Hulu has recently added some fantastic hidden gems that you should know about to its deep catalog of movies. Everyone seems to be aware of the major movies that are available on their favorite streaming service, which makes it extra special when you find something that has been unjustly overlooked by many.
These are films that weren't major releases but deserve more love and viewers. It can be tough to find which lesser-known films you should be checking out but thankfully, there are so many currently available on Hulu, especially from the 2010s, that should be added to your watchlist as soon as possible.
Princess Cyd (2017)
It's unfortunate but many of the best LGBTQ+ movies are ones that get overlooked by general audiences. Among them is Princess Cyd, which not many people heard about, though it was met with widespread critical acclaim, holding an impressive 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The story centers on a teen named Cyd (Jessie Pinnick) as she spends a few weeks away visiting her aunt and while there, the family members bond as Cyd also falls for a local girl. The characters feel realistic, it tells a story that resonates, and the entire thing is just adorable.
The Escort (2015)
Most people likely know Lyndsy Fonseca from her roles on Nikita, How I Met Your Mother, or Kick-Ass. However, her best performance is arguably in The Escort where she plays Natalie, the titular character. The movie earned director Will Slocombe a Los Angeles Film Festival award nomination.
The Escort follows a journalist who hangs around with sex workers for a story, only to be drawn in by Natalie, who is an intelligent, Stanford-educated woman. Both grow throughout the course of the story and it becomes more heartwarming than you likely expect.
Luce (2019)
It's a shame that Luce wasn't watched by more people because it's truly one of the most gripping films in recent memory. It stands out on paper for the strong cast featuring the talented Octavia Spencer, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Naomi Watts, and Tim Roth.
What makes Luce so intense is that you never quite know who to believe in a story that takes plenty of twists and turns. The protagonist is a star athlete and student at school but his questionable views on political violence land him on his teacher's radar and this unfolds in a way that will have you thinking about it for days.
Disobedience (2017)
If you have a film led by Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz, you can almost guarantee that the performances will be great. That's the case with Disobedience, which sees the two play the lead characters of Esti and Ronit, respectively.
Ronit returns to the Jewish community that she was raised in after the death of her father and rekindles a romance with Esti, who is now married to Ronit's cousin. The scandalous nature of the story will grab anyone, while the chemistry between McAdams and Weisz helps carry this. Disobedience was nominated for several accolades, including some GLAAD Media Awards.
The Assistant (2019)
This is another one of those films that will likely stick with you long after the credits roll. It focuses on Jane, a woman who works as an assistant for a powerful executive, as she discovers a pattern of abuse that her boss displays.
It all builds to Jane reporting it to HR, which doesn't quite go as planned. The Assistant shines a light on how upsetting these situations can be and the film is intense from the start. Julia Garner delivers a masterful performance as Jane, just as she does in Ozark as Ruth.
Little Woods (2019)
There are so many women who stood out with their acting talents during the 2010s and two of the biggest names to do so are Tessa Thompson and Lily James. Putting them together in a movie should lead to powerful stuff, which is the case with Little Woods.
Set in a small town, the film follows Ollie (Thompson) as the authorities close in on her scheme to get residents free medication from Canada. Along the way she also gets caught up in a harrowing situation with her sister (James). The film can be depressing but the leads are great and MCU fans should check it out as it's the directorial debut of Nia DaCosta, who will helm The Marvels.
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)
Another well-received but little-seen LGBTQ+ film from the 2010s is Portrait of a Lady on Fire. In the fact, the movie has high ratings from nearly every review you can find online and the romance is consistently praised.
The story sees a female artist commissioned to paint a portrait of a woman ahead of her wedding. As they spend time together on an isolated island, the two fall in love, and just seeing that unfold is enough to captivate anyone thanks to the masterful acting, writing, and direction.
Buffaloed (2019)
Some people have compared Buffaloed to Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street. That is high praise but the indie flick more than earns it because the vibe is similar, though on a much smaller scale.
Buffaloed centers on Peg (a never-better Zoey Deutch), a woman who finds major success in the world of debt-collecting as she attempts to escape her hometown of Buffalo, New York. Almost every aspect was lauded, with the performance of Deutch ranking at the top.
Leave No Trace (2018)
One of the most difficult things for a film to pull off is to hold a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Just one negative review will spoil that, as was recently the case with Paddington 2. So, it's especially impressive that Leave No Trace is still at 100% on the site.
In fact, Leave No Trace has the most reviews ever for a film with a perfect score. Starring Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie, the movie tells the story of a war veteran with PTSD who raises his daughter in the wilderness until social services intervene, changing their lives forever.
Ingrid Goes West (2017)
Given the modern age's reliance on social media, it only makes sense that a handful of thrillers have arrived in recent years focused on it. One of the best to do so, despite the fact that not many people saw it, was Ingrid Goes West.
The film follows mentally unstable Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) who moves across the country to be closer to her Instagram idol Taylor (Elizabeth Olsen). Ingrid Goes West won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival while earning nominations at many other ceremonies.