Find the best movies and show to watch from the year 2015. These handpicked recommendations are highly-rated by viewers and critics.
Actor Chris O'Dowd had a special childhood growing up in rural Ireland. So he wrote, created, and starred in this sitcom based on his experiences. He plays his childhood imaginary friend.
Moone Boy is a funny and easy show, winner of an Emmy for Best Comedy in 2013 when it first aired. The setting in the late 80s makes everything better.
Genre: Comedy
This is the follow-up film by the director of the (also) excellent and intense Blue Ruin. Like that film, Green Room often subverts genre expectations. The basic premise: a lefty punk band winds up taking a show at a skinhead club because they are desperate for cash. The show goes well, but afterward the band accidentally witnesses something they shouldn’t have and are trapped in the club’s green room. This film is brutal and intense, especially because you actually care about what happens to the characters. Bonus: Sir Patrick Stewart plays the leader of the skinhead organization, and gives a subtle yet effectively sinister performance. While some truly horrific acts of violence occur (especially in the back-half of the film) they really do serve the story. Still, there are a handful of scenes that may require more sensitive viewers to cover their eyes. You have been warned.
Genre: Crime, Horror, Thriller
Actor: Alia Shawkat, Anton Yelchin, Brent Werzner, Callum Turner, David Thompson, David W. Thompson, Eric Edelstein, Imogen Poots, Jeremy Saulnier, Joe Cole, Joseph Bertót, Kai Lennox, Lj Klink, Macon Blair, Mark Webber, Mason Knight, Michael Draper, October Moore, Patrick Stewart, Samuel Summer, Taylor Tunes
Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Antonythasan Jesuthasan, Aymen Saïdi, Bass Dhem, Claudine Vinasithamby, Faouzi Bensaidi, Franck Falise, Jean-Baptiste Pouilloux, Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Joséphine de Meaux, Joséphine de Meaux, Kalieaswari Srinivasan, Marc Zinga, Sandor Funtek, Soufiane Guerrab, Tassadit Mandi, Vincent Rottiers
Director: Jacques Audiard
A hilarious British sitcom about 24-year-old Tracey Gorden, a shop assistant living in a housing estate in London with unusual friends and an even more unusual family.
A bit messed up by a very religious upbringing, she navigates adulthood and trying to untangle herself from the unexciting life her neighbourhood offers (mainly by trying to lose her virginity).
Michaela Coel wrote and created the show and plays Tracey. Her expressive facial expressions and fantastic ability to convey her character make for an incredibly original show. Taking originality as a factor, this is possibly the best sitcom on Netflix right now.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Danielle Walters, Michaela Coel, Robert Lonsdale
Genre: Documentary, Music
Actor: Amy Winehouse, Blake Fielder, Frankie Boyle, Jay Leno, Juliette Ashby, Lauren Gilbert, Mark Ronson, Mitch Winehouse, Nick Shymansky, Pete Doherty, Russell Brand, Salaam Remi, Tom Myers, Tony Bennett, Tyler James, Yasiin Bey
Director: Asif Kapadia
Genre: Documentary, Family
Actor: Anaïs Bordier, Kanoa Goo, Samantha Futerman
Director: Ryan Miyamoto, Samantha Futerman
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Gustave Kervern, Isabelle Huppert, Jules Benchetrit, Larouci Didi, Michael Pitt, Tassadit Mandi, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Valeria Bruni‑Tedeschi
Director: Samuel Benchetrit
There isn't a single moment of unnecessarily exaggerated emotion or comedy in this French-Danish animated film, which may keep its world very small compared to its peers, but it portrays everything with arguably more depth and beauty. Long Way North moves with a stately pace, giving it more dramatic heft and allowing us to take in all of the film's painterly surfaces and soft silhouettes. But it's not just the art style that sets the film apart; it also avoids what we expect from a traditional adventure, keeping the most important character beats private and internal. This may make the movie feel a little more distant than it should be, but the feeling that it leaves you with is undeniable—a sense that everything is connected, and those who are lost will always find a way home.
Genre: Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family
Actor: Audrey Sablé, Boris Rehlinger, Bruno Magne, Christa Théret, Cyrille Monge, Delphine Braillon, Féodor Atkine, Gabriel Le Doze, Juliette Degenne, Loïc Houdré, Marc Bretonnière, Rémi Bichet, Stéphane Pouplard, Thomas Sagols
Director: Rémi Chayé
From the same showrunner as Happy Valley, the amazing thriller-drama also streaming on Netflix, comes this quiet romance-drama set in the British countryside.
