Matthew Turner | On 28, Dec 2024

Stuck with that tricky “What should I watch next on Netflix?” decision? With the streaming service adding new titles all the time, it’s increasingly difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff. Fortunately, help is at hand, as there’s nothing we love more at VODzilla.co than throwing some great film recommendations your way. Here then, are Netflix UK’s best hidden gems.

This list will be updated regularly to reflect new releases and removals.

Confess, Fletch (2022)

Jon Hamm and director Greg Mottola resurrect the character of Fletch, the wise-cracking, perenially laid-back private detective previously played by Chevy Chase in a pair of 1980s movies. Based on the novel by Fletch creator Gregory McDonald, this engaging and funny comedy-thriller gets off to a great start, with Fletch (a perfectly cast Hamm) stumbling onto a corpse and immediately becoming the chief suspect in a murder, as far as put-upon police detective Monroe (Roy Wood Jr) is concerned. As Fletch tries to solve the case, he encounters a veritable smorgasbord of suspicious characters, allowing for a series of rich comic turns from the likes of Kyle MacLachlan, Annie Mumulo, Lucy Punch and fellow Mad Men cast member John Slattery. However, the highlight is Marcia Gay Harden’s oversexed Italian Countess, who calls Fletch “Flesh” and whose every line of dialogue is an outrageous delight. Here’s hoping Mottola and Hamm get to do a second Fletch movie, because this is an absolute treat from start to finish.

Drinking Buddies (2013)

Written and directed by mumblecore maestro Joe Swanberg, this engaging and thoughtful relationship comedy-drama is striking for the way it commendably side-steps all the usual romcom clichés in favour of something more believably realistic and bittersweet. Olivia Wilde and Jake Johnson play two colleagues at a Chicago brewery, who enjoy a flirtatious but platonic friendship, not least because they both have partners (Ron Livingston and Anna Kendrick). However, when the four friends spend the weekend in a cabin together, their relationships reach something of a turning-point. Wilde and Johnson have terrifically charming, very funny chemistry together and the sharply observed script has a raw honesty to it that will stay with you.

Chef (2014)

Writer-director-actor John Favreau made a return to his roots in small-scale personal pictures with this delightful feelgood comedy-drama. He plays Casper, a gifted chef who loses his high profile job after screaming at a restaurant critic (Oliver Platt) and finds a new lease of life when he starts running a Cubano sandwich food truck alongside his neglected young son (Emjay Anthony). The wonderful cast also includes Sofia Vergara (as Casper’s wealthy ex-wife), John Leguizamo, Dustin Hoffman and Scarlett Johansson, as well as an amusing single-scene cameo from Robert Downey Jnr. In addition to the endorphin rush of warm-hearted feelgood vibes (there is next to no conflict, and that’s a good thing), the attention to detail on the food is mouth-watering and there’s some fun to be had reading between the lines – e.g. top chef Casper baulking at being asked to do the same crowd-pleasing menu over and over again (cough, Marvel, cough) and yearning to make inventive new dishes instead.

Mortal Engines (2018)

Produced and co-written by Peter Jackson, this post-apocalyptic steampunk adventure is based on the popular novel by Philip Reeve. Featuring some impressive world-building in which cities are mobile and can consume other cities, it centres on a revenge-bent, facially scarred woman (Hera Hilmar) and a young historian (Robert Sheehan) who team up to thwart the dastardly plan of the mobile city’s charismatic Mayor (Hugo Weaving). The script is practically bursting with original ideas (Municipal Darwinism, anyone?) and the offbeat characters – including a steam-powered Terminator – are a lot of fun, while the set-pieces are both exciting and suspenseful. The film is further heightened by some exceptional production design work which gives the film a lived-in quality that’s reminiscent of the first Star Wars movie.

The End of the Tour (2015)

Directed by James Ponsoldt, this engrossing and rewarding two-hander is based on a real-life two-day interview between Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), as detailed in Lipsky’s subsequent memoir. Eisenberg’s brand of neurotic intensity makes him perfect for Lipsky, but Segel is the real surprise, delivering a career best performance that couples wry humour and haunting fragility (the author’s eventual suicide casts a significant shadow throughout the film). Effectively two hours of fascinating coversation, this is a refreshingly intellectual comedy that also contains some startlingly profound insights into loneliness, professional jealousy and artistic ambition. Don’t miss it.

