy ranges of poetry writing expertise, Lisa might or might not take credit score for it. The Kindergarten Teacher’s barely disturbing character research may go away you feeling conflicted, however there is not any query about Gyllenhaal’s mesmerizing efficiency.

Mudbound (2017)

Netflix

Mudbound provides you a historic take a look at class wrestle by means of the lens of a Black veteran and a white veteran who each nonetheless have one foot caught in World War II. Dealing with PTSD and racism within the Mississippi Delta, with a solid that features Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell, Mudbound’s tempest will rivet you to the spot.

Thriller

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

Netflix

A psychological thriller that dives deep into the surreal. I’m Thinking of Ending Things positively will not be for everybody, but it surely connects you to the frustrations of the younger lady (Jessie Buckley) at its coronary heart, who grapples with breaking off her seven-week-relationship along with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons). While it overstays its welcome somewhat, I’m Thinking of Ending Things at all times retains you in your toes, with atmospheric cinematography and powerful performances from Toni Collette and David Thewlis as Jake’s pretty odd mother and father. Fans of director-writer Charlie Kaufman might be happy.

The Call (2020)

Netflix

Two motion pictures named The Call got here out in 2020. Watch the South Korean one, a time journey thriller revolving round, yep, a cellphone name. Twenty-eight-year-old Seo-yeon finds a cellphone buried in a closet in her childhood residence. It rings — and the caller, it seems, resides in the identical home 20 years earlier. Twists proper as much as the ultimate second, plus a wild cat-and-mouse chase that alters the previous and current make this a must-watch.

Calibre (2018)

Netflix

This taut thriller set within the distant Scottish Highlands is way from an idyllic getaway. Prepare for a full-on nerve-wringing nightmare that its protagonists are determined to get up from. Vaughn and Marcus set out on a lads’ weekend looking journey, however after an evening of consuming, they discover themselves dealing with occasions they by no means might have deliberate for. Calibre lives as much as its identify, delivering a slick bundle of grim, gripping drama. Let the total drive of this one wallop you.

First They Killed My Father (2017)

Netflix

The fifth and newest movie on Angelina Jolie’s directing CV turned out to be her finest. Based on Cambodian writer and human rights activist Loung Ung’s memoir, the biographical thriller recounts the horrors Ung suffered as a toddler beneath the rule of the lethal Khmer Rouge. With an empathetic lens framing a surprising story from the angle of a kid, First They Killed My Father is a singular struggle film made with management and finesse.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

Netflix

If you’ve got had a foul day, this is likely to be the film for you. When the police refuse to assist with a theft, nursing assistant Ruth and her bizarre neighbor Tony take issues into their very own palms. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore spots the idiosyncrasies of on a regular basis life, earlier than escalating its story into darkish locations with even darker humor. With a contact of Coen Brothers’ aptitude, its completely packed 96 minutes will go away you surprisingly emotional.

Sci-fi

The Platform (2019)

Netflix

From Netflix’s spectacular stash of worldwide movies comes Spanish sci-fi horror The Platform. Its high-concept story facilities on a tower that delivers meals to folks on every of its many ranges by way of a platform. Those on the prime get the perfect and most considerable unfold, which is devoured because the platform lowers down the degrees. Social commentary rings all through this dystopian thriller, which takes surprising, often grotesque turns all the best way to the underside.

Romance

The Half of It (2020)

Netflix

This unique YA film tells the story of Ellie Chu, a shy Asian American within the distant city of Squahamish discovering her sexuality. A straight-A but friendless pupil who has a side-hustle writing papers for her classmates, Ellie helps footballer Paul Munsky write a love letter to Aster Flores. But it seems Aster’s excellent for Ellie as a substitute. A narrative of self-acceptance advised with a fragile contact, The Half of It is a pleasure.

The Incredible Jessica James (2017)

Netflix

The Incredible Jessica James introduces a delightfully self-possessed most important character performed by an equally pleasant Jessica Williams. The assured and impartial Jessica James goes on a blind date the place she finally ends up speaking about nothing however her ex. A contemporary tackle the breakup film with an empowering lead, that is a simple hit for an entertaining evening in.

Animation

The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

Netflix

One of the perfect new household motion pictures has simply hit Netflix. From among the identical individuals who made Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse comes this journey to avoid wasting the world involving Mom, Dad, the children and their slobbery, bug-eyed canine. But amid the robotic apocalypse, led by Olivia Colman’s sinister Siri, actually The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a couple of strained relationship between movie-loving daughter Katie and her technophobe father. The technology-inept mum or dad gags are rife, the colours frenetic and the character progress shifting. A near-perfect bundle with the timeless message that embracing your weirdness is a superpower.

I Lost My Body (2019)

Netflix

This award-winning French movie begins with a severed hand escaping a fridge in a laboratory and embarking on a Paris-wide seek for the remainder of its physique. What a gap! With a number of flashbacks and chic animation, this unusual, satisfying story delves into loss, each bodily and emotional, in probably the most poetic of the way.

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