Netflix's collection continues to grow by leaps and bounds; a diverse range of films are added to the streaming platform every week. It almost seems inevitable that the most-watched Netflix movie is going to be a mainstream product, but there are a few exceptions to the rule.
Excellence and obscurity aren't inversely proportional. In other words, there are as many great famous movies as there are hidden gems. The mystical aura surrounding indie cinema is nothing more than marketing; the quality of a film has nothing to do with its origins. That said, there are dozens of underrated films available on Netflix, some more recognizable than others.
9 Vampires Vs. The Bronx (2020) Is A Seamless Mishmash Of Themes Anchored By Witty Dialogue
The gentrification allegory in Oz Rodriguez's Vampires vs. the Bronx isn't subtle, nor is it meant to be. The film treats vampires as proxies for the encroachment of POC spaces in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City — "pale monsters [who] try to demoralize the residents."
The villainous real estate company even uses Vlad the Impaler as its logo. Vampires vs. the Bronx is a seamless mishmash of themes, from social consciousness to bildungsroman, anchored in place by acerbically witty dialogue.
8 Hail, Caesar! (2016) Is Performed And Timed With The Spontaneous Authority Of Jazz
Joel and Ethan Coen have been known to make movies in a wide variety of genres, including crime comedies, intellectual thrillers, and neo-Westerns. Their Hail, Caesar! is a fictionalized parody of a real-life event in 1950s Hollywood.
The New Yorker praised Hail, Caesar! for its "light touches of exquisite incongruity [...] performed and timed with the spontaneous authority of jazz." Hail, Caesar! deserves a watch, even if didn't receive as much critical acclaim as the Coens' previous work — "it falls between the filmmakers' masterworks and duds."
7 Sorry To Bother You (2018) Explores The Fundamental Forces Linking Class And Capitalism
The razor-focused vision of director Boots Riley and the unstoppable grit of actor Lakeith Stanfield come together in Sorry to Bother you. It's a deliriously comical film about an African-American telemarketer who starts using a different accent when speaking to his customers.
Sorry to Bother You tests the fundamental forces that link class and capitalism, blending "conventional comedy with political satire" to produce a spectacular viewing experience. The thematic elements in the film ebb and flow between reality and fantasy, and it becomes impossible to parse them.
6 The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (2017) Delves Straight Into The Murky Depths Of The Human Condition
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is perhaps best known for directing The Favorite (2018), a period black comedy that analyzes the relationship between Queen Anne and her two favorite courtiers. The Killing of a Sacred Deer similarly delves straight into the murky depths of the human condition.
The film received widespread recognition with critics calling it the purest form of horror, "freed from the shackles of jump scares or exposition." The Killing of a Sacred Deer is held together by a stunning performance from Barry Keoghan, whose anti-villainous antagonist is simultaneously unsettling and endearing.
5 The Florida Project (2017) Explores The Relatively Banal Lives Of A Marginalized Community
The Florida Project examines its characters under a microscope, one slice at a time. The narrative is uncluttered, there are no unwanted edits, and the cotton candy color scheme is both ominous and captivating.
"The Florida Project" is also the pre-construction codename used for Disney World, a perfect metaphor for the undercurrents of hopelessness felt by the film's characters. The Florida Project obtained near-universal acclaim for exploring the relatively banal lives of a marginalized community with grace and empathy.
4 I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (2020) Highlights The Mundane Aspects Of Charlie Kaufman's Surreal Aesthetic
Charlie Kaufman's aesthetic sensibilities can be best classified as mindbending surrealism, as evidenced through his screenplays for movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Being John Malkovich (1999).
Kaufman wrote and directed I'm Thinking of Ending Things, starring Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley. The narrative's ambiguous framework makes it somewhat disconcerting, but "the strange way the story is told enhances just how real the exchanges between characters feel."
3 Cam (2018) Doesn't Offer Much Closure, But That's Presumably The Point
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Cam's take on the horror genre may not be revolutionary, but the film's jittery pace and uneasy atmosphere make it worth a watch, especially for fans of psychological thrillers. The protagonist is haunted by visions of her digital doppelganger, a deepfake version of Alice created by an unknown person or organization.
Cam is an extremely gripping and terribly frightening movie "that's far more than the sum of its salacious parts." Cam's ending offers very little closure, but that's presumably the point it's trying to make.
2 To All The Boys I've Loved Before (2018) Is Incisive, Witty, Reassuring, Enjoyable, And Thoroughly Heartwarming
Susan Johnson's To All the Boys I've Loved Before, the first installment in a trilogy, is an adaptation of Jenny Han's eponymous novel. While the second and third films are passable, they don't hold a candle to the first.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before "plays by the teen rom-com rules, but relatable characters [...] more than make up for a lack of surprises." The movie was a sleeper hit, garnering a cult fandom soon after its release. To All the Boys I've Loved Before is incisive, witty, reassuring, enjoyable, and thoroughly heartwarming.
1 I Am Jonas (2018) Is More Than Capable Of Handling Its Combustible Cocktail Of Emotions
I am Jonas, directed by Christophe Charrier, is a French-language LGBTQ+ film based on the poignant experiences of its titular character. Although I am Jonas relies a little too much on the "pain-heavy clichés" associated with LGBTQ+ cinema, it gradually distances itself from casual stereotypes.
I am Jonas rifles through its protagonist's trauma-addled memory for solace, finding both joy and sorrow in the process. I am Jonas is one of the few LGBTQ+ movies capable of handling its combustible cocktail of emotions.