Like a lot of people, I love Netflix. I have spent many nights binging different shows with my friends, and I have an unhealthy obsession with Stranger Things and House of Cards. Netflix has done many incredible things in its time as a streaming service, particularly in regard to some of the shows and films it has made. That doesn’t mean there aren’t problems with the platform.
Netflix’s major problems revolve around movies. One major issue that people have often pointed out is the fact that Netflix rarely has any classic films. Netflix has a hefty supply of more recent films, but as soon as you get to around 1989 and earlier, there’s almost nothing. In fact, only around 7% of drama films offered on Netflix were released before the year 2000. However, much of this is due to Netflix getting rid of a lot of content so it can focus on making its original content more prominent on the site.
However, Netflix’s original films are also a slight problem, particularly when it comes to marketing. Netflix original movies, much like their television series, would most likely not be made or distributed without Netflix. The company often takes big risks with their original content; risks that almost always pay off. Without Netflix, many interesting, incredible projects probably would have never seen the light of day. After Netflix gets these movies, though, they often get buried in the sea of content that exists on the website, making it so that people rarely even hear of them.
For example, have you heard of I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore? I wouldn’t be surprised if you said no. The film, starring Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood, is the directorial debut of Macon Blair, and actually won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is actually the first winner of this prize to not appear in theaters at all because at Sundance, it was bought by Netflix and put straight on the streaming service. Despite great reviews and being a hit at Sundance, almost everyone that I know has never heard of this movie. I saw zero advertisements for this film and, when it premiered on Netflix, users had to physically search for the film on the website, instead of finding it on the homepage where Netflix generally puts its new releases.
Why does Netflix pay for these films at all if it isn’t going to give them proper attention? Which brings up another thing, Netflix doesn’t release its films in theaters, which, besides allowing for more discussion and hype for films, shows the movie in all its glory on the big screen, as opposed to a teeny tiny laptop screen. Many believe that this lessens the moviegoer’s experience, putting films in a format that the filmmakers didn’t necessarily intend to be the only format in which the film could be viewed.
Amazon also hosts original content, but, unlike Netflix, it partners with other distribution companies and has their content appear in theaters before putting it on the streaming site. In fact, there are many Amazon films that you may not even realize belong to Amazon Studios, such as The Big Sick, The Neon Demon and Manchester by the Sea, which won two Academy Awards last year. Regardless of whether or not you know they are owned by Amazon, though, many Amazon Studios films are recognized and more readily available to be viewed than Netflix productions.
Netflix originals are, in general, really interesting and amazing films, but because of Netflix’s lack of marketing for them, they are often overlooked. Searching for new, intriguing films on Netflix can be pretty difficult given the fact that the most popular movies are always the first thing you see when you log in. However, next time you decide you want to sit back and watch a movie on Netflix, I encourage you to search beyond that first “Most Popular” section of the website. Watch something that takes some effort to find. Look up lists of some lesser-known movies on Netflix. Do a little digging. You won’t be disappointed.