711 Best Discussion-sparking Movies to Watch (Page 33)

It’s no coincidence that many of the highest-acclaimed movies are also controversial. Serving beyond entertainment, these stories provoke essential social dialogues. As a case in point, here are the best discussion-sparking movies and shows available to stream now.

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481. Zerograd, 1988

	
When visiting a new town, it’s easy to expect that there will be some differences from the place you’ve come from, but the strange small town of Zerograd is downright bizarre. From naked secretaries to cakes with that look exactly like his face, Zerograd is a boggling trip, with writer-director Karen Shakhnazarov parodying the ways the Soviet Union then clung to their distortions of reality, even as it crumbles, but it also eerily echoes the way governments around the world have manipulated their people’s concept of reality all for the sake of their respective states. Zerograd’s bizarre episodes don’t seem to go anywhere, but that’s sort of expected, especially with the world still having to deal with the loss of truth globally.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Aleksei Zharkov, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, Evgeniy Evstigneev, Leonid Filatov, Oleg Basilashvili, Pyotr Shcherbakov, Vladimir Menshov, Yuriy Sherstnyov
Director: Karen Shakhnazarov

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482. Transatlantic, 2023

With its unique viewpoint of World War II, Transatlantic places a slick, old Hollywood spin on the historical rescue network Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC). Like the novel it's based on, the miniseries takes real-life ERC members and writes them into love triangles and affairs to keep interest in the team, occasionally name dropping the famous European intellectuals helped by the committee. The glossy treatment of their wartime efforts prove to be absolutely stunning, if a bit broad. While the show can occasionally feel spread thin over its multiple storylines, the series uses classic Hollywood charm to remind viewers of the multiple refugee crises all over the world, through the one crisis everyone can recognize.

Genre: Drama, War & Politics

Actor: Corey Stoll, Cory Michael Smith, Gillian Jacobs, Lucas Englander, Ralph Amoussou

Rating: TV-14

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483. Tore, 2023

When a loved one dies in front of you, immediately, suddenly, and unexpectedly, the normal reaction is to freak out. Tore portrays a man, who, upon that death, turns back to his work, focusing on the logistics of the event his company is hosting. Tore’s grief isn’t the histrionics we’re used to– instead, it spurs him to seek out experiences that he’s not used to, given that he’s still living in his parents’ house at 27. This strange disconnect is compelling to watch, as the show studies the way he avoids anything related to the death, just to keep his normal demeanor, in a steady and economical way. It makes for a unique and honest depiction of grief that still packs an emotional punch.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Hannes Fohlin, Karin Bertling, Peter Haber, Sanna Sundqvist, William Spetz

Rating: TV-MA

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484. Time, 2006

	
Every relationship reaches a point where the excitement settles into a calmer state. Korean film Time is set at that point, but rather than the two lovers settling into comfort, they’re at odds instead– Ji-woo lets his eye roam for a bit of excitement, while Seh-hee anxiously accuses him for anything. To be honest, these two are seriously crazy. They should probably break up. But while the two push each other to increasingly toxic ends, this surprisingly talky romance drama from 3-Iron’s Kim Ki-duk holds some of his best dialogue, his signature use of symbols, as well as a critical, if a bit out there, examination to how disposable people have started to treat each other, themselves, and the human body in romantic relationships.Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Actor: Ha Jung-woo, Jeon Se-hyun, Jeong-hwan Kong, Jung Gyu-woon, Kang Shin-chul, Kiki Sugino, Kim Sung-min, Park Ji-yeon, Seo Ji-seok, Sung Hyun-ah
Director: Kim Ki-duk

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485. Their Stories, 2023

A house isn’t just a building– it’s a space where one can be one’s self, where one can have control over one’s space. Of course, houses can differ between social classes, as the rich often hire househelp, while those less fortunate manage their own, or might not even have one. Their Stories draws its drama from this disparity, as the rich Isabel and Rosa lose control of their assets and have to move to the house where working class Marta and Jasmim live. It’s an interesting dynamic, a twisted mix of gratitude and resentment forged between former employer and employee, and all four leads portray this with the nuance and complexity that it requires. A Historía Delas might literally be hard to search on Hulu, but it’s an interesting story, one that feels unique and real enough to follow.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Bia Arantes, Cris Vianna, Emma Araujo, Johnnas Oliva, Letícia Spiller

Director: Luciana Baptista, Maria Farkas, Pablo Uranga

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486. The Quiet American, 2002

