Best movies by women creators on Netflix

It shouldn’t have to be said but: Women are great! Movies couldn’t and shouldn’t be made without women in the rooms where the decisions are made. Luckily for us, that problem is increasingly becoming one of the past. (Though, of course, there’s always more that can be done.)

On the bright side, there are tons of amazingly talented women in Hollywood right now, creating everything from award-winning dramas to delightful romantic comedies, and the caliber of these movies speaks for itself. Don’t take our word for it: Check them out yourself with this list of some of the best movies on Netflix from female-identifying writers, directors, and producers.

24. Moxie

With a script from Tamara Chestna and Dylan Meyer, Amy Poehler directs this charming film about budding feminist Vivian (Hadley Robinson). Inspired by her mother’s Riot Grrrl past, Vivian decides to expose systemic sexism at her high school through the anonymous zine MOXiE!, and ends up spearheading a cause that other students support.

Robinson hits the perfect balance of fired up and unsure that feels so familiar to young women. Plus, she’s surrounded by a strong and thoughtfully diverse ensemble (including viral hit band The Linda Lindas). Moxie will make you want to get up and start something, even if the plan is a little half-baked but your heart is in the right place.* — Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Moxie is now streaming on Netflix.

23. Fair Play

Phoebe Dynevor is Emily Meyers, blissfully in love and newly engaged to a fellow hedge fund analyst, Luke Edmunds (Alden Ehrenreich). They have to keep their relationship secret, however, since it breaks company policy. That doesn’t stop this lovesick pair — they’ll overcome any obstacle, together! Until Emily gets a promotion and becomes Luke’s boss. That is one obstacle too far for Luke. He goes from supportive to sinister in the blink of an eye, making sly remarks about her wardrobe, withholding affection, and believing sexist rumors that she slept her way to the top. It’s only a matter of time before this break-up gets bloody.

Dark, tense, and stylish, Fair Play puts gender roles firmly in its crosshairs. It’s not saying anything particularly new, but that’s just fine. This Sundance darling written and directed by Chloe Domont is a solid psychological thriller with a splashy finish.* — K.G.

How to watch: Fair Play is now streaming on Netflix.

22. Always Be My Maybe 

Ali Wong and Randall Park are Sasha and Marcus, childhood best friends in San Francisco who fall out of touch as they grow older. Years later, when Sasha, now a famous chef, returns to the Bay area, Marcus gathers his courage to tell Sasha how he’s always felt about her. Unfortunately, the news that she’s got herself a new beau interrupts his plans.

Directed by Nahnatchka Khan (Don’t Trust the B**** in Apt. 23 and Fresh Off the Boat) and written by Wong alongside Park and Michael Golamco, Always Be My Maybe is a refreshing and funny romantic comedy that dares to ask the question: How horrible would it be if your crush started dating Keanu Reeves?!?! It’s a nightmare too terrible to behold!!! Obviously, no mere human could possibly compete with literal Keanu (who is perfect as an absurd, heightened version of his cool, real-life persona), but Marcus is determined to try. A perfect rom-com premise. No notes! — K.G.

How to watch: Always Be My Maybe is now streaming on Netflix.

21. A Simple Favor

Anna Kendrick is Stephanie Smothers, a cutesy, sheltered mommy vlogger without much joy in her life. So when an impossibly fashionable and cool mom at her son’s school, Emily (Blake Lively), asks her to hang out, she’s both eager and out of her depth. An unlikely friendship between the mismatched pair blooms, until the day Emily doesn’t return from a business trip. A Simple Favor is an unpredictable, gripping, and sometimes silly Gone Girl-esque mystery directed by Paul Feig and written by Jessica Sharzer. It never goes over the top, but it doesn’t concern itself with staying too grounded either — the perfect sweet spot.* — K.G.

How to watch: A Simple Favor is now streaming on Netflix.

20. The Fear Street Trilogy

Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy, based on the works of R.L. Stine, didn’t have to go so hard… but it did, and for that we are grateful. Co-written and directed by Leigh Janiak, the saga immersed us in the world of Shadyside, a town haunted by grisly murders ever since its founding in the 17th century.

Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) find themselves at the center of 1994’s bloody episode, determined to not only survive but also to find and reverse the Shadyside curse. The cast returns and reorders itself in Part Two: 1978 and Part Three: 1666, which pull irresistible performances from the young actors and weave together a thrilling mystery. The first two chapters pull from the best slasher movies, while the third leans into the supernatural. Best of all, it sticks the landing, which just makes us want to keep coming back.* — P.K.

How to watch: Fear Street: Part One: 1994 is now streaming on Netflix.

How to watch: Fear Street: Part Two: 1978 is now streaming on Netflix.

How to watch: Fear Street: Part Three: 1666 is now streaming on Netflix.

19. Lost Girls

When her daughter, Shannan, goes missing, Mari Gilbert relentlessly pushes local police to keep up the search — and ends up uncovering multiple unsolved Long Island murders along the way. This is the true story of a mother who would go to any lengths necessary to find her daughter, as well as the very real and gruesome Gilgo Beach serial killings (for which a suspect was charged in 2023). 

Amy Ryan is simply captivating as the dogged Mari. While Lost Girls is an undeniably raw watch, directed with grim realism by Liz Garbus, its power comes from focusing not on the villains but on the victims and the families whose lives have been irrevocably changed. — K.G.

How to watch: Lost Girls is now streaming on Netflix.

18. The Forty-Year-Old Version

Written, directed, and produced by Radha Blank, The Forty-Year-Old Version is a total triumph. Loosely inspired by Blank’s own experiences, this engaging, energetic film follows a playwright who is nearing her 40th birthday and feels like she has nothing to show for it. Frustrated with the theatrical establishment that continually stymies her success, she finds herself increasingly drawn to rap, a solitary art form that needs no collaborators or gatekeepers.

Shot in beautiful black and white, The Forty-Year-Old Version feels wholly fresh. It’s a story we’ve never seen before, told in a style that is completely its own. — K.G.

How to watch: The Forty-Year-Old Version is now streaming on Netflix.

17. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before

Bubbly, sweet, and impossibly charming, Netflix’s 2018 teen romcom hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has spawned two sequel films and a spin-off series. It’s reached veritable franchise status, people! Thanks to screenwriter Sofia Alvarez, director Susan Johnson, and author Jenny Han, there’s something about this teen romance that feels more real and relatable than your average high school “fake dating” romp. It’s a fun and funny rom-com, but it also hits you right in the chest when you least expect it. 

Quiet teenager Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) privately writes letters to her former crushes and then locks them away from prying eyes. Unfortunately, Lara has a younger sister named Kitty (Anna Cathcart), and simply put, younger sisters cannot be stopped. Kitty mails the letters, forcing Lara to confront her old crushes face to face. Maybe if she pretends she already has a boyfriend, that will ease the embarrassment of the situation, right? Fake dating always works, right?! — K.G.

How to watch: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Wicked Little Letters

It’s 1920, and the small English town of Littlehampton hasn’t seen anyone like Rose Gooding (Jessie Buckley) before. She’s brash, she’s reckless, and worse, she’s Irish. Rose is the polar opposite of her neighbor, Edith Swan (Olivia Colman), the pious, shy spinster who still lives with her aging parents and is shocked by Rose’s carefree employment of curse words. The two form a friendly acquaintance, until Edith receives a barrage of hateful, swear-laden anonymous letters. Rose is obviously to blame! Or is she?

This delightful poison-pen mystery is inspired by a very real scandal that consumed the minds and media of 1920s England. Directed by Thea Sharrock and starring a who’s-who of British acting royalty (including Eileen Atkins, Timothy Spall, Anjana Vasan, and more), Wicked Little Letters is a darkly comedic puzzle full of top-notch characters. What more could any budding detective ask for?* — K.G.

How to watch: Wicked Little Letters is now streaming on Netflix.

