A streaming platform for cinephiles, Mubi is full of carefully curated picks from visionary filmmakers from across the globe. Its library is full of cult classics, indie gems, and avant-garde masterpieces, ensuring that there’s something for every taste and mood. Of course, it can be challenging to pick which movies on Mubi that new subscribers should start with, but there are a few must-see standouts every film fan should see.
From the groundbreaking horror movie Night of the Living Dead to the contemporary neo-noir romance film Decision to Leave, these are some of the greatest picks on the curated platform today. They’re a mix of award-winning, overlooked, modern, and classic flicks, with their common ground being that any fan of cinema is bound to enjoy one of these incredible movies.
Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)
Blue Is the Warmest Color is an emotional romance film that chronicles the connection that forms between Adele (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a high school student, and Emma (Dune: Part Two‘s Léa Seydoux), a confident and artistic older woman. Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche, the 2013 film is also a complex coming-of-age drama following Adele’s story as she matures and begins to see the cracks in her once-happy relationship.
The Palme d’Or winner is a renowned LGBTQ+ movie that is unflinching in its portrayal of love and loss. The chemistry between the two leads is palpable, making the intense downfall of their bond more heartbreaking. Blue Is the Warmest Color was met with controversy when it first premiered, mostly due to its explicit sex scenes. This hasn’t stopped the French film from becoming a modern classic in the romance genre, with its raw depiction of sexuality eventually becoming its best aspect.
Bottle Rocket (1996)
Fans of director Wes Anderson’s filmography may already be familiar with his feature film debut, Bottle Rocket. The 1996 crime comedy follows the misadventures of three friends, Anthony (Luke Wilson), Dignan (Owen Wilson), and Bob (Robert Musgrave) as they attempt to pull off comical heists. Anthony, recently released from a mental hospital, reunites with his best friend, Dignan, who convinces him to join his aspiring criminal crew.
Anderson’s distinct style is in its early stages in Bottle Rocket, but fans will easily be able to spot familiar trademarks like the unique visuals and offbeat humor. Owen Wilson is particularly memorable as the passionate, yet incompetent Dignan, whose insistence on following his 75-year plan drives the plot. It’s no The Grand Budapest Hotel or Asteroid City, but Bottle Rocket is a fun and quirky comedy propelled by its lead trio’s misguided quest to become master criminals.
Frances Ha (2012)
Before directing 2023’s blockbuster Barbie, Greta Gerwig starred as the titular character in director Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha. The black-and-white indie comedy-drama follows 27-year-old Frances, who lives in New York City as a not-yet-successful dancer. When her best friend, Sophie (Mickey Sumner), announces her plans to move out of their apartment, Frances has to forge her own unsteady path and make some mistakes along the way.
Frances Ha perfectly captures the uncertainty and struggles that many women in their 20s face, and the film is esentially a coming-of-age movie for adults. With its purposeful visuals, offhand humor, and endearing main character, it manages to leave a lasting impression despite its light plot. At its core, the 2012 movie is an ode to self-discovery and the role friendship plays in finding meaning, which is a point it gracefully arrives at toward its moving ending.
Decision to Leave (2022)
When Detective Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) is tasked with investigating a man’s mysterious death at the foot of a mountain, it leads to an interview with the victim’s widow, Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei). Hae-jun soon realizes that Seo-rae is the prime suspect in her husband’s death, but his increasingly strong feelings for her threaten to jeopardize the investigation and his own marriage. The two of them soon develop a forbidden attraction that Hae-jun refuses to act on.
Combining elements from the neo-noir, romance, and mystery genres, director Park Chan-wook creates an engrossing film that’s impossible to look away from. Every shot of Decision to Leave is both gorgeous and precise, with its cinematography contributing to what made it so popular around the world. The movie won Park Chan-wook the award for Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and would eventually become Mubi’s most-streamed film.
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Night of the Living Dead is a seminal work in the horror genre directed by George A. Romero. It revolves around a group of people trapped in a farmhouse as they fend off hordes of reanimated corpses, referred to as “ghouls.” As the dangerous ghouls close in, the protagonist, Ben (Duane Jones), eventually emerges as a leader and prepares the rest of the survivors for a battle against the undead.
The 1968 masterpiece is a cult classic horror movie that’s credited with popularizing the modern depiction of zombies in cinema. The low-budget movie was initially criticized for what was then considered excessive violence and disturbing gore, which cinephiles now know are part of what makes Night of the Living Dead such a groundbreaking film. It would also establish Romero as a master of horror, with the director going on to helm five more sequels that make up a successful franchise.
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