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Best Movies of the 2010s That You Can Watch Right Now

Best Movies of the last decade streaming now

Here’s a chronological list of the best movies of the 2010s that you can stream right now with a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription, or for free using apps like Tubi, Vudu, Hoopla, and Kanopy (the last two might be free with your local public library membership). As we’re now based in the U.S. this list is customized for all of you living in the U.S. So, if you’re living in another country, head to JustWatch.com and search to find out where to watch the film where you are.

I Am Love – Tubi, Hoopla

Starting with 2010, you can watch Luca Guadagnino’s I Am Love on Tubi for free with ads, or on Hoopla for free without ads (the app is free with most public library memberships). Like his Call Me By Your Name, this movie is also set in Italy, features a controversial romantic relationship, and is beautifully shot.

A Useful Life – Tubi

A Useful Life is a short feature (1h 7m long) about a single man that runs an art-house cinema in Uruguay. It’s an ode to cinema of the past and how it, and the single man, are being forced to adapt to a new digital world. It’s currently streaming for free on Tubi (with ads). Read our full review here.

A Separation – Netflix

A Separation was probably the most popular Iranian film featured in critic’s best of the decade lists. Great for those who enjoyed watching Marriage Story – this film is about a couple seeking a divorce – and it’s also great for anyone who has Netflix, where it’s currently streaming.

The Orator – Amazon Prime

For something different, check out The Orator. It features a Samoan little person who struggles to protect his wife and family honor from rival tribe members. It’s currently streaming on Amazon Prime. Read our full review here.

The Look of Silence – Netflix, Hoopla

Following on from The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence is an even more gut wrenching and unbelievable documentary. You’ll meet death squad killers as they boast and laugh about the people they killed. Slowly, in their re-enactments, they seem to gain an awareness of the atrocities they’ve committed. Does it change them? Find out by watching it on Netflix or Hoopla (free with most public library memberships). You can also read the full review here.

Force Majeure – Hulu, Hoopla, Tubi, Kanopy

This Swedish comedy, from the guy that won Cannes with The Square a few years later, is built of one of the most unlikely concepts. The fallout starts when a father runs from his family as an avalanche approaches their ski resort. However, when the avalanche turns out not to be deadly, he has to face the family he cowardly ran away from. Watch the drama on Hulu (subscription), Tubi (free), Hoopla (free with most public libraries), or Kanopy (free with some public libraries).

Under the Skin – Netflix, Kanopy

Watch this if you want to watch a film in which Scarlett Johansson is an alien that seduces and kidnaps men off of the streets in Glasgow. It’s currently streaming on Netflix and Kanopy (free with some public libraries).

Embrace of the Serpent – Amazon Prime, Vudu, Hulu, Kanopy

Embrace of the Serpent is many things at once. It is a beautifully shot film set deep in the Amazon jungle that delves into many themes, including Life and Death, Culture, Civilization, Religion, and Exploration. One of my personal favourites from the decade and it’s currently streaming everywhere. You can catch it on Amazon Prime, Hulu, Vudu (free with ads), and Kanopy (free with some libraries). Read our full review here.

Under the Shadow – Netflix, Hoopla

Under the Shadow layers the context of the Iraq-Iran war and female oppression onto a potent horror narrative. It’s perfect if you want something more from the horror genre without skimping out on the scare tactics. This Iranian horror film is currently streaming on Netflix and Hoopla (free with most public libraries). Read our full review here.

Moonlight – Netflix, Kanopy

Moonlight is one of the strongest contenders for the best Floridian films of all time. It’s beautiful cinematography and vulnerability sets it apart. Plus it actually won the Best Picture Academy Award – a rare example of the Academy getting it right. Watch it now on Netflix or Kanopy (free with some public libraries).

Neruda – Netflix, Kanopy

If you’re a fan of the poetry of Pablo Neruda, you should give this film a watch. In the movie, the director (Pablo Larrain) fuses the work of Neruda with Don Quixote to turn this into something very meta. It’s not so much a celebration of Neruda’s work than a celebration of poetry and creativity in general. Plus it’s also a chase movie which takes place all across Chile. Watch it on Netflix or Kanopy (free with some public libraries). Read our full review here.

Makala – Amazon Prime, Kanopy

This documentary film is on another level. You’ll rarely get this close to a life completely different to the one you’re used to. Not just because you probably have no idea about the lives of charcoal miners in DR Congo, but because you rarely get films that are this intimate. There are so many close ups and shots where Kabwita’s emotion is so clearly visible that you’ll feel like you’re there right beside him. The only problem is that you’ll feel even worse for not being able to help him up those hills. Experience it on Amazon Prime or Kanopy (free with some public libraries). Read our full review here.