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15. Been So Long

Do you love musicals, romance, and Michaela Coel? Then Been So Long is the movie for you. This stylish musical epic follows Simone (Coel), a young, single mother in London completely wrapped up in caring for her differently-abled daughter. After her friends and family tell her she’s too uptight, she finally agrees to a night out and meets the handsome, complicated Raymond (Arinzé Kene). The two tentatively begin a flirtation, though they’ll each have to contend with their own baggage before the relationship can thrive.

Directed by Tinge Krishnan and adapted from the successful stage show of the same name, Been So Long is a bright and buoyant musical for the modern era. The stories are grounded and complex, the characters are relatable, and — perhaps most importantly —the songs are absolute bops! — K.G.

How to watch: Been So Long is now streaming on Netflix.

14. The Old Guard

Charlize Theron is the hardened leader of a mysterious group of warriors who cannot die in the smart blockbuster The Old Guard. Throughout their long, lonely lives, they’ve done what they can to influence history and nudge humanity in the right direction. And now, just as a dogged investigator is close to uncovering their secret, they’ve found a new member (​​KiKi Layne) who desperately needs their guidance. 

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball and The Secret Life of Bees) skillfully juggles the many moving parts of this high-concept, action-packed superhero flick. Both emotionally intelligent and brutally violent, The Old Guard is a gripping, nonstop adventure that will leave you begging for more.* —K.G.

How to watch: The Old Guard is now streaming on Netflix.

13. May December

On its surface, the latest from Todd Haynes (Carol, Velvet Goldmine) may seem like a thinly veiled reexamination of a true crime tale that had ’90s tabloids absolutely obsessed. Screenwriter Samy Burch uses this familiar framework to construct a story that not only delivers a dishy parody of a melodrama, down to a string-zinging score and comically banal dialogue about hot dogs. She’s also built a keen device to evaluate our obsession with true crime, for better or for ghoulish.

In May December, Julianne Moore plays a wife and mother who has a shameful (and criminal) past, which involves how she met her current husband (Charles Melton). When a TV actress (Natalie Portman) wants to turn their lives into a movie, old wounds are reopened. Beneath the blistering domestic drama, Haynes and Burch weave in a sharp and sophisticated humor that invites audiences to bark with laughter, even as their jaws drop in shock.* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: May December is now streaming on Netflix.

12. The Half of It

Finally, a Cyrano for the modern age! Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) is a bookish high school senior who earns money writing essays for her more popular and outgoing classmates. When a jock asks her to write a love letter for the most popular girl in school, Aster, Ellie initially refuses. But eventually, she agrees — she can’t turn down the money! Or is it that she also finds herself captivated by Aster? 

Written and directed by Alice Wu, The Half of It is a fantastic modern epistolary romance. The characters are real teens, reaching for connection without fully understanding their own motivations. The humor here is earned, the emotion is tender, and the story feels both fresh and familiar. A true winner, all around. — K.G.

How to watch: The Half of It is now streaming on Netflix.

11. The Mole Agent

When a client suspects their mother is being abused in a nursing home, a private investigator hires an 83 year-old widower to pose as a resident, move into the retirement community, and investigate. Directed by Maite Alberdi, The Mole Agent made a 2020 Sundance splash and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature. It’s a warm, funny, and deeply charismatic watch that begs its viewers to remember that the elderly still have lives to live.

What’s more, this very true story is the inspiration behind Michael Schur’s sweet and silly 2024 new series, A Man on the Inside, starring Ted Danson! — K.G.

How to watch: The Mole Agent is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Lady Chatterley’s Lover

This modern adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s scandalous 1920s novel will leave you absolutely swooning. Emma Corrin (The Crown) is spectacular as Connie Reid, the titular Lady Chatterley. Her marriage to Clifford Chatterley seemed like the perfect match before the war, but when he returns paralyzed, withdrawn, and uninterested in her happiness, Connie feels utterly alone and isolated in their empty countryside manor. She finds a refuge for her oppressive loneliness in the estate’s gamekeeper, Oliver Mellors (Jack O’Connell). Very quickly the two begin a torrid affair that is both passionate and tender, exuberant and profound — and a threat to both of their lifestyles. 

