Credit: Netflix

Yeah, alright, we know what you are thinking: another list bringing us some mediocre releases from ten years ago while there’s already new content piling up in your Netflix watchlist. But folks, be ready to cast your anxieties aside, as this week’s list has all the very new releases, either Netflix originals or the ones the platform has recently added to its catalogue.

Netflix has brilliantly spiced things up by not placing all its bets on one extravagant premiere. Chris Rock has a new film, Jessica Chestain’s thriller is already here, and the most amusing of all, Lee Chang-dong has returned after eight years, so you’d expect a filmmaker of his calibre to have something worth saying after such an absence.

Now, Léa Seydoux’s Gentle Monster is releasing next week, but there’s no sense in overlooking what’s available at present. Besides, we’ve all been seduced by an illustrious cast before, generally to come to the conclusion that the film itself is an exercise in mediocrity. A familiar predicament, surely.

So, what deserves your weekend? Rather than entangling yourselves into two hours to whatever Netflix’s algorithm fancies promoting, we have narrowed the selection to five films worth considering. Careful, some of them might surprise you!

The five best movies to watch on Netflix this weekend

Heartland (Shana Feste, 2026)

A good Jessica Chastain thriller, as they say, is a solution to all the boredom, and when this chameleon of an actress is returning as a country music legend, you better be on your best viewer behaviour. Come on, her character is coming out of retirement to roam around the murkier corners of Nashville; you can’t miss that proposition!

And before you start picturing rhinestones and adoring crowds, think again because Heartland would rather deal with the industry’s skeletons than its spotlights.

This Netflix film follows Misty Jones, a former country superstar whose peaceful existence crumbles when her aspiring-musician niece disappears. Her search draws her back into the Nashville circles she thought she’d escaped, where old acquaintances appear to be harbouring some unsavoury secrets. Remember people, country music with a touch of film noir is a far more enticing prospect than the customary missing-person thriller. Totally worth a watch!

Reminders of Him (Vanessa Caswill, 2026)

Colleen Hoover, the author who indubitably enjoys putting her characters through emotional purgatory, and Reminders of Him is no exception. If you’re expecting a charming romance with a few misunderstandings thrown in, we’d suggest reconsidering. This one’s a rather thorny affair, with two mortal enemies of feel-good romance lovers: resentment and heartbreak.

This Netflix film stars Maika Monroe as Kenna Rowan, a mother fresh out of prison who hopes to reunite with the daughter she has never known. Unfortunately, the child’s grandparents aren’t exactly happy to welcome her back. And then there’s Ledger (Tyriq Withers), a bar owner whose connection to Kenna’s past makes their growing attraction troublesome.

Now, Hoover’s particular brand of emotional anguish isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But Monroe’s comeback to such a vulnerable role after Longlegs is something worth considering. The film has just been added to Netflix US in case you fancy a tearjerker.

Misty Green (Chris Rock, 2026)

If you expect someone to take a swipe at Hollywood’s less flattering habits, who’s better than Chris Rock to do so? However, if you are going in expecting a comedy, let us stop you right here because Misty Green has more venom than humour, and that’s precisely what makes it intriguing. Rock examines an industry that adores its stars until their relevance becomes an inconvenience.

Rosalind Eleazar plays Misty, a former Emmy winner whose career has gone to pieces, and to make things worse, she is facing eviction from her deceased lover’s home. Now she is given seven days to salvage her circumstances and pursue another shot at stardom, but naturally, her past has other ideas.

Now, Rock does occasionally burden the narrative with more than it can sustain, but Eleazar makes it worth enduring. Misty isn’t an agreeable woman, and thank goodness for that because who the hell needs another sanitised Hollywood redemption story?

The Gospel of Christmas (Tyler Perry, 2026)

This year has been nothing but blessed for Tyler Perry, and so he decided to give us a film about Christmas magic, and we have to say that he’s assembled quite the choir for it! With Fantasia Barrino, Tank, CeCe Winans, and Yolanda Adams involved, The Gospel of Christmas has enough musical pedigree to compensate for a rather clumsy screenplay.

And no, it’s not those Christmas movies that you enjoy from inside the warm blanket. Just know, Perry has never been one to spare his characters a little anguish. We have Isaac, a former R&B singer struggling to save his late father’s New York church from foreclosure. His wife Rebecca (Fantasia Barrino) hasn’t lost faith, but Isaac finds a wealthy stranger’s offer difficult to resist. And we all know what happens when someone offers a fortune with no apparent strings attached: something smells wrong.

Now, Perry’s penchant for turning every predicament into a sermon can be rather tiresome, and subtlety has never been his greatest virtue. What he could’ve done was trust his audience to get the message without spelling out every moral lesson. Yes, it’s not sophisticated cinema, but can it be decent for a one-time watch? Heavens, yeah!

Possible Love (Lee Chang-dong, 2026)

Eight freaking long years is how long Lee Chang-dong has kept us waiting since Burning. And now he’s returned with Possible Love, a relationship drama on Netflix that promises more emotional bruising than romantic consolation.

Starring Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Yeo-jeong, and Zo In-sung, the film follows two married couples from different social classes whose lives become a part of each other’s lives through a documentary project. And when the class divide is in the picture, the repercussions include financial disparity and marital dissatisfaction. If you are not in the mood to deal with some uncomfortable truths people would rather leave unspoken, you better not press play.

You see, Lee prefers psychological intricacy over some grand romantic declaration, which cine lovers will find that far more rewarding. Besides, a Grand Jury Prize at the 2026 Venice Film Festival is no trifling distinction. For our money, this could be the most compelling film on the list.