You sit down to watch something. Netflix has 8,000 titles. Three of them are worth your time. The rest are either bad, fine, or you've already seen them. Here are twelve actual recommendations across the major streaming services right now — picked for "worth your Tuesday night," not for what's trending.
Past Lives (2023) — Now on Paramount+
Quiet, beautiful, and just enough plot to keep you with it without ever pushing for emotion. The kind of movie you watch and think about for two days afterward without being able to explain why. Celine Song's debut and one of the best of last year.
Best for: a quiet evening, no distractions.
Aftersun (2022) — Now on MUBI
A father and daughter on holiday in Turkey. That's the whole plot. Watch it anyway. Charlotte Wells's debut is heartbreaking in a way you don't see coming, and Paul Mescal's performance has stayed with me since I first watched it.
Best for: when you want to feel something complicated.
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) — Now on HBO Max
Martin McDonagh's bleak Irish comedy about a friendship ending. Funny, awful, and somehow exactly the right amount of both. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson play off each other better than any duo I've seen this decade.
Best for: dark humor mood.
Decision to Leave (2022) — Now on MUBI
Park Chan-wook's noir-romance about a detective and a suspect. Visually stunning, emotionally complicated, and one of those movies where you keep noticing how every frame is composed. Two and a half hours fly by.
Best for: a slow Saturday with full attention.
Tár (2022) — Now on Peacock
Cate Blanchett as a fictional conductor in trouble. Long, demanding, and extraordinary. Not a movie to half-watch; one to commit to.
Best for: when you want to watch a movie that respects your attention.
The Worst Person in the World (2021) — Now on Hulu
Joachim Trier's Norwegian film about a young woman drifting through her late twenties. Funny, sharp, and the kind of character study that actually feels like life rather than a movie about life.
Best for: people in their late 20s through 30s, and anyone who remembers being there.
Drive My Car (2021) — Now on HBO Max
Three hours of a Japanese theatre director slowly working through grief. Sounds boring. Isn't. Ryusuke Hamaguchi makes the most undramatic story I've watched recently into something that earns every minute.
Best for: patient viewing on a long evening.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) — Now on Showtime
You probably already saw it. If you didn't, fix that. The maximalist multiverse comedy that ended up being the most emotional film of its year. Watch it on a TV, not a phone.
Best for: when you want to feel like you've seen something.
Anatomy of a Fall (2023) — Now on Hulu
Justine Triet's courtroom drama about a writer whose husband died. Genuinely, surprisingly suspenseful, and Sandra Hüller is doing some of the year's best acting. Two and a half hours that earn it.
Best for: a focused Saturday night.
The Florida Project (2017) — Now on Netflix
Older but worth revisiting. Sean Baker's portrait of kids living in a motel near Disney World. Heartbreaking without being manipulative — Baker doesn't ever push for the easy emotional move.
Best for: when you want a movie that's honest about people without making you feel bad about it.
Burning (2018) — Now on Hulu
Lee Chang-dong's Korean thriller-that's-not-quite-a-thriller. Slow, ambiguous, and the kind of movie you'll either love or shut off after 30 minutes. If you stay with it, the last 20 minutes are extraordinary.
Best for: patient viewers, mystery fans willing to sit with ambiguity.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) — Now on Hulu
Céline Sciamma's quiet love story about a portrait painter on a French island in the 1700s. Slow, beautiful, and absolutely worth the runtime. The kind of movie you finish and immediately want to watch again.
Best for: when you want something gorgeous and thoughtful.
How to use this list
Pick one for tonight. Don't scroll past three of them looking for "the right one." That's how you end up watching ten minutes of nothing instead of two hours of something. Trust the recommendation. Most evenings work out fine.