But it’s not a coming-of-age story, the opposite. Last Tango is a later-in-life romance. Alan and Celia were neighbors and were attracted to each other when they were younger but never voiced their feelings. Now, 50 years later thanks to Facebook, they start dating again. And there are many other storylines going on other than this heart-melting romance at the center of the story.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Anne Reid, Derek Jacobi, Sarah Lancashire
Genre: Drama
Actor: Alex Dobrenko, Atheena Frizzell, Augustine Frizzell, Bill Wise, Billie Fairchild, Bryan Casserly, Chase Joliet, Chris Doubek, Krisha Fairchild, Olivia Grace Applegate, Robyn Fairchild, Trey Edward Shults, Victoria Fairchild
Director: Trey Edward Shults
Genre: Drama, Romance
Actor: Belinda Low, Bradley Hall, Carey Mulligan, David Golt, Dorian Lough, Eloise Oliver, Harry Peacock, Hilton McRae, Jessica Barden, Jody Halse, Jon Gunn, Juno Temple, Mark Wingett, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Pauline Whitaker, Richard Dixon, Sam Phillips, Stuart Davidson, Thomas Arnold, Tilly Vosburgh, Tom Sturridge, Victor McGuire
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
This five-part BBC drama is a seemingly simple story of a woman who suspects her husband of infidelity. But, being crafted by a playwright, Mike Bartlett, the straightforward premise is falsely disarming and is quickly exploited into a much more complicated and dark story.
The lead character, Gemma, is played to jaw-dropping perfection by Broadcasting Press Guild and BAFTA-winning actor Suranne Jones.
Genre: Drama
Actor: Adam James, Bertie Carvel, Charlie Cunniffe, Cheryl Campbell, Cian Barry, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Jodie Comer, Martha Howe-Douglas, Megan Roberts, Mike Bartlett, Navin Chowdhry, Neil Stuke, Prasanna Puwanarajah, Robert Pugh, Sara Stewart, Shazia Nicholls, Sian Brooke, Suranne Jones, Thusitha Jayasundera, Tom Taylor, Victoria Hamilton
Genre: Drama, War
Actor: Alex Høgh Andersen, Charlotte Munck, Dar Salim, Dulfi Al-Jabouri, Petrine Agger, Pilou Asbæk, Pilou Asbæk, Søren Malling, Søren Malling, Tuva Novotny
Director: Tobias Lindholm
From Sweet Tooth to The Last of Us, there’s no shortage nowadays of post-pandemic shows speculating about a virus-stricken and human-deficient world. But back in 2015, those were few and far between, making The Last Man on Earth a uniquely weird dramedy that was as existential as it was entertaining.
But even as its novelty wore off over the years, The Last Man on Earth stands the test of time thanks to its deft balance of sadness and silliness. You could be laughing about a poop joke one moment and ruminating about the purpose of life the next—and it never feels jarring. The ensemble cast is also a notable strength of the show, with each cast member becoming more sympathetic and fleshed out every season. Even the latest additions to the crew, like Kristen Wiig’s Pamela, become fast favorites.
If you're looking for quick laughs, you can put this show on, but expect some heartache in between as well.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Cleopatra Coleman, January Jones, Keith L. Williams, Kristen Schaal, Mary Steenburgen, Mel Rodriguez, Will Forte
Amy Berg’s documentary offers an insightful account of one of the most revered and iconic rock and roll singers of all-time, from her musical rise in the 1960s to her battle with alcohol and heroin addiction. Janis Joplin’s independent spirit and sense of not fitting in are meticulously presented in the film through archival footage, rare personal letters, and interviews with her school friends, family members, and fellow musicians. Powerfully narrated by musician Cat Power, Janis: Little Girl Blue presents a profoundly nuanced and very personal portrait of Janis Joplin, in a well-curated homage to an artist who changed music forever.
Genre: Documentary, Drama, Music
Actor: Cat Power, D. A. Pennebaker, Dick Cavett, Janis Joplin, Karleen Bennett, Laura Joplin, Peter Albin
Director: Amy J. Berg