Netflix has such a large catalog of movies that it’s impossible to be aware of everything the streamer has to offer. Many people find new favorites by browsing Netflix’s suggestions after they watch a movie, which gives them a list of similar films they might enjoy.
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However, some movies are often excluded from these suggestions. Unless someone already knows to look for them, they won’t find these films. Netflix has many such hidden gems that don’t get as much publicity as mainstream movies. It is always a good idea to watch them as soon as possible, as Netflix is removing many titles in November and does so periodically.
7) The First Slam Dunk
The First Slam Dunk is a surprisingly impressive anime movie that is based on a 1990s magna series. This 2022 film’s plot is relatively simple. A Japanese point guard on a basketball team is determined to honor his late brother by helping the team win the Inter-High School National Championship.
In addition to its emotional storyline, The First Slam Dunk blends 3D CGI animation with 2D drawings, giving it a compelling and unique visual style. The film is the highest-grossing basketball movie of all time, which is probably why The First Slam Dunk began streaming on Netflix in August 2024.
6) System Crasher
Germany’s System Crasher is a raw, unflinching look at a traumatized German child, so it may be too triggering for some viewers. However, for those who can tolerate this movie’s raw pain, it is well worth seeking out.
The film centers around a nine-year-old girl who has violent tendencies and has been bounced from one foster home to another. Bernadette is determined to reunite with her biological mother and is often openly defiant of the social worker and other support personnel who have been assigned to her.
All of this gets her labeled as a “system crasher,” which is German jargon for a person who can’t get along in society. But the film isn’t simply the day-to-day behavior of a troubled child — it’s an indictment of a system that is failing her more and more each day.
5) The Look of Silence
The Look of Silence is another raw, uncomfortable movie, this one a documentary from Indonesia. Many Indonesians were the victims of mass murder during anti-Communist purges — this film is a documentary about survivors.
The film breaks the silence around these crimes by focusing on Adi Rukun, an optometrist. Rukun decides to confront the men responsible for killing his brother during a purge, and does so on film while giving the perpetrators eye exams. In addition to being available on Netflix, it has been shown to over 300,000 people in Indonesia despite restrictions on public screenings there.
4) Happy as Lazzaro
Happy as Lazzaro is an Italian film that blends magical realism with social commentary. Set in the isolated community of Inviolata, the film revolves around Lazzaro, a poor sharecropper who is being exploited by aristocrats. The film has its share of suspenseful twists, especially after Lazzaro helps her rebellious son fake his own kidnapping so he can escape. The second half of the film propels Lazzaro through time to a more modern age where little has changed.
Although this is an Italian film, the story and themes are relevant to current American society and will spark discussions of how and why social change occurs. Happy as Lazzaro has won several prestigious awards, which is a testimony to the universality of its storytelling.
3) The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is based on the memoir of the same name. It tells the story of William Kamkwamba, a young boy who lives in Malawi in a small, impoverished village. William has a talent for electronics and a passion for science, both of which allow him to help save his village when conditions worsen due to drought.
2) The Penguin Lessons
Like The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, this movie is based on a memoir – this time from a British schoolteacher who taught in Argentina in the 1970s. While in South America, he finds and rescues a penguin that survived being soaked in oil. The penguin then becomes a beloved pet that he brings to the boarding school where he teaches.
This is a sweet movie that contrasts the love between the penguin and its owner with the political violence and upheaval in Argentina at the time, though it has some very sad moments. The teacher also runs into trouble with the school administration, which does not want a penguin on campus, though the penguin’s presence helps the formerly unruly students concentrate on their work.
This film is both inspiring and sad. It is eye-opening how world events make poverty in Malawi even worse (the village suffers greatly after the September 11 attacks in the United States). Ultimately, though, it is the story of a boy who never let poverty stop him from achieving his goals and was then able to turn his passion into the ability to save lives.
1) The Guilty
The Guilty is a crime thriller that stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a down-and-out LAPD detective who gets a 911 call from a woman who claims to have been abducted, but faces difficulties investigating because of his own legal troubles. There are many shocking movie twists before the horrifying truth is revealed, making for riveting viewing.
The Guilty uses the voice talents of actors like Ethan Hawke and Riley Keough for the people Gyllenhaal’s character talks to on the phone. It is a Canadian production, making it yet another great foreign film on Netflix.
What hidden gems have you found on Netflix? Leave a comment and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forum.
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