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Historical Accuracy of The Movie 'All Quiet on The Western Front'

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Published: Feb 18, 2022

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Bibliography

• A&E Television Networks, “World War I”, www.history.com, October 29, 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/world-war-i-history, Accessed on Jan 07, 2019 
• Erich Maria Remarque, “All Quiet On The Western Front”, Balantine Books, 1982, Accessed on Jan 07, 2019 “After the War - Veterans”, www.warmuseum.ca, https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/after-the-war/veterans/, Accessed on Jan 07, 2019 
• “Effects of World War 1”, www.historyonthenet.com, November 15, 2018, https://www.historyonthenet.com/effects-of-world-war-1, Accessed on Jan 08, 2019 
• “iWonder - The Battle of the Somme: 141 days of horror”, www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/timelines/ztngxsg, Accessed on Jan 08, 2019 
• “Life at the Front - Behind the Front Lines”, www.warmuseum.ca, https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/life-at-the-front/behind-the-front-lines/, Accessed on Jan 09, 2019 
• “Medicine”, www.bbc.co.uk, January 08, 2014, http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/0/ww1/25403864, Accessed on Jan 09, 2019 
• “Trench Conditions - Rats, Lice, and Exhaustion”, www.warmuseum.ca, https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/life-at-the-front/trench-conditions/rats-lice-andexhaustion/, Accessed on Jan 09, 2019 
• “What was life like in a World War One trench?”, www.bbc.com, November 05, 2018, https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z8sssbk, Accessed on Jan 09, 2019 

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All Quiet On The Western Front vividly and poignantly reminds moviegoers that World War I was hell

Director edward berger injects visceral intensity and visual poetry into his powerful adaptation of erich maria remarque's 1929 novel.

World War I ended a little more than a century ago at this point, and it’s never felt like more of a historical blank slate on which to project our fears, our hopes, and our own cultural darkness. World War II still stands as a righteous crusade against evil in the eyes of Western popular culture, but our connection to the original Great War is something much more tenuous, more open to interpretation, and perhaps even intimacy in its storytelling. Perhaps that’s why Sam Mendes’ sweeping epic 1917 and its story of survival against all odds caught on so well with audiences and awards organizations. It was easy to superimpose ourselves onto the battlefield in front of Mendes’ camera, and imagine our own daring rescue missions.

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Edward Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front , the third major cinematic adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s legendary novel, is playing with many of the same raw materials as Mendes’ more recent, Britain-focused hit. You’ll find more long takes of futile charges over trenches, more moments of quiet before the inevitable storm of war, and more young actors thrown into the crucible that makes boys into warriors. But in a world that has since been ravaged by a pandemic and a new European war, Berger’s film sidesteps the inevitable comparisons to Mendes (much less Lewis Milestone’s 1930 Best Picture winner) to instead give us something bleaker, more brutal, and perhaps more honest. This is a film about the boys who don’t come home, and its story proves both deeply affecting—and surprisingly timeless.

The fighting in Berger’s film, as in Remarque’s novel, centers on Paul (Felix Kammerer), a young German student who’s swept up in the nationalism of the war movement and enlists for a one-way ticket to the front lines in the fight against France. Paul begins the film bright-eyed, smiling, eager for the mantle of “veteran” and “hero” that will drape his shoulders when he finally comes home. What he doesn’t know is that his uniform was just recently stripped off a corpse and laundered for re-use, that his path to so-called glory lies through miles of mud, and that his band of idealistic friends will not be intact by the end of the war.

After capping off the film’s opening act with a terrifying depiction of Paul’s first brush with combat, Berger leaps forward to the fall of 1919, the final days of the war. Now a hardened soldier with the end of his time on the front in sight, Paul has settled into the mundane, bleary-eyed life of the Great War, while the real battle is fought elsewhere. As a German diplomat (Daniel Bruhl) races against time to forge an armistice, the country’s generals try to keep fighting, because it’s the only thing they know how to do.

This tension between peace and the constant urge to keep pushing at the front forms the emotional and structural backbone of Berger’s narrative, and what’s most striking is how readily he’s able to bring the diplomatic struggles far away from the trenches to bear on Paul and his friends as they grapple with ceaseless artillery barrages and gallons of muddy water. The totality of the consequences springing forth from the decisions of the powerful is never lost on the day-to-day work of the soldiers, and on Paul’s journey as he trudges through grief, blood, and a distant memory of what he once called peace. To underscore those consequences, Berger plays up the indecision of the German leadership, as diplomats argue for the sake of each human life and generals argue for the sake of national pride and bloody legacy. It’s an argument you could see playing out on the front page of a major newspaper any day right now, and it heightens Berger’s timeless points about the futility and false pride of war.

Though he’s certainly not the only bright light in the film’s large ensemble cast, Kammerer must carry much of this narrative tension in his face at all times, and he does a remarkable job of looking both distant and cold in the face of ceaseless tragedy and simultaneously imbuing Paul with a raw sense of humanity. There’s a sense of watching an open wound move through space as he powers through this film, from the fluid one-take battle sequences to the shell-shocked stares he delivers when the explosions die down and the counting of the dead begins. It’s a remarkable, reactive, and very rewarding performance, and it’s backed up by the compositional confidence of his director.

Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front is a powerful, human odyssey about the cost of endless war and the whims of the powerful, but what lingers afterward is the way its director frames that narrative across the (literal) European landscape. Berger’s battle sequences are memorable, but just as memorable are his moments of quiet punctuation by framing up the silent trees of the Western European forests, the babbling brooks that will flow on no matter how much blood seeps into the waters, the wildlife that will keep fighting its own battles, heedless of the human ones. A shot of a tank emerging from smoke like a monster in a horror film might be followed by a still tableau of a forest canopy, as though God himself is watching from just above those trees, maybe judging the combatants, maybe ignoring them. If the outcome is the same, does it matter?

These are the questions invited, and not always answered, by All Quiet ’s elegiac and haunting look at a war almost no one is still alive to remember. Yet what it has left to teach us, and what we carry of it into our own wars, is very much up to us—and it’s the film’s keen awareness of that sense of projection that makes it resonate.

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All Quiet on the Western Front review – extraordinarily potent German first world war drama

Edward Berger depicts the horrors of war through the eyes of a young solider in this stunning indictment of wasted lives

T his German film is based on a 1928 book about a war that was fought, in filth, vermin and desperation, more than 100 years ago. And yet Edward Berger’s stunning, horrifying indictment of lives sacrificed on the whims of powerful, thin-skinned men remains uncomfortably resonant today. Opening with an extraordinary, potent sequence that follows a young soldier into battle between the trenches of the western front, then tracks his blood-stained, bullet-shredded tunic back to a military laundry, the film makes it starkly clear that the life of a man is valued less than the uniform he died in.

That uniform is then passed on to teenager Paul (Felix Kammerer), our wide-eyed guide on this descent into hell. Fresh-faced and full of the fervour instilled by his teacher’s rousing speeches about patriotic duty, Paul forges his father’s signature and signs up with his schoolmates, with dreams of serving the kaiser. But he finds himself caught in a back-and-forth tussle over a few hundred metres of blood-soaked mud, numbed by hunger and trauma as, one by one, his friends are slaughtered.

While not as showy as Sam Mendes ’s sweeping, single-shot takes in 1917 , this is remarkable, if harrowing, film-making. Moments of striking beauty – sunlight carved into exultant rays by skeletal winter trees – are almost as shocking and disquieting as the scenes of suffering. Then there’s the score: haunted, almost organic-sounding compositions by Volker Bertelmann , with a groaning, ominous three-note motif, played on a harmonium, which sounds like the earth itself is howling in pain.

In cinemas now; on Netflix from 28 October

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‘all quiet on the western front’ review: a visceral take on the german anti-war classic.

Close to a century after Lewis Milestone's Oscar-winning film, Edward Berger offers a German adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's World War I novel.

