Let’s talk about the hidden gems outside of the top spots of the Netflix catalog. If you give them a chance, you’ll be in for a surprise.
Netflix is growing by leaps and bounds. Every week, a huge amount of content arrives on the platform from all countries around the world. Big movies that end up competing for the Oscars, blockbusters that break viewing records in a matter of hours, as has recently happened with Army of the Dead, and also genre duds, especially romantic and horror films that wouldn’t even pass the ‘Antena 3 after lunch’ filter. Still, they’re there, always in the Top 10.
In all this jumble of releases, only a few are lucky enough to resonate, reach our recommendations, or be the most watched of the day and thus capture our attention. However, especially due to the greater globality of the platform (there are more and more releases from different nationalities), many films slip through our fingers.
If you’re on Netflix 24/7, you can keep track of Spanish and American releases, but it’s harder to know what’s coming out of Italy, India, or Korea. And, who knows, maybe it’s just that movie that will brighten up your night or your month.
In this list, we’ve looked at a few films that have arrived on Netflix recently. They may be original, surprising, uneven, well-rounded, or all of the above. The important thing is that these releases shouldn’t have gone unnoticed on Netflix as they did, and perhaps they deserve that you stop watching Harry Potter for the tenth time this month and dare to discover something new.
We have a few Italian titles backed by critics, such as The Incredible Story of Rose Island, which can brighten your day if you watch it at the right time. Also, a genuinely fantastic action title, Guy Ritchie level in his prime, and whose name probably doesn’t even ring a bell.
And we start with the favorite: a White Tiger with incredibly sharp fangs. Are you going to give these 12 hidden gems a chance? This is about bringing great unknown Netflix movies to light.
12 Unknown Netflix Movies That Are Actually Very Good
Hunger (2023)
- Direction: Sitisiri Mongkolsiri
- Duration: 130 minutes
Since cooking is in fashion, perhaps you, too, have fallen into the clutches of Hunger. However, despite having populated the top 10 in many countries, many have resisted falling into the culinary arts of this gastronomic film due to its origin, Thailand.
Those who have done so have signed the director, Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, and more than one person now has a crush on Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying. Her character, easier, is called Aoy and works at her family’s noodle restaurant in Bangkok. Her life changes when she is invited to work at Hunger, a team led by a luxury chef who will make things very difficult for her.
A kind of Whiplash of Asian cuisine and with a female lead, what more can you ask of Netflix? It is a very good, unknown Netflix movie.
Atlantic (2019)
- Direction: Mati Diop
- Duration: 100 minutes
Atlantique is a unique feature on a platform that rarely bets on non-Oscar-worthy auteur films. Here, it did so thanks to the work of Mati Diop, an African director, and after it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, a festival with which the streaming platform has a not-very-good relationship.
White Tiger (2021)
- Director: Ramin Bahrani
- Duration: 131 minutes
Even though Priyanka Chopra is in the cast, it is logical that this Indian film starring Balram Halwai and directed by Ramin Bahrani has not been the great success it should have. But the truth is that it is one of the best films to arrive on Netflix in recent months.
The adaptation of Aravind Adiga’s novel is a portrait of the social classes of modern India that is as dark as it is humorous. With a frenetic pace, the film questions the fairy tale archetype with an ending so perfect that (only if you have already seen it) we will tell you about it here. It’s another perfect unknown film on Netflix.
Childless (2020)
- Direction: Roberto Fiesco
- Duration: 95 minutes
The Mexican remake of the 2015 Argentine hit of the same name, Sin Hijos, is a romantic comedy about a devoted divorced father who, after years of being single, sees the opportunity to win back his teenage love. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t like children.
It is a family and romantic comedy of proven international success that teaches us with a smile and lightness, in just an hour and a half, many things about love, maturity, and priorities. Unlike other romantic comedies, this one also has a few surprises in store for it.
The Dark Side of the Moon (2019)
- Director: Jim Mickle
- Duration: 115 minutes
A movie that mixes serial killers with time travel has to be on your to-do list. This strange idea is what makes up The Dark Side of the Moon, an atypical thriller in which a detective pursues a murderer who resurfaces every nine years. Somewhat uncontrolled but very original, Jim Mickle’s film starring Boyd Holbrook doesn’t have big names but has ambitious ideas. It’s another perfect unknown Netflix movie that deserves more recognition.
The Incredible Story of Rose Island (2020)
- Director: Sydney Sibilia
- Duration: 117 minutes
Italy, coast, optimism, and love for life. In these times, we need films like this, like medicine. In addition, it is based on real events, which gives us an extra bit of hope. It tells the story of the eccentric Giorgio Rosa, a man who, in 1968, founded his own country on a tiny island off the coast of the famous tourist city of Rimini (the birthplace of Federico Fellini).
The ambition to create your mini-paradise on earth is as real as the excellent taste left by the tone of classic Italian comedy that this incredible, literal story acquires. It’s a great little unknown film that should focus more on Netflix.
Kin (2018)
- Director: Jonathan and Josh Baker
- Duration: 102 minutes
With a cast that includes names like James Franco, Carrie Coon, Zoe Kravitz, and Dennis Quaid, Kin was destined for greater popularity, but its proposal did not catch on with either the public or the critics. However, this science fiction story about supernatural soldiers who pursue two young brothers who accidentally find a powerful weapon proposes and bets strongly, both in the narrative and visual aspects.
Yes, it is easy to point out its weaknesses but also to see its virtues. It does not leave you indifferent, and despite how unknown it is on Netflix, it is very good.
The last of the Paradiso (2020)
- Directed by: Rocco Ricciardulli
- Duration: 107 minutes
We’re still in Italy, and if we were talking about the beach and comedy before, now we have to talk about the countryside, mountains, and love. Suppose you want to spend an evening as beautiful as it is cheesy. In that case, there are few better options than this love story, halfway between drama and romantic comedy, between a humble farmer and the daughter of the owner of a large estate—the best of the 200-episode soap operas in a nice 107-minute capsule. In short, it’s an unknown Netflix film that will be worth watching.
All My Friends Are Dead (2020)
- Director: Jan Belcl
- Duration: 96 minutes
Perhaps the best example of a surprise that can leave you stunned on the couch without seeing it coming is this Polish film with a Hollywood feel. It is a very youthful film, from its comic book credits to its incredible ending, including its ensemble cast and portraits of sex, relationships, and commitment.
As a flashback, it shows a New Year’s Eve party where everything is heading toward disaster—a mix of black comedy, horror, and crime. The ending is one of those that you can’t let anyone tell you about.