Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Kaede Hondo, Nao Toyama, Ryota Osaka, Sumire Morohoshi, Takeo Otsuka, Tasuku Hatanaka, Yu Miyazaki
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.
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
Actor: Kaede Hondo, Nao Toyama, Ryota Osaka, Sumire Morohoshi, Takeo Otsuka, Tasuku Hatanaka, Yu Miyazaki
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Alex Sharp, Ben Schnetzer, Benedict Wong, Eiza González, Jess Hong, John Bradley, Jonathan Pryce, Jovan Adepo, Liam Cunningham, Marlo Kelly, Rosalind Chao, Saamer Usmani, Sea Shimooka, Zine Tseng
Directed by Roma auteur Alfonso Cuarón, this sexually charged, coming-of-age road trip film traverses the landscapes of Mexico while interspersing social commentary on the socio-economic realities of the 1990s. The film follows the adventures of two young friends, Julio and Tenoch, who embark on a trip with an older woman named Luisa. As they explore the beautiful and complex tapestry of their country, their own desires and identities are laid bare. As expected, Cuarón's interpersonal yet political storytelling uniquely captures the raw emotions and conflicts of youth with a mix of intimacy and societal critique.
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Ana López Mercado, Andrés Almeida, Arturo Ríos, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Diana Bracho, Diego Luna, Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Juan Carlos Remolina, Liboria Rodríguez, María Aura, Maribel Verdú, Marta Aura, Mayra Sérbulo, Silverio Palacios, Verónica Langer
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Genre: Drama
Actor: Ailín Salas, Carolina Peleritti, Carolina Pelleritti, César Troncoso, Germán Palacios, Guillermo Angelelli, Inés Efron, Lucía Puenzo, Lucas Escariz, Lucía Puenzo, Luciano Nóbile, Martín Piroyansky, Ricardo Darín, Valeria Bertuccelli
Director: Lucía Puenzo
In 2013, following the Ukrainian government’s termination of an EU agreement (in blatant disregard of what its citizens have been calling for), a wave of peaceful protests start to crop up at the country’s capital. Things escalate when the police violently disperse the protestors, but the people of Ukraine are not so easily held down. They fight back, growing in number and conviction each time they do, until an all-out war finally breaks out.
Winter on Fire documents this series of events, staying close to the ground and allowing bits of humanity to shine through its subjects. In between chilling clips of the clashes, we're shown intimate interviews with people of all walks of life. They're doctors, actors, students, bankers, lawyers, and clergymen, from various classes, races, religions, and genders. Despite their many differences, all of them share one hope: to secure a better future for the people of Ukraine.
Genre: Documentary, War & Politics
Actor: Bishop Agapit, Catherine Ashton, Cissy Jones, Kristina Berdinskikh, Kurganskyi Eduard, Natan Hazin, Serhii Averchenko, Valery Dovgiy
Director: Evgeny Afineevsky
The latest installment in Netflix'S “Unknown” docuseries, Unknown: Killer Robots puts the evolution of artificial intelligence under an ethical microscope. Although the title could be misleading, it does cover the possible dangerous applications of AI as it forces us to question the growing divide between human morality and machine efficiency. With advances in war and medicinal applications, the capabilities of AI to heal, save and destroy are terrifying and awe-inspiring in equal measure. Like the previous films in the series, it is hyper-concentrated to an almost-stifling degree, but it’s also powered by the passionate subjects on either side of these advancements. Forgoing sensationalism, this digestible documentary questions intention over the technology itself.
Genre: Documentary, Drama
Director: Jesse Sweet
With the U.S. the clear favorites for the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Netflix immediately grabbed the chance to depict their third consecutive win… But with the surprise defeat in the round of 16, Netflix had to show a different story, and they delivered a personal and empathetic behind-the-scenes look in Under Pressure. The limited series is definitely dedicated to the fans, as the four episodes show plenty of the famous personalities that America has been rooting for, but even new viewers can appreciate the immense hard work and dedication the team devotes to their dream. Even if that goal has been cut short for some team members, Under Pressure is a reminder that the U.S. Women’s team is still in the running, and can aim for the three-peat dream again.
