Admittedly, the quality of Netflix movies have reached an all-time low, but if you’re bored this winter, there are a few underrated films worth delving into. You may have only heard of them vaguely or didn’t bother to track them down at some independent movie theater, but these titles offer more thought-provoking material than many commercial films. Best of all, you can watch in the comfort of your own home (bed) and snuggled up with your significant other (cat). Because everyone loves a compact list supplied from the waves of the Sea of Internet Content, here are my top five Netflix must-sees.
1.Short Term 12 (2013)
I remember Brie Larson from her days playing snarky teenager Kate Gregson on United States of Tara and thought I would give Short Term 12 a try, solely based on a familiar face. I was blown away by the acting, from a particularly young cast, about a sort-of halfway home for “troubled” kids, run by young adults not much older than the ones they’re trying to help. You’re instantly thrown into the chaos that Grace (Larson) faces everyday as both mentor and friend
to kids that remind her of her own troubled past. Admittedly dark at times, Short Term 12, is certainly worth the emotional roller coaster.
2. Stories We Tell (2012)
This is a beautiful documentary by Canadian director Sarah Polley, who also directed the independent romantic comedy Take This Waltz – another must see on Netflix. In her latest project, Polley delves into the art of storytelling by revealing her own family’s quirky secrets through her respective family member’s viewpoints and in true meta fashion – through the lens of her own camera.
3. Frances Ha (2013)
This is my go-to film suggestion despite its having been around for over a year. Though I was originally put off by its director Noah Baumbach, (I watched his semi-autobiographical movie The Squid and the Whale too young to fully grasp it) Frances Ha is one of the few ultimately heartwarming movies that even my fellow cynics can enjoy. There’s something about Greta Gerwig’s performance as Frances that makes it hard to look away—even when she’s making decisions that evoke an intense secondhand embarrassment. The film is a modern coming-of- age story ironically shot in black and white to demonstrate its universality, while offering an accurate take on the phenomenon that is the 20-something quarter life crisis.
4. Ida (2014)
Recently nominated for best foreign film award by the Golden Globes, Ida tells the unique story of Polish Catholic Nun Anna who has finally reunited with her estranged aunt Wanda, a woman who has much to tell Anna about her family’s past. This movie is also shot in black and white, transporting you to the stark Polish landscape, while questioning the equally stark dichotomous morality of life’s obstacles. Ida is by far the best film I’ve seen in theaters this year.
5. The One I Love (2014)
The One I Love is one of the movies where I just have to urge you to trust me. It’s impossible to describe the film’s storyline without ruining the plot. All I can say is that it’s about a couple
in distress who take advice from their shrink, and set off on a vacation together to a cozy country home. The only words I have left to say about The One I Love are: Elizabeth Moss and surrealist themes. That is all.
Close contenders that weren’t included because they’re not as new and not as fresh: Drinking Buddies, Mud, What Maisie Knew, The Giant Mechanical Man.
Gioia Kennedy