By John DeFore

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Patriotic young men are as disposable as potato peels in All Quiet on the Western Front , Edward Berger’s new adaptation of the novel that gave us the 1930 Lewis Milestone movie of the same name. For some, seeing this German book rendered by a German will be reason enough for a remake; for many others, especially those reliant on history-ignoring Netflix (where this Front will debut next month), the original might as well not exist.

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A prologue encapsulates the story’s message pretty succinctly. Caught in a battle his side is losing, a young soldier named Heinrich musters his courage, tosses his spent rifle aside, and charges heroically at the enemy with a shovel. A scene later, the hero lies in a truck full of corpses, whose uniforms are salvaged, washed and mended. The bullet hole repaired, Henrich’s jacket is passed on to a fresh new recruit who has no idea it was ever worn.

That recruit is Paul (Felix Kammerer), who is so eager to enlist in the Great War with a handful of friends that he forges a permission slip he’s supposed to get a parent to sign. (It’s worth pausing to let that sink in, right?) The boys are welcomed with puffery — commanding officers who call them the “greatest generation” and urge them to fight for “the Kaiser, God, and the Fatherland,” in that peculiar order. Soon they’re thrown out into a wasteland where, for months, opponents have killed each other to gain and lose a few yards of dirt.

A different kind of end comes. We’ve been getting breathers once in a while, shifting focus to the luxurious trains and commandeered mansions where French and German authorities make decisions. While German army commanders are prepared to toss as many young bodies on the fire as are needed, politicians understand they’ve already lost, and a faction led by Daniel Brühl’s Matthias Erzberger finally secures a ceasefire. But General Friedrich (Devid Striesow) decides to launch a doomed offensive in the war’s final minutes, ignoring the human cost.

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Literary Theory and Criticism

Home › German Literature › Analysis of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front

Analysis of Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front

By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on October 8, 2022

All Quiet on the Western Front depicts the disillusionment of Paul Baumer, a young foot soldier fighting in World War I. Written by Erich Maria Remarque (1898–1970), this depiction of the horrors of war is one of the most renowned German works of the 20th century. Drawing on his own experience as a young man conscripted into military service for Germany, Remarque not only uses the character of Paul as his own mouthpiece but also makes his protagonist symbolic of the situation of all the soldiers who fought on either side of the western front. Stretching 440 miles from the Swiss border to the North Sea, the line of trenches and barbed wire fences moved little between 1914 and 1918, despite incessant attempts on both sides to break through. This infamous front became a symbol of the most futile and meaningless aspects of World War I.

Of particular importance in All Quiet on the Western Front is the novel’s style. The down-to-earth and unassuming narrative voice of Paul Baumer avoids anything in the way of high or polished rhetoric. The style is clean and reportorial, working deliberately against an idiom of heroic adventure or romantic patriotism. Although the young Paul is shown to possess a lyrical and sensitive side, nothing in his narrative is inflated or elevated; indeed, even his death is deliberately made to seem anticlimactic.

Erich Maria Remarque / New Statesman

The setting of this novel is also of utmost importance. The Western Front of the title is the name for the most important sequence of battlefields in the war. It was here that such modern weapons as poison gas, powerful explosives, and machine guns were first deployed, making the scale of injury and death catastrophic. In addition, individual soldiers were considered disposable in a military strategy of attrition; battles continued for months while corpses and casualties mounted. To Paul, who is thrown into this world with little preparation, the battles on the front are mad, meaningless, and frightening; when ordinary days with his comrades are interrupted by chaotic periods of battle, it is as if he has been plunged into a waking nightmare.

While most of the vivid narrative episodes take place on the front lines, a section of the book depicts Paul’s return to his home, which serves as a contrast to his horrific experience on the front lines. Paul’s books, his butterfly collection, and all personal mementoes of his previous life now seem part of a world he has left behind forever. While suffering deprivation, the people back home have no idea of the dimension and depth of the suffering on the battlefields of the western front. In fact, Paul feels that he must lie to his family and the others in the town because they would not be able to handle or understand the truth. This trip home consolidates Paul’s sense that he is part of a generational shift involving a dramatic break with the past.

A prominent demonstration of this alienation occurs when Corporal Himmelstoss, who had sadistically hazed the boys when they were undergoing basic training, is posted to the front. Instead of viewing him as a member of their unit, the comrades attack him at an opportune moment, beating him severely. The reader comes to understand that for the young soldiers, the war is against not only the enemy, but also against the elders of the former generation who are responsible for its carnage and for stealing the youth of the men who had to fi ght in it. These father figures, once assumed to be guides to the adult world, are now perceived as having no insight or wisdom—indeed as having betrayed the younger generation. Paul and his skeptical, mocking comrades see the authorities to whom they had previously deferred as impervious to the realities of loss and suffering they have caused. In addition, contrary to the official patriotic optimism of the higher-ranked soldiers, the younger comrades suspect that, in reality, their country will not emerge victorious at the end of the day.

With the exception of the resourceful Stanislaus Katczinsky, a fortyish man known as Kat, Paul and the other soldiers are all very young men who have gone straight from the schoolroom to the battlefield. As a result, a generation of young men comes of age in a crisis environment. For Paul and his generation, initiation into adulthood is unusually brutal and traumatic— even those who survive will be psychologically scarred for life. One incident that fills Paul with rage and remorse, for instance, is the way in which his former classmate Kemmerich receives a wound which, because it is poorly cared for by medical officials, turns fatal. By the time Kemmerich dies, however, both Paul and his fellow soldier Muller are more concerned about the fate of Kemmerich’s boots. This is a result of the failure on the part of the authorities to supply the troops with necessary clothing and equipment; it is also a sign of a general dehumanizing set of values in which the dying man’s boots become more important than the dying man himself.

Another traumatic episode concerns Paul’s killing of a French soldier, Gerard Duval. Horrified and conscience- stricken, Paul looks through the soldier’s personal belongings and realizes that this Duval, although not German, was not his enemy but a fellow victim of a war machine that destroyed their generation and its aspirations. Episodes such as this remind the reader that this is a universal story depicting not simply the German point of view but the experience of all of the young men on the battlefields of Europe at the time. Not long after this event, Paul falls in battle. The last survivor of the group of comrades we have been following throughout the novel, Paul is shot by random enemy fire on a quiet, ordinary day not long before the war officially ends. The cold impersonality and absurdity of Paul’s death is described in a very short paragraph which abruptly and shockingly concludes the novel, reinforcing the novel’s basic purpose: to foreground the individual victim of a conflict fought with advanced, lethal weapons for inexplicable reasons. At the same time, Paul’s death represents the experience of a generation of young men sacrificed to a senseless, devastating war that emphasized how an entire civilization teetered on the verge of self-destruction.

A literary sensation when first published, All Quiet on the Western Front has remained among the most read and most memorable of all antiwar novels. Banned in the 1930s by the Nazis, who subjected all Remarque’s work to public burnings, the novel has survived as one of the most indispensable literary documents of the 20th century.

Still from the motion picture All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), directed by Lewis Milestone and featuring Lew Ayres (left).

BIBLIOGRAPHY Barker, Christine R., and R. W. Last. Erich Maria Remarque. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1979. Firda, Richard Arthur. All Quiet on the Western Front: Literary Analysis and Cultural Context. New York: Twayne Publishing, 1993. Tims, Hilton. Erich Maria Remarque: The Last Romantic. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2003. Wagener, Hans. Understanding Erich Maria Remarque. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1991.

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'All Quiet on the Western Front' film review

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All Quiet on the Western Front is based on the famous novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque who served in the Imperial German Army in World War I . He fought on the western front and was wounded by shrapnel. The book serves as a lasting, generational anti-war story that should be viewed by the public. Remarque's anti-war sentiments got him label as "unpatriotic" by Joseph Goebbels during the rise of Nazi Germany, which led to Remarque's move to Switzerland and then the U.S. The book sold over 2.5M copies in its first 18 months in print, still it was banned and burned by the Nazis. Remarque left Germany left just before the outbreak of World War II.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf8EYbVxtCY

The film has been made two times prior, in 1930 and in 1979 for television. The original film won the Oscar for Best Director for Lewis Milestone and Outstanding Production for Carl Laemmle, Jr, who founded Universal Studios. The original also spawned a sequel, The Road Back in 1937 . The TV version won Emmys as well.

