Every good moviegoer knows that, in 2019, not all good movies go through big theater screens. Some films, either because they don’t get a distributor in certain countries or because they are subject to the rules of certain platforms, can only be seen from home… But only on those homes fortunate enough to be able to afford online TV streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO or Amazon Prime. All the titles on this list are the best online-only releases of 2019, and most of them are too good to miss them. If you don’t have access to any of these platforms, you can always use video streaming sites like GoMovies which allow users to watch movies and releases online for free.
1. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
The debut of actor Chiwetel Ejiofor as a director did not disappoint. Based on the book by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, this movie produced by Netflix tells the story of a boy who builds a turbine for his village in the Republic of Malawi. An inspiring and exciting film which Ejiofor directs with a lot of class.
2. They
Growing up is complicated, and even more so when the search of the own identity leads to a deeper issue, one that has to do with gender identity. This is what the protagonist of Anahita Ghazvinizadeh’s first feature debut is dealing with. The movie is full of sensitivity and emotion and it will certainly not leave you indifferent. Find it in Filmin.
3. Hearts Beat Loud
This modest film by Brett Haley is one of those beautiful surprises that you stumble upon on a Sunday evening while you are trying to find something nice to watch. With the spontaneity of its protagonists (Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons) as strength, the film delves into their father-daughter relationship in the summer before she leaves for college. Music, family and good humour working together with pinpoint perfection in this Rakuten TV movie.
4. And Breathe Normally
Winner of the Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival, this Icelandic film came to Netflix without making any noise, but it has positioned itself as one of its best premieres of the year. Filmmaker Isold Uggadóttir unites the lives of two women on different sides of the border, but both with seemingly insurmountable problems.
5. Brexit: The Uncivil War
It is not trivial that the subtitle of this film is “an uncivil war”. What happened in the campaign prior to the referendum vote on Brexit cannot be qualified any other way. Benedict Cumberbatch embodies the figure who tipped the scales toward disaster, Dominic Cummings, in this accurate HBO movie that makes you think deeper.
6. RBG
Every year, there is a documentary that manages to make it onto the top 10 list of releases, and this year is no exception. The struggle for gender equality in American justice had a woman’s name: Ruth Bader Ginsburg. While the film ‘A Gender Issue’ told its story in the form of a biopic with the help of Felicity Jones, on digital platforms (Filmin) we got a documentary where we could learn more about her life and work. A documentary that was also nominated for an Oscar.
7. High Flying Bird
Steven Soderbergh never lowers the level, even when he shoots with an iPhone. He already did it in ‘Unsane’, and he does it again with this portrait of the businesses behind the NBA. The filmmaker draws a vein of Aaron Sorkin and fills the film with long and agile dialogues, and an acidic critique as the basis for everything that unfolds as the action progresses.
8. Paddleton
Wherever one of the Duplass brothers is, don’t hesitate to hit play. In this Netflix movie Mark Duplass teams up again with Alex Lehmann (‘Blue Jay’) to tell the story of two friends and neighbours who, when confronted with the illness of one of them, decide to leave their routine behind and embark on a much more transforming experience. One where, at last, they can express their feelings.
9. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
This shocking based on real event movies tells the story of the numerous and terrible crimes of Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) through Elizabeth’s eyes. Ted Bundy was one of the most dangerous serial killers of the 70s but, in addition to being a murderer, he was also a kidnapper, rapist, thief, necrophiliac… His girlfriend, Elizabeth Kloepfer, became one of his most faithful defenders, refusing to believe the truth about him for years. Find it on Netflix
10. Isn’t it Romantic
Romantic comedy is called into question in Rebel Wilson‘s newest. She plays a skeptic of these love stories who is locked into a universe full of them criticizing the genre in hilarious and self-conscious ways.
