30 Overlooked Netflix Original Movies You Need to Stream

Netflix has been behind buzzy Stephen King adaptations such as “In the Tall Grass” and “Gerald’s Game,” but it’s Zak Hilditch’s underseen “1922” that ranks as the streamer’s best Stephen King movie to date. The film stars Thomas Jane in a career-best performance as a farmer who convinces his son to help him murder his wife, but their killer act has unintended consequences on their lives. Hilditch brings a delicate visual language to King’s story and ends up crafting a horror movie that feels like what Terrence Malick might do if he took a stab at Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

Marja-Lewis Ryan’s “6 Balloons” features standout dramatic performances from “Broad City” favorite Abbi Jacobson and Dave Franco. Jacobson stars as a woman who comes to suspect her young brother (Franco) has relapsed on heroin. The film is a rare one in how convincingly it illustrates one of the core truths about addiction: It doesn’t really give a shit about your agenda. It’s chaos, it cares only about itself, and it feeds on collateral damage. Addiction isn’t separate from everyday life, or parallel to it — it’s intertwined and totally enmeshed. “6 Balloons” gets to the core of this brutal truth.

“Love, Simon” made headlines in March 2018 for being the first studio teen rom-com to center around a gay character, so it’s not too suprising to hear the similarly-themed “Alex Strangelove” got drowned out when it made its Netflix debut just one month later. The coming-of-age high school comedy hails from “The Skeleton Twins” writer-director Craig Johnson and matches that film’s wonderful empathy for its conflicted lead characters. Daniel Doheny stars as Alex, a high school teen who discovers his sexuality after being romantically pulled between his longtime friend Claire and an openly gay new friend named Elliot.

Brett Haley has been the writer-director behind plenty of feel-good and emotionally satisfying indie films, from “I’ll See You in My Dreams” to “The Hero” and “Hearts Beat Loud,” and this year’s Netflix original “All the Bright Places” keeps Haley’s heartfelt streak alive. The film is based on Jennifer Niven’s novel of the same name and stars Elle Fanning and Justice Smith as troubled teens who spark a romantic connection after they’re paired up for a class assignment. “All the Bright Places” doesn’t reinvent the teen romance, but its lived-in performances and vibrant chemistry make the well-worn genre feel authentic and new again.

The Obama romance drama “Southside with You” premiered at the start of 2016 and stole all the thunder from December release “Barry,” the Netflix original starring Devon Terrell as Obama during the future president’s junior year at Columbia University in 1981, a pivotal semester where Obama developed his opinions about race, government, and America. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called “Barry” the better of the 2016 Obama biographical dramas and wrote in his review that the film excelled at being both a biopic and an examination of America’s divisions

“12 Years A Slave” Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor made his directorial debut with the uplifting and vivid true-life drama “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” based on the autobiography of Malawian innovator and engineer William Kamkwamba. Maxwell Simba stars in the film as a young William, who decides to build a windmill pump in order to save his village from starvation after poor weather wipes out their crops. Ejiofor stars in the film as William’s father. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich review of the film reads: “Ejiofor originally planned to stay behind the camera in his solid and involving directorial debut, but it’s easy to understand why he felt compelled to star: Trywell Kamkwamba is one of the more fascinating characters he’s ever played.”

Netflix has dominated the teen sex comedy genre with its breakout original series “Sex Education,” but it also has a movie that’s a worthy entry in the genre thanks to “Brahman Naman.” The streaming giant picked up the comedy out of the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Set in the 1980s, “Brahman Naman” satirizes and embraces the tropes of that decade’s sex comedies as it tells the story of a group of nerds in Bangalore who qualify for the National Quiz Championships and make it their mission to lose their virginities and win the tournament prize.

Gerard McMurray’s directorial debut “Burning Sands” is a punishing and gripping inside look at masculinity in crisis, told through the eyes of a young black college student who is forced through an unrelenting hazing process to join his school’s popular fraternity. Trevor Jackson, a current cast member on “Grownish,” gives a dramatic breakthrough performance in the leading role. Jackson’s character has everything going for him until the pressures of securing collegiate brotherhood send him past his breaking point.

Daniel Goldhaber’s “Cam” is one of the best psychological horror movies to stream on Netflix right now. “Orange Is the New Black” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” actress Madeline Brewer delivers a transfixing performance as a cam girl who wakes up one day to discover her online show now stars an exact replica of herself. Goldhaber does David Lynch justice in this eerie mind-fuck about our online personas. Read David Ehrlich’s B+ review of the film here.

Netflix has had luck turning its original horror movies into buzzy word-of-mouth hits, from “The Ritual” to “The Perfectionist” and this year’s “The Platform,” but such a fate didn’t meet the less-talked-about “Cargo” in 2018. Martin Freeman stars as a father who must protect his daughter from a zombie outbreak in a film that successfully takes “Train to Busan” thrills and drops them in the middle of the Australian outback. IndieWire gave the film an A- review, comparing it favorably to both “Train to Busan” and “A Quiet Place.”

