Best Netflix Films, a list by Melody

8.0

/5916/

81

/439/

77

/125/

3.9

/6751/

100

/33/

89

/50/

86

/13/

4.0

age 9+

Coral reefs are the nursery for all life in the oceans, a remarkable ecosystem that sustains us. Yet with carbon emissions warming the seas, a phenomenon called “coral bleaching”—a sign of mass coral death—has been accelerating around the world, and the public has no idea of the scale or implication of the catastrophe silently raging underwater.

84

IMDb 21

7.5

/47384/

74

/1792/

73

/441/

4.1

/249348/

95

/223/

90

/17/

88

/42/

4.0

age 13+

A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America.

84

7.5

/492807/

75

/12004/

72

/5966/

3.8

/300354/

96

/288/

84

/13782/

95

/37/

4.0

age 17+

During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.

84

7.6

/141888/

75

/5961/

80

/3215/

4.0

/649555/

96

/298/

90

/575/

79

/49/

4.0

age 11+

During the rise of fascism in Mussolini's Italy, a wooden boy brought magically to life struggles to live up to his father's expectations.

NEW

84

7.8

/166225/

78

/4389/

76

/2163/

4.0

/280184/

96

/71/

93

/3912/

76

/20/

4.0

age 17+

In the middle of the Los Angeles ghetto, drugs, robberies and shootings dominate everyday life. During these times, Furious tries to raise his son Tre to be a decent person. Tre's friends, on the other hand, have little regard for the law and drag the entire neighborhood into a street war...

83

8.1

/479980/

80

/11038/

78

/6287/

4.2

/1035399/

92

/66/

94

/13407/

75

/20/

age 14+

After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.

83

8.1

/6434/

79

/472/

78

/142/

4.1

/29347/

98

/59/

85

/24/

79

/10/

3.5

age 16+

An investigation of how Hollywood's fabled stories have deeply influenced how Americans feel about transgender people, and how transgender people have been taught to feel about themselves.

83

7.7

/8654/

77

/435/

72

/156/

4.1

/33179/

100

/100/

90

/49/

86

/29/

3.5

age 15+

Down the road from Woodstock in the early 1970s, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers, transforming their young lives and igniting a landmark movement.

83

7.3

/5952/

73

/341/

72

/136/

4.0

/40324/

99

/73/

80

/38/

88

/20/

4.0

age 14+

In 1992, teenager Sandi Tan shot Singapore's first indie road movie with her enigmatic American mentor Georges – who then vanished with all the footage. Twenty years later, the 16mm film is recovered, sending Tan, now a novelist in Los Angeles, on a personal odyssey in search of Georges' vanishing footprints.

NEW

83

IMDb 88

8.1

/556813/

81

/23267/

80

/8673/

4.0

/927173/

92

/364/

98

/4841/

81

/47/

3.0

age 13+

American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.

83

7.9

/6420/

75

/206/

74

/94/

4.0

/5898/

96

/23/

91

/35/

85

/25/

3.5

age 13+

Five Jewish Hungarians, now US citizens, tell their stories: before March 1944, when Nazis began to exterminate Hungarian Jews, months in concentration camps, and visiting childhood homes more than 50 years later. An historian, a Sonderkommando, a doctor who experimented on Auschwitz prisoners, and US soldiers who were part of the liberation in April 1945.

83

7.4

/57012/

75

/2442/

74

/1277/

3.8

/55380/

97

/202/

85

/314/

85

/44/

4.0

age 15+

In the post–World War II South, two families are pitted against a barbaric social hierarchy and an unrelenting landscape as they simultaneously fight the battle at home and the battle abroad.

NEW

83

7.7

/145512/

79

/13285/

76

/3731/

3.9

/316266/

97

/229/

86

/1965/

84

/38/

3.5

age 9+

Kubo mesmerizes the people in his village with his magical gift for spinning wild tales with origami. When he accidentally summons an evil spirit seeking vengeance, Kubo is forced to go on a quest to solve the mystery of his fallen samurai father and his mystical weaponry, as well as discover his own magical powers.

82

IMDb 17

7.5

/227869/

76

/5436/

76

/2593/

3.9

/1857701/

85

/365/

94

/622/

78

/58/

4.0

age 16+

Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

82

7.3

/36894/

72

/2058/

71

/473/

3.8

/283157/

99

/232/

94

/146/

84

/49/

3.5

age 11+

When her family moves from New York City to New Jersey, an 11-year-old girl navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence.

