From All Quiet On The Western Front (2022) to Django Unchained (2011), here are the best Oscar movies on Netflix.
The 95th Academy Awards ceremony was a night filled with surprises, emotional speeches, and memorable moments. As usual, there were a few upsets and snubs, along with some well-deserved wins. But that discussion is for another day. For now, let’s count down some of the best Oscar winning movies available for streaming from the comfort of your couch. With a ton of options to pick from, it can be overwhelming to decide what to watch. And so, we’ve curated some of the best films across genres and languages, currently streaming on the platform.
From critically acclaimed dramas to animated features, our selection includes a variety of genres. Fans of action-packed thrillers will love The Dark Knight, while those in search of a heart-warming story will find solace in Call Me By Your Name. For those with a minimalistic taste, Roma might just be the film you’re looking for. Our list also includes films such as Schindler’s List for viewers keen to revisit classics.
Whether you’re looking for a film to laze with on a Sunday afternoon or wish to tick off all those great films on Netflix, here’s the only list you need to bookmark. These Oscar-winning movies were streaming on Netflix as of March 13, 2023.
Best Oscar Movies on Netflix
1. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)
Oscar: Best Animated Feature
Pinocchio, the classic 1883 story by Carlo Collodi, has had numerous cinematic adaptations. But most versions boasted a light-hearted adventurous tone. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio is darker and transplants the tale to Mussolini’s Italy. The stop-motion animated version, as usual, follows the adventures and struggles of the magical wooden boy Pinocchio, who is brought to life by toymaker Geppetto.
Pinocchio is one of Del Toro’s passion projects. Apart from painstakingly conceiving each frame of this stop-motion brilliance, Del Toro excels in balancing the joyous and melancholic tone. Overall, he offers a profound meditation on themes like life, family, altruism, and death.
Read: How to Watch Oscars 2024
2. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
Oscars: International feature, Cinematography, Original Score, Production design
German filmmaker Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front is an adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 novel on the Great War (1914-1918). The narrative revolves around young man Paul(Felix Kammerer), who like his country’s fellow young men romanticizes the ideas of war and patriotism. Paul lies about his age and commits himself after the ruler’s rousing call to arms.
What follows is a harrowing anti-war drama that showcases Paul and his friends’ excruciating struggles in the bloody trenches. All Quiet on the Western Front features great production design and cinematography which trap us in the grey and grim battlefield. The film also boasts a wonderful ensemble cast.
3. The Power of the Dog (2021)
Oscar: Best Director
Written and directed by Jane Campion and adapted from Thomas Savage’s 1967 eponymous novel, this cerebral, psychological drama traces the transformation of a maker of paper flowers, a gentle spirit, an effeminate whipping boy, a surgeon in the making and a protector of his mother into a top dog.
Profoundly nuanced, The Power of the Dog rises beyond its cinematic canvas. It is a deep, psychological exploration of our basic underpinnings, our raw, unrequited desires and our inability to deal with them, and our seeking of deliverance. The film nabbed a whopping 12 Oscar nominations, winning only one.
4. If Anything Happens I Love You (2020)
Oscar: Best Animated Short Film
If Anything Happens I Love You packs an emotional wallop in just 12 short minutes. No wonder it won an Oscar. This animated short film tells the heart-wrenching story of two parents grieving the loss of their daughter in a school shooting.
The animation style is simple but effective, with muted colors and a minimalistic design that conveys the weight of the parents’ grief. The haunting music perfectly complements the somber tone of the film.
Overall, If Anything Happens I Love You is a gut-wrenching reminder of the devastating impact of gun violence.
5. My Octopus Teacher (2020)
Oscar: Best Documentary Feature
The bond between a human and another sentient being takes tenderness to a subliminal level. It explores the limits of your sensitivity and fills you with a warm afterglow that refuses to go away.
One of the most fascinating documentaries that I have seen in a long, long time, My Octopus Teacher is an astonishing and elevating tale of a filmmaker’s friendship with an octopus that’s replete with many enduring life lessons.
This superlative and surreal documentary took about ten years to make and is brilliantly shot by underwater cameraman Roger Horrocks who makes the treasures of the ocean come alive.
My Octopus Teacher is not a film. It is a life-affirming force that will impact you so profoundly that a part of you deep within will change forever. (By Sanjay Trehan)
6. Roma (2018)
Oscars: Director, Cinematography, Foreign Language Film
This is the story of Mexico City in the 1970s, of Cuaron’s childhood and the maid that brought him up, and the sisterhood of two women, even with the attendant hierarchy of class, who realize that they are ultimately alone in this world. Roma is an absolute classic that will grow on you. Like vine and slow time.
Initially I was unnerved by its tepid pace and ultra-realistic unfolding but once you get the design, you begin to appreciate the subtle and sublime touches that draw you in. At once mellow, at once intense, it feels like real life and is languorously and aesthetically shot. (By Sanjay Trehan)
7. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay
Luca Guadignino’s splendid adaptation of Andre Aciman’s novel revolves around 17-year old Elio Perlman (Timothee Chalamet). The narrative unfolds in Northern Italy during the summer of 1983. The Perlman family is spending the vacation at their villa. Soon, the sensitive Elio falls in love with a handsome American college graduate Oliver (Armie Hammer), who is hired as his archaeologist professor father’s research assistant.
