Netflix hidden gems: 10 movies and TV shows you need to watch
Great Netflix treasures that have gone under the radar.
We understand your pain when it comes to Netflix. The infinite scrolling, trying to find something to watch - the bickering with housemates and significant others over what genre of movie, whether or not you can just stick on Tiger King for the 40th time.
Hell, we even try to help with our myriad guides. Whether you are looking for the best movies, awesome TV shows, Netflix documentaries or even crime drama we have you covered. But, what’s that? You want more recommendations?
Okay, if you insist. Here’s ShortList’s guide to the Netflix hidden gems. Those movies and shows that rarely make it into a best of, not because they are bad but because they just haven’t been found by enough people yet.
Watch these and you will instantly become more popular with your peers. Well, that’s an absolute lie but hopefully we can help curtail a few ‘what to watch’ arguments tonight and beyond.
10. The Breadwinner
The Breadwinner is one of the most powerful animated movies on Netflix (yes, even with the amount of Studio Ghibli on there) and also one of the most overlooked. A girl, who lives under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2001, decides to dress as a boy to work and help her family, after her father is arrested. This is a wonderful movie that is all about finding hope, even when it looks like there isn’t any around. Its visuals are breath-taking, as is the score, but it's its brilliant takedown of religious extremism that’s the reason to watch.
9. Kingdom
Think the Walking Dead is the best zombie show on TV? Well, you obviously haven’t seen Kingdom. This South Korean TV show is a masterpiece in storytelling. It’s an historical epic that focuses on 16th century feudalism in South Korea, with added zombies! If you are a fan of Train To Busan and want a show that sprinkles in a bit of social commentary with its blood and guts, then this is for you.
8. Good Time
If you had heart palpitation watching Hidden Gems, then maybe avoid the coffee when you watch Good Time - the directorial debut of the Safdie brothers. Batman himself, Robert Pattinson, stars as a bank robber on the run. It’s a pulse-pounding thriller that never misses a nervy beat, just make sure that you have a safe place to go to afterwards to calm down.
7. John Was Trying To Contact Aliens
This is a beautiful, uplifting documentary that’s about John Shepherd, a man who has spent some 30 years trying to contact aliens by broadcasting his music into space. In just 16 minutes, it paints a fantastic picture of Shepherd, is blessed with a fantastic soundtrack and has an ending that will melt the coldest of hearts.
6. Marianne
The first few episodes of Marianne are some of the scariest bits of TV we have ever come across. While the rest of the show doesn’t quite live up to the premise, this is a fantastic French chiller. Emma (Victoire du Bois) is a horror writer who comes back to her hometown to find out that the things she has been writing about may not actually be fiction after all. Annoyingly, this is another Netflix show that was cancelled too soon - but pretty much everything does get wrapped up in this one season.