Netflix is stacked with interesting movies, but they’re often not the easiest to find. Netflix’s algorithm might claim to understand your tastes, but does it? At times, it can feel like the streaming service hides the best stuff from you.
That’s where we come in. We’ve pulled together a list of three great Netflix movies that are well worth watching this weekend. Whether you’re looking for something scary or profound, this list should have you covered.
Need more recommendations? We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
The Outrun (2024)
Saoirse Ronan is one of the greatest actresses of her generation, and The Outrun is all the proof you need. The movie follows a young girl who flames out of life in London and then returns home to her small Scottish town to deal with her alcohol addiction. As she comes to terms with her sober life and her family, she also forges a new connection to the natural beauty around her.
Ronan elevates what could be a fairly standard addiction drama into something far more fascinating than that, in part because she seems to understand all the ways her character is both fascinating and frustrating.
You can watch The Outrun on Netflix.
Lion (2016)
A fascinating, heartbreaking true story, Lion follows a young boy who gets lost thousands of miles from home in India after staying on a train too long. As he struggles to survive on the streets of Kolkata, he’s eventually adopted by a couple from Australia.
Then, 25 years later, he (Dev Patel) uses Google Earth to find his way back to the town he’s from and reunite with the family he left behind. Lion is uplifting and heartbreaking in equal measure. Most crucially, it’s a story in which everyone tries their best to help those around them, even as they find themselves approaching the limits of what they can do.
You can watch Lion on Netflix.
Talk to Me (2022)
A smart, genuinely original horror film, Talk to Me follows a group of teenagers who discover a hand that allows them to commune with the dead. What starts as a party game eventually becomes something much more genuinely horrific, as they realize just what kind of power they’ve been dealing with.
Anchored by a mostly unknown young cast filled with excellent actors and some fascinating visuals, Talk to Me feels like the rare horror movie that isn’t just trying to ape something that came before it. It was a major phenomenon among horror fans, and with good reason.
You can watch Talk to Me on Netflix.