Greta (2018)

Neil Jordan’s pleasingly old-fashioned potboiler is a welcome throwback to the sort of Fill-in-the-blank From Hell thriller that was all the rage in the 1990s (e.g. The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Single White Female, etc). Here, Isabelle Huppert plays Greta, a Lonely-old-lady From Hell who develops an obsessive, stalker-like interest in Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz), a kind-hearted student who returns her handbag after she loses it on the subway. Huppert is delightful, throwing herself into the role with real gusto and making each line reading her own, while also managing to find surprising sympathy for Greta. Similarly, Jordan’s genre-savvy direction gets the tone exactly right, mixing dark humour in with the creepy atmosphere and making this a delight from start to finish.

Hearts Beat Loud (2018)

This utterly charming indie drama stars Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation) as Frank, a single dad and music store owner who persuades his teenage daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons) to join him in weekly jam sessions, aware that she’ll soon be heading off to college. The two stars are a joy to watch (Clemons has a hell of a singing voice), the music is catchy and co-writer / director Brett Haley packs the film with heart-warming scenes that will have you smiling from ear to ear. As an added bonus, there’s delightful support from Toni Collette as Frank’s landlady and love interest.

Monster House (2006)

Expertly mixing horror and comedy throughout, director Gil Kenan’s spooky animated tale centres on three teenagers who discover that their neighbour’s house is actually a living, breathing monster. With spectacular animation, a witty script and strong comic performances from the likes of Kevin James, Jason Lee and Steve Buscemi (as cranky old Mr Nebbercracker), this is a thoroughly entertaining adventure, heightened by believable, three dimensional detail in the backgrounds and a handful of exciting, frequently scary set-pieces.

The Sapphires (2012)

Based on a remarkable true story and adapted from a stage musical, this hugely entertaining feelgood Australian drama is set in 1968 and stars Chris O’Dowd as a drunken Irish talent scout who discovers an all-girl Aboriginal group (including Deborah Mailman and Jessica Mauboy) and rebrands them as soul-singing group The Sapphires, before taking them to entertain US troops in Vietnam. O’Dowd sparks strong chemistry with his co-stars and delivers perhaps his best big screen performance to date, a charming and laugh-out-loud funny turn with killer comic timing. In addition, the superb script combines toe-tapping musical numbers with warm humour and strong emotion, while also making a couple of thoughtful political points.

Mørke (2005)

Directed by Jannick Johansen, this enjoyable Danish thriller didn’t get a theatrical release in 2005, despite the fact that Scandi-crime was all the rage back then. Nikolaj Lie Kaas plays Jakob, a journalist who becomes convinced that his sister was murdered by her new husband, Anker (Nicolas Bro). A few months after her death, he travels to the small town of Morke in order to question Anker, only to discover that he is engaged to be married to another woman, who also has brain damage like his sister, prompting him to suspect that Anker may well be a serial killer. The film isn’t entirely without plot holes, but that scarcely matters, because it’s a gripping, brilliantly acted thriller that’s reminiscent of George Sluizer’s masterful The Vanishing (that’s Spoorloos, the Dutch version).

The Hunt (2020)

Craig Zobel’s highly entertaining satirical thriller was beset by bad luck on its way to the big screen, getting delayed first by a real-life US mass shooting and then the pandemic. Hopefully it will find the audience it deserves on Netflix, because this is a treat from start to finish, packed with exciting action, jet black humour and some fun gory moments. Betty Gilpin delivers a powerhouse performance as a blue collar “deplorable” (read: Trump supporter) who wakes up in a clearing with twelve strangers and quickly discovers they’re being hunted by liberal elites for sport. To say any more would be to spoil the film’s inspired twists and turns – suffice it to say that the witty and knowing script challenges your expectations and assumptions while serving up tasty genre thrills. Also, if there was any justice, Betty Gilpin would be a household name by now.

FanFic (2023)

Based on the novel by Natalia Osinska, this engaging Polish teen movie centres on 17-year-old Toska (trans actor Alin Szewczyk), a fan fiction-obsessed high schooler, whose friendship with charming, secretly gay new student Leon (Jan Cieciara) convinces her to come out as trans and be known as Tosiek. Director Marta Karwowska gets the tone exactly right, infusing the film with warmth and sensitivity throughout, while the touching script explores compelling LBGTQ+ themes of self-expression and acceptance. Szewczyk puts in a star-making turn as the lead and there’s terrific support from Dobromir Dymecki as Tosiek’s widowed father, who undergoes his own emotional journey in a moving subplot.

