(Credit: Netflix)

Weekends are usually for switching off, rewatching a comfort favourite, or letting your brain melt into a breezy rom-com. But not this time. If you are in the mood to shake things up and let a little discomfort in, this Netflix film lineup is exactly what you need.

These are not your usual light-hearted picks. Each one of these films has something deeper running under the surface.

Some will keep you on the edge of your seat. The rest will make you cry and pause, and maybe even argue with your screen. But they all have one thing in common: they are impossible to look away from.

This weekend, let your movie time mean something. Let it leave a mark. These five Netflix films will not just entertain you. They will stay with you long after the credits roll.

The five best movies to watch on Netflix this weekend

True Spirit (Sarah Spillane, 2023)

True Spirit is the story of a lady named Jessica Watson who became the youngest sailor to have sailed across the world alone. But her journey across the world is not just about a sailboat. It is about belief. About the kind of impossible courage you do not think people actually have, until someone like her proves otherwise. It is based on the true story of the Australian teen who set out to become the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop, and unassisted around the world. True Spirit hits like a wave to the chest.

The film is emotional without being manipulative and inspiring without being cheesy. Teagan Croft’s performance is both grounded and quietly powerful. This is the kind of film that gives you hope. It doesn’t just say it, but displays “nothing is impossible” in bold letters. It is the kind of film you visit when you need motivation in life.

Nowhere (Albert Pintó, 2023)

This is the kind of movie that makes your palms sweat. Nowhere is a Spanish survival thriller that follows a pregnant woman trapped in a shipping container, adrift in the ocean. And it somehow makes that single setting feel like an entire world of danger. The film is very likely to make you pause the screen in between to take deep breaths.

Anna Castillo’s performance is physically intense and emotionally devastating. The film barely gives you time to breathe. Every sound, every creak of metal, every shift in the container feels loaded with dread. But what elevates Nowhere is how personal it feels. It is not just about survival. It is about motherhood, fear, and resilience in the most claustrophobic of circumstances. The minimalist storytelling of this Netflix film works in its favour. There is no big exposition, no unnecessary flashbacks. Just one woman, one box, and an ocean full of uncertainty.

The Good Nurse (Tobias Lindholm, 2022)

This one crawls under your skin quietly. The Good Nurse tells the story of a nurse who begins to suspect that her colleague is behind a series of unexplained patient deaths. It is slow and horrifying in the most human way. And that’s not even the scariest part. That would be the fact that it is based on a true story.

Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne are both phenomenal, but Redmayne, especially, is chilling. He looks subtle and unsettling. There are no jump scares or dramatic courtroom scenes. There lies a creeping sense of wrongness that builds with every passing minute. What makes it even harder to watch is knowing this happened for real, and the system let it happen. If you like your true crime with emotional weight and ethical complexity, this one delivers.

The Wonder (Sebastián Lelio, 2022)

You know the film is going to be a good watch when Florence Pugh is in it. Set in 19th-century Ireland, The Wonder is a psychological period drama that follows a nurse hired to observe a young girl who has apparently survived without food for months. Sounds simple, right? But the questions it raises are far from it. Faith, science, trauma, and power collide in unexpected ways.

Florence Pugh is magnetic as the nurse caught between medical duty and moral dilemma. The film is deliberately paced, with a cold, bleak atmosphere that mirrors the emotional chill beneath the story. This is not a flashy film. But if you let it pull you in, you will find something rich and layered, which is disturbingly beautiful at the same time. The themes stick with you. And so does the ending.

Fair Play (Chloe Domont, 2023)

You can call it a corporate thriller with teeth. Fair Play is not afraid to be messy. It follows a young couple working at a cutthroat hedge fund. The film takes a sharp turn, and their relationship begins to unravel when one of them gets promoted over the other. What starts as professional jealousy quickly morphs into a psychological tug-of-war.

The tension between Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich is magnetic and deeply uncomfortable. This is a film that explores power dynamics, ego, ambition, and gender roles without spoon-feeding you its message. This Netflix film is sexy, stressful, and brutally honest. Watching it feels like being stuck in a toxic argument you cannot escape. And that is what makes it so good. It might not leave you smiling, but it will definitely leave you thinking.