	
Being released just a year after 9/11, we weren’t expecting The Quiet American to be critical about America’s intervention in the Vietnam War– the original novel was criticized by the country in its initial release, and the previous 1958 film adaptation revamped the entire story for an anti-communist message. Still, while the film could have expanded on Phuong’s perspective, The Quiet American is well made and surprisingly faithful to the book– willing to delve into author Graham Greene’s cautionary tale on exceptionalism and acknowledging how his prediction has happened in reality, all easily understood through the simple, yet effective metaphor of a love triangle.Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller, War
Actor: Brendan Fraser, Do Thi Hai Yen, Ferdinand Hoang, George Mangos, Holmes Osborne, Jeff Truman, Kevin Tran, Mathias Mlekuz, Michael Caine, Rade Serbedzija, Robert Stanton, Tzi Ma
Director: Phillip Noyce
Rating: R

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487. The Queen of Versailles, 2012

Lauren Greenfield’s film follows the Siegel family’s decline from opulent abundance to gaudy ruin. Mega wealth, delusions of grandeur, and grotesquely opulent taste—the Siegel family were the perfect subjects for the film, which sets out to document their most lavish expense: their Versailles home, a mansion sprawling more than 85,000 square feet and modeled after the Palace of Versailles.

The Siegels, no doubt, are entirely out of touch with reality. David Siegel, the owner of one of the world’s largest timeshare developers, married Jackie, a former Mrs. Florida who is 30 years younger. The Versailles home is to be Jackie’s castle, an enormous home for her eight kids and numerous pets. But the 2008 recession does not spare the Siegels, and their company is devastated. After layoffs and desperate attempts to recover financially, the family struggles to pay back the banks. Construction halts. The Versailles home remains vacant and unfinished.

While the film does not sympathize with the Siegels, Greenfield creates a space where pity is possible as well as criticism. And from there comes the universal: desperation, longing, hope for better, if not also more, more, more.

Genre: Documentary, Drama

Actor: David Siegel, Jacqueline Siegel, Virginia Nebab

Director: Lauren Greenfield

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488. The Beales of Grey Gardens, 2006

	
After the 1975 release of the Maysles brothers’ Grey Gardens, Big and Little Edie Beale’s story captivated viewers and spawned a musical and a dramatized biopic about the reclusive, impoverished socialite mother-daughter duo. The Beales of Grey Gardens is a compilation of the remaining unreleased archival footage, released after the death of both subjects and David Maysles. For those unfamiliar with their story, the film might feel a bit random and contextless. But for Beale fans, and those familiar with their first documentary, this sticks close to the classic cinema vérité style of the Maysles, while also uncovering other sides of these interesting, eccentric former socialites, becoming a lovely tribute for them and their fans.Genre: Documentary, Drama
Actor: Albert Maysles, David Maysles, Edith Bouvier Beale, Jerry Torre, Lois Wright
Director: Albert Maysles, David Maysles
Rating: NR

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489. Pushing Hands, 1991

	
After a long life lived in a home one chose, it can be hard to uproot your entire life, especially in a country that seems diametrically opposed in manners and values. Before his American produced hits like Brokeback Mountain and Life of Pi, Ang Lee made his debut through Pushing Hands, a film entirely shot in America but produced from Taiwan, exploring from the Chinese perspective the generational conflict between Asian immigrants and the mainlander parents that they brought to have a good life. It’s humorous at certain moments, with the steady demeanor of Chu contrasted to everyone around him, but Pushing Hands stems from the understanding of someone who’s directly lived through it, unfolding into a thoughtful, sentimental drama that quickly established Lee’s directorial voice.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Chit-Man Chan, Deb Snyder, Fanny De Luz, Haan Lee, Lung Sihung, Sihung Lung, Wang Bozhao, Wang Hung-Chang, Wang Lai
Director: Ang Lee

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490. Pusher, 1996

	
Films about drug dealing aren't particularly new, but the way Pusher delves into their lives feels different– more realistic than glamorous, somewhat like a guerrilla documentary, with the handheld camera as a silent, unnamed witness. As the camera follows low-level dealer Frank through the course of a week, Kim Bodnia skillfully garners empathy with the way he holds himself through the pressure, and does the opposite when he does the same wrongs that were done to him. The story itself may be simple, but writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn made his mark through this debut, inadvertently creating a franchise and influencing Danish cinema.Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Actor: Gordon Kennedy, Gyda Hansen, Jesper Lohmann, Karsten Schrøder, Kim Bodnia, Lars Bom, Laura Drasbæk, Levino Jensen, Lisbeth Rasmussen, Liv Corfixen, Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Hasselflug, Nicolas Winding Refn, Peter Andersson, Slavko Labović, Thomas Bo Larsen, Vanja Bajicic, Zlatko Burić
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