Much like the source material, Lady Chatterley’s Lover puts sex on full display. Their trysts are steamy and explicit, but thanks to the incredible vulnerability of Corrin and O’Connell, and the steady hand of director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, it never feels pornographic. The lovers’ stolen moments are deeply intimate and personal. Together, in the sumptuous woods of the Chatterley estate, they explore each other’s bodies and souls with unbridled joy. It’s an elegant and sensual adaptation that makes an age-old story feel like a breath of fresh air.* — K.G.

How to Watch: Lady Chatterley’s Lover is now streaming on Netflix.

9. The Lost Daughter

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feature-length directorial debut is a sophisticated psychological drama that will have you self-reflecting for weeks afterward, whether you want to or not. The Lost Daughter (which Gyllenhaal also adapted, based on the novel by Elena Ferrante) explores the unseen, unspoken, and unpleasant layers of motherhood. Do all moms find fulfillment in their children? 

Olivia Colman is awkwardly enthralling as Leda, a middle-aged woman on a solo vacation in Greece who finds herself drawn to a young mother, Nina (Dakota Johnson), who is staying at the same resort. As Leda watches Nina’s children whine and claw for her attention, Leda flashes back to her own tumultuous time as a young mother (played by Jessie Buckley) and the choices she made to get herself through it. It’s at times unsettling to see motherhood depicted so soberly, so crushingly suffocating — but that’s what’s makes The Lost Daughter such a bold and affecting watch. You may not like these characters, but you do understand them. — K.G.

How to watch: The Lost Daughter is now streaming on Netflix.

8. Private Life

Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) and Richard (Paul Giamatti), an artsy New York couple in their forties, keep desperately trying and failing to have a child. When their niece Sadie (Kayli Carter) comes to stay with them, the possibility arises that Sadie could be their egg donor, setting the trio down a messy path of anxious hope.

Tamara Jenkins’ Private Life is a film about the brutal trials of a middle-aged couple trying to have a baby, but it’s also one that crackles with levity and intelligence. It finds the comedy in having an incredibly intimate argument in the middle of a Manhattan street, or the way your niece drags your professional failures to honor the plight of the struggling artist to her college friends. It’s a reminder that even the most serious material is often best approached with empathy and a good laugh.* — Oliver Whitney, Contributing Writer

How to watch: Private Life is now streaming on Netflix.

7. The Babadook

​​Way back before becoming an inexplicable LGBTQ+ icon, The Babadook was just a simple ghoul standing in front of a girl asking her to “dook dook dook” it. Anyway, enough has been written in the last decade about director Jennifer Kent’s 2014 film being an “allegory for grief” that we should probably start writing papers about those papers now. Or perhaps we should just wipe away the cobwebs and see the movie for what it is, which is a barn-burner of a tale about an overworked mom (Essie Davis, who deserved all of the awards for this performance) and her anxious little boy Samuel (Noah Wiseman, really earning that “World’s Most Annoying Brat” mug) unraveling together hand-in-hand in the wake of family tragedy. The performances keep everything almost too relatable, and Kent’s eye for gothic weirdness summoned a new horror icon right out of thin air.* — Jason Adams, Freelance Contributor

How to watch: The Babadook is now streaming on Netflix.

6. 13th 

Ava DuVernay’s 13th should be compulsory viewing, a powerful documentary that examines mass incarceration and wrongful imprisonment of Black people in America and the long, sinister, racist history that has enabled this discriminatory system to continue. As Mashable’s Tricia Crimmins writes, “The documentary, titled to reference the 13th Amendment — the amendment that abolished slavery — not only elevates the voices of those who have fallen victim to the broken justice system, it exposes those who made such a system possible, such as proponents of Jim Crow-era statutes and the multiple former presidents and political leaders that contributed to the Republican Party’s war on drugs (which enlisted Bill Clinton as well). 13th extensively enlightens viewers on how a majority of Black Americans unfairly serve time in the prison industrial complex.”* — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: 13th is now streaming on Netflix.