The Netflix version of the film from 2022 follows teenagers Paul Bäumer, his friends, Albert and Müller, who enlist in the German Army for World War I. The boys are influenced by jingoism and patriotic propaganda to join and find the honeymoon is over very shortly once they arrive at the front. The boys find fear, death and brutality at every turn. Bäumer's notions of war, brotherhood, the enemy and the morality of fighting are reduced to ashes well before the midway point of the film. He is left with the role of continued fighting with no real point, which places our hero in a predicament worth watching.

The film stars Felix Kammerer as Paul, Albrecht Schuch as Stanislaus "Kat" Katczinsky, Aaron Himler as Albert and Moritz Klaus as Müller. The film is recited by Edward Berger, and written by Berger, Lesley Patterson and Ian Stokell. The cinematography is done by James Friend with a stirring score by Volker Bertelmann. The movie won seven awards at the 76th British Academy Film Awards including Best Film and won four Oscars at the 95th Academy Awards which include Best International Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score and Best Production Design. It also won eight awards at the German Film Awards including the Silver Award for Best Picture.

We are immediately thrust into the youthful world of Paul and his friends. They join the Imperial German Army following a patriotic speech given at their school and are headed to the front. They unknowingly receive uniforms from soldiers who died previously in battle. It is a chilling set of moments on the screen once this realization sets in. All the fun and camaraderie nearly cease to exist by the time the boys are on the battlefield. They do find one fellow soldier who befriends them with Stanislaus aka Kat. One of Paul's friends dies very quickly on the front from an artillery shell on their first night. The boys begin to become men as their innocence is further washed away by violence and death.

All the while the young men are growing up fast the German high command is withholding from an armistice even though the German State Secretary is trying to persuade them. The bubble these German senior officers live in as they roll the dice with their young soldiers' lives is tragic, sickening and likely a product of the German society of the time. Even with Supreme Allied Commander Foch giving the Germans 72 hours to accept the terms for an armistice, the Germans still go on the offensive. Further brutal trench warfare ensues as our main characters continue to fight for survival.

Some rare humorous moments are mixed in, maybe dark humor, that is accurate in wartime situations. These touch points added by the director and crew make the characters transcend the screen and make us as audience members feel like we are there on the ground in 1918. Riveting and scary stuff, especially speaking from experience. I would gladly watch this film again although I would abstain from any caffeine or sugar as the movie will get you amped up enough as it is.

The movie wraps on an interesting note which will be saved for your viewing. We come away with the reasons that Remarque wrote the novel, his likely experiences in World War I, what can happen to young minds when encouraged in the wrong direction and how precious the innocence of life is, especially to those who have lost it through war. If possible, watch this film in a theater on the silver screen. The haunting score will further rivet you to your seat as the action and drama pick up. You will feel the audience's emotions and responses which make for a breathtaking and hard-to-forget experience.

Post the screening of the film at the David Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures we were treated to a talkback with many top members of the film's cast and crew. They include director/co-screenwriter/producer Edward Berger, producer Malte Grunert, who introduced the picture, then both gentlemen with star Albrecht Schuch, co-screenwriters Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell, hair and makeup designer Heike Merker, composer Volker Bertelmann, sound designer Markus Stemler, and visual effects supervisor Frank Petzold discuss the film with Brian Williams. It was a sincerely enlightening session with much candor, humor and insight into the film's development, filming and editing.

All members of the panel shared their contributions and dedication to the film, which made the screening all the more fulfilling and interesting. Most notable was Ian Stokell's military veteran influence on the film as he served in the British Army in the 1970s with a deployment to Northern Ireland and his father fought in World War II. He has a rich family lineage in the military which certainly helped make his impact felt and seen in All Quiet on the Western Front . I give the film 4 out of 4 Red Star Clusters and definite must-watch, especially for those in the military or who have served. Do watch the talkback session after seeing the film as it adds to your experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qTJnRCCkBU

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Vague Visages

Movies, tv & music • independent film criticism • soundtrack guides • forming the future • est. 2014, know the cast: ‘the veil’.

The Veil cast features Elisabeth Moss, Yumna Marwan and Dali Benssalah. This info article contains minor spoilers and cast/character summaries for Steven Knight’s 2024 FX on Hulu miniseries. Check out more streaming guides in Vague Visages’ Know the Cast category, and then browse complete soundtrack song listings in the Soundtracks of Cinema section.

The Veil explores the relationship between two mysterious women. Imogen, an undercover British agent, searches for a female ISIS commander. The narrative follows the main protagonist as she travels with a woman who may be her target. Here’s every actor and character in The Veil .

Read More at VV — Know the Cast: ‘The Bear’

The Veil Cast: Elisabeth Moss as Imogen Salter

Character Profile: A British special agent. She works undercover for the DGSE. Imogen tries to figure out if a French mother is actually a notorious ISIS leader.

Moss’ Resume: Peggy Olson in Mad Men (2007-15), Sophie in The One I Love (2014), June Osborne in The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-), Kitty Tyler/Dahlia in Us (2019), Cecilia Kass in The Invisible Man (2020)

Read More at VV — Know the Cast & Characters: ‘The Patient’

The Veil Cast: Yumna Marwan as Adilah El Idrissi

Character Profile: A French woman who gets stuck in Syria. She is a Paris native and the granddaughter of a legendary communist revolutionary. Adilah is suspected of being an ISIS commander.

Marwan’s Resume: Maria in The Valley (2014), Cherifa in Little Birds (2020), Alia in Costa Brava, Lebanon (2021), Lauren in Inshallah a Boy (2023), Rima Homsi in The Strangers’ Case (2024)

Read More at VV — Know the Cast: ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’

The Veil Cast: Dali Benssalah as Malik Amar

Character Profile: Imogen’s boyfriend. He is a French DGSE agent who searches for an ISIS commander. Malik asks Imogen to call off her investigation after receiving DNA test results involving Adilah.

Benssalah’s Resume: Fouad in Savages (2019), Samir in Street Flow  (2019), Abel in My Brothers and I (2021), Primo in No Time to Die (2021), Abdel in Athena (2022)

Read More at VV — Know the Cast: ‘Reservation Dogs’

The Veil Cast: Josh Charles as Max Peterson

Character Profile: An American special agent. He arrives in Paris to work with the DGSE. Max tries to establish his American authority while investigating Adilah.

Charles’ Resume: Knox Overstreet in Dead Poets Society (1989), Dan Rydell in Sports Night (1998-2000), T.J. McCabe in S.W.A.T. (2003), Detective Fowler in Four Brothers (2005), Will Gardner in The Good Wife (2009-16)

Read More at VV — Know the Cast & Characters: ‘Class of ’09’

The Veil Cast: Thibault de Montalembert as Magritte

Character Profile: Malik’s boss. He is a DGSE agent who collaborates with Max. Magritte worries about internal scuffling.

De Montalembert’s Resume: Olivier Pujol in The Tunnel (2013-18), King Charles VI in The King (2019), General Ferdinand Foch in All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), Stephane Nelson in Heartstopper (2023), Comte de Vergennes in Franklin (2024)

Read More at VV — Know the Cast: ‘Under the Bridge’

The Veil cast also includes:

• James Purefoy as Michael Althorp
• Dan Wyllie as Guy
• Joana Ribeiro as Sandrina
• Philipp Christopher as Tomas
• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Johnson
• Yoli Fuller as Philippe
• Nadia Larbiouene as Nour
• Aron von Andrian as Daan
• Keyla Bara as Yasmina
• Neyla Bara as Yasmina
• Phill Langhorne as Marcus Seabright
• Erin Ainsworth as Young Imogen
• Benjamin Hicquel as Hasad
• Alec Secareanu as Emir

Q.V. Hough ( @QVHough ) is Vague Visages’ founding editor.

