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Eight under-the-radar original Netflix movies from 2020 that have been unfairly overlooked

Chen Hsiang Liu/Netflix
Chen Hsiang Liu/Netflix

With film news dominated by the impacts of corona, endless release date postponements and now (hooray!) possible cinema reopenings, there have been some fantastic movies going under the radar over recent times.

While Joe Exotic and some old favourites have kept many in good spirits – streaming services had to lower the resolution to keep up with demand when lockdown began – plenty of new releases have slipped through the net.

This includes some of the most interesting, esoteric Netflix originals in years, which seem to have been buried under the weight of binge-able blockbusters and pandemic movies.

From profound dramas to uplifting documentaries, these are the unloved 2020 Netflix releases that have been mostly ignored, unfairly so.

A Secret Love

As the title aptly puts it, a clandestine affair is at the heart of this beautiful documentary, which tells the story of Pat Henschel and baseball player Terry Donahue – two women who fell in love in 1947 but kept their relationship private for more than 60 years. The movie follows the hardships they faced and the homophobia of the age that prevented them from openly being together. ​It should have been a hit at this year's cancelled South by Southwest, but instead arrived on Netflix without much fanfare at the end of April.

All Day and a Night

The People v. O. J. Simpson and Black Panther writer and producer Joe Robert Cole stepped into the director’s chair for All Day and a Night, which follows a young rapper coming to terms with the murder he committed, and turbulent life that proceeded it. There are stylised, yet gritty depictions of life on the streets of Oakland, California, as well as a fantastic cast including Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Regina Taylor and Jeffrey Wright.

Uncorked

Netflix has a bit of form when it comes to movies about wine – last year’s Wine Country was easy-watching and a whole lot of fun – and Uncorked is another delectable little number. The thoughtful family-orientated drama follows a young man (Mamoudou Athie) torn between becoming a master sommelier and taking over his father’s barbecue restaurant business.

The Half of It

If you like your coming-of-age romcoms with just enough of a twist, then The Half Of It could be your perfect match. A shy girl who writes essays for money is paid by a jock to write letters for a girl he likes, only to fall for the girl herself and discover her true identity. Still following? Good. It’s a tender and articulate film from writer and director Alice Wu, which will leave you feeling nicely fuzzy without ever tipping into cliche, and it was named Best U.S. Narrative Feature by the 2020 Tribeca festival. ​

Horse Girl

Alison Brie, perhaps best known for charming performances Mad Men and Glow, gets the chance to show off her full range in Horse Girl – one of the trippiest Netflix films since the excellent Anhilliation. The psychological drama is a meditation on mental health, with a plot that tips over into surreal sci-fi territory, leaving the viewer doubting the film’s entire reality. One of the more interesting originals.

Crip Camp

The Obamas' trumpeted move from politics to the world of film was something of a slow burning affair before the release of Becoming. Crip Camp is the second film released under the power couple’s Higher Ground Productions company, and while it didn’t seem to find the audience it deserved, it’s an intriguing prospect nonetheless. It tells the story of Camp Jened, a summer camp for young disabled people in New York with a hippy spirit, which played a key part in the movement for disabled rights in the 70s.

Tigertail

A Taiwanese man makes a new start in America, leaving behind the woman he fell in love with. Years later, after marrying a woman he has far less in common with, he opens up to his daughter in New York about his experiences. Written by Master of None’s Alan Yang, it’s a lovelorn, profound and quietly affecting drama, with beautifully shot sequences of Taiwan’s sweeping fields and chaotic cityscapes.

The Lovebirds

A newly-buff Kumail Nanjiani takes the lead in this sprightly romcom, following a couple on the brink of breaking up who reconnect after witnessing a murder. Nanjianai is on fine form, and he’s more than matched by the performance from the brilliant Issa Rae. The Standard's Charlotte O’Sullivan was full of praise in her four-star review, saying: “Self-deprecating, self-conscious, wry. Since the character Nanjiani plays in The Lovebirds is all of the above, the role could hardly be described as a stretch. Still, the character is adorable and Nanjiani puts welly into every line.”​