Let's briefly state the obvious: There is a lot of content out there. Each Friday, Netflix drops enough new movies and TV shows to keep a person indoors all weekend. And don't get us started on podcasts.
So, it's easy to pass by the hidden gems. You may not have heard of the movies on this list – or you may just not have been paying attention. Maybe you strolled past ads on public transport, or talked through trailers while at buzzier movies. Either way: We're telling you now.
These are the under-hyped 2019 movies that will make you go home and tell your friends, "Stop everything and watch this movie." They fly under the radar — so we're putting them on yours.
Lionheart
1st January 2019
Lionheart is Netflix's first Nigerian original movie. As Nnaji, the film's star and director, told Essence, " Lionheart stemmed from my desire and hunger to shed light, and to speak the truth of what it’s like to be a young [woman] trying to make it in a world that is dominated by men. That being said, it was equally important to me that the movie was light-hearted and warm, so the environment in which it was told was crucial as well."
Watch It If: You're in desperate need of a feel-good movie.
Perfect Strangers
11th January 2019
In 2016, the Italian movie Perfetti sconosciti entranced audiences with its simple, but thought-provoking, premise: A group of friends plays a game during a dinner party that entails reading all incoming text messages out loud for the group. Since then, the movie has launched a worldwide cinematic phenomenon, with remakes done in nearly 10 countries and multiple adaptations in the works. Each remake has its own flair. This Mexican remake is particularly outstanding.
Watch It If: Your mobile phone is an extension of your self.
All These Small Moments
17th January 2019
How do you remember your teen years? Probably in flashes of small moments, linked together by themes and feelings. Now an adult, Howie (Brendan) looks back on a formative year of high school. With his parents (Molly Ringwald and Brian d'Arcy James) constantly fighting, 16-year-old Howie escapes into a fantasy crush on an older woman (Jemima Kirke) with whom he rides the bus through Brooklyn to school. All These Small Moments is a quiet, poignant movie about teenagers as they really are.
Watch It If: You're nostalgic AF.
Serenity
15th January 2019
Watch Serenity before anyone spoils the twist ending for you. And watch Serenity knowing that while the movie isn't Oscar-worthy, it's an absolute riot.
Watch It If: You want to be taken for a wild ride (that might not make complete sense). Our ending guide may help.
A Private War
1st February 2019
Rosamund Pike steps into real-life journalist Marie Colvin's shoes for this moving film based on her life. Colvin was an international correspondent for The Sunday Times and was killed while covering the conflict in Homs, Syria in 2012. A Private War documents her lifes work - from the attack that left her with that signature eye patch to meeting friend and colleague Paul Conroy (played by Jaime Dornan) to the knock on effect her career had on her health and personal life.
Watch It If: You enjoy learning about incredible women in recent history
High Flying Bird
8th February 2019
High Flying Bird is a philosophical basketball movie, more concerned with the underlying systems of oppression behind professional sports than the sport itself. That said, all the characters in High Flying Bird are motivated by love of the game — both basketball and three-dimensional chess. In the movie, a sports agent (Andre Holland) has to pull strings to end a long lockout.
Watch It If: You want a fast-paced movie that will make you think.
Fighting With My Family
14th February 2019
Saraya Bevis (Florence Pugh) was born to be a wrestler. She spent her childhood fighting with her brother, Zak (Jack Lowdon), in her family's makeshift ring in Norwich, England. In 2008, Saraya and her brother have a chance to fulfil their WWE dreams — but the audition holds a twist that no one in the Bevis wrestling family expected. Fighting With My Family takes the beats of a conventional biopic and infuses them with rock-n-roll. It's also very star-studded: Expect appearances from Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Vince Vaughan, and Dwayne Johnson.
Watch It If: You like cheering a young woman along.
Happy Death Day 2U
14th February 2019
Happy Death Day 2U is like if Groundhog Day suddenly became murderous. This sequel elevates the original movie, Happy Death Day, by explaining the actual mechanics of the time loop. It's an intellectual gore-fest.
Watch It If: You like time-twisty sci-fi movies.
Paris Is Us
23rd February 2019
Paris Is Us is more of a visual quilt than a conventional movie. Technically, the movie tracks the relationship between Anna (Noémie Schmidt) and Greg (Grégoire Isvarine), two young Parisians. After Anna has a near-death experience 20 minutes into the movie, the tone suddenly switches and becomes a voyage into Anna's interiority.
Watch It If: You like experimental movies.
Greta
1st March 2019
Greta is a tremendous camp-fest of a horror movie. Frances (Chloë-Grace Moretz) is new to New York and still fresh-eyed enough to hand-deliver a missing subway bag. At first, its owner Greta (Isabelle Huppert) seems like a sweet old lady. Spoiler: There is a lot behind Greta's blank smile — a lot of evil. Greta is a stalker movie best enjoyed with wine and a pack of friends.
Watch It If: Your favourite kind of horror movies are the ones that make you laugh.
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
1st March 2019
Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut introduces us to William Kamkwamba (Maxwell Simba) who, at the age of 14-years-old, saved his Malawian village after a particularly tough drought. It's based on the real events that William, now in his 30s, navigated to help his village survive the Malawi famine in 2002. After having to leave school when his parents could no longer afford the fee, William spent his time unpicking a science textbook that inspired him to replicate the windmill on it's cover. Though even his father (played by Ejiofor) was sceptical about his unconventional fixation, William managed to build a make-shift windmill and soon bring electricity and water to the village.
Watch It If: You're up for being moved and inspired by a true story
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