The Best Hidden Gems That You Can Watch On Netflix Right Now!
1. 20th Century Women
Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, and several other prominent stars in this comedy-drama directed by Mike Mills (Beginners, Thumbsucker.) The plot covers many decades but begins in 1979 when Dorothea Fields (Bening) finds it extremely difficult to raise her son alone. She enlisted the aid of two other ladies, one her son’s age and the other a New Yorker in her twenties who was very interested in the punk scene. The three mothers, with three different generations and styles, as well as the idea with “only a man can raise a man,” play separate roles in this child’s life. 20th Century Woman is based on Mike Mill’s own childhood in Southern California.
2. Free Fire
What if the entire film had been made during the Mexican standoff? Basically, that’s the concept of Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, a fun, R-rated good time. Set in the 1970s, the film begins with a meeting between IRA members and the weapons dealer, but the complications arise, the backs are stabbed, and the guns are unloaded. There’s a surreal humor undercurrent in the whole thing that makes the film much more entertaining than you can expect, and actors like Armie Hammer and Brie Larson are more than up to the challenge of making their comedic talents shine.
3. Swiss Army Man
Swiss Army Man is definitely one of the strangest movies you’ll ever see, but there’s a beauty that’s unmistakable. Paul Dano stars as a man marooned on an island who is just about to hang himself when he sees a body (Daniel Radcliffe) wash up on the beach. As he reaches the bone, it starts to expand uncontrollably, the intensity of which propels it forward. Dano’s character then rides his body across the sea, using the farts as an engine to drive himself off this island once and for all. This is the opening scene of the film. And yet there is an endearing bond between Dano and Radcliffe as the body starts to awaken, and Dano’s character shows him how to be real. Backed by a killer soundtrack and brought to life with stunning (and ambitious) graphics, Swiss Army Movie is sure to be a watching experience that you can never overlook.
4. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
This is the directorial debut of actor Macon Blair who is known for his films like Blue Rain and Green Room. There is a lot to enjoy here though it’s slow and tonally around the place. First of all, I’m a huge fan of the (underrated) Melanie Lynskey, so I was excited to see this movie off the ground. After Ruth’s (Lynskey) home has been broken, she wants vengeance against the attackers with the aid of her martial arts obsessed neighbor Tony (Elijah Wood, an amazing rat-tail). What starts as an inspiring experience for Ruth & Tony soon plunges into hazardous and potentially violent terrain. This film is obviously not for everybody, but if you’re a fan of the 90s indie movies and you don’t mind some action mixed in with your dark comedy, you’ll enjoy this short, well-acted film.
5. Good Time
A fast-paced suspense, and “really risky” film, as its creators expected, Good Time is about a bank robbery gone bad, and one brother is trying to get his other brother out of prison. It’s a deep and fast plunge into the criminal underground of New York that won’t give you the opportunity to take a single breath. The flow here is, without exception, unlike something I’ve ever seen before. It’s anxiety-inducing and very, very … primitive. Incredible work featuring Robert Pattinson’s career-leading role as a loose criminal who would actually do anything to see his brother freed.
6. The Endless
The third feature of out-of-the-box filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead is part of the metaphysical horror, part of the satire, part of the strange cult thriller, and part of the paradoxical mind-f**kery. The co-directors looked at The Infinite as brothers who had left a town named Camp Arcadia as teenagers, only to return years later as adults only to find that all the people they met as teenagers are still there and do not seem to have aged at all. Without spoiling too much, the founders of the Commune urge the two brothers to stick out for a day or two and give Camp Arcadia another chance, with things becoming more bizarre and ominous the longer they remain. It’s one of the most exciting low-budget science-fiction horror movies I’ve ever seen, with two completely original directors behind the wheel. (If you haven’t watched their previous Spring movie.
7. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
In a true story in English and Chichewa (a language from Malawi), a young boy is excluded from school because his parents could not afford education. Around the same time, his village is hit by a number of natural conditions that threaten them with drought and famine. The young boy sneaks into the library, trying to build a windmill to save his village, and you can guess what comes out of the story. A victory of engineering and a dream boy; a mixture of an extremely diverse society, full of unusual family dynamics and a thought-provoking convergence of religion, tradition, and technology. The outcome is a delicate but uplifting video, not to be overlooked.
8. While We’re Young
Starting with Frances Ha, director Noah Baumbach made a much more cheerful, positive shift with his films, and that’s definitely the case with his 2015 film While We’re Young. It’s more like a typical studio sitcom for the Squid and the Whale actor, except it’s a very, very nice one. Ben Still and Naomi Watts star as a middle-aged couple living in New York City who have difficulty coming to grips with the reality that they’re no longer young. Stiller is a documentary filmmaker who has a relationship with the aspiring documentary filmmaker Adam Driver, who with his very hipster girlfriend (Amanda Seyfried) is the mate of Stiller and Watts’ characters. A cultural clash occurs, as Stiller and Watts struggle to prove they’re still fashionable while Driver and Seyfried struggle to prove they’re smart.