5. Set It Up

Rom-coms are back, baby — and Set It Up, written by Katie Silberman (who also penned Booksmart) and directed by Claire Scanlon (The Office, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), is one of the best entries of this new golden age! Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell are young assistants who hatch a plan to set up their high-strung, demanding bosses (Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs) so they can finally get a weekend off. What these two schemers never anticipated, of course, was that they might find themselves in their own romance in the process. Whoops!

Set It Up is a fun, hilarious romp that feels exponentially more real than your standard, candy-coated romantic comedy. The characters are charming because they’re flawed, and they talk like people you know (Zoey uses insider nicknames like “Golf Guy” when chatting with her friends about her dating life). If you’re looking for a romantic comedy that leaves you feeling like you just had the night out with your crew, this is the movie for you. — K.G.

How to watch: Set It Up is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Mudbound 

Based on the novel of the same name, Mudbound follows two American soldiers (Garrett Hedlund and Jason Mitchell) who return from WWII changed men. Their rural Mississippi town, however, has not evolved with them. 

Director Dee Rees became the first Black woman ever nominated for a best adapted screenplay Academy Award for the exceptional script, which she wrote alongside Virgil Williams. Mary J. Blige also garnered both a best supporting actress and a best original song nomination — the first time in history someone has been nominated for an acting and song award in the same year. Mudbound is a riveting and deeply affecting historical drama about two intertwined families navigating an era of intense social change.* — K.G.

How to watch: Mudbound is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Shiva Baby

Worlds collide in this 2020 cringe comedy that’s been widely hailed by critics. When a Jewish college student (Rachel Sennott) dutifully attends a shiva alongside her parents, she’s prepared to field questions about her unimpressive job prospects and lack of a boyfriend. However, she’s not ready for her secret sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) to show up, much less with his beautiful blonde wife (Dianna Agron) and their rosy-cheeked baby. Making matters even more fraught, her former best friend is slinging her serious side-eye. Something has got to give. In her remarkable debut feature, writer/director Emma Seligman creates laughs and suspense with an electrifying tapestry of observational humor, social awkwardness, jolting humiliation, and sexual tension. You’ve heard of feel-good comedies? Well, this is a feel-anxious-as-hell comedy, dragging us through each embarrassment with our harried heroine. And yet, we can’t recommend the experience highly enough.* — K.P.

How to watch: Shiva Baby is now streaming on Netflix.

2. Aftersun

Do we ever truly know our loved ones? Writer/director Charlotte Wells explores the desire to understand our family members in her stunning debut feature, Aftersun. Paul Mescal is captivating and enigmatic as Calum, a young father taking his 11-year-old daughter Sophie on a vacation to celebrate his birthday. As the film unfolds, with Sophie recording their trip on a camcorder (this is the late ’90s, after all!), we see flashes of adult Sophie rewatching the footage, yearning to know more deeply the man hidden inside her dad. Aftersun is an astounding, empathetic character study that will stay with you for days.* — K.G.

How to watch: Aftersun is now streaming on Netflix.

1. The Power of the Dog 

Among our favorites of 2021 is Jane Campion’s latest, a slow-burn thriller with the gritty grandeur of a Western. Academy Award–nominee Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Phil Burbank, a rugged rancher who can rope, ride, and run down anyone with his cruel wit. Once his bullied brother (Academy Award-nominee Jesse Plemons) marries, Phil’s favorite target becomes his gentle (and genteel) sister-in-law (Academy Award–nominee Kirsten Dunst), who could well crumble under his cold stare. Toxic tensions burn slow and mean as Campion smoothly unfurls a story unpredictable, unnerving, and outstanding. This one grows more compelling with each rewatch. Give yourself over to the sickening swoon and you’ll understand what had critics raving, and why Campion (once again) took home the Academy Award for Best Director.* — K.P.

How to watch: The Power of the Dog is now streaming on Netflix.

* denotes that this blurb appeared in a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Dec. 19, 2024, 2:37 p.m. EST This list was first published on Sept. 11, 2022. It has since been updated to reflect current streaming options.