Netflix has thousands of movies, and sometimes the best ones slip right past you. Whether you got distracted by the latest trending series or just did not know where to look, plenty of critically loved films are hiding in plain sight.
From powerful documentaries to edge-of-your-seat thrillers, there is something on this list for everyone. These 17 highly-rated picks deserve a spot on your watch list tonight.
1. Budhia Singh: Born to Run (2016)
At just five years old, Budhia Singh became the world’s youngest marathon runner, and his story is nothing short of jaw-dropping. This Indian drama carries a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.5 on IMDb, making it one of the most underrated sports films around.
His coach pushed him to extraordinary limits, but the journey came with serious controversy. Raw, emotional, and deeply human, this one will stay with you long after the credits roll.
2. Barry (2016)
Long before the speeches and the presidency, Barack Obama was just a college kid trying to figure out who he was. Barry follows a young Obama navigating identity, race, and ambition during his years at Columbia University, and it earned a remarkable 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The IMDb score sits at a modest 6.0, but critics clearly saw something special here. If you are curious about the man behind the legacy, this quiet, reflective film is a great starting point.
3. Sillu Karuppatti (2019)
A perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes is not something you see every day, and Sillu Karuppatti has earned every bit of that score. This Tamil anthology film weaves together four love stories, each one told with gorgeous visuals and music that hits you right in the chest.
With an IMDb rating of 7.9, audiences clearly agree with critics on this one. The writing is sharp, the performances are warm, and the whole film feels like a quiet celebration of human connection.
4. Kodachrome (2018)
Named after the discontinued Kodak film, Kodachrome is a bittersweet road trip movie about a dying father and his estranged son racing to develop the last rolls of Kodachrome film before the final lab closes. It is the kind of story that sneaks up on you emotionally.
Rated 72% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.8 on IMDb, the film shines brightest in its quiet, layered character moments. If you enjoy slow-burn dramas with real emotional payoff, this one delivers.
5. The Guilty (2021)
Jake Gyllenhaal carries almost every single scene of this intense thriller entirely on his own, and it works brilliantly. He plays a disgraced 911 operator who receives a desperate call from an abducted woman and must save her using only his voice and wits.
The Guilty holds a 74% on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.3 on IMDb, but the real measure of this film is how tightly it grips you. Almost no action happens on screen, yet you will barely breathe for 90 minutes.
6. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The Coen brothers doing a Western anthology is exactly as wild and wonderful as it sounds. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs strings together six darkly funny and often brutal short stories set in the American frontier, earning an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.2 on IMDb.
Each segment has its own tone and cast of characters, which keeps things refreshingly unpredictable. Death, fate, and dark humor dance together throughout, making this one of the Coens’ most inventive and underappreciated works.
7. Private Life (2018)
Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti give two of the most honest performances you will find in any Netflix original. Private Life follows a middle-aged couple going through the emotional and physical grind of fertility treatments, and it never sugarcoats how hard that journey can be.
With a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.2 on IMDb, this one resonates deeply. It is funny, heartbreaking, and uncomfortably real in the best possible way, especially for anyone who has watched a relationship strain under pressure.
8. The Beautiful Game (2024)
Bill Nighy brings his signature warmth and quiet dignity to this inspiring sports drama about a team of homeless football players competing in the Homeless World Cup. Based on a real event, the film champions hope and human resilience without ever feeling preachy.
An 88% Rotten Tomatoes score tells you critics took notice. The football sequences are exciting, but the real magic lies in watching these players rediscover their self-worth through sport, community, and a coach who genuinely believes in them.
9. The Remarkable Life of Ibelin (2024)
Mats Steen spent much of his short life unable to move freely due to a degenerative disease, but inside the online world of World of Warcraft, he built something extraordinary. This documentary reveals the rich friendships and community he created before his death, and it is genuinely moving.
Sitting at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is one of the most powerful documentaries in years. Bring tissues.
Seriously, bring them, because this one will absolutely wreck you in the most beautiful way.
10. His Three Daughters (2023)
Three sisters. One dying father.
One tiny New York apartment. That setup alone sounds like the recipe for an emotional explosion, and His Three Daughters delivers exactly that.
Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne are all extraordinary here.
The film scored a stunning 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is easy to see why. The dialogue crackles with tension and love simultaneously, capturing what it really feels like when families are forced together by grief before they are ready.
11. Daughters (2024)
A daddy-daughter dance held inside a correctional facility sounds like an unusual premise, but Daughters transforms it into something profoundly moving. This Sundance prize-winning documentary follows a group of girls reuniting with their incarcerated fathers for one very special evening.
With a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is hard to argue with the response. Joyful and heartbreaking at the same time, the film asks big questions about family, forgiveness, and what children need most from the people who love them.
12. Hit Man (2024)
Glen Powell plays a mild-mannered philosophy professor who moonlights as a fake assassin for police sting operations, and somehow that premise becomes one of the most entertaining films of 2024. Directed by Richard Linklater, Hit Man is sharp, funny, and surprisingly romantic.
Critics adored it with a 95% Rotten Tomatoes score. Powell brings effortless charisma to every scene, and the film keeps you guessing where the line between performance and real identity actually falls.
Hugely entertaining from start to finish.
13. Rebel Ridge (2024)
Aaron Pierre commands every frame of this tightly wound action-thriller about a former Marine who rolls into a small Southern town to post bail for his cousin, only to have corrupt cops seize his cash and ignite a very dangerous confrontation.
Rebel Ridge earned a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.8 on IMDb, and the buzz was well deserved. Pierre is magnetic, the tension builds masterfully, and the film has real things to say about systemic injustice without losing its grip as a thriller.
14. Shirley (2024)
Regina King is absolutely electric as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress and the first to run for a major party’s presidential nomination. This biopic captures both her fire and her humanity with remarkable precision.
Chisholm ran in 1972 with the slogan “Unbought and Unbossed,” and the film honors that spirit completely. If you have never heard her full story, Shirley is a compelling and long-overdue introduction to one of American history’s most courageous political trailblazers.
15. That Christmas (2024)
Richard Curtis, the writer behind Love Actually and Notting Hill, brought his signature warmth to a set of animated children’s books, and Netflix turned them into this delightful holiday film. That Christmas weaves together several interconnected stories about family, friendship, and a very busy Santa.
MovieWeb gave it a solid 4 out of 5, calling it a charming watch for all ages. It is the kind of feel-good animated film that works just as well for parents as it does for kids on Christmas Eve.
16. It’s What’s Inside (2024)
Picture a college reunion party that goes completely sideways when a mysterious device starts swapping everyone’s bodies. Sound chaotic?
It absolutely is, and that is exactly what makes It’s What’s Inside such a wild ride from beginning to end.
This genre-bending mashup of sci-fi, mystery, and dark comedy keeps you guessing about who is actually who throughout. Critics and audiences alike found it refreshingly original, and it stands out as one of the more inventive and clever genre films to land on Netflix recently.
17. Wicked Little Letters (2024)
Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley facing off in a darkly comedic mystery set in 1920s England? Yes, please.
Wicked Little Letters is based on a true story about a deeply religious woman who accuses her free-spirited neighbor of sending shockingly foul anonymous letters around their pious little town.
The performances are deliciously fun, and the film balances outrage with genuine laughs beautifully. It is the kind of quirky British comedy that rewards patient viewers with a surprisingly sharp story about gender, reputation, and community hypocrisy.