NEW

82

7.8

/994/

75

/66/

75

/15/

4.0

/3050/

97

/99/

96

/17/

82

/21/

3.0

age 13+

This artful and intimate meditation on the legendary storyteller examines her life, her works, and the powerful themes she has confronted throughout her literary career. Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics, and colleagues on an exploration of race, history, the United States, and the human condition.

NEW

82

7.8

/152214/

77

/3144/

74

/1742/

3.8

/82099/

95

/60/

93

/3608/

78

/22/

3.5

age 16+

Robert Gould Shaw leads the US Civil War's first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.

NEW

82

7.8

/380324/

77

/10221/

76

/6173/

4.0

/996490/

93

/270/

86

/6758/

84

/43/

3.5

age 14+

Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.

81

7.1

/20908/

72

/997/

69

/254/

3.8

/124239/

97

/150/

82

/173/

83

/39/

4.0

age 15+

Emotions run high when three estranged sisters reunite in a cramped New York City apartment to watch over their ailing father during his final days.

81

7.1

/1471/

72

/76/

66

/29/

3.8

/4337/

98

/48/

82

/7/

90

/13/

4.0

age 15+

Six men who were sexually abused by Catholic clergy as boys find empowerment by creating short films inspired by their trauma.

81

IMDb 6

7.4

/173346/

75

/9145/

72

/1729/

3.8

/1676886/

92

/326/

93

/257/

80

/59/

3.5

age 13+

When young priest Jud Duplenticy is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.

81

7.4

/7591/

72

/410/

71

/137/

3.9

/37717/

99

/101/

78

/37/

89

/28/

3.5

age 13+

With this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever. Utilizing moviemaking magic and her family’s dark humor, she celebrates Dr. Dick Johnson’s last years by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all.

81

7.5

/127346/

76

/4657/

76

/2235/

3.8

/814782/

88

/224/

96

/29/

74

/44/

3.5

age 13+

On the brink of turning 30, a promising theater composer navigates love, friendship and the pressure to create something great before time runs out.

81

7.6

/140097/

77

/9923/

79

/3203/

3.8

/585594/

97

/212/

89

/791/

81

/33/

3.0

age 8+

A quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.

81

7.6

/2396/

76

/191/

74

/49/

3.7

/3895/

100

/14/

82

81

/6/

3.5

age 13+

In January 2015, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the final nights of the "20/20 Experience World Tour", director Jonathan Demme captures what makes the show soar: gifted musicians, deft dancers and a magnetic star.

80

7.9

/15994/

81

/1273/

78

/264/

3.8

/57412/

98

/50/

89

/72/

69

/10/

3.0

age 13+

On a January night in 1985, music's biggest stars gathered to record "We Are the World." This documentary goes behind the scenes of the historic event.

80

7.6

/1460/

79

/66/

75

/13/

3.9

/8647/

85

/27/

80

/14/

3.5

Originally formed amidst the chaos of the 1970 Kent State anti-Vietnam War protest killings, the not quite new wave band Devo scored a hit with "Whip It" and gained mainstream success with their message of societal "de-evolution."

80

7.6

/16279/

74

/678/

75

/251/

4.0

/86920/

92

/167/

75

/210/

83

/34/

3.5

age 14+

A cinematic odyssey featuring never-before-seen footage exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey.

80

7.7

/18967/

75

/681/

75

/201/

3.7

/49180/

96

/23/

96

/106/

76

/5/

3.0

age 15+

In candid conversations with actor Jonah Hill, leading psychiatrist Phil Stutz explores his early life experiences and unique, visual model of therapy.

80

7.7

/1107/

73

/65/

75

/16/

3.8

/3123/

96

/112/

93

/21/

77

/19/

3.0

age 13+

Rita Moreno defied both her humble upbringing and relentless racism to become one of a select group who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award. Over a seventy year career, she has paved the way for Hispanic-American performers by refusing to be pigeonholed into one-dimensional stereotypes.

80

6.9

/103128/

69

/5630/

66

/1633/

3.7

/296914/

97

/272/

83

/195/

82

/39/

4.0

age 15+

A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must visit Portland to find the mysterious person who stole his beloved foraging pig.

80

7.1

/41016/

71

/2128/

71

/737/

3.8

/624617/

96

/175/

76

/141/

79

/24/

4.0

age 16+

College student Danielle must cover her tracks when she unexpectedly runs into her sugar daddy at a shiva - with her parents, ex-girlfriend and family friends also in attendance.

80

7.4

/24929/

73

/1511/

72

/488/

3.7

/38966/

95

/93/

82

/98/

86

/23/

3.5

age 14+

In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant, hiring two thousand blue-collar Americans. Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.