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491. Proof, 1991

	
Empirical truth is something that is observable, objective, and verifiable. However, without the ability to observe, one must find other means to obtain a set of observations– repeated, consistent answers to eventually parse out the reality. One must obtain proof. Proof is an Australian drama about a blind photographer named Martin, who uses his photos to get multiple viewpoints of what was present in that specific moment. Writer-director Jocelyn Moorhouse brilliantly uses that idea to craft a character that wields objectivity in order to protect himself and keep himself distant, as seen through the way he instantly trusts Andy due to his straightforward demeanor, and the way he attempts to drive away his housekeeper Celia to get her to see the worst of him, instead of the idealized, perhaps fetishized, image she creates of him. Proof challenges the photograph as a medium of truth, as well as the idea of complete honesty and trust in another person.Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Belinda Davey, Cliff Ellen, Daniel Pollock, Frank Gallacher, Frankie J. Holden, Geneviève Picot, Heather Mitchell, Hugo Weaving, Jeffrey Walker, Russell Crowe, Saskia Post
Director:  Jocelyn Moorhouse
Rating: R

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492. Powwow Highway, 1989

	
When the wider culture doesn’t treat you the same way they treat the majority, it’s sometimes necessary to get mad, pivot, and assimilate to the majority’s ways in order to navigate the country and advocate for your rights. That’s the path Northern Cheyenne activist Buddy Red Bow took in Powwow Highway, one borne out of clear love of the community. But the beauty of this Native American story is the way Buddy learns to heal, to reconcile with his community’s folklore, and to recognize the resistance in serenely keeping what the wider majority tried to erase. Powwow Highway won’t be a perfect depiction of Native American culture, but it speaks true to the anger and heart the community still feels to this day.Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: A Martinez, Amanda Wyss, Gary Farmer, Geoffrey Rivas, Graham Greene, Joanelle Romero, Rodney A. Grant, Sam Vlahos, Wes Studi
Director: Jonathan Wacks

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493. Pieta, 2012

	
The subject of the Catholic Pieta– the Virgin Mary cradling the corpse of Jesus– has captivated plenty of artists, most famously in the sculpture by Michelangelo in St. Peter’s Basilica. This time, however, director Kim Ki-duk twists the image into modern day Seoul, with a mourning mother and a loan shark in place of their more innocent inspirations. Though with more dialogue than his other works, Kim delves into this crime thriller with his signature slow burn, crafting an intense, emotional healing for the gruff, violent Lee Kang-do, while his past deeds come to catch up with him, and while he reckons with the way money has replaced all what makes life meaningful. While the (thankfully, pseudo-) incest may be hard to stomach, Pieta is nonetheless a haunting, compelling portrayal of revenge. Just don't watch this with your mom, though.Genre: Drama
Actor: Cho Min-soo, Heo Joon-seok, Jin Yong-uk, Kang Eun-jin, Kim Jae-rok, Kwon Yul, Lee Jung-jin, Woo Ki-hong, Yoo Ha-bok
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Rating: NR

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494. Palmer, 2021

Palmer may not be treading new ground, but it does tackle relevant themes with impressive sensitivity. With Palmer (Justin Timberlake), it reveals the stigma that haunts ex-convicts well after they’ve redeemed themselves. And with Sam (a charming Ryder Allen), it brings to light the heartbreaking and often dangerous bigotry queer children face. These are heavy issues, but Palmer takes them on with the utmost care and compassion. Though it reads cheesy at times, the sweetness is a welcome note considering the more tragic turns narratives like this tend to take. Empathetic and hopeful, Palmer is a pleasant enough film about second chances and found families.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Alisha Wainwright, Carson Minniear, Charmin Lee, Craig Sheffer, Dane Rhodes, Dean Winters, Fisher Stevens, Hero Hunter, J.D. Evermore, Jake Brennan, Jesse C. Boyd, June Squibb, Juno Temple, Justin Timberlake, Lance E. Nichols, Molly Sue Harrison, Nicholas X. Parsons, Ray Gaspard, Ryder Allen, Stacie Davis, Stephen Louis Grush, Theodus Crane, Wynn Everett

Director: Fisher Stevens

Rating: R

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495. Never Rarely Sometimes Always, 2020

This difficult movie is about a seventeen-year-old from the U.S. underclass who has to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. Autumn is creative, reserved, and quiet, but those are not qualities that her environment in rural Pennsylvania seems to value. On the opposite, she is surrounded by threats, including disturbing step-father and boss characters.

Dangers escalate as Autumn decides to travel to New York to have an abortion. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is about unplanned pregnancies as much as it is about just how dangerous it is to be a teenage girl living in America.

Genre: Drama

Actor: Amy Tribbey, Brian Altemus, Carolina Espiro, Christian Clements, David Buneta, Denise Pillott, Drew Seltzer, Eliazar Jimenez, Lizbeth MacKay, Mia Dillon, Ryan Eggold, Salem Murphy, Sam Dugger, Sharon Van Etten, Sidney Flanigan, Sipiwe Moyo, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Théodore Pellerin

Director: Eliza Hittman

Rating: PG-13

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