Categories: 2020s , Know the Cast , Thriller , TV , TV Cast Guides

Tagged as: Alec Secareanu , Aron von Andrian , Benjamin Hicquel , Cast Guide , Cast List , Character List , Dali Benssalah , Dan Wyllie , Elisabeth Moss , Erin Ainsworth , FX , FX on Hulu , Hulu , James Purefoy , Joana Ribeiro , Josh Charles , Keyla Bara , Kobna Holdbrook-Smith , Nadia Larbiouene , Neyla Bara , Philipp Christopher , Phill Langhorne , Q.V. Hough , Steven Knight , Streaming , Streaming on Hulu , Television , Television Actors , Television Actresses , Television Cast List , The Veil , Thibault de Montalembert , Thriller TV , TV Actors , TV Actresses , TV Cast , TV Cast List , TV Characters , TV Plot , TV Series , TV Show , Yoli Fuller , Yumna Marwan

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New York Tech

The 10 Best Movies Netflix Has Ever Made

Posted: May 7, 2024 | Last updated: May 7, 2024

Alfonso Cuarón’s deeply personal masterpiece “Roma” transports viewers to 1970s Mexico City, where a maid’s quiet existence intersects with the tumult of political and social change, earning accolades for its breathtaking cinematography and emotional depth.

2. All Quiet on the Western Front

Edward Berger’s haunting adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s anti-war novel captures the brutality and despair of trench warfare, offering a harrowing glimpse into the horrors of World War I.

3. The Irishman

Martin Scorsese’s epic crime saga “The Irishman” reunites screen legends Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci in a sweeping tale of loyalty, betrayal, and the cost of power.

4. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

In this Knives Out sequel, Daniel Craig returns as the eccentric and scenery-chewing gentleman detective Benoit Blanc, delivering a performance filled with infectious energy and wit.

5. Marriage Story

Director Noah Baumbach’s intimate portrayal of a modern divorce is brought to life by the compelling performances of Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, offering a raw and honest examination of love and loss.

6. Uncut Gems

Adam Sandler delivers a career-defining performance in the adrenaline-fueled thriller “Uncut Gems,” portraying a jeweler caught in a high-stakes game of risk and reward.

Set against the backdrop of World War II, “The Dig” is a poignant drama that explores human connections and the pursuit of meaning, anchored by stellar performances from Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan.

8. The Mitchells vs the Machines

A hilarious and action-packed animated adventure produced by the creative minds behind “The Lego Movie,” “The Mitchells vs the Machines” delivers laughs and heart in equal measure as a family faces off against a robot uprising.

9. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Featuring the late Chadwick Boseman in a poignant role alongside Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey's Black Bottom” is a soul-stirring portrayal of a recording session in 1920s Chicago, delving into themes of identity and ambition.

10. Mudbound

An unflinching exploration of race and politics in the Southern United States during and after World War II, “Mudbound” captivates with its powerful performances and gripping narrative.

From riveting dramas to thought-provoking documentaries, Netflix continues to raise the bar with its original content. The 10 films listed here represent the pinnacle of Netflix’s cinematic achievements, showcasing the platform’s commitment to diverse storytelling and unparalleled quality. Whether you’re in the mood for gripping drama, heartwarming comedy, or pulse-pounding action, Netflix offers something for every cinephile to enjoy. With its ever-growing library of original movies, Netflix remains at the forefront of entertainment innovation, enriching the viewing experience for audiences around the globe.

The post The 10 Best Movies Netflix Has Ever Made appeared first on New York Tech Media .

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The 30 best Netflix original movies

Netflix gets original. These 30 films run the gamut as far as genre is concerned, but the one thing they all have in common? They’re excellent.

Ilana Gordon is an entertainment, culture, and comedy writer originally from Connecticut. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

These days everyone’s a content creator, but nobody makes it quite like Netflix . Known for partnering with the best directors, writers, and talent, Netflix started off strong in 2015 with the company’s first original film ( Beasts of No Nation ), and the wins only continued from there: As of 2024, the streamer has 23 Oscars.

Original and exclusive Netflix titles make up 50 percent of the platform's available offerings in the United States, but don't feel overwhelmed. If you need help locating the hidden gems, we here at EW took the liberty of selecting the 30 best Netflix original movies for your viewing pleasure.

All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

Based on the 1929 literary novel — which was later adapted into an Oscar-winning movie in 1930, a made-for-TV movie in 1979, and finally, a film released theatrically and on Netflix in 2022 — this German language World War I movie remains one of the starkest examples of anti-war sentiment in cinematic history. All Quiet follows Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer), a young German recruit, over the course of the 18 months he spends serving in Northern France on the frontlines of the war's Western Front. Director Edward Berger's film focuses on Paul's transformation; the longer the conflict rages on, the further the young man drifts from a youthful, patriotic enlistee, to a battle-hardened soldier, traumatized by what he's seen and those he's lost. An aesthetic experience, EW's critic writes that "the spectral score by composer Volker Bertelmann is gorgeously unsettling, and the cinematography achieves a kind of painterly, panoramic grandeur." — Ilana Gordon

Where to watch All Quiet on the Western Front : Netflix

EW grade: A– ( read the review )

Director: Edward Berger

Cast: Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Daniel Brühl

Related content: British Academy snubs Michelle Williams, All Quiet on the Western Front storms 2023 BAFTA nominations

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Coen brothers got tired of limiting themselves to one narrative in their projects, so for their Netflix film, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs , they decided to mix it up and tell multiple stories. Set up as a six-part Western anthology, the film focuses thematically on the American frontier, and tells the stories of a cheerful cowboy, an unlucky would-be bank robber, a traveling promoter whose business is going downhill, a grizzled prospector, a woman headed West in search of a husband, and a group of passengers in a stagecoach. While the Coens mess around with genre in each chapter and the cast differs from story to story, the six narratives are given a sense of consistency courtesy of the unique Coen voice, which the pair previously deployed on projects like True Grit and No Country for Old Men . And while there are certainly frontrunner stories in terms of quality and effectiveness, the entire film is worth a watch. — I.G.

Where to watch The Ballad of Buster Scruggs : Netflix

EW grade: B ( read the review )

Director: Joel Coen , Ethan Coen

Cast: Tyne Daly , James Franco , Brendan Gleeson , Bill Heck , Grainger Hines , Zoe Kazan , Harry Melling , Liam Neeson , Tim Blake Nelson , Jonjo O'Neill, Chelcie Ross, Saul Rubinek , Tom Waits

Related content: The Coen brothers movies, ranked

Beasts of No Nation (2015)

Another war film, the powerful drama Beasts of No Nation follows a brutal civil dispute in Africa as told through the eyes of a child soldier. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga and starring Abraham Attah and Idris Elba , the film is a harrowing, confronting look at humanity in the face of the devastation of war. After its release on Netflix, it was a huge success on the platform, receiving more than three million views in North American in just 10 days. However, despite its critical and relative commercial success, the movie didn't receive any Oscar nominations . Beasts of No Nation may not be filled with A-lister Hollywood stars, but it is one of Netflix's greatest films to date. As EW's critic notes , "It's a credit to Fukunaga as a filmmaker — and his outstanding cast, nearly all of them first-timers aside from Elba — that Beasts is both audaciously styled and heartbreakingly human in scale." — I.G.

Where to watch Beasts of No Nation : Netflix

EW grade: A ( read the review )

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Cast: Idris Elba, Kurt Egyiawan, Jude Akuwudike, Emmanuel "King King" Nii Adom Quaye, Abraham Attah

Related content: Beasts of No Nation : Idris Elba and Cary Fukunaga on humanizing tragedy

Da 5 Bloods (2020)

Wars and wounds collide in Spike Lee 's 2020 film Da 5 Bloods , a meditation on race, generational trauma, and American intervention. Toggling between the past and present, the film follows four Black war veterans as they return to Vietnam, intent on recovering a locker of gold bars and the body of their fallen friend and squad leader, Stormin' Norman ( Chadwick Boseman ), both of which were lost during a napalm strike. Guided in their quest by Tiên, the ex-girlfriend of one of the former soldiers, and forced to confront landmines — both real and emotional — the remainder of the squad must reconcile the horrors of their past with the difficulties of their present if they hope to escape Vietnam for a better future. Incorporating archival newsreel for additional context, Da 5 Bloods is a war film with action sequences, but many of the battles pit man against his memory. —I.G.

