The Best Thought-provoking Movies to Watch on Netflix
Challenging movies serve beyond entertainment, pushing us to ask new questions about humanity and the world around us. If you’re hungry for some food for thought, here are the best thought-provoking movies and shows available to stream now.
A gamer with disability crafts a life and community in online roleplay in this unconventional, moving documentary.
Three sisters deal with life and death in this moving family portrait.
An ambitious mini-series that succeeds in adapting the classic magic realist novel.
A nostalgic, balanced documentary of the beloved show that encouraged kids to read.
Ghosts compete for relevancy in this unique and wholesome supernatural horror comedy.
Belief is exploited for business in this audacious get-rich-quick scheme.
A nostalgic depiction of the Brisbane suburban coming-of-age saga.
Jacqueline Novak delivers her cheeky and intimate stand-up special to the small screen.
The iconic robot Astro Boy series reimagined as a soulful anti-war murder mystery.
A semi-autobiographical show about millennial bewilderment, in pure punk form.
Ninjas can have family drama too in this understated, modern day take on the historical Japanese warriors.
An exceptional, multi-faceted British crime thriller adaptation centered on one body and four separate time periods.
A uniquely mundane yet warm existential approach to the doomsday scenario.
Bryan Lee O’Malley returns to his beloved franchise in this wacky, spectacular, almost therapeutic anime.
An in-depth dive into the conspiracies and scandals that rocked Americans during the latter half of the 20th century .
Nontawat Numbenchapol dives into feature film in this stunning, thrilling debut.
A father searches for his son, as well as redemption, in this rock scored Polish crime thriller adaptation.
A contemplative Indonesian romance film that rewrites and re-examines the genre’s conventions.
A blind comedian surpasses the current state of stand-up in this smart Mexican comedy series.
A disorienting and difficult Chilean drama that reimagines the infamous Spiniak scandal.
A Hindi survival thriller series that turns a simple pandemic into a multilayered meditation on utilitarianism, nature, and India’s mainlander-islander dynamics.
A profound reflection on mortality packaged as a one-man comedy special.
Australia’s police unwittingly take center stage in this shocking documentary following the titular drill rappers.
A sophisticated take on examining gender and sexuality in alt-historical anime.
A subtle yet intriguing coming-of-age series that’s also a portrait of 90’s Naples.
Two undocumented orphans scrounge up a life in this emotionally moving debut drama.
Time, but not people, stands still in this surreal yet strange Japanese fantasy film.
A startlingly tear jerking slice-of-life series about power, parenting, and pigs.
A surprisingly nuanced and empathetic take on Korea’s divorce process.
