I remember the days when seeing a movie was a once or twice a-year experience. It had to be done in the cinema. It was not a particularly prioritized need in the low-income family I grew up in. When it happened, it was a magical meeting with a Hollywood world very much beyond my imagination!

Today we live in a very different world. The progress of technology has made film so easily accessible. Streaming alternatives have made it easier than ever before to find and see films from virtually every corner in the world. Film festivals are increasing in number year by year. Reviewers and film journalists write in a never ending flow about films and directors that should not be missed. Netflix offers every month a stream of new films and I regularly hear of people spending 30 minutes or so before they can make a choice, more than once having to conclude that it was a wrong choice.

So, we rightly can call this a golden age for film lovers. But guidance and help is needed to find tracks through this almost endless smörgåsbord and to make choices in line with one’s taste and interest. Earlier I have made the point that personally I am particularly interested in new filmmakers emerging from around the world and in the ability of good film to engage you in depth through storytelling. From this perspective I offer you my selection of 5 Netflix films among those I have seen lately:

• Queen & Slim by Melina Matsoukas (2019)

Race and injustice are the themes of this impressive debut film of Melina Matsoukas. It starts with the not unfamiliar story of a black couple on a date in a car being pulled over by white police. The escalating belligerance leads to an accidental shooting and Queen & Slim realize that there will be no justice for them in these circumstances. Their odyssee into the South gives us gripping insights into what it is means to be black in the US.

• The Very Last Morning by Ciprian Mega (2016)

This film tells us a personal story of a young Romanian mother, trapped by circumstance in Cyprus, who is secretly supporting her family back home through prostitution. Confronted with startling news, she seeks support from a Greek Orthodox priest, who wisely helps her to explore her faith.

• Passing by Rebecca Hall (2021)

1920’s New York is the setting for the exploration of the concept of ‘passing’; being black but pretending to be white. It is about two high school friends who run into each other. The one, Irene, is married to a black doctor, living with a lot of discomfort in a racial setting. The other, Clare, has been passing as white for years in order to gain the social status she desires, even deluding her racist husband. Their meeting becomes both a confrontation with what theý have desired and what they have missed. An intelligent, beautifully shot film!

• Prayers for the Stolen by Tatiana Huezo (2021)

The first feature film of Mexican director Tatiana Huezo grips us with the vulnerability of women and their daughters who live in a world of human trafficking and drug cartels. This is a coming-of-age story of three girls in a remote town in the hills of Mexico, where the girls grow up under the constant threat of violence. The first part is as 8-year olds when their hair needs to be cut boy-like, so that they don’t look too feminine, in danger of being stolen for the drug barons. The second part is as 13-year olds, showing their resilience and their learning how to survive and grow in those dangerous circumstances.

• Clemency by Chinonye Chukwu (2019)

This film about the death penalty takes the perspective of the executioner. In particular the perspective of the warden, a woman of color, who dutifully carries out the task of overseeing the executions. But slowly she needs to face the emotional and psychological pressures on her and how these have permeated her personal life, losing her sense of wholeness. Great acting by Alfre Woodward and emotionally very powerful!