I Lost My Body (2019)

Directed by Jeremy Clapin and based on a novel by screenwriter Guillaume Laurant (entitled Happy Hand), this delightfully offbeat French animated drama centres on a disembodied hand trying to make its way across the Paris suburbs, back to its owner. At the same time, flashbacks tell the story of how the owner, pizza delivery guy Naoufel (Hakim Faris / Dev Patel in the English dub) came to lose his hand in the first place, as well as detailing his all-consuming crush on one of his customers (Victoire Du Bois / Alia Shawkat), even though they’ve never met and only communicate over intercom. Beautifully animated and consistently inventive, this is a superbly written fantasy drama-slash-love story that feels completely original, while also finding room to homage the likes of The Incredible Shrinking Man or The Addams Family.

Mirage (2018)

Co-written and directed by Oriol Paulo, this superb Spanish mystery-thriller explores one of the key staples of time travel movies – the consequences of messing with the timeline. Adriana Ugarte (Julieta) stars as a woman who saves the life of a boy 25 years in the past when a freak storm allows her to communicate with the previous occupant of her house through a video camera. However, when she wakes up, all traces of her previous life (including her daughter) have disappeared. Impressively directed and superbly acted, this is complex, consistently fascinating and powerfully emotional.

Fall (2022)

If you think watching a film on a TV, tablet, or some other Netflix-equipped device can’t give you serious dizzy spells, think again. Director Scott Mann’s vertiginous thriller stars Grace Carloline Currey and Virginia Gardner (both superb) as two daredevil friends who climb to the top of a 2,000ft tower in the middle of the California desert, only to get stranded there when the flimsy ladder falls away. The gripping script maintains a nail-biting sense of pace and manages to serve up both dark humour and strong emotion alongside genuine terror, while the superb effects work and cinematography ensure an all-too-palpable sense of location and perspective. Bloody terrifying, even if you’re not afraid of heights.

Fast and Feel Love

Under the influence of his girlfriend J (outrageously charismatic Thai superstar Urassaya “Yaya” Sperbund), slacker Kao (Nat Kitcharit) competes to become the fastest cup stacking competitor in the world. However, when she dumps him, he has to learn some basic adult skills in order to win her back. A goofy blend of sports drama, romcom, coming-of-age comedy and, as the title suggests, knowingly meta action movie spoof (there are some inspired gags), this is frequently very funny, with delightful comic performances from the two leads. It’ll also make you wonder if you’ve got what it takes to stack cups at high speed.

The Sea Beast

Released on Netflix to very little fanfare – read our review here – this is a terrific animated adventure that deserves to be much more widely seen. Zaris-Angel Hator voices young orphan Maisie Brumble, who stows away on a ship and joins a crew of sturdy sea monster hunters as they search for the elusive Red Bluster. Combining stunning visuals, an excellent voice cast (Karl Urban, Jared Harris) and thrilling action sequences, this is a thoroughly delightful swashbuckler with a surprisingly political central theme that delivers an unexpectedly powerful punch. One of the best animated features of 2022.

Barbaric Genius (2012)

By turns heart-breaking, sobering and inspirational, Barbaric Genius is a documentary portrait of the remarkable life of John Healy, who was a boxer, a homeless alcoholic, a chess master and finally a best-selling author before a fall-out with his publisher lead to his book being forcefully taken out of print. Director Paul Duane tells Healy’s astonishing story through a mixture of archive footage, photographs, written excerpts and talking heads, as well as spending a large amount of time with Healy himself, which brings its own set of problems. A remarkable film.

Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood

Loosely based on the childhood of writer, producer and director Richard Linklater – with a dash of fantasy thrown in – this wonderful animated feature tells the story of the first Moon landing in the summer of 1969, from the perspective of 10 ½ year old Stanley (Milo Coy, with Jack Black narrating as older Stanley), who grows up with his five siblings in a Houston suburb. Using the gorgeous rotoscope animation he pioneered in Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, Linklater turns the nostalgia factor up to 11, lovingly recreating every tiny detail of his formative years, from the delights of the local ice cream parlour to brutal playground games to all the music, movies and TV shows that coloured their daily lives. An absolute treat.

Outside In (2017)

Jay Duplass (who co-wrote the script with director Lynn Shelton) stars as Chris, a 38 year old man who returns to his home town of Granite Falls, Washington after serving 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Estranged from his younger brother (Ben Schwartz), Chris has become fixated on forging a romantic relationship with his former high school teacher, Carol (Edie Falco), who helped campaign for his release. Meanwhile, Carol struggles with her stagnant marriage and becomes resentful of Chris’ burgeoning friendship with her teenage daughter (Kaitlyn Dever). Beautifully understated and superbly acted, this is a stirring smalltown out-of-prison drama that ranks with Shelton’s best work.

