It’s like an illness, sat on your phone or tablet, endlessly scrolling through category after category of dramas and docs, blockbusters and boxsets, saving everything that looks interesting, before realising it’s now midnight and you’ve wasted your precious viewing window.
Gone are the days of spending half the night walking round the local video shop trying to decide what to watch this weekend, at least back then once you’d made your choice that was it. Our attention spans are becoming more and more limited yet our ability to sit and scroll knows no bounds.
Given that we’ve been there ourselves, we thought it best to take note of the genuinely engaging, meaningful, sometimes scary, disturbing and laugh out loud features that we’ve had the pleasure of taking in most recently. And with that, we bring you our definitive list of the 7 best things to stream on Netflix right now.
Pihu
Possibly the most stressful watch available in Netflix’s back catalogue is the social thriller Pihu. This highly original concept fresh from Bollywood, is a terrifying, edge of your seat watch that’s been described as “every parents worst nightmare“.
After seeing the corpse of her dead mother prostrate on a bed, we quickly realise that two year old Pihu is home alone with all the the dangers and pitfalls that a curious young child could encounter, not least living in a high rise apartment.
Wonderfully choreographed by director Vinod Kapri, this is certainly not one for the faint-hearted.
Last Breath
Another hugely stressful watch (there’s a theme emerging) is a documentary we brought you news of a while back.
Last Breath follows the recollections of a team of deep-sea divers after a supposed straightforward, yet utterly terrifying mission, to the depths of the ocean floor to perform some work on a damaged pipe in an oil field off the coast of Scotland.
Talking heads regale us, interspersed with a tense reconstruction of events. To reveal anymore would spoil the fun or should that be stress? But it’s safe to say this remarkable story makes for a thrilling watch. Undoubtedly one of the best things to stream on Netflix.
A Ghost Story
Written and directed by the acclaimed David Lowery, A Ghost Story is a masterful artistic exploration of love and loss.
A recently deceased man (Casey Affleck) returns to his family home as a ghost (symbolised by a white sheet) to be with and attempt to connect to his grieving wife.
In reality he becomes trapped in a kind of purgatory as he watches his wife move on from their old life and all he has left is memories and the emptiness of his current existence. A beautiful and thought-provoking drama that lingers long in the mind.
Basketball or Nothing
Everybody loves an underdog story and this entertaining docu-series follows the highs and lows of the Chinle High School Basketball team.
With a team comprising mainly of adolescent young Native Americans from the Navajo Tribe, who aside from the typical torments of teenage-hood, come from impoverished backgrounds and broken families.
As we follow The Wildcats and their tumultuous journey both on and off the court, we’re aware of the ongoing disparity that continues to exist in supposedly wealthy, first class nations. The struggles are real, but human spirit abounds.
The Family
There’s probably never been a more pertinent time for conspiracy theorists, than the chaotic political landscape we currently endure in the western world.
And with Netflix releasing a long overdue true-crime series that’s set to fan the flames of injustice, could The Family become a sleeper hit, that poses serious questions about the powers at work, in this case, right in the thick of Washington.
Centred around a Christian Group of Men that lurk in the shadows, weaving a web of control in the corridors of power that stretches across the globe. We’ll let you join the dots.
Fahrenheit 11/9
On another similar theme, Michael Moore has made a return to his disgruntled best, uncovering the hypocrisy and hype of the Trump train. It’s a welcome return to form, and undoubtedly Moore is invigorated and energised by this most unlikely election result.
Moore has a tendency to play fast and loose with fact much like those he targets, but, unlike with many political figures, this actually leads to worthwhile questions being raised and a greater awareness of the role we [choose to] play in our own miserable existence.
There are shocking stats and revelations about the US political system that will undoubtedly make less knowledgeable viewers sit up and take note.
The Perfection
This dark and twisted psychological thriller is centred around musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams), and the current incumbent at the elite musical academy she previously attended Elizabeth (Logan Browning), as they cross paths at a musical event in Shanghai.
Elizabeth lives the life Charlotte was destined for prior to abandoning her burgeoning career to care for her sick mother. Bu without ruining the plot that’s as far as we can go.
One thing we can say is The Perfection is an unpredictable road trip of chaos, gore, sex and horror, that’ll leave viewers exhausted and overwhelmed, which is about as alive as one can feel really!
Any other best things to stream on Netflix we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments.
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