Where to watch Da 5 Bloods : Netflix

Director: Spike Lee

Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Delroy Lindo , Jonathan Majors , Norm Lewis , Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Related content: The Awardis t podcast: Delroy Lindo on his titanic performance in Da 5 Bloods

Dolemite Is My Name (2019)

Los Angeles in the 1970s is a terrible place to live if you're struggling, and aspiring show business professional Rudy Ray Moore ( Eddie Murphy ) can't seem to break in. After years of working a dead-end job as a record store manager and grinding for stage time, Rudy creates a character inspired (or stolen, depending on how literal you want to get) by an unhoused man who wanders into his store. Armed with a new name, new vocabulary, and new wardrobe, Rudy as Dolemite starts taking over the comedy scene — but he's not content to stop there. Determined to turn Dolemite into a blaxploitation karate film starring himself, Rudy cobbles together a screenwriter ( Keegan-Michael Key ), a celebrated character actor ( Wesley Snipes ), and a comedian (Da'Vine Joy Randolph), and decides to do it himself. Based on the true story of Rudy Ray Moore, a comedian, filmmaker, and godfather of rap, Dolemite is My Name is a period biopic that perfectly balances jokes and heart. — I.G.

Where to watch Dolemite Is My Name : Netflix

EW grade: B+ ( read the review )

Director: Craig Brewer

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Wesley Snipes, Keegan-Michael Key, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Mike Epps , Craig Robinson , Tituss Burgess

Related content: Dolemite Is My Name premiere hails triumphant comeback for Eddie Murphy

Don't Look Up (2021)

What will the end of the world look like? Don't Look Up has an answer to that question — and, unfortunately, it doesn't look good. In Adam McKay 's dark comedy, we see a depiction of how the modern world — or in this film's case, a cavalcade of ineffectual politicians, livestreamers, and interfering billionaires — reacts to the most dire of situations. While it may initially seem to be an over-the-top, fairly easy-going comedy, the film packs an emotional, intellectual punch. "This movie came from my terror about the climate crisis and the fact that we live in a society that tends to place it as the fourth or fifth news story, or even deny that it's happening, and how horrifying that is, but at the same time [how] preposterously funny," McKay tells EW . It's a darkly parodic film with a somewhat eerie message about humanity — that when the end of the world does come, we may be too busy to even notice. — Meg Walters

Where to watch Don't Look Up : Netflix

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Meryl Streep , Leonardo DiCaprio , Mark Rylance , Jennifer Lawrence , Timothée Chalamet , Ariana Grande , Melanie Lynskey , Cate Blanchett

Related content: Don't Look Up director says 'editing mistake' showing crew was 'on purpose'

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Rian Johnson is a man who laughs in the face of genre: From fantasy blockbusters like Star Wars to whodunnit comedies, this writer and director gets around. And after a three year hiatus, he and everyone's favorite pastel-clad detective, Benoit Blanc ( Daniel Craig ) are back with a second addition to their Knives Out franchise. Released both in theaters and on Netflix, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery tells the story of a friend group caught up in the allures of money, fame, power, and murder — but, in all truthfulness, the film is just as effective as travel propaganda for the Greek island on which the story is set. Miles Bron ( Edward Norton ) is a tech billionaire prototype who organizes a murder mystery at his remote estate, but his weekend plans are interrupted by the appearance of an old friend and current enemy, Cassandra Brand ( Janelle Monae ), as well as the unanticipated arrival of Detective Blanc. — I.G.

Where to watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery : Netflix

Director: Rian Johnson

Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson , Leslie Odom Jr. , Kathryn Hahn , Dave Bautista , Madelyn Cline

Related content: Why Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay

The Harder They Fall (2021)

The traditional Western movie gets a shot of adrenaline and style in The Harder They Fall , one of the few cowboy films in which all the main cast are played by Black actors. Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) is a former slave turned cowboy hero whose tragic, Batman-esque origin story has led him down a path of vigilantism. Love uses his outlaw status to rob worse outlaws, and the biggest offender working is Rufus Buck (Idris Elba), supported by his loyal crew, including Trudy Smith ( Regina King ) and Cherokee Bill ( LaKeith Stanfield ). When Love was a child, Buck murdered his parents in front of him, and all these years later, Love is still desperate for revenge. Aided by US Marshall Reeves (Delroy Lindo) and his former lover and current saloon owner Mary ( Zazie Beetz ), Love is ready to face off against Buck — only to learn the two have more in common than he could ever have believed. — I.G.

Where to watch The Harder They Fall : Netflix

Director: Jeymes Samuel

Cast: Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Lakeith Stanfield, RJ Cyler , Danielle Deadwyler, Edi Gathegi, Deon Cole

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Hustle (2022)

"Guys in their 50s don't have dreams," says Adam Sandler 's character, Stanley Sugerman, in the sports film Hustle . "They have nightmares and eczema." Sugerman is unwilling to admit it, but he hasn't given up on his fantasy of becoming an NBA coach, even though he's spent his life on the road working as an international scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. After finally receiving a promotion to assistant coach, Stanley is able to realize his professional ambitions and spend more time at home with his wife ( Queen Latifah ) and daughter. But when Stanley's mentor dies, precipitating a changeup in the 76ers' front office, Stanley finds himself demoted back to talent scout. During a trip to Spain, he discovers Bo Cruz (former Toronto Raptors player Juancho Hernangómez), an unknown baller with an undeniable gift. But if Stanley is going to convince the league to take Bo seriously, both he and the budding athlete will need to put in some serious work. — I.G.

Where to watch Hustle : Netflix

Director: Jeremiah Zagar

Cast: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernangómez, Ben Foster , Kenny Smith, Anthony Edwards, Robert Duvall

Related content: NBA player Juancho Hernangómez wasn't an Adam Sandler fan — until their bromance making Hustle

The Irishman (2019)

You'd probably expect any film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring the legendary trifecta of Robert De Niro , Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci to be nothing short of exceptional — and Netflix's The Irishman does not disappoint. The 2019 film is based on I Heard You Paint Houses , the 2004 memoir of Frank Sheeran, who found himself embroiled with a Philadelphia-based Italian mob. This is essential viewing for film fans of all kinds, but especially if your favorites include the likes of The Godfather , Goodfellas , or Taxi Driver . As EW's critic puts it , it's "kind of caps-lock Scorsese — the greatest hits of his career revisited once more, with feeling." The film famously used CGI to 'de-age' its three stars, so The Irishman is one of the first films to follow its characters across several decades without having to cast multiple actors for the same role. Just make sure to set aside plenty of time, as this epic effort from De Niro and Scorsese clocks in at three-and-a-half hours. — M.W.

Where to watch The Irishman : Netflix

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Harvey Keitel , Anna Paquin , Ray Romano , Stephen Graham , Bobby Cannavale

Related content: Martin Scorsese brings a life's work to his starry, bloody, and very long drama The Irishman

The King (2019)

Based on Shakespeare's Henriad plays, The King tells the story of King Henry V (Timothée Chalamet) as he comes of age and reluctantly leads England into a brutal war with France in the pursuit of peace. While on the surface, The King is a typical muddy, bloody war film, it has many more layers with Chalamet's fierce moral compass as Hal, Joel Edgerton 's cunning intelligence as Falstaff, and Robert Pattinson 's caricature-like portrayal of the slightly deranged French Prince Louis. And while the film may be light on female characters, Lily-Rose Depp becomes "not just the film's conscience, she's the bellwether of a better king—and the woman who might one day come to rule him, too." — M.W.

