Hidden gems: the 10 best films on Netflix you haven’t seen

The funniest film on Netflix? This hilarious New Zealand comedy marks the debut feature from writer-director-stars Jackie van Beek and Madeleine Sami is right up there. The pair play thirty-something besties Jen and Mel, who run a business specialising in breaking up couples when one of the parties is too chicken to do it themselves. However, their friendship becomes strained when Mel falls for handsome-but-dim 17 year-old Jordan (Boy star James Rolleston). van Beek and Sami have terrific comic timing, packing each scene with sight gags, physical comedy and laugh-out-loud one-liners. They’re also a joy to watch, and their charming chemistry makes this a warm-hearted celebration of female friendship.

This grown-up animated romance from Scott ‘Kid Cudi’ Mescudi is an absolute treat. Cudi (who co-wrote the script) voices twenty-something Jabari, a street artist commissioned to turn his cult graffiti character ‘Mr Rager’ into a comic book. Moving into a new apartment, he immediately falls for his cool next-door neighbour (Jessica Williams), but a badly-timed text from an ex threatens to torpedo their relationship. The direction is inventive and the animation style is redolent of Into the Spider-Verse, depicting a vibrant New York that's practically pulsing with colour. In addition, the script is charming, achingly romantic and frequently laugh-out-loud funny. And if that’s not enough, Timothée Chalamet sprinkles extra stardust on the voice cast.

This hilarious Taiwanese ghost comedy deserves to be much more widely seen. Fast-paced and packed full of great gags, it stars Gingle Wang as a newly deceased ghost girl who discovers that she needs to scare people in order to avoid disappearing forever. In fact, ghosts compete to become the scariest spirit, so she signs up with a former pop star-turned-talent agent (Chen Bolin) and his assistant, a former underworld diva (Sandrine Pinna), in order to receive haunting lessons. An inspired riff on Beetlejuice, this features wonderful characters and great comic performances from the three leads, while director John Hsu’s comic timing is impeccable. The sort of film you’ll rush to tell your friends about afterwards. Also, hot tip: don’t switch off before the end of the credits.

Based on a YA novel by Natalia Osinska, this engaging Polish teen movie centres on 17-year-old Toska (trans actor Alin Szewczyk), a fan fiction-obsessed high schooler, whose friendship with secretly gay new student Leon (Jan Cieciara) convinces her to come out as trans and be known as Tosiek. Director Marta Karwowska infuses this LGBTQ+ gem with warmth and sensitivity, while the touching script explores the nature of self-expression and acceptance. Similarly, Szewczyk puts in a star-making turn and there’s terrific support from Dobromir Dymecki as Tosiek’s widowed father.

Based on a novel by screenwriter Guillaume Laurant (entitled Happy Hand), Jeremy Clapin’s offbeat French animation centres on a disembodied hand trying to make its way across the Paris suburbs, back to its owner. Flashbacks tell the story of how the owner, pizza delivery guy Naoufel (Hakim Faris, or Dev Patel in the English dub) lost his hand in the first place, as well as detailing his crush on one of his customers (Victoire Du Bois/Alia Shawkat), even though they've never met and only communicate over intercom. Beautifully animated and consistently inventive, this is fantasy drama feels completely original, while also finding room to homage the likes of The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Addams Family.

Criminally denied a theatrical release, this dystopian sci-fi thriller stars Noomi Rapace as seven identical sisters (named after the days of the week) who've spent their lives in hiding, taking it in turns to pose as one woman in the outside world, because the authoritarian state has outlawed siblings due to overpopulation. Director Tommy Wirkola (Violent Night) skilfully blends world-building with fast-paced action sequences and character development which unfolds in a series of fun twists and turns. Rapace delivers seven great performances, and there are strong supporting turns from both Willem Dafoe (as their father) and Glenn Close as the sinister head of the Child Allocation Bureau.

Co-written and directed by Oriol Paulo, this superb Spanish mystery-thriller explores one of the key staples of time travel movies – the consequences of messing with the timeline. Adriana Ugarte (Julieta) stars as a woman who saves the life of a boy 25 years in the past when a freak storm allows her to communicate with the previous occupant of her house through a video camera. However, when she wakes up, all traces of her previous life (including her daughter) have disappeared. Impressively directed and superbly acted, this is complex, consistently fascinating and powerfully emotional.

Under the influence of his girlfriend J (outrageously charismatic Thai superstar Urassaya ‘Yaya’ Sperbund), slacker Kao (Nat Kitcharit) competes to become the fastest cup stacking competitor in the world. However, when she dumps him, he has to learn some basic adult skills in order to win her back. A goofy blend of sports drama, romcom, coming-of-age comedy, and, as the title suggests, knowingly meta action movie spoof (there are some inspired gags), this is frequently very funny, with delightful comic performances from the two leads. It’ll also make you wonder if you've got what it takes to stack cups at high speed.

Debut director Houda Benyamina won the Camera d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival for this superb crime drama-slash-coming-of-age drama that plays like a cross between La Haine and Girlhood. Newcomers Oulaya Amamra and Déborah Lukumuena star as a pair of 15 year-old best friends who decide that the fastest way out of their run-down, outskirts-of-Paris neighbourhood lies in going to work for their local drug dealer. Benyamina draws terrific performances from her two young leads, while her stylish direction (which extends to some exceptional sound design work) marks her out as an exciting new talent to watch.

Jay Duplass (who co-wrote the script with director Lynn Shelton) stars as Chris, a 38-year-old man who returns to his home town of Granite Falls, Washington after serving 20 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Estranged from his younger brother (Ben Schwartz), Chris has become fixated on forging a romantic relationship with his former high school teacher, Carol (Edie Falco), who helped campaign for his release. Meanwhile, Carol struggles with her stagnant marriage and becomes resentful of Chris’ burgeoning friendship with her teenage daughter (Kaitlyn Dever). Beautifully understated and superbly acted, this is a stirring smalltown out-of-prison drama that ranks with Shelton’s best work.