Most critics would pick “12 Years a Slave” as Chiwetel Ejiofor’s best work to date, but IndieWire’s David Ehrlich says Ejiofor “gives the best performance of his career” in “Come Sunday,” director Joshua Marston’s stirring and provocative biopic about a Tulsa minister whose belief in universal reconciliation (the idea that all sinful souls will be reconciled to God and a rejection of the notion of Hell) forced him out of his own community. “The movie that’s happening in Ejiofor’s eyes is wracked and compelling,” Ehrlich wrote in his 2018 review.

One of the most stunning Netflix originals is Jeff Orlowski’s nature documentary “Chasing Coral,” which follows an international team of divers, scientists, and photographers as they set out to investigate the disappearance of coral reefs around the world. Come for the eye-popping and dazzling underwater footage, and stay for Orlowski’s expertly crafted message on climate change that gives a distinct human edge to the issue. Read IndieWire’s B+ review of the documentary here.

Charlie McDowell had a lot of expectations to live up to after his breakout directorial debut “The One I Love,” and while his Netflix original “The Discovery” couldn’t match the inventive surprises of its predecessor, it’s still jam packed with bold science-fiction ideas that make it worth seeking out. The drama centers around the relationship between characters played by Jason Segal and Rooney Mara as they attempt to navigate a world in which the afterlife has been scientifically proven. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich called the drama ” a compelling, high-concept exploration of the rift between fantasy and reality.”

Houda Benyamina’s feature directorial debut “Divines” world premiered to great acclaim at Directors’ Fortnight before landing on Netflix in November 2016. The coming-of-age drama stars Oulaya Amamra as a teenager from a Romani banlieue on the outskirts of Paris whose life is upended after she befriends a young dancer. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote in his positive review that “Divines” is “a ferocious debut film and the perfect companion to Céline Sciamma’s ‘Girlhood.’”

“Green Room” director Jeremy Saulnier is behind the Netflix survival thriller “Hold the Dark,” starring Jeffrey Wright as a man who is hired to track down a missing six-year-old boy in the Alaskan wilderness. IndieWire’s Eric Kohn writes in his B+ review, “By merging a riveting outdoor survival yarn worthy of Jack London with bloody shootouts and supernatural thrills, Saulnier solidifies an aesthetic steeped in the delicate art of merging many kinds of movies into a formidable whole. Saulnier and screenwriter Macon Blair maintain their gripping atmosphere with a rapid-fire pace, and the relentless experience adheres to its own homegrown beats.”

“Blue Ruin” breakout actor Macon Blair made his directorial debut with the delightful and dark “I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore,” winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Indie favorite Melanie Lynskey gives a spectacular performance as a depressed burglary victim who teams up with her oddball neighbor (Elijah Wood) to find out the identity of her robber. Their search leads down a rabbit hole into a deranged criminal underworld. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich gave the film a B+ review out of Sundance, calling it a “killer debut” for Blair.

Osgood Perkins broke out with his 2015 directorial debut “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” and most recently earned strong reviews with this year’s “Gretel and Hansel,” but wedged in between those efforts is his sturdy Netflix original “I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House.” Ruth Wilson gives a commanding performance as a live-in nurse who comes to believe her elderly employer’s house is haunted. Perkins doesn’t waste a second in this 87-minute supernatural chiller that is further proof the writer-director is one of the most overlooked directors in the horror genre.

Malik Vitthal’s “Imperial Dreams” debuted back at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it took home the Audience Award prize, but it didn’t find distribution until Netflix released it as an original streaming title in 2017. John Boyega stars as a 21-year-old gang member who is released from prison and fights to overcome the path that leads him straight back to his criminal past. IndieWire praised Boyega out of Sundance for his “knockout leading performance.”

Jim Mickle’s serial killer drama “In the Shadow of the Moon” can feel messy at times, but its time-bending screenplay feels so mile-a-minute original that you have to give the writer-director credit for taking what is currently one of the most tired genres in film and television and making it utterly unique. The movie stars Boyd Holbrook as a detective investigating a serial killer who resurfaces every nine years. The investigation is complicated by discoveries that seem to defy all scientific logic.

“The Daily Show” correspondent Jessica Williams delivers a star-making movie performance in James C. Strouce’s “The Incredible Jessica James.” Williams plays an aspiring New York City playwright who finds the love of her life while trying to avoid romance after a painful break-up. Williams had a breakout supporting role in Strouce’s “People Places Things,” and the writer-director wisely put Williams centerstage for his follow-up movie. Williams’ starpower is unquestionable in the lead role.

Maggie Gyllenhaal gives a towering performance in “The Kindergarten Teacher,” Sara Colangelo’s English-language remake of the 2014 Israeli drama of the same name. Gyllenhaal stars as Lisa Spinelli, an emotionally-damaged teacher who becomes obsessed with her young student after she discovers he is a poetry savant. Gyllenhaal’s character crosses moral boundaries in her pursuit to give the child a future he deserves, while Colangelo wisely lets her film soak in the grey areas between right and wrong. Gyllenhaal’s performance in “The Kindergarten Teacher” is one of the best yet in a Netflix original movie.