Where to watch The King : Netflix

Director: David Michôd

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Robert Pattinson, Joel Edgerton, Lily-Rose Depp, Ben Mendelsohn , Sean Harris

Related content: Of battlefields and bowl cuts: How Timothée Chalamet became The King

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Courtesy NETFLIX 

In 2021, Barack Obama put the postapocalyptic novel Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam on his summer reading list, and two years later, Netflix’s cinematic adaptation of the thriller hit the platform. A story about a family getaway that goes awry after a cyberattack causes the breakdown of social order, the film interrogates ideas about technology overreliance and exactly what the end of the world might look like. With actors like Julia Roberts , Mahershala Ali , Ethan Hawke , and Kevin Bacon handling the starring roles and the Obamas’ production company co-executive producing, Leave the World Behind has no shortage of big names or big ideas to offer. —I.G.

Where to watch Leave the World Behind : Netflix

Director: Sam Esmail

Cast: Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, Kevin Bacon

Related content: Julia Roberts and Sam Esmail created a cinematic universe — on and off screen

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Complicated women take center stage in the stripped down plot of The Lost Daughter , a shimmering adaptation of author Elena Ferrante 's 2006 novel. Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley bless us with their performances of protagonist Leda Caruso at different points in her life. The current version of Leda (played by Coleman) is an academic on a solo holiday in Greece, where she meets a young mother named Nina ( Dakota Johnson ) struggling to handle her active 3-year-old. Leda and Nina bond over the difficulties of motherhood, their interactions informed by the flashbacks of Leda's past history with her own two daughters. Maggie Gyllenhaal 's directorial debut — which she also wrote — The Lost Daughter is a brilliant psychological drama that feeds on the fire stoked by our perceived failures as parents, and the shame that parents — especially mothers — feel when making choices to prioritize their own well-being over that of their children. — I.G.

Where to watch The Lost Daughter : Netflix

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Cast: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard , Ed Harris , Paul Mescal

Related content: Dakota Johnson says mom Melanie Griffith is still processing The Lost Daughter

Mank (2020)

Mank tells the story of the making of Orson Welles ' famous 1941 classic, Citizen Kane . Directed by David Fincher , the movie stars Gary Oldman as Herman J. Mankiewicz , or 'Mank', the "scathing social critic and alcoholic screenwriter," as he struggles to complete the screenplay of Citizen Kane on time. Written by Fincher's late father, the film was shot in black-and-white and aimed to recreate some of the cinematographic style of Welles' work . It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and while the movie only took home two awards, it still won more than Citizen Kane . As EW's critic notes in her review of the film, Mank might not be for everyone, but it is the ultimate film for lovers of old Hollywood: "part love letter, part cautionary tale, and still somehow a mystery." — M.W.

Where to watch Mank : Netflix

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried , Tom Burke , Lily Collins , Charles Dance , Tom Pelphrey

Related content: How the Mank cast tackled the behind-the-scenes story of Citizen Kane

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020)

Chadwick Boseman could hardly have chosen a better vehicle to demonstrate his limitless talent than Ma Rainey's Black Bottom , the film which ended up serving as the celebrated actor's final onscreen performance. Paired opposite the film's other star — Viola Davis , who disappears into the role of the titular Ma Rainey, a famous blues singer and force of nature — the two conjure up what EW's critic describes as an "acting masterclass" of a performance. Adapted from August Wilson's 1984 play, the film tells the story of Ma and her group of Black bandmates as they attempt to record in a Chicago studio during the 1920s. What should be a straightforward day of music grinds to a halt as the artists struggle to deal with personality clashes, an ambitious trumpeter named Levee (Boseman), and the band's mercurial frontwoman. Also starring Taylour Paige ( Zola ) as Ma's love interest, Ma Rainey is a must-see for its homage to the titular blues legend and its importance in the Chadwick Boseman acting canon. — I.G.

Where to watch Ma Rainey's Black Bottom : Netflix

Director: George C. Wolfe

Cast: Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman , Colman Domingo , Michael Potts, Taylour Paige

Related content: Viola Davis makes Oscars history as the most-nominated Black actress ever

Maestro (2023)

Jason McDonald/Netflix

Bradley Cooper — first demonstrating his moviemaking prowess with 2018's acclaimed A Star Is Born remake starring Lady Gaga — is now two-for-two with another Academy Award-nominated film. For Maestro , Cooper puts his six years of preparation on display, donning the black tux (and controversial prosthetic nose ) of American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein , a figure that has captivated him since childhood . This biopic centers on the complex relationship between Bernstein and his wife, the Costa Rican-Chilean actress Felicia Montealegre ( Carey Mulligan ), while also exploring his clandestine affairs with men. Featuring dynamic performances, dreamlike symbolic imagery, and a six-minute dialogue-free conducting scene , Maestro is essentially catnip for film lovers and pundits alike, as EW's critic claims that it "deserves the same level of respect from viewers as one of Bernstein's public performances of the music of Mahler." — James Mercadante

Where to watch Maestro : Netflix

Director: Bradley Cooper

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer , Maya Hawke , Sarah Silverman , Michael Urie

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Marriage Story (2019)

Marriage Story was a smash hit from Netflix that garnered six Oscar nominations and one win (for Laura Dern in the Best Supporting Actress category). Directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Adam Driver , Scarlett Johansson , and Dern, the film follows a married couple going through an increasingly thorny divorce. While it's not always an easy watch, Marriage Story offers an unflinching, heart-wrenching look at how the practicalities and legalities of divorce can tear apart the people involved. "They've lost their voices; they've lost a sense of who they are," Baumback tells EW . "They're trying to figure out what they believe anymore. And that's a dangerous place, I think, for a couple to find themselves." — M.W.

Where to watch Marriage Story : Netflix

Director: Noah Baumbach

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda , Ray Liotta , Julie Hagerty , Merritt Wever

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Mudbound (2017)

Two families are mired in poverty, each with a son who fought bravely in World War II only to return to the Mississippi Delta with nothing but PTSD to show for their troubles. But the only difference between the Jacksons and McAllans is the color of their skin. Dee Rees' Mudbound follows the two families as they fight their wars both abroad and within the home, and discover that trauma bonds deeper than blood. Jason Mitchell is exceptional as Ronsel Jackson, bringing emotional honesty to a war hero who, because he is Black, is treated like anything but. Also featuring an all-star ensemble that includes Mary J. Blige , Carey Mulligan , Jason Clarke, and Garrett Hedlund , EW's critic writes that " Mudbound is never preachy, reductive, or undercut by its own good intentions. Just the opposite. It's a deeply felt American tale told with heart and humanity." — I.G.

Where to watch Mudbound : Netflix

Director: Dee Rees

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks

Related content: How the Mudbound script forged its central relationship

Okja (2017)

Two years before Bong Joon Ho wowed the world with Parasite , the South Korean director partnered with Netflix to make Okja . A pig-centered movie that leans decidedly more towards Animal Farm than Babe , the movie follows Mija, a South Korean teen who bonds with Okja, the "super pig" she's helped raise — only to have Okja taken from her after he is crowned the winner of an agrochemical company's competition for best pig. With Okja headed for the slaughterhouse, Mija travels from South Korea to New York City on a mission to save her friend and to help expose the inhumane practices of the Mirando Corporation and its leader, Lucy Mirando ( Tilda Swinton ). A mixture of science, fantasy, action, and adventure, Okja is one of those movies you have to see to believe. As EW's critic writes , Okja is "the antithesis of cookie-cutter, made-by-committee filmmaking. Prepare to be amazed, grossed out, provoked, punchdrunk, and tickled." — I.G.

Where to watch Okja : Netflix

Director: Bong Joon Ho

Cast: Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano , Ahn Seo-hyun, Byun Hee-bong, Steven Yeun , Lily Collins, Yoon Je-moon, Shirley Henderson , Daniel Henshall , Devon Bostick, Choi Woo-shik, Giancarlo Esposito , Jake Gyllenhaal

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The Power of the Dog (2022)

Directed by Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog is a 1920s Western based on the book of the same name by Thomas Savage that follows Phil, a gruff cowboy, and his brother's new family who have recently moved onto the ranch. The film picked up a staggering 12 Oscar nominations and won Best Director, with Campion becoming the third female director ever to win the award. The four central actors each give remarkable performances and Benedict Cumberbatch is deeply complex and arresting as Phil. "He's really beautiful and also a little scary, and he's charismatic," Campion explained to EW . Unlike old-school Westerns, The Power of the Dog is a dark, twisted, slow burn of a film that hinges on emotion, manipulation, secrets, and desire. — M.W.