Roma – Netflix

If you want to be guided around 1970s Mexico City, you’ve come to the right place. The stream of consciousness narrative in Roma feels like life and memory, and the acting and cinematography is a visual treat. Open your mind and immerse yourself in it. Watch it now on Netflix. Read our full review here.

Burning – Netflix, Hoopla

Burning is both a love triangle film and a mystery – nothing is ever clear and transparent. It’s a slower, eerie, and more subtle version of the class boundaries of Korean society than those depicted in Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. It’s also probably one of the better adaptations of Haruki Murakami’s work. Watch it on Netflix, or for free with Hoopla (free with most public libraries).

Happy as Lazzaro – Netflix

Happy as Lazzaro may look like your typical Italian movie, but it features time traveling and magic in small doses. It centers on Lazzaro, a share cropper that doesn’t realize he’s oppressed by the rich people he serves, even after he wakes up from a long coma. It may sound strange, but it never feels unbelievable. Watch it now on Netflix.

Shoplifters – Hulu, Hoopla

If you’re looking for a heart-warming family to guide you around contemporary Japan, check out Shoplifters. Everyone is welcome in this oddball family to find beauty and wonder in life’s simple pleasures. It’s currently streaming on Hulu and on Hoopla (free with most public libraries). Read our full review here.

Border – Hulu

This is one of the weirdest films from the last decade. It’s hard to describe it without giving away any spoilers, so if you like weird, give it a watch on Hulu.

Atlantics – Netflix

What happens to a community in Senegal when the young men (half of the future of the country) take to the Atlantic Ocean in search of better opportunities in Europe? Watch Atlantics on Netflix now to find out.

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom

Winter on Fire from Netflix is a perfect example about how technology is helping to catch some incredible footage of popular protests that might not have been captured before. I recommend this film to anyone with or without a Netflix account!

Why watch Winter on Fire?

For an insight into the current situation in Ukraine – do you want to know why Ukraine descended into chaos in late 2013?
To understand what it means to be European and part of the EU (pretty relevant today with the Brexit vote looming).
Peaceful protests – what can they achieve?
To see how film-makers can influence you!

In the opening minutes we are introduced to a 16 year old standing amidst dead bodies and gunfire who says that he belongs on the front lines. This is our baptism of fire – we can immediately see that the country has descended into chaos. Cut to a very brief introduction to Ukraine and President Yanukovych pictured alongside the word ‘criminal.’ From there we are taken to the first gatherings of the crowd at Maidan after the President declared he would not enter the EU.

First off, the footage of the whole protest from late 2013 to early 2014 is incredible. Afineevsky had a team of 28 cameramen and camerawomen shoot clips throughout the protests and of many people involved. We are introduced to kids, religious figures, and men and women from an array of backgrounds. The scope of the protests are matched by the scope of the footage.

Even the action captured is incredible and extremely hard to watch at times due to the violence. Nothing from the protests seems to escape the camera.

On the other hand, Afineevsky masterfully influences the viewer. After the film I felt compelled to do something to support Ukraine and the people’s fight for freedom. The footage of large groups of people singing and working together to build a make-shift community successfully gets viewers on the side of the protestors. Even the music rouses us to support the protestors – it builds when crowds gather and start working together, and turns more dramatic when the people are met by the police.

The whole film becomes a battle of ‘the people’ vs. violence and corruption. Obviously we are going to choose the people! The people interviewed and the narrators all support the protestors. In this respect, it would have been nice to have another point of view. Evidently there were people against the protestors goals, but there is no attempt to give them any voice.

This is the second powerful documentary that Netflix has produced showing big city protests, the first being The Square (2013) showing the Egyptian Revolution at Tahir Square. Both Winter on Fire and The Square were nominated for Academy Awards. Both show protests against the government and how they progress. Both are recommended viewing!

The Propaganda Game (North Korea) – What do you Know about North Korea?

The Propaganda Game Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

How dangerous do you think North Korea is to the world? Secondly, do you think you are an open minded person? The Propaganda Game exposes life in Korea and the propaganda we and North Koreans see every day. Is one side right? Can we find the truth? Read on.

Image result for the propaganda game

Why Watch The Propaganda Game?

To learn about North Korea
See how powerful propaganda can be (in this case it shows the propaganda we see that shapes our view of North Korea, and also the propaganda the citizens of North Korea see)
It will open your mind as you think about Cultural Relativism: the theory that beliefs, customs, and morality exist in relation to the particular culture from which they originate and are not absolute
It’s on Netflix

The Breakdown

The Propaganda Game starts with shots of what appears to be life in a typical Asian city. There are people meditating in parks, kids roller skating over ramps, and everything looks like it comes from a tourist brochure.

The shots are of course of life in North Korea. For a nice juxtaposition, the director layers western news reporters reports of life in North Korea over the top. It is clear that something is wrong as the pictures of North Korea obviously do not match up to the propaganda pushed by western media.