Reuniting icons Robert Redford and Jane Fonda works like gangbusters in “Our Souls at Night,” Ritesh Batra’s gentle and moving late-in-life Netflix romance film. It’s based on Kent Haruf’s 2014 novel and adapted to the screen by “(500) Days of Summer” scribes Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, who handle the material with a sensitivity that belies their youth. The film marks the fourth collaboration between Fonda and Redford, who previously starred in “The Chase,” “Barefoot in the Park,” and “The Electric Horseman.”

Alex Lehmann’s “Paddleton” is small-scale emotional powerhouse starring Mark Duplass and Ray Romano as lifelong friends who venture out on a road trip after discovering one of them has terminal cancer. Duplass and Romano’s winning chemistry brings a naturalism to the story that in the wrong hands could be a shallow and manipulative tearjerker. Between “Blue Jay” and “Paddleton,” Lehmann is quickly becoming one of Netflix’s dramatic MVPs who deserves way more buzz.

Tamara Jenkins delivered her long-awaited follow-up to “The Savages” with the 2008 Netflix original “Private Life,” starring Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn as a New York City couple whose niece (breakout newcomer Kayli Carter) becomes their pregnancy surrogate. Jenkins reaffirms her status as one of the most crushingly honest writer-directors working today, while Giamatti and Hahn deliver acting showcases with their work as exasperated artists in marital crisis. Read IndieWire’s David Ehrlich on why Giamatti deserved an Oscar for his “Private Life” performance

Hip-hop biopics are a Hollywood mainstay, but the subgenre has largely favored male rappers like Notorious B.I.G. and rap group N.W.A. Sundance favorite “Roxanne Roxanne” changes that, bringing to life the story of ‘80s sensation Lolita Shante Gooden, better known as Roxanne Shante, hip-hop’s first commercially successful female artist. Director Michael Larnell sticks to the traditions of the musical underdog story, but actress Chanté Adams gives such a revelatory performance as Roxanne that this Netflix original is impossible to resist.

Documentary filmmaker Sandi Tan turns the camera on herself in the remarkable documentary “Shirkers.” Tan made a movie in Singapore when she was a teenager, only for the director to steal the movie and vanish into thin air. “Shirkers” tracks a now-adult Tan as she sets out to find the lost movie and rediscover a past that is far more traumatic than she even remembers. IndieWire’s Erich Kohn wrote in his B+ review, “‘Shirkers’ has the handmade delicacy of a scrapbook come to life, blending ample footage from the original production with candid modern-day interviews and photography. The ensuing drama is a satisfying mix of an involving travelogue movie and an archival rescue mission.”

Sian Heder’s comedy-drama “Tallulah” features strong performances from Ellen Page and Allison Janney as two women who end up caring for a young child after Page’s babysitter steals it from a woman (Tammy Blanchard) she views as an unfit mother. While Heder’s script can be overwrought at times, the performances from the three female leads make “Tallulah” a hard-hitting look at flawed mothers that isn’t afraid to rough up its comedic edges with serious truths.

Director Marti Noxon and actress Lily Collins channel their own personal histories to create an essential drama about eating disorders in “To The Bone.” Loosely based on her own experiences with anorexia, Noxon’s drama follows Ellen (Collins) on a bumpy road to wellness that has tremendous stakes: If Emily doesn’t get “better,” she’s going to die. IndieWire’s Kate Erbland gave “To the Bone” an A- review, writing, “Throughout the film, Noxon wisely refuses to offer up easy answers and feel-good conclusions to Ellen’s journey, and neither does Collins’ extraordinary performance.”

Adam Leon’s sensational indie drama “Tramps” features breakout performances from Grace Van Patten and Callum Turner as two strangers who fall in love after helping out their friends in a shady deal gone wrong. IndieWire’s Eric Kohn raved about the film in his 2016 review, writing, “‘Tramps’ is a brisk and scrappy tale of lovable young hooligans on the cusp of a busy inner city world and searching for their place within it. It’s certainly one of the better American rom-coms in recent memory.”

Indie stalwart Joe Swanberg is best known on Netflix for his original comedy series “Easy,” but he also directed a gem of an original movie for the streamer called “Win It All.” Jake Johnson stars as a gambler who spends all of his friend’s money after the friend heads to prison. When the friend is released, Johnson’s character sets out on whirlwind gambling spree to win the money back. IndieWire’s Eric Kohn called the film an “endearing crowdpleaser” in his review out of the 2017 SXSW Film Festival, writing, “By making a satisfactory crowdpleaser that doesn’t overextend itself, Swanberg has delivered his most traditional movie to date — and for this prolific filmmaker, who spent ages defying conventions, that’s nothing short of a radical step forward.”

Source: https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/overlooked-netflix-original-movies-stream/win-it-all-3/