Some of the new movies and TV shows that flew under the radar on Netflix this year, to help you get more from your subscription.
Even a worldwide pandemic hasn’t stopped Netflix in its quest to be the most prolific content-making machine around. By the time that this year from hell draws to a close, the streaming giant will have dropped more than 450 different originals in the space of just 12 months. Of course, from Tiger King to Emily in Paris, most of us appear to have spent lockdown binge watching the same handful of guilty pleasures. But away from the worlds of mullet-haired polygamous zoo owners and ludicrous French stereotypes, you’ll find numerous other new films, shows and specials worthy of gracing your Netflix watchlist. Here’s a look at ten of 2020’s most underrated movies and TV shows. Writer/director Alan Yang had already touched upon the Asian-American immigrant experience in the sublime ‘Parents’ episode of Master of None. In his semi-autobiographical feature-length debut, the Emmy winner gets to further expand on the sacrifices made, hardships faced and opportunities missed by the likes of his real-life father. Spanning multiple generations, Tigertail chronicles a grocery store worker’s journey from the poverty-stricken rice fields of Taiwan to the humdrum suburbs of New York and the emotional disconnect that results. Boasting a heartfelt performance from The Farewell’s Tzi Ma, this subtle and sensitive character study shows how the reality of the American Dream rarely matches the fantasy. Most of the attention surrounding The Eddy focused on the involvement of Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle. But although the La Land director skilfully sets the freewheeling tone in his opening two episodes, the Parisian jazz club drama only truly comes alive after he’s passed on the reins. It’s here that the show’s central murder mystery veers off into other interesting directions, allowing all the major players to get their moment in the spotlight. Tying it all together is André Holland, who shines as a retired pianist struggling to keep both the eponymous Parisian venue and his personal life afloat. And as you’d expect, few shows sound more dynamic. Cate Blanchett pulls double duty in this empathetic, if often unflinching, insight into the machinations of Australia’s immigration policies. Stateless sees its co-creator and Dominic West play married cult leaders whose sinister sides compel a disciple to assume a different national identity, only to find herself detained indefinitely in the Aussie outback. This bewildering (loosely-adapted) real-life tale is cleverly interwoven with three other compelling detention center back stories, involving a desperate Afghan refugee, an out-of-her-depth administrator and a reluctant new security guard.