Where to watch The Power of the Dog : Netflix

Director: Jane Campion

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst , Jesse Plemons , Kodi Smit-McPhee , Thomasin McKenzie, Genevieve Lemon , Keith Carradine , Frances Conroy

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Private Life (2018)

Creating a baby can suck the life out of even the most stable of relationships — especially when the process doesn't go as planned. Richard and Rachel ( Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn) are middle-aged artists living in New York City and struggling with infertility. As they submerge themselves in the process, juggling IVF procedures, adoption interviews, and researching other options, the couple's marriage becomes increasingly strained. Their lives are further complicated when the couple's college-aged niece Sadie (Kayli Carter) comes to stay with them and offers to assist with their conception issues. A nuanced, grounded look at living with infertility, Private Life brilliantly depicts the emotional journey that is struggling to conceive without pandering or offering convenient solutions. Hahn and Giamatti are brilliantly matched and director Tamara Jenkins guides the film with a deft hand, providing well-earned laughs to relieve the tension, but never at the expense of the heartache involved. — I.G.

Where to watch Private Life : Netflix

Director: Tamara Jenkins

Cast: Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn, Kayli Carter, Molly Shannon , John Carroll Lynch , Desmin Borges , Denis O'Hare

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Roma (2018)

Roma was arguably Netflix's first big original movie that really caught the attention of critics and film buffs alike. It was the first Netflix film to receive a Best Picture nod at the Oscars and ultimately won the award for Best Foreign Language Film. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón ( Gravity , Children of Men ) and starring a cast of relatively unknown Mexican actors, the black-and-white film follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a housekeeper for an upper-class family in the 1970s where Cuarón himself grew up. Like life, Roma is a complex, sprawling film that is light on the plot and heavy on the atmosphere. With plenty of long, wide shots, it sends its viewers diving headfirst into Cuarón's version of 1970s Mexico City and ultimately, packs a weighty, emotional punch. — M.W.

Where to watch Roma : Netflix

Director: Alfonso Cuarón

Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Jorge Antonio Guerrero

Related content: Why Oscar nominee Marina de Tavira's Roma role hit close to home

Society of the Snow (2023)

With many retellings often fixating on the gruesome chain of events from the 1972 Andes flight disaster, Pablo Vierci's 2009 book La Sociedad de la Nieve — a narrative more attuned to philosophical rumination — lingered with director J.A. Bayona . Thirteen years after making The Impossible , Bayona set his lens upon this tragedy, where 16 passengers were marooned in the icy embrace of an Andean glacier after a Uruguayan plane accident. Nominated for Oscars in the Best International Feature Film and Best Makeup and Hairstyling categories, Society of the Snow is not a story for the faint of heart, as it presents the unforgiving, stomach-turning brutality of the natural world juxtaposed with the exquisite resilience illustrated by the survivors. —J.M.

Where to watch Society of the Snow : Netflix

Director: J.A. Bayona

Cast: Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Felipe González Otaño, Luciano Chatton, Valentino Alonso, Francisco Romero, Agustín Berruti, Andy Pruss, Simón Hempe, Juan Caruso, Esteban Bigliardi, Rocco Posca, Esteban Kukuriczka, Rafael Federman, Manuela Olivera, Agustín Della Corte, Tomas Wolf

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They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Dropping on the exact weekend as the dual box-office behemoth Barbenheimer , They Cloned Tyrone never received the flowers it truly deserved. A Get Out -esque sci-fi conspiracy caper steeped in the grainy stylings of a 1970s Blaxploitation cinema, Juel Taylor's directorial debut finds an unlikely trio — neighborhood drug dealer Fontaine ( John Boyega ), Nancy Drew -like sex worker Yo-Yo ( Teyonah Parris ), and smooth-talking pimp Slick Charles ( Jamie Foxx ) — as they probe mysterious occurrences in their community, which leads them to an underground lab where Black people are the test subjects of government experiments. Nailing the quick-witted, spitfire dialogue, all three leads demand attention with an electric chemistry and camaraderie. While embracing familiar tropes, They Cloned Tyrone weaves an original story that stands out as a diamond in the thick of many Netflix duds. —J.M.

Where to watch They Cloned Tyrone : Netflix

Director: Juel Taylor

Cast: John Boyega, Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris, Kiefer Sutherland , David Alan Grier

Related content: John Boyega calls They Cloned Tyrone with Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx 'a new vibe entirely'

Tick, Tick...Boom! (2021)

A movie musical directed by Hamilton 's Lin-Manuel Miranda , Tick, Tick…Boom! is based on the stage show of the same name by Jonathan Larson , the composer of Rent . Starring Andrew Garfield in the leading role, the film loosely follows Larson's own life as a struggling songwriter as he turns 30 in 1990s New York City. Told in a series of flashbacks that come to life on screen during a performance of the stage version of Tick, Tick…Boom! , the biopic of sorts takes you on a painfully relatable journey of friendship, heartbreak, and being an artist. With numerous Broadway cameos and Easter eggs, it's the perfect, heartfelt ode to musical theater, and the remarkable Jonathan Larson is at the center of it all. "He's a warrior for art and love and the soul, and he wants everyone to sing their song," Garfield tells EW . "He wants everyone to be their own particular note in this grand harmony of a truly meaningful life." — M.W.

Where to watch Tick, Tick…Boom! : Netflix

Director: Lin-Manuel Miranda

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens , Alexandra Shipp, Jordan Fisher , Robin de Jesus , Bradley Whitford

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The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A 2020 Netflix original based (loosely) on a true story, The Trial of the Chicago 7 details the story of seven men who find themselves on trial after a large protest against the Vietnam War during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin , The Trial of the Chicago 7 bears his recognizable fast-paced, verbose style and features an almost impossibly starry ensemble cast. As Sorkin tells EW , The Trial of the Chicago 7 took 12 years to make after he first thought of bringing the famous court case to life on screen. Nevertheless, it still came at a remarkably appropriate political moment. "It's funny, I've been asked, did the script change at all to mirror the times?" he says . "And no, it didn't; the times changed to mirror the script." While this film may recount the story of a war and a group of protestors from over 50 years ago, it's surprisingly relevant to modern audiences. — M.W.

Where to watch The Trial of the Chicago 7 : Netflix

Director: Aaron Sorkin

Cast: Eddie Redmayne , Sacha Baron Cohen , Jeremy Strong , Yahya Abdul-Mateen II , Mark Rylance, Frank Langella , Joseph Gordon-Levitt , Michael Keaton

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Triple Frontier (2019)

Why rob a bank when you can put your life on the line stealing money from the cartel? In Triple Frontier , the J.C. Chandor -directed and Netflix produced action/adventure movie, a group of former special-ops soldiers come to the realization that they have not been properly compensated for their years spent in military service, and decide to get what's theirs by robbing a drug lord. Chandor brings out the big guns to play his team of military men, enlisting an ensemble composed of Ben Affleck , Oscar Isaac , Charlie Hunnam , Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal . A good, old-fashioned male bonding film with a lot of money on the line, EW's critic writes , "There may be no honor among thieves, but Triple Frontier certainly makes watching them pretty entertaining." —I.G.

