Netflix's Best Original Movies, According to Rotten Tomatoes
Strong Island (2017)
Strong Island is a 2017 true-crime documentary on the case of William Ford and directed by Ford's brother Yance. Ford was a 24-year-old African-American man killed by 19-year-old Mark P. Reilly. An all-white grand jury in Suffolk County, New York declined to indict Reilly, who claimed self-defense. Strong Island was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2018.
prevnextAthlete A (2020)
Athlete A is a must-see documentary directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk that details the Larry Nassar scandal that engulfed USA Gymnastics. The film also follows the Indianapolis Star journalists who broke the story. Nassar sexually assaulted hundreds of young girls while serving as USA Gymnastics' team doctor. Athlete A won Best Sports Documentary at the 2020 Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.
prevnextThe Square (2013)
The Square, directed by Jehane Noujaim, focuses on the political crises in Egypt, beginning with the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. It was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. The film also won Emmys for Oustanding Directing, Outstanding Cinematography, and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming.
prevnextDick Johnson is Dead (2020)
Kirsten Johnson's Dick Johnson is Dead is a surprisingly hilarious and touching film. Johnson's father Richard suffers from dementia, and she hatched ideas to show his "death" through various staged "accidents." Johnson won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program.
prevnextCrip Camp (2020)
Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht's Oscar-nominated Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution is an emotional look at Camp Jened, a summer camp in New York for teens with disabilities. The film tells the story of the teens who grew up to become disability rights activists. Barack and Michelle Obama served as executive producers.
prevnextHis House (2020)
His House, which debuted at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, was written and directed by Remi Weekes, from a story by Felicity Evans and Toby Venables. The movie is about South Sudanese refugees Bol (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku), who struggle to adjust to living in an English town while evil resurfaces. The movie earned widespread critical acclaim and won four awards at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards.
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