This is what film maker Alvaro Longoria explores in this film: propaganda. He points out that there are two players in the propaganda game, the North Korean government, and western media. Both are perpetrating myths and both myths are pretty much opposite. I’ve set out both myths below:

The western media perpetrate a myth that North Korea is a rogue state which poses a nuclear threat to the world and subjugates all of it’s citizens against their will.
North Korea perpetrates a myth that the west (in particular the U.S.) are the fault of all the problems in the country and that the whole world idolises their leaders and look towards North Korea as a beacon of the revolution.

Though the amazing shots and interviews we get in North Korea we can make our own judgements.

Conclusion

The most important message of this film is that we should always keep an open mind. Blindly accepting a point of view we see in the news can hide the truth. This goes for both the people in North Korea and the anyone who follows western media. We are all subject to propaganda, so we must always remain vigilant in trying to find see all sides of the agenda. In this case, there is no truth. Check out the trailer below.

The Pearl of Africa (Uganda) – A Documentary of Illegal Love

The Pearl of Africa Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

If you think it’s easy being yourself, you should watch The Pearl of Africa. You’ll meet Cleo, a transgender woman, struggling for acceptance within an country where it’s illegal for her to be herself. In fact, for ‘aggravated homosexuality’ she could be executed. Find out how she manages to live by watching this documentary on Netflix.

Image result for the pearl africa

Why Watch The Pearl of Africa?

To find out how hard it is for some people to be themselves
Meet the LGBT movement in Uganda, fighting for human rights
Learn a bit about the sex reassignment surgery process
Meet one of the most supportive partners there is

The Breakdown

We first meet Cleo lying half conscious on a hospital bed. It’s not clear what has happened. However, the stop motion animations of one figure punching another figure in high heels leads us to assume that she has been abused.

Uganda is a country with so much diversity, but there still lingers so much prejudice. Whilst different languages and religions coexist, homosexuality has been outlawed. Cleo and her boyfriend would get life imprisonment for a single homosexual act, and would face execution for ‘aggravated homosexuality.’ Simply put, it’s illegal for them to exist.

The director intentionally alternates between the news footage of angry protestors protesting against homosexuality and the serene relationship between Cleo and Nelson. On the one hand you have people protesting a sexual orientation they think is not normal. Then on the other hand you have Cleo and Nelson, a happy couple in love. Juxtaposing the two scenes makes the protestors position appear even more absurd as it shows they are directly protesting against happiness and love.

Conclusion & What to Watch Next

The Pearl of Africa shows you just how hard it is for some people to be themselves. Cleo is forced to leave the country to simply be the person she is. However, this is also a documentary of the strength of love. You’ll see how Cleo and Nelson struggle together to overcome their illegality.

To watch more check out God Loves Uganda which explores the role of American religious extremists in establishing anti-homosexuality in Uganda.

If you want to watch more African film which highlight social issues check out the fun Africa United, Beauty and the Dogs, and Black Girl. All are great film.

October 1 (Nigeria) – Murder Before Independence Day

October 1 Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Nigerian Independence Day (October 1st) is fast approaching. A police officer is sent into unknown territory to investigate a string of murders. Can he solve them before Independence Day? For an African thriller which explores colonialism, religion, and tribalism, you can’t go wrong with this film. Plus it’s available on Netflix!

Why Watch October 1?

For a perfect gateway into Nigerian film (Nollywood)
It covers a lot – exploring tribalism, western imperialism, unification, racism, religion, colonialism, and more
To hear a range of languages – English, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo
It’s easy to watch – it feels much more like the easy-going South African Umbango than the art-house Timbuktu

The Breakdown

October 1 starts under a red moon shining red light over the forest. A man chases a screaming woman through the forest until he catches her, rapes her, and leaves her dead on the forest floor.

It’s 1960. Police Officer Dan Waziri is sent to investigate the murders by a trio of English imperialists to ‘clean up’ Nigeria before it’s Independence Day on October 1st. As a Hausa man from the North, Dan Waziri is out of place in Akote. As an outsider, he faces many challenges in solving the case.

The characters provide the main talking point of the film. The trio of white men from the British colonial military are undeniably racist. Prince Aderopo of Akote is questionably for the continuation of British rule. Then there is Miss Tawa, a teacher who is preparing her classes for Nigerian independence. Among this group of characters, Dan is a mediator. He is neither outwardly for or against independence and shows no religious or political bias. He offers us an unbiased look at the political situation of Nigeria in 1960.

Conclusion

October 1 is brave to explore a range of controversial themes at the time of Nigerian independence. Whilst it does it bullishly, you’ll learn about the lasting impact that colonialism has had on Nigeria.