Another new month means there’s plenty more new stuff to watch on Netflix, and today we’ll be picking out some of the best films and TV shows you can catch on Netflix UK at the moment.

Film Recommendations

First up is a film that’s not out yet, but is releasing worldwide on Netflix this Friday (June 12th), Da 5 Bloods. We’ve mentioned it before, but if you haven’t seen, it’s the latest Spike Lee film that follows a group of black Vietnam veterans who go back to the former battleground many years on, looking to find their former squad leader (played by Black Panther‘s Chadwick Boseman). It boasts an impressive cast – look out for Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Clarke Peters (The Wire) and Delroy Lindo (from many previous Spike Lee films, including Malcolm X and Crooklyn) – and the trailer have been very promising, so this is definitely one to check out.

Next up is a documentary that has taken on a new level of significance in the past weeks following the horrific events in America and the protests occurring worldwide – Ava DuVernay’s 2016 documentary 13th. A powerful yet bleak watch, it chronicles how the US justice system has been set up to see black people fail and add to the ballooning prison population. Tracking systematic racial injustice from the post-Great Depression era to the Trump election campaign, it’s a truly sobering look into how much work is left to do in solving racial injustices – and it appears that in the three years since its release, sadly very little has changed. An important watch to educate us about the most pressing societal issue we have encountered in recent memory.

Last up is a comedy from one of the most prolific teen comedy directors, John Hughes – his 1986 classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It’s gone down as a great of the genre for a reason: its three lead characters are memorable and bounce off each other so well, the editing and pacing keep it light and breezy, and the set pieces are very memorable. It perfectly encapsulates teenage abandon and yearning for independence, and is simply so much fun – definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it before.

TV Recommendations

First up is a crime drama that has recently returned on Sky for its sixth season, with the previous five currently available on Netflix – How to Get Away With Murder. This show comes highly recommended: not only does it have a diverse set of characters, but its bingeworthiness makes it stand out too. Every episode ends with a twist, with every season ending on an even bigger shock, making this very easy to get attached to, with the main character in particular – Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) proving to be a very interesting character that it’s impossible not to get drawn to.

Next is a Netflix Original comedy that aired its final season earlier this year, BoJack Horseman. Its first few seasons made it seem like a Family Guy-esque animated comedy, but it becomes so much more – a deep examination of alcoholism, mental illness and the toxicity that comes around male privilege and Hollywood. The jokes are quippy and well-written (it’s definitely a show worth rewatching) and often the show borders on heartbreaking – and over its six seasons, you’ll find yourself so attached to even the minor characters. Everybody gets a serious storyline, setting the show apart from its animated contemporaries in how it treats the characters like real people (despite many of them being animated animals) – not just punchlines.

Finally is a much more serious show, and one that has also taken on a new layer of relevance in recent weeks – Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us. Based on the Central Park joggers case in 1989 – where five young black and Hispanic men, all sixteen or under, were arrested following an attack on a jogger. What ensues is a gripping courtroom thriller, told over four parts, of how the case manifested itself – and considering current President Donald Trump himself took an ad out at the time demanding the five boys be given the death sentence, the show takes on a whole new meaning. A powerful and intense watch with its finger on the pulse of contemporary social issues.

There you have it – some recommendations of things to watch on Netflix. Have you seen any of the films or shows here? Let us know what you think – thanks for reading!

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