The Wailling was the 3rd most popular South Korean movie in the US last year after Train to Busan and The Handmaidenby Brian Zitzelman
The accepted mindset is that Netflix Instant is no longer a paradise for cinephiles. There are countless things to binge, sure, but large swaths of those are the service's original series and TV series from other networks. For moviegoers interested in material beyond the recent blockbusters or Hollywood fare, the pickings are much much slimmer than they once were. For example, those spurred to view the work of Meryl Streep after her powerful speech at Sunday's Golden Globes have only five streaming options, two of them being documentaries. A Hepburn fanatic, be it for Katharine or Audrey, has but two pictures to choose from.
Yet there remains one avenue where Netflix secretly and continually excels; foreign cinema...
Though they still suffer when it comes to older titles, Instant has been a real boon to those aching to catch up with recent international releases. Recently three of 2016's most high profile foreign films hit the platform; Babak Anvari's Under the Shadow, Kleber Mendonça Filho's Aquarius, and Na Jong-jin's The Wailing. Those aren't the only notable or acclaimed 2016 choices, with Cemetery of Splendor, The Wave, The Treasure and Rams all being ready at your fingertips. This isn't new for Netflix Instant either. The latest movies from noted master filmmakers like the Dardennes, Jafar Panahi and Hou Hsiao-Hsien all made their way to the platform not long after theatrical runs. We still live in a time where non-English language pics, even in major metropolitan cities, tend to play briefly and often at a single location.
the magnificent Sonia Braga in AQUARIUS (2016)
There are a host of sites for foreign fixes, with the recently launched FilmStruck featuring an astounding array to view at your leisure. Those seeking to widen their knowledge of Kurosawa, Tarkovsky or Bergman ought to consider these venues. If you're dropping the $10 or so on Netflix already to watch "Stranger Things" or "Mad Men" a second time, tilt those eyes towards the "International" section. You can finally see Oscar nominees like Mustang, Globe nominees like Force Majeure and a surprisingly large number of films that you meant to make time for before they vanished from your local arthouse not too long ago.
What's on your queue currently?