Young Adult (2011)

If there were any justice in the world, Charlize Theron would have received an Oscar nomination for her jaw-dropping performance in this criminally overlooked black comedy that reunites Juno scriptwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman. Theron plays Mavis, a messed-up teen fiction novelist who returns to her home town with the intention of winning back her happily married high-school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). With its surprisingly dark comedy firmly rooted in the characters, the film has a lot of fun subverting standard rom-com tropes and remains refreshingly unpredictable throughout.

Mr Roosevelt (2017)

The debut feature from writer-director-star Noël Wells (Master of None), this charming indie comedy centres on twenty-something Emily (Wells), a would-be comedian who returns from Los Angeles to her home town of Austin, Texas when her ex-boyfriend Eric (Nick Thune) informs her that the cat they once shared is very sick. Upon arrival, Emily is shocked to discover that Eric is now co-habiting with his new girlfriend Celeste (Britt Lower), to whom she takes an instant dislike. Wells proves a real talent to watch, both in front of and behind the camera – the script is frequently funny and there’s a real feel for the time and place. Above all, the film is worth seeing for a white hot supporting turn from Daniella Pineda (as a waitress-slash-musician who befriends Emily) and for Wells’ inspired impressions of Holly Hunter and Kristin Wiig.

The Summit of the Gods (2021)

Directed by Patrick Imbert (The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales), this animated mountaineering drama is based on the best-selling manga of the same name. It tells the story of Fukamachi, a young Japanese journalist who obsessively pursues reclusive mountain climber Habu Joji, in the hope that a camera Habu found on Everest might reveal whether George Mallory really became the first man to scale the summit in 1924. Thematically rich, gripping and stunningly beautiful, this is a moving story that perfectly captures the psychology of its subjects. It’s a testament to Imbert’s gripping direction that, whenever anyone loses their grip on a mountainside, you gasp just as hard as you would if you were watching a live-action documentary.

Kodachrome (2018)

Inspired by a 2010 New York Times article, this straight-to-Netflix road movie stars Jason Sudeikis as New York record company exec Matt, who reluctantly joins his estranged, dying dad Ben (Ed Harris), a famous photographer, on a road trip to Parsons, Kansas, to the last lab still developing Kodachrome film, before it shuts down forever. They’re joined by Ben’s nurse, Zooey (Elizabeth Olsen), who’s tasked with both keeping the peace between them and keeping Ben alive. The plot may be on the predictable side (the usual road movie shenanigans occur), but this is an engaging father-son drama-slash-low-key romance, enlivened by strong performances from the three leads. It also gives Harris a great speech about the historical importance of physical photographs and how that is being lost to digital photography.

Tramps (2016)

This low-key indie romance-slash-crime caper has a huge amount of charm, thanks to director / co-writer Adam Leon’s lightness of touch and lovely performances from its two leads. Callum Turner plays Danny, a naive young New Yorker whose older brother (Michal Vondel) coerces him into carrying out a shady bag-swap deal at a subway stop. Danny’s designated getaway driver is Ellie (Grace Van Patten), who’s agreed to take part in order to get dodgy friend Scott (Mike Birbiglia) off her back. When Danny messes up and snatches the wrong bag, the pair frantically try to correct his mistake, growing closer in the process. The central crime may appear ridiculously contrived (its true nature is only revealed later), but this has real heart at its centre and the chemistry between Turner and Van Patten is genuinely touching.

Ballerina (2016)

Co-directed by Éric Summer and Éric Warin, this French-Canadian animation (known as Leap! on its US release) is surprisingly charming, despite its slightly rocky start. Set in the 1880s, it centres on Felicie (voiced by Elle Fanning), an orphan girl who flees rural Brittany for Paris, where she passes herself off as her bullying rival and gains a place as a student at the Paris Opera Ballet. The story hits all the expected notes, but it’s enhanced considerably by some gorgeously detailed production design (making strong visual use of an under-construction Paris), likeable characters and lively animation that pays close attention to authentic ballet moves.

Shimmer Lake (2017)

Written and directed by Oren Uziel, this clever crime thriller unfolds in reverse order over the course of a week, as a small town Sheriff (Benjamin Walker) tries to get to the bottom of a bank heist that’s gone horribly wrong. The strong cast includes reliable character actors such as Rainn Wilson (as the Sheriff’s ne’er-do-well brother), Ron Livingston, Rob Corddry and John Michael Higgins, while Narcos’ Stephanie Sigman impresses as a key figure in the mystery. Uziel clearly knows his way around a tricksy thriller and he ensures that his reverse-time gimmick has a satisfying pay-off that rewards close attention.

