The Best Movies You've Never Heard of... and They're All on Netflix

If you are living in the 21st century and own a television, you probably have a Netflix account. Most Netflix accounts are used for binging a TV show when the weather is bad or maybe watching an occasional movie. The remaining time on Netflix is spent searching. You fumble through category after category of movies attempting to pick one you haven't seen. Maybe you're successful or maybe you just give up and resort back to a classic or an old favorite. Luckily for you, I am not a huge fan of watching the same movies over and over again so I have discovered some hidden gems you might not know of that Netflix has to offer.

'Mustang' (2015)

If you don't mind, or maybe prefer, foreign films, then this is a must watch. Mustang is a Turkish movie about five sisters being raised by their grandmother. The girls get in trouble one day and are forced to live like prisoners, unable to leave their home for any reason. This movie will actually make you feel thankful that your parents forced you to go to school.

'Heaven Knows What' (2015)

Based on the unpublished memoir of the main character's life, Heaven Knows What is a harsh depiction of the side effects of heroin. The movie chronicles Arielle Holmes during her times as a homeless heroin addict living on the streets of New York City. With extremely vivid and intense scenes, you will fall deep into Arielle's story whether you intended to or not.

'Okja' (2017)

At first I was hesitant about watching a movie whose main character is a giant pig but once I read that Jake Gyllenhaal was in it, I was committed. This movie took me through a plethora of emotions with Jake's character being hilarious and the story in general being heart wrenching but inspirational all at once. As much as I recommend this movie, I must warn you that it might make you want to become a vegetarian.

'Moon' (2009)

With Sam Rockwell getting much well deserved award recognition for Three Billboards, it's hard to picture him in anything else. Luckily, with him being pretty much the only character in this entire movie, picturing him will become much easier. Moon tells the story of an astronaut's three year shift at a lunar mine coming to an end. With him anxious to return home to his wife and daughter, he suddenly becomes ill. The movie chronicles his journey of solving the mystery of his random sickness. It is surprising and intriguing and will remind you how amazing Sam Rockwell is.

'Force Majeure' (2014)

If I'm going to add another foreign film to this list, it has to be this one. This Swedish dark comedy tells the story of what no one likes to imagine: what we would do placed in an extreme situation. We all like to say we would act one way or another but we never really know until it happens. Force Majeure explores an unforeseeable situation that forces a man to act in a way he never thought he would. The entirety of the movie consists of the aftermath of his decision and how it impacted him and everyone around him.

'Exit Through the Gift Shop' (2010)

If you are more of a documentary person rather than a movie person, I'm adding this one for you. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant living in Los Angeles, who becomes obsessed with street art. Directed and partly narrated by street artist Banksy, the film charts Guetta's constant filming of everything he encounters as he works with street artists and eventually gains fame himself. For those, like myself, who have never heard of Guetta or this story, it was extremely interesting to watch.

'The Immigrant' (2013)

Being a huge fan of both Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner, I couldn't believe I had never heard of this movie. The story is about an immigrant woman who is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville by a man who offers her housing and money. She is desperate to save her sister who travelled with her but was taken away on the trip over and is being held in the confines of Ellis Island. Phoenix, Renner, and main character Marion Cotillard all give amazing performances that made me surprised this movie wasn't more critically acclaimed.

'Half Nelson' (2006)

Okay, this one... you might have heard of. Personally, I had never been informed of this 2006 Ryan Gosling movie but it did earn him an Academy Award nomination for best actor so I'm guessing people know about it. Nonetheless, if you haven't seen it, you must. Gosling plays a middle school teacher in Brooklyn with a bad drug habit. After one of the girls he coaches in basketball catches him getting high, and the two form an unlikely friendship. This movie made me laugh and cry all at once and revealed to me my favorite performance ever by Gosling.

'The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)' (2017)

This movie chronicles a group of dysfunctional adult siblings trying to live in the shadow of their successful, but also dysfunctional, father. I was hesitant to watch this due to the fact that Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller play two of the siblings and I wasn't in the mood to watch a comedy. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie is considered a comedy but also delivers tragic and heartfelt moments at the same time. Director Noah Baumbach gives you the feeling that you are a member of Meyerowitz's family or that they are a perfect depiction of your own family.

'Never Let Me Go' (2010)

Based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2005 novel with the same name, Never Let Me Go is a dystopian romantic drama. It tells the story of three friends that grew up together at boarding school in the English countryside who are now forced to deal with the horrible truth of their life purpose in adulthood. I am sometimes wary with movies telling of an alternate future but this movie interested me beyond what I previously thought. I am a huge fan of Andrew Garfield and he does not disappoint.