Apart from Chalamet and Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg’s performance as Elio’s father is a real stand-out.
Towards the end, Stuhlbarg delivers a magnificent speech to Chalamet’s Elioabout romance, attraction, and parental love. The film promises warm moments while detailing the tranquil and agony of first love.
8. The Dark Knight (2008)
Oscars: Supporting Actor (Ledger), Sound Editing
The Dark Knight not only changed the landscape of superhero movies, it is also possibly the greatest movie of the last 20 years. Christopher Nolan’s sequel to Batman Begins transcended genres. Corruption has reached its peak in Gotham City and the people have been pushed to the brink by one man: The Joker.
I don’t need to tell you about Heath Ledger’s performance here, but hell, I’ll do it again. Ledger gave us the best portrayal of the character till date, as well as one of the greatest cinematic performances of all time. Period.
Apart from Ledger’s borderline psychotic performance, everything else about this movie was just about perfect, from action sequences to the progressive narrative. The Dark Knight is most certainly Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus. (By Aditya Sarma)
WATCH: Who is Joaquin Phoenix, really?
9. The Aviator (2004)
Oscars: Best Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett), Cinematography, Film Editing, Costume Design, and Art Direction
The second collaboration between Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese produced one of DiCaprio’s finest performances. This is, once again, an examination of a person’s increasingly unstable psyche, like in Taxi Driver, except it was about real-life aviator and filmmaker Howard Hughes.
The film portrays Hughes’ life between the late 1920s and late 1940s, during which time he became a successful film producer and an aviation magnate, all while constantly battling a severe case of OCD.
The film was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Actor for DiCaprio, Best Director for Scorsese, Best Picture, as well as a win for Cate Blanchett for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. (By Aditya Sarma)
10. Schindler’s List (1994)
Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Art Direction
The most emotionally powerful movie of Spielberg’s career, Schindler’s List follows the life of industrialist Oskar Schindler, who unwittingly decides to help Jews escape Germany during the Holocaust, unintentionally becoming a hero in the process.
This time, Spielberg doesn’t manipulate anything, save for the beautiful black-and-white shots. Oskar Schindler, Aman Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) and the Jew workers are told with the utmost honesty, and it is up to the audience to judge.
One of the greatest human dramas ever made, based on one of the most horrifying events in human history. This is Spielberg at his best. This is filmmaking at its best. (By Aditya Sarma)
11. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Oscar: Best Actress (Jennifer Lawrence)
Silver Linings Playbook is a romantic comedy-drama that focuses on two individuals, who suffer from bipolar disorders. When their lives are turned upside down, they find solace in one another and slowly grow close to each other.
The movie is not only about the individuals, but also provides a universal message of breaking away the chains that tie you up and embracing that which brings joy into your life.
Silver Linings Playbook successfully delivers some of the best-timed comedy lines along with a loveable romantic couple who brave the obstacles presented before them. (By Deepjyoti Roy)
12. Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Oscar: Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
Inglourious Basterds will always have a special place in my heart. It was the first Tarantino film I ever watched as a young, adolescent teen. At the time, it confused me when Tarantino decided to change the course of history with this movie, but today I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Tarantino managed to take two of the most tragic horrifying moments in human history, World War II and the Holocaust and mold it in his own fun, bloody vision. All the props go to Christoph Waltz who stole the show with his performance of ‘The Jew Hunter’, Hans Lauda.
Inglourious Basterds remains one of the most entertaining movies I’ve ever watched. (By Aditya Sarma)
WATCH: How To Write Great Dialogue
13. Django Unchained (2011)
Oscar: Best Original Screenplay (Tarantino), Best Supporting Actor (Christoph Waltz)
Quentin Tarantino‘s take at a spaghetti Western yielded scintillating results, with Django Unchained winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, along with a Best Supporting Actor Award for Christoph Waltz.
Django Unchained takes a look at some of the most horrifying times of American History, giving us a brutal look of slave trade going on in the 1850s.
The movie is almost 3 hours long, but you never notice as this movie keeps you hooked with Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson keeping us entertained for the entire duration. (By Aditya Sarma)
14. Inception (2010)
Oscars: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects
Christopher Nolan’s Inception is the second biggest blockbuster in Leonardo DiCaprio’s career. It also brought puzzling high-minded ideas into a big-budget production. The actor plays Cobb, a master thief of the dreamscape who is guilt-ridden by the death of his wife. Desperate to reunite with his children, Cobb takes on a high-risk assignment for wealthy business magnate Saito.
Though Inception has a lot of spectacular set-pieces, it is a largely character-driven tale tackling Cobb’s moral quandaries. And DiCaprio gives a powerhouse performance as he confronts his character’s inner demons while caught in the dreamland. Inception starts by showing Cobb as a cool-headed guy who stays on top of the game. As the narrative unfolds, DiCaprio brilliantly delves into Cobb’s anxiety and vulnerability.
Conclusion
There you go! These are some of the best award-winning movies on Netflix. If you’re done with these, check out Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story and Jordan Peele’s Get Out.