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Alex Morgan, Alyssa Thompson, Lindsey Horan, Lynn Williams, Savannah DeMelo
While it’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand out among a throng of Netflix True Crime specials, Till Murder manages to hold its own by squarely and concisely centering on the main conflict: Soering vs. Haysom. It’s his word and against hers, his show of love and logic versus her natural charm and charisma. Was he a hopeless romantic who was manipulated into slaying the two people he thought tormented his beloved? Or was she the victim of a murderous and obsessive boyfriend who couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else owning her? The framing, while simplistic and a tad sensational, helps in quickly grabbing your attention and holding it for all four hours.
Genre: Documentary
Genre: Drama, Music
Actor: Alison Folland, Brittany Finamore, CCH Pounder, Don Cheadle, Elizabeth Peña, Eric Stoltz, Gabriel Mann, Joshua Leonard, Kai Lennox, Kim Dickens, Patsy Kensit, Rosanna Arquette, Shawn Reaves
Director: Allison Anders
Many in this docuseries acknowledge that the developments to this case feel very much “like a movie.” Maybe that’s why the filmmakers leaned into that presentation style with the twists, phone conversation voiceovers, and jumping timelines. It’s a decent storytelling choice, but it also feels like the shock factor and media hullabaloo is the focus of the film sometimes. Much of the runtime is dedicated to the role of the media, which served as a tremendously unhelpful distraction to the investigation; thus giving the series a sense of focus on the one hand, but also weighing the series down with too much details and fluff cinema.
Genre: Crime, Documentary
Actor: Massimo Bossetti
Genre: Drama
Actor: Aden Gillett, Alan Polonsky, Colin Stinton, Gemma Jones, Jeremy Northam, Nigel Hawthorne, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sara Stewart, Sarah Flind
Director: David Mamet
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Ann Wedgeworth, Antonia Bogdanovich, Benjamin Mouton, Harve Presnell, Helen Cates, Libby Villari, Marion Eaton, Michael Corbett, Renée Zellweger, Vincent D'Onofrio
Director: Dan Ireland
Genre: Documentary
Actor: Adam Copeland, Aurelian Smith Jr., Chris Irvine, Chris Jericho, Cody Hall, Cody Taylor Hall, Dustin Runnels, Gene Okerlund, Jim Duggan, Jim Ross, Page Falkinburg Jr., Scott Hall, Steve Austin, Ted DiBiase Sr.
Director: Steve Yu
The 1984 Bhopal gas leak is the world’s worst industrial disaster, and with the success of HBO’s Chernobyl, YRF Entertainment partnered with Netflix to create a miniseries based on the event. The Railway Men: The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 is a compelling watch, with four fictional protagonists that serve as composite characters of real life heroes in the tragedy. Even as the viewers know what will happen – the case details are available online and the show’s first moments reveal the outcome – it’s still a powerful depiction of the preventable tragedy, as the show recognizes the personal consequences through their heroes. While the narrative does sometimes lose balance, and the certain effects falter, the series carefully depicts the preventable chaos with an anger over the injustice that still remains unresolved.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Babil Khan, Divyendu Sharma, Juhi Chawla, Kay Kay Menon, R. Madhavan
Director: Shiv Rawail
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Al Pacino, Al Weaver, Allan Corduner, Anton Rodgers, Antonio Gil, Charlie Cox, David Harewood, Gregor Fisher, Heather Goldenhersh, Jean-François Wolff, Jeremy Irons, John Sessions, Joseph Fiennes, Jules Werner, Julian Nest, Kris Marshall, Lynn Collins, Mackenzie Crook, Ron Cook, Tony Schiena, Zuleikha Robinson
Director: Michael Radford