If you’ve ever found yourself browsing through Amazon for something to watch before realizing that you’ve been doing that for a full hour, you’re not alone. Actually picking something to watch can feel almost impossible when you’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices.
We’ve done the hard work of picking something for you. This is a list of three very different underrated movies that are all worth checking out as June comes to a close.
We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, 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+.
Gattaca (1997)
One of the most interesting sci-fi movies of the 1990s, Gattaca is set in a future where people are sorted into two genetic classes. When an aspiring pilot decides to buy the genetic sequence of someone with supposedly superior genes, he’s able to sneak his way into a different life. As an investigation into the death of a Gattaca officer threatens to unravel it all, he’ll have to fight to retain everything he’s gained.
Gattaca is a sharp look at how stratification happens and the ways it pits people against one another. The film also stars Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke at the peak of their movie star careers.
You can watch Gattaca on Amazon Prime Video.
Didi (2024)
The coming-of-age genre has been around for decades, but Didi offers a fairly unique spin on some of the stale elements. The movie follows a Taiwanese American boy who is living in 2008 at the age of 13 as he has a particularly revelatory summer, learning how to skate, flirt, and appreciate everything his mother has sacrificed for him.
The best coming-of-age movies are often actually about what it means to realize that your parents are people too, and Didi is a brilliant examination of how one boy comes to understand the world he’s been born into.
You can watch Didi on Amazon Prime Video.
Traffic (2000)
Anchored by a remarkably deep cast, Traffic tells a myriad of interconnected stories about the drug trade in the United States and Mexico.
While some elements of the film have aged strangely (including the color grading that denotes which story you’re watching at any given moment), the film as a whole offers a remarkably nuanced look at all the ways the drug trade can impact your life, even if you’re sitting in a powerful seat in the U.S. government. It’s a movie about an intractable problem, an admirably nuanced look at how unsolvable it is.
You can watch Traffic on Amazon Prime Video.