Creep (2014)

The textbook definition of an under-the-radar gem, this unsettling found footage horror stars co-writer-director Patrick Brice as a videographer who answers a Craigslist ad for a one-day job. When he arrives at his remote mountain town destination he finds that the creepy client, Josef (co-writer Mark Duplass), has a series of increasingly unusual requests, and he begins to suspect that all is not what it seems. Effectively a two-hander, the film is heightened by an appropriately tense chemistry between Brice and Duplass, while the clever script finds some interesting ways to pay off the found footage conceit. Read our full review.

Divines (2016)

Debut director Houda Benyamina won the Camera d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival for this superb crime drama-slash-coming-of-ager that plays like a cross between La Haine and Girlhood. Newcomers Oulaya Amamra and Déborah Lukumuena star as a pair of 15 year-old best friends who decide that the fastest way out of their run-down, outskirts-of-Paris neighbourhood lies in going to work for their local drug dealer. Benyamina draws terrific performances from her two young leads, while her stylish direction (which extends to some exceptional sound design work) marks her out as an exciting new talent to watch. Read our full review

What Happened to Monday (2017)

This dystopian sci-fi thriller stars Noomi Rapace as seven identical sisters (named after the days of the week) who’ve spent their lives in hiding, taking it in turns to pose as one woman in the outside world, because the authoritarian state has outlawed siblings due to overpopulation. Director Tommy Wirkola skilfully blends impressive world-building with thrilling, fast-paced action sequences and compelling character development, which unfolds in a series of fun twists and turns. To that end, Rapace delivers seven great performances and there are strong supporting turns from both Willem Dafoe (as their father) and Glenn Close as the sinister head of the Child Allocation Bureau.

Calibre (2018)

Written and directed by Matt Palmer, this cracking thriller won the Michael Powell Award for best new British feature at the 2018 Edinburgh Film Festival and promptly went straight to Netflix. It stars Jack Lowden (Dunkirk) and Martin McCann (The Survivalist) as two best friends who head to a remote village in the Scottish Highlands for a hunting trip. After a tragic accident, the pair decide to cover it up, rather than reporting it to the authorities, leading to a tense situation with the increasingly suspicious villagers. Palmer’s impressive direction ensures the film grips like a vice, as the unbearable suspense gradually descends into sickening horror. A must-see for genre fans. (Read our full review – or click here to read our interview with director Matt Palmer.)

Labor Day (2013)

Directed by Jason Reitman and adapted from the novel by Joyce Maynard, this is a well made and superbly acted blend of thriller, romance, coming-of-age story and melodrama. Set over the five day Labor Day weekend, the film stars Kate Winslet as Adele, a depressed and reclusive single mother whose life is transformed when she takes in Frank Josh Brolin), a wounded man who turns out to be an escaped convict. As Adele gradually falls for Frank (Brolin is essentially the world’s nicest murderer), along with her similarly smitten young son (Gattlin Griffith, terrific), their household becomes a perfect little world that could be shattered at any moment by a knock at the door. Warning: contains a pie-making sequence that will make you immediately hungry for pie.

Lady Macbeth (2016)

Adapted from an 1865 Russian novella, this intense, gripping British costume drama was an impressive calling card for debut director William Oldroyd and rising star Florence Pugh. She plays Katherine, a Northumberland teenager who’s sold to an aging colliery magnate and married off to his middle-aged son. Increasingly bored, Katherine embarks on a dangerous affair with groomsman Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis) and turns to desperate measures to protect their secret. Pugh is sensational in the lead role, delivering a mesmerising performance that will stay with you a long time. Similarly, Oldroyd’s assured direction mixes powerful suspense with moments of chilling horror, while the complex script explores provocative themes of oppression, morality and sexuality.

The Squid and the Whale (2005)

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach, this moving and hilarious drama is essentially a semi-autobiographical account of the divorce of Baumbach’s own parents. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney play two authors who begin divorce proceedings, with their two sons (Jesse Eisenberg as teenage Walt and Owen Kline – son of Kevin – as 12 year old Frank) quick to take sides. The performances are fantastic across the board and Baumbach’s deservedly Oscar-nominated script is packed with hilarious dialogue – Frank’s adventures in swearing are a particular comic highlight. Baumbach also pulls off a remarkable balancing act – it’s hard to think of any other film that can make you laugh so hard whilst also being so desperately, painfully sad. A wonderful film.

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