Where to watch Triple Frontier : Netflix

Director: J.C. Chandor

Cast: Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, Pedro Pascal

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The Two Popes (2019)

Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles mines heart and humor from the holiest places in his biographical drama, The Two Popes . In the wake of the real-life Vatican Leaks scandal, Pope Benedict XVI ( Anthony Hopkins ) hopes to abdicate the papacy but finds he must first convince his former rival, Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio ( Jonathan Pryce ), not to pursue an early retirement so he might assume the role instead. Adapted from New Zealand writer Anthony McCarten's play by the same name — which is inspired by the 2013 papal transition — the film tracks the German Benedict and the Argentinian Bergoglio (soon to be Pope Francis) as the two wax philosophic on everything from God and their own perceived failings to soccer and the Swedish pop band ABBA. EW's critic writes , "Together, Hopkins and Pryce lift Popes above its loose patchwork of monologue, flashback, and personal reckoning, and let the movie get down to its truest root: scaling the mystery that makes all men, even the most seemingly unknowable and sacrosanct, human." — I.G.

Where to watch The Two Popes : Netflix

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce

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The White Tiger (2021)

An Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama, The White Tiger' s title refers to a special kind of person; a once in a generation thinker. The movie tells the story of Balram (Adrarsh Gourav), a successful entrepreneur whose career belies his impoverished beginnings. Adapted from a 2008 novel and nominated for an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Ramin Bahrani -directed film elevates the story from the classic tale of rags-to-riches by grounding itself in the moral and ethical sacrifices Balram must make to rise above the paralyzing circumstances into which he was born. Also starring Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Pinky — the American-raised wife of Balram's employer — The White Tiger handles heavy themes of class, caste, and what one owes family with a light touch. Of course, none of this would be possible without Gourav, who EW's critics says delivers a breakout performance: "Through his eyes, Balram's singular story — in all its wild, exuberant improbability — roars to life." — I.G.

Where to watch The White Tiger : Netflix

Director: Ramin Bahrani

Cast: Adarsh Gourav, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Rajkummar Rao

Related content: Oscar nominee Ramin Bahrani breaks down a turning point in The White Tiger

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)

Adam Sandler brings his family to work in You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah , a Netflix original comedy starring him and his two real-life daughters. A film about the joys — and horrors — of middle school, becoming a woman, and throwing a kickass party, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is a Gen Z take on a coming-of-age story. If you need more convincing, EW named Bat Mitzvah as one of Adam Sandler’s 11 best movies and the film is currently Sandler’s top-rated project on Rotten Tomatoes . Nepo babies get a bad rap, but Sunny and Sadie Sandler prove their father’s talent is genetic, and with Sandler once again teaming up with his Uncut Gems costar Idina Menzel , Bat Mitzvah is a family reunion in more ways than one. — I.G.

Where to watch You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah : Netflix

Director: Sammi Cohen

Cast: Idina Menzel, Jackie Sandler, Adam Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler, Samantha Lorraine, Dylan Hoffman, Sarah Sherman, Dan Bulla, Ido Mosseri, Jackie Hoffman , Luis Guzmán

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In Charlotte, a City Mourns Its Officers, and Asks What Went Wrong

The killing of the four officers in a usually quiet neighborhood, where a running gun battle left people scrambling for cover, stunned residents and brought anguish across the city.

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By Eduardo Medina

Reporting from Charlotte, N.C.

As a corrections officer in North Carolina, Sam Poloche had long found being out in the field much more rewarding than working at a desk. So, in 2013, he eagerly joined a task force led by the U.S. Marshals Service, assisting in serving warrants across the western part of the state.

“It was just something he loved,” his wife, Cielo Poloche, said. “He did his job, came home to us, and that was it.”

On Monday afternoon, a deputy greeted Ms. Poloche at her home, bearing the news that her husband, a slightly reserved man who loved his two sons, had been shot while serving a warrant in Charlotte. By the time she arrived at the hospital, her husband had died.

Officer Poloche and three other members of the task force had been fatally shot while serving a warrant on a man who used a powerful AR-15-style rifle to fire waves of rounds at them from the second floor of a house.

“I’m still trying to process it all,” Ms. Poloche said on Tuesday, her voice breaking.

The killing of the four officers in a usually quiet eastern neighborhood, where a running gun battle left people scrambling for cover inside their homes, stunned residents and brought anguish across the city.

And as investigators started reviewing body camera footage and other evidence on Tuesday, officials and residents began to question how the serving of the search warrant, a common but highly charged task for officers, had turned into one of the deadliest moments in recent years for American law enforcement personnel.

“The last few days has been very tough,” Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said at a news conference on Tuesday, pausing to collect himself and wipe tears from his eyes.

The officers were part of the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, an operation that draws from 16 agencies, including the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the state corrections department.

In addition to Officer Poloche, 42, the victims were identified as Alden Elliott, a 14-year veteran with the State Department of Adult Correction and the father of one child; Thomas Weeks, 48, a deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service and the father of four children; and Joshua Eyer, an officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department who had been honored last week as an officer of the month by the city.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Monday, the officers walked up to a red brick home on Galway Drive to execute a warrant on Terry Clark Hughes Jr., 39, on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm. As they approached, they were immediately met by gunfire coming from the second floor of the house, officials said.

The officers were at a “disadvantage” during the shootout, Chief Jennings said, because they were being fired at from above. Even as they tried to take cover, rapid bursts of gunfire from the rifle easily pierced their body armor, he said.

Chief Jennings said investigators were still piecing together a timeline of what had happened. Larry Mackey, a retired firefighter who lives close to the scene, said in an interview on Tuesday that he believed at least 30 minutes had passed between the first eruption of gunfire and a second burst of shots.

Video of the standoff that was captured by another neighbor shows officers crouching by a vehicle and pointing their guns up at a red brick house. At one point in one of the videos, an officer tells another, “He’s looking at us,” seemingly referring to Mr. Hughes.

Eventually, Mr. Hughes left the house, armed with a firearm, and was fatally shot by officers near the front yard, the police said. In addition to the four officers who were killed, four others suffered injuries that were not life threatening.

Officials said they were investigating how Mr. Hughes, who had an extensive criminal history, had acquired the guns.

Records from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety show that he spent time in prison in 2011 and 2013. Since 2001, he had been criminally charged more than four dozen times, on counts including breaking and entering, assault and possessing firearms as a felon, records show.

In 2012, Mr. Hughes was arrested after crashing his car during a police pursuit in central North Carolina.

“Our system is not completely where it needs to be,” Chief Jennings said of the criminal justice system. He added: “We’re overwhelmed in the court system. Our district attorney is overwhelmed with the docket that we see within Charlotte-Mecklenburg.”

When asked about the episode on Monday, Craig Hughes, a cousin of Mr. Hughes, said only, “Just a bad decision, that’s all.”

Neighbors on Galway Drive said they did not know many details about the people who lived in the house where the shootout occurred, other than that a woman would often do yardwork out front. A 17-year-old girl and a woman were in the home on Monday during the shooting and have been cooperating with officials’ investigation, the police said.

On Tuesday, much of the house was tattered and destroyed, with cracked bricks and splintered wood spread across the entryway. The second-floor windows were pierced, and bullet holes riddled the interior walls.

The task force that was serving the warrant on Monday had received training in a variety of matters over the years, according to Ronald L. Davis, the director of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Alexis Piquero, a professor of criminology at the University of Miami who has researched crime and justice policy, said that when officers serve warrants at homes, “they have no idea what is on the other side” of a door. With the proliferation of high-powered rifles across the country, he said, the dangers for such operations have only increased.

“When you combine an individual who has nefarious intentions with the armament that this kind of weapon takes on, it is a recipe for disaster,” Dr. Piquero said.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina said that he had met with the families of the slain officers and that “the investigation into this tragic, brutal, deadly attack will result in more answers that we don’t know today.”

Back at her home, Ms. Poloche, 43, said she was holding on to the memories of her husband: their first meeting in Sagunto, Spain, during a summer study abroad program; their marriage the following year; his adventurous spirit and quirky leather-working hobby.

Officer Poloche had been beaming with pride last Friday as he toured the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where his two sons, 18 and 21, would soon be attending college together.

Ms. Poloche now thought of her boys and their heartache. She thought of her husband’s smile, the pride he had in his work.

“That is where my head is at,” she said.

Kitty Bennett contributed research.

Eduardo Medina is a Times reporter covering the South. An Alabama native, he is now based in Durham, N.C. More about Eduardo Medina