100 Best New Movies to Rent

100 Best New Movies to Rent

February 4, 2025

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Gone are the days of browsing VHS copies on your nearest Blockbuster. Today, if you want a good watch, your best bet is to subscribe to a streaming platform or rent a movie online. The former is the more common option (and if you’re still on the lookout for the best service, we got you covered here), but the latter is preferable if your goal is to stay on top of the latest releases. Whether that’s a Hollywood hit, a festival front-runner, or the latest indie darling, you’ll likely find what you’re looking for on VOD rental platforms like Amazon, iTunes, and Vudu. There are many to choose from, but below, we list the very best new movies to rent and enjoy in the comfort of your own home.

91. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023)

7.8

Genres

Documentary

Director

Anna Hints

Actors

Eda Veeroja, Elsa Saks, Eva Kübar, Kadi Kivilo

Moods

Discussion-sparking, Easy, Heart-warming

Nakedness has been demonized or at least, has been considered inappropriate outside of certain situations. One such situation is the sauna, as the steam and high heat is considered therapeutic, especially in colder regions. In her directorial debut, Anna Hints documents the Estonian smoke sauna, not just as a cultural tradition, but as a sanctuary for women to bare their bodies and their troubles. The women are, of course, naked, but the sauna’s smoke and darkness obscures and keeps identities hidden, focusing on their stories and allowing a glimpse of women’s bodies at their most natural, without the sexualization often placed with the male gaze. Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is a refreshing take, one where plenty of women can finally see themselves in.

92. Mars Express (2023)

7.8

Genres

Action, Animation, Mystery

Director

Jérémie Périn

Actors

Daniel Njo Lobé, Emmanuel Bonami, Geneviève Doang, Léa Drucker

Moods

Action-packed, Gripping, Thrilling

The premise of Mars Express may not be novel, especially when films like Blade Runner have already gracefully explored the philosophical ramifications of the human-tech conflict. But the French animated movie’s richly built world, (digitally) hand-drawn characters, genuinely gripping action, and far-reaching ideas about space make it a refreshing watch. The plot is taut and tight, too, peppered with twists and grounded by character depth. It may look simple at first glance, predictable even, but by the end, you’ll be over the moon by the film’s imagination and ambition.

93. Crossing (2024)

7.8

Genres

Drama

Director

Levan Akin

Actors

Deniz Dumanlı, Lucas Kankava, Mzia Arabuli, Tako Kurdovanidze

Moods

Character-driven, Discussion-sparking, Heart-warming

On paper, Crossing’s premise reads like a movie about two different people forging an unlikely but sweet bond. Lia is a no-nonsense grandma, after all, and Achi looks like he lives day-to-day, not really caring what the future brings. And it’s true, at first their stark differences provide amusing moments, but the pair quickly subvert expectations. Lia is almost unrelentingly distant (“Let’s be clear,” she warns Achi, “I’m not here to take care of you.”) while Achi proves to be surprisingly sweet. Then there’s Evrim (Deniz Dumanli), a local trans lawyer advocating for the marginalized. Through her and her friends, Lia grows to understand her missing trans niece, the reason she came to Turkey in the first place. There’s a meandering vibe to Crossing that fits into these three characters yearning for connections. But though it can get lost in those paths, the movie feels coherent and kind, like a comfort drama if there ever was one. All the while, Istanbul—both its fringes and its colorful center—serves as a ruggedly beautiful, kaleidoscopic backdrop.

94. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024)

7.8

Genres

Drama

Director

Pat Boonnitipat

Actors

Himawari Tajiri, Pongsatorn Jongwilas, Putthipong Assaratanakul, Sanya Kunakorn

Moods

Sunday, Sweet, Tear-jerker

Grandparents are often depicted as innately loving, especially towards their grandchildren, so it’s a delight to see someone like M’s Amah, who is testy and tenacious, and quite proud to be doing her own thing even in her old age. She runs her house alone and sells congee in her neighborhood, and even when presented with the worst possible news, she refuses pity, only allowing M back in her life after he proves his motives are sincere. M, to his credit, is believably selfish and sensitive as a young school dropout. Together, the two and their crackling push-and-pull chemistry are a blast to watch. It’s tender, but never overly saccharine, and no matter how much you resist you’re sure to shed a few tears. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies may not have the most original plot (I’m sure you’ll be able to guess the ending just by reading the premise alone), but it’s thoroughly engaging, not only because of the two leads, but because of it’s relatable messages about family dynamics (especially Asian family dynamics), money, and legacy. The gentle, unobtrusive cinematography by Boonyanuch Kraithong makes it extra easy on the eyes too. I only wish the movie explored the misogyny of tradition more, instead of merely touching upon it (“Sons get the goods, daughters only get the genes” is such a brilliant line), but I suppose that would need a female writer/director at the helm.

