For a decade now, Netflix has been making original movies of varying kinds and qualities. Frankly, most of them have been pretty bad. At some point, though, Netflix decided that it wanted to try to win Oscars, which meant that it had to, at least sometimes, make good movies.
Not every movie on this list was an Oscar contender, but Netflix has built an impressive library with many original gems. These are 10 of the best Netflix original movies to watch this summer.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Is this the most serious movie on this list? Absolutely not, but Netflix deserves credit for producing a teen rom-com that is something more than just slop. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is, in most ways, an utterly predictable romantic comedy.
It follows a love–obsessed Korean American teen who pretends to date the most popular boy in school, only to find herself falling for him. What’s shocking about this movie is how stylish it is, how funny it is, and how utterly winning its two central performances are. It’s basically guaranteed to leave you smiling.
You can watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before on Netflix.
The Irishman (2019)
Martin Scorsese’s late-period masterpiece, The Irishman, is a gangster movie that reminds us of the horrors of that lifestyle. The story centers on an Irish American who gets involved with the mob and becomes a close associate of Jimmy Hoffa.
As he becomes one of the mafia’s principal enforcers, he begins taking out every person he once had a relationship with. The lasting images of this movie are of a man utterly alone, recounting the life he lived to people who no longer care who he was or what he did.
You can watch The Irishman on Netflix.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
One of the best Spike Lee movies of the past decade, Da 5 Bloods tells the story of a group of Black Vietnam veterans who reunite in the present day to get the treasure that they buried in the jungle decades ago. As they move toward the treasure, their disagreements about politics and the world come to the surface, as does all the trauma they experienced during the war.
Da 5 Bloods is one part action movie and one part meditation on how Black men have been abused by this country. Plus, it features a career-defining lead performance from Delroy Lindo.
You can watch Da 5 Bloods on Netflix.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
This sequel, Knives Out, had a lot to live up to after Netflix gave Rian Johnson hundreds of millions of dollars to make it. Thankfully, Glass Onion didn’t disappoint, even as it followed a very different murder mystery that is just as intriguing. The film follows brilliant sleuth Benoit Blanc as he is invited to attend a reunion of old friends after one of them has become fabulously wealthy and used that wealth to elevate the others.
When the bodies start to pile up, Blanc must figure out exactly what’s going on and who might be responsible. It’s just as funny and inventive as the first film and looks even more expensive.
You can watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix.
The Lost Daughter (2021)
Olivia Colman is one of the great actresses of the past decade, and The Lost Daughter features one of her best performances. The film tells the story of a college professor who becomes obsessed with a young woman and her daughter while vacationing in Greece.
As we learn more about her difficulties raising her own children, we come to appreciate exactly why this character is motivated in the way that she is. The Lost Daughter is, above all else, a movie about the joys and perils of parenthood, and one that provocatively asks us to examine whether having kids is really worth it after all.
You can watch The Lost Daughter on Netflix.
Marriage Story (2019)
A heartbreaking movie about the loss of love, Marriage Story tells the story of a divorce between two people who love each other but no longer want to be married. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson deliver heartrending performances, but what makes Marriage Story so special is how real it all feels.
In a movie where the two people at the center agree to the divorce, things get contentious nonetheless as lawyers get involved, and their son becomes a casualty of their desire to defeat one another.
You can watch Marriage Story on Netflix.
Mudbound (2017)
A harrowing story of life in the South in the early 20th century, Mudbound is told from two dueling perspectives. The film follows two veterans of World War II, one Black and one white, as they return to Mississippi after the war and deal with the poverty and racism that awaits them there.
Because of its multiple perspectives, Mudbound highlights the widespread suffering experienced by many, particularly emphasizing how Black individuals often faced the harshest consequences. It’s not an easy movie to watch, but if you can sit through it, it’s deeply rewarding.
You can watch Mudbound on Netflix.
The Power of the Dog (2021)
One of the best thrillers Netflix has ever produced, The Power of the Dog tells the story of a rancher living in the 1920s who lives with his brother. When his brother chooses to marry a widow and brings her and her son into their home, he disrupts the carefully structured lives they have maintained.
As the young boy gets closer to the reclusive, curmudgeonly rancher who has been antagonizing his mother, he comes to realize that there are things about himself that he’s hiding from the world. Surprising, unsettling, and moving, The Power of the Dog is not what you might expect. It’s even better.
You can watch The Power of the Dog on Netflix.
Okja (2017)
Anyone who has seen Parasite is likely aware that Bong Joon-ho is not a subtle filmmaker, and Okja is definitely not a subtle film. The movie follows a young girl and her genetically engineered superpig, Okja, after they are separated by a corporation that wants to capture creatures like the pig and create exceptionally tasty meat.
As this young girl tries to rescue her closest friend, she meets animal rights activists, butty doctors, and other superpigs that need her help. It’s a movie about the evils of the meat industry, and it’s certainly not subtle. But man, does Okja rule.
You can watch Okja on Netflix.
Private Life (2018)
A heartbreaking movie about two people who are trying to navigate the world of infertility and adoption, Private Life is small, quiet, and heartbreaking. Anchored by two incredible performances from Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn, this movie is really about two people who are trying to make their marriage work, even as they deal with what often seem like impossible circumstances of trying to have a child.
In particular, Hahn is incredible as a woman who worries that she’s missed her chance and wants to change the circumstances of her life.
You can watch Private Life on Netflix.
