According to Netflix, there are over 6,000 different TV series and films on its platform in the UK, but as it looks like we won’t be going back to normality anytime soon – unless you actually understand the latest government guidelines, people are worried that they’re running out of things to watch.
Over the last 10 days, I have sieved through the realms of Netflix and watched five films that I consider to be ‘hidden gems’. They’ve all taken less than $20million at the worldwide box office and they’re all excellent in one way or another.
So, without further ado, here are five hidden gem movies to explore on Netflix.
The Lift Boy (2019)
Director: Jonathan Augustin - 107mins - Age Certificate: Guidance
Set in Mumbai, The Lift Boy is a 2019 Indian coming-of-age comedy-drama which starts with 24-year-old Raju discovering that he has failed his engineering exam for the fourth time, putting his dreams of moving out his family home to become a successful engineer on hold.
His father, a lift operator at a local apartment block, falls ill and while he tries to recover Raju must step in and do a job that he finds is beneath him, while discovering whether a career as an engineer is for him.
The film is mainly in English, however Raju’s family speak in Hindi, so it is subtitled for these parts. It’s a heart-warming film with a well-crafted storyline that also gives a fascinating outlook into the Indian culture and their pressure on ensuring their children have a top-class education.
You Were Never Really Here (2018)
Director: Lynne Ramsey - 90mins - Age Certificate: 15
Joaquin Phoenix scooped the Oscar for Best Actor earlier this year, but his performance in You Were Never Really Here certainly feels like an audition for that role as the Joker in this terrifying psychological-drama.
Directed by Glaswegian Lynne Ramsey (We Need to Talk About Kevin), this film made a mere $7.4million at the box office and was only given a limited release by Amazon Studios – Joker made $1.074billion.
Joe (Phoenix) is hired to rescue trafficked girls, and is known for his brutal methods but is troubled by suicidal thoughts from his time in the military and the abuse he suffered from his violent father.
He is tasked with rescuing a politician’s daughter, but everything isn’t as it all seems. You Were You Never Really Here is brilliantly shot- there’s a silent fight scene where we only see the violence through CCTV camera footage – and scary. It’s one of those films that plays on your mind hours and days after watching; just don’t watch it just before you go to bed.
The Breadwinner (2017)
Director: Nora Twomey - 94mins - Age Certificate: 12
Based on Deborah Ellis’ best-selling novel of the same title, The Breadwinner earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature i 2018, before missing out to Guy Movies favourite; Coco.
Set in Kabul, Afghanistan, The Breadwinner follows the story of an 11-year-old girl called Pavana, whose father is unjustly arrested by the Taliban.
Determined to get her father back, Pavana must pretend to be a boy in order to go out in public on her own and become the breadwinner of the household, that includes her mother and two sisters.
The story confronts the real-life issues that women face in some areas of the world in a way that may not have been explored in cinema before. The animation is excellent which is coupled with a fantastic screenplay. Rated 12, this is an animation that is aimed at the older audience which offers a great insight to life in the middle east.
Tully (2018)
Director: Jason Reitman - 95mins - Age Certificate: 15
Another gem hidden among the noise of Netflix, Tully sees Charlize Theron star as a stressed Mum of three who reluctantly hires a night nanny to look after her new-born child; Mia.
Marlo (Theron) develops an attachment to the nanny, Tully (Mackenzie Davis), and the duo form a great friendship as it appears that Tully’s influence could be benefitting Marlo.
Director Jason Reitman, who also directed 2007’s Juno, does another splendid job, but Tully does lack the punchy soundtrack that featured in Juno. Nevertheless, Theron is superb – she gained 3.5 stone for this role – as she encapsulates what it’s like to be a drained mother, putting her children first and the repercussions of pregnancy.
This film that seemed to pass under the mainstream radar when it was released in 2018, grossing a mere $15.6million at the box office – Juno made 15 times this. It’s still very much worth your time, and despite being very much a drama, Reitman does a great job of keeping it light-humoured throughout.
Summer of ’92 (2015)
Director: Kasper Barfoed - 94mins - Age Certificate: Mature
Football is back this weekend in the form of the German Bundesliga, but us Brits may have to wait a little longer until we can tuck into some Premier League action. So why not re-live one of the greatest sporting achievements over the last 30 years from when Denmark won the 1992 European Championship in Sweden.
This 2015 Danish film has some issues – the casting of Peter Schmiechel is questionable and look out for Ulrich Thomsen’s (who brilliantly plays Denmark manager Richard Møller Neilsen) ever changing hair colour, but as football films go this is up there.
Armed with some fantastic storytelling, and well-written characters, director Kasper Barfoed captures the transition from a team of eleven individuals into a side then went on to do the unthinkable and win their first, and so far only, major international tournament.
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