95. A Different Man (2024)

7.8

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Horror

Director

Aaron Schimberg

Actors

Aaron Schimberg, Adam Pearson, Billy Griffith, Charlie Korsmo

“Inner beauty is what counts” is a cliche many films have tried and failed to tackle, but A Different Man manages to make it feel unsettlingly new. The film follows Edward, a disfigured man who lives a normal but lonely life. No one is overtly mean to Edward—in fact, many are nice—but he’s consumed by the thought of What If. What if he looked like everyone else? Would his neighbor Ingrid finally make a move on him? Would he be the actor he dreamed he’d be? Would he finally get fewer stares on the street? Those questions are answered when a medical trial transforms his face, but they’re rarely pleasant. A Different Man is a dark comedy with some hints of meta; Stan’s character provides the tragedy, Pearson delivers the wry humor, while Reinsve, as the playwright in charge of dramatizing Edward’s life, is the source of the film’s meta-commentary. It’s the weakest link of the three–it feels like a cop-out when it forgives itself for being “exploitative” but the rest of the film’s elements gel to make a modern parable of sorts about appearance and contentment.

96. Last Film Show (2022)

7.8

Genres

Drama

Director

Pan Nalin

Actors

Bhavesh Shrimali, Bhavin Rabari, Dipen Raval, Rahul Koli

Moods

Character-driven, Emotional, Lovely

Like many coming-of-age films about films, it’s easy to assume that Last Film Show would be a derivative of all-time film classic Cinema Paradiso. Both films from opposite corners of the world, separated by more than three decades, do share that awe of cinema from a projection booth. However, unlike Paradiso, the awe of Last Film Show is also tempered by the rural poverty its young protagonist faces. Samay learns projection from a film booth, and learns community is formed through the screen, but he also learns it through snatching the few reels that passes through their village, manually experimenting with scrap material, and recreating the same light and shadows through its fundamentals. These scenes are precocious because of the children, but it makes for a more interesting take, because Samay’s journey proves that cinema truly is worth saving, even without the money. It’s undeniably awe-inducing with Pan Nalin’s stunning shots and semi-autobiographical story.

97. Identifying Features (2020)

7.8

Genres

Drama

Director

Female director, Fernanda Valadez

Actors

Ana Lauda Rodríguez, Armando García, David Illescas, Juan Jesús Varela

Moods

Challenging, Discussion-sparking, Emotional

Rather than talking about what it takes to get to the other side of the border, Identifying Features instead focuses its attention back home. It’s part of the reason why the film actually highlights how difficult this actually is– Before even reaching it, people hoping to enter America go through a dangerous journey, many of whom disappear without any resolution for the loved ones left behind. But in focusing on what happens back behind the border, the social issue drama becomes more compelling, as the mystery of what happened to the son that left easily strikes a cord and drives the plot forward rather than straightforwardly talking about the journey. As she does so, writer-director Fernanda Valadez sets a spine-tingling mood, with striking, cryptic shots paired with the sober, difficult explanations the loved one who have been left behind with her have tried to formulate. Sin Señas Particulares captures that painful story in such a bold and thoughtful debut.

98. Butterfly in the Sky (2024)

7.8

Genres

Documentary

Director

Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb

Actors

Angela Bassett, Cecily Truett, Dean Parisot, Ed Wiseman

Moods

Discussion-sparking, Inspiring, Thought-provoking

For the longest time, television seemed to be the antithesis to reading– part of that belief still lingers to this day. However, just before the turn of the millennium, there was a show that didn’t find itself opposite to it, instead, it wanted to be its ally. That show was Reading Rainbow. Butterfly in the Sky tells its story. It’s quite nostalgic, as the show’s former cast and crew recall what it was like, and the way the film structured its sequences captures not just the show itself, but the cultural weight it represented, as it encouraged reading not just as a skill you need to learn, but as a way to interact with the wider world around us, which is worth protecting. Butterfly in the Sky believes in stories, and believes in the story that it wants to tell about Reading Rainbow.

99. The Girl with the Needle (2024)

7.8

Genres

Drama, History, Thriller

Director

Magnus von Horn

Actors

Anders Hove, Ari Alexander, Benedikte Hansen, Besir Zeciri

Moods

Challenging, Dark, Depressing

Given the original real-life story behind it, perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that The Girl with the Needle was so bleak. Serial killing, after all, is bad. But rather than focus on the historical killer, writer-director Magnus von Horn hones the camera to focus on one such mother that would have sought for help from Dagmar Overbye, on the circumstances that would have pushed them there, and the terror that they felt once they realized the truth. With gothic black-and-white shots, impeccable framing, and an excellent performance from Vic Carmen Sonne, The Girl with the Needle is harrowing and heartbreaking, especially with how it still remains relevant to our time.

100. All We Imagine as Light (2024)

7.8

Genres

Drama

Director

Female director, Payal Kapadia

Actors

Anand Sami, Azees Nedumangad, Chhaya Kadam, Divya Prabha

Moods

Character-driven, Dramatic, Lovely

All We Imagine as Light is a political film that has many smart and moving things to say about the loneliness of migrating from the country to the city, the double standards women face on the daily, and the ever-widening gap between the rich and poor. But thanks to director Payal Kapadia’s deft hands, these weighty themes don’t hit you like a brick in the face. Intertwined in the rich inner lives of the two Malayali nurses and the Marathi cook who lead the film, they come off as subtle and poetic, like everything else about the film. There’s a quiet power at work here, and it will entrance you till the end.

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