(Credit: Netflix)

There is a strange sense of urgency that creeps in when a title is about to leave Netflix. That little red date on the corner feels like a ticking clock, reminding you that the film or show you kept pushing down your watchlist is quietly slipping away. This week is no different. While it is not a massive list, a few hidden gems and cult favourites are taking their final bow, and they deserve a proper send-off.

Let us start with what is leaving Netflix US. The list is short but includes two films that tap into very different emotional spectrums.

The first to depart is Brain on Fire. Based on Susannah Cahalan’s real-life memoir, which is a haunting medical drama that follows a young journalist whose sudden and unexplained illness leads to hallucinations, seizures, and complete mental disarray. It is not just a health story. It is a story about how women, especially young women, are so often dismissed by doctors, misdiagnosed, and left to suffer without answers. Chloë Grace Moretz delivers one of her most gripping performances here. If you have ever liked a psychological thriller with real-world stakes, this is one to watch before it disappears on June 22nd.

Then there is Ordinary People, leaving on June 26th, which has lived up to its quietly iconic reputation since its release in 1980. It is a deeply emotional family drama that explores grief, guilt, and the unspoken truths between parents and children. Directed by Robert Redford, the film won four Academy Awards and remains relevant for its honest portrayal of a family struggling to hold itself together. It is not flashy, but that is exactly why it lingers long after the credits roll.

Now over to Netflix UK, where the list is longer and more varied and includes some genuinely surprising departures.

If you have not watched Four Lions, this is your sign. A dark British comedy about a group of inept jihadists trying to plan a terrorist attack in London sounds like something that should not work, but somehow it does. It is sharp, fearless, and strangely human. Leaving June 25th, it is one of those films you either hate or end up quoting for years.

Also bowing out on June 25th is Detective Pikachu, a live-action Pokémon mystery that is far more entertaining than it had any right to be. Ryan Reynolds voices Pikachu with his usual smart-aleck charm, and while it is a kids’ film on the surface, there is enough heart and style to keep older viewers intrigued. If you grew up with Pokémon, it hits all the right nostalgia buttons.

Other notable exits from the UK catalogue this week include the emotional docuseries Afrobeats: The Backstory on June 28th, the stylised fantasy-action double punch of Clash of the Titans and Wrath of the Titans, and the haunting Polish crime drama Signs (Znaki), a slow-burn series that fans of Broadchurch or Dark would likely appreciate.

These may not all be blockbusters or Netflix headliners, but that is what makes this week’s departures worth noticing. Sometimes, it is the quiet exits that leave the biggest gaps. So if any of these titles have been lingering on your list, now is the time to give them their moment. You never know which one might become your unexpected favourite, just in time.

Every movie and series leaving Netflix this week

June 22

• Brain on Fire (2016) (Netflix US)

June 25

• Four Lions (2010) (Netflix UK)
• Ordinary People (1980) (Netflix UK)
• Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun (2019) (Netflix UK)
• Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019) (Netflix UK)

June 26

• Ordinary People (1980) (Netflix US)

June 27

• El testigo (2018) (Netflix UK)
• #FriendButMarried 2 (2020) (Netflix UK)

June 28:

• Afrobeats: The Backstory (2021) (Netflix UK)
• Clash of the Titans (2010) (Netflix UK)
• Wrath of the Titans (2012) (Netflix UK)