80

7.2

/23516/

71

/829/

69

/401/

3.8

/42681/

94

/106/

79

/109/

83

/32/

4.0

age 17+

Richard and Rachel, a couple in the throes of infertility, try to maintain their marriage as they descend deeper and deeper into the insular world of assisted reproduction and domestic adoption.

80

7.8

/5215/

77

/364/

73

/127/

3.9

/17594/

100

/46/

88

/47/

77

/12/

3.0

age 13+

Amid shifting times, two women kept their decades-long love a secret. But coming out later in life comes with its own set of challenges.

80

7.3

/68256/

73

/1675/

72

/1308/

3.9

/179279/

92

/99/

84

/3055/

87

/23/

3.5

age 11+

Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.

79

7.6

/145298/

75

/5745/

74

/3076/

3.7

/243564/

89

/228/

88

/528/

75

/39/

3.5

age 13+

Frustrated with the direction of the church, Cardinal Bergoglio requests permission to retire in 2012 from Pope Benedict. Instead, facing scandal and self-doubt, the introspective Pope Benedict summons his harshest critic and future successor to Rome to reveal a secret that would shake the foundations of the Catholic Church.

79

7.2

/181700/

71

/7846/

71

/4291/

3.6

/377426/

89

/235/

78

/623/

79

/48/

4.0

age 17+

Vignettes weaving together the stories of six individuals in the old West at the end of the Civil War. Following the tales of a sharp-shooting songster, a wannabe bank robber, two weary traveling performers, a lone gold prospector, a woman traveling the West to an uncertain future, and a motley crew of strangers undertaking a carriage ride.

79

7.2

/21910/

74

/959/

73

/699/

3.7

/22647/

88

/74/

81

/155/

72

/22/

4.0

age 16+

A 5-year-old girl embarks on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

79

7.7

/90613/

76

/3720/

75

/1821/

4.0

/91524/

91

/149/

92

/543/

79

/30/

2.5

age 18+

Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination.

79

7.4

/337958/

74

/11058/

70

/4765/

3.7

/259069/

91

/304/

80

/7270/

95

/46/

3.0

age 17+

A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama bin Laden after the September 2001 attacks, and his death at the hands of the Navy S.E.A.L. Team 6 in May, 2011.

78

7.4

/13490/

76

/819/

72

/87/

3.9

/72456/

99

/122/

81

/167/

74

/28/

3.0

age 15+

When Will Ferrell's good friend Harper comes out as a trans woman, they take a road trip to bond and reintroduce Harper to the country as her true self.

78

7.2

/3839/

73

/222/

69

/61/

3.7

/14403/

97

/60/

90

/21/

78

/19/

3.0

age 15+

A portrait of the life and career of Robert Downey Sr. (1936-2021), the visionary and fearless US filmmaker — father of actor Robert Downey Jr. — who in the sixties and seventies laid the foundations for countercultural comedy.

78

7.1

/1554/

69

/125/

63

/28/

3.8

/4325/

100

/69/

64

/15/

87

/13/

4.0

age 10+

History exists beyond what is written. The Africatown residents in Mobile, Alabama, have shared stories about their origins for generations. Their community was founded by enslaved ancestors who were transported in 1860 aboard the last known and illegal slave ship, Clotilda. Though the ship was intentionally destroyed upon arrival, its memory and legacy weren’t. Now, the long-awaited discovery of the Clotilda’s remains offers this community a tangible link to their ancestors and validation of a history so many tried to bury.

78

7.3

/3591/

72

/223/

73

/69/

3.6

/8327/

100

/66/

88

/48/

76

/16/

3.0

age 13+

Once the world's most famous astrologer, Walter Mercado seeks to resurrect a forgotten legacy. Raised in the sugar cane fields of Puerto Rico, Walter grew up to become a gender non-conforming, cape-wearing psychic whose televised horoscopes reached 120 million viewers a day for decades before he mysteriously disappeared.

78

7.7

/309321/

76

/16962/

74

/5598/

3.8

/322439/

87

/250/

90

/1663/

73

/44/

3.0

age 17+

An FBI agent teams with the town's veteran game tracker to investigate a murder that occurred on a Native American reservation.

78

7.5

/3317/

71

/119/

73

/62/

3.9

/17802/

89

/35/

80

/11/

72

/9/

3.5

age 15+

Literary icon Joan Didion reflects on her remarkable career and personal struggles in this intimate documentary directed by her nephew, Griffin Dunne.

78

7.3

/94273/

70

/1741/

69

/1042/

3.7

/144044/

91

/150/

81

/4830/

82

/37/