Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
When you’re wanting to get your ear in, improve your pronunciation and pick up some extra colloquialisms, watching films in German can be a nice alternative to a language course. Gone are the days when you had to trundle down to your local video rental store and peruse the slim pickings in the “world cinema” section.
Thanks to the miracle of modern technology, nowadays Netflix offers you hundreds of German movies at just the click of a button.
The downside of having so many options is that making a choice can seem nigh-on impossible. Luckily for you, we’ve trawled through the catalogues to find some of the best (in our opinion) German-language films available on Netflix in Germany. They all have subtitles in either English or German (if your language ability is up to it, it’ll do you a world of good.) So sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!
Based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque, the 2022 film All Quiet on the Western Front considers the twin brutality and futility of war. It follows the life of a young soldier called Paul who enlists in the German army during the First World War in a fit of patriotism, only to have his dreams of becoming a hero shattered by the grim reality of life in the trenches. It was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture, and is a gripping, harrowing film.
Video credit: Netflix / YouTube
This hacking-themed thriller focuses on Benjamin, a computer whiz from Berlin whose life changes forever when he meets the charismatic Max. Along with two of Max's shifty friends, they set up an underground hacker collective that quickly achieves global notoriety.
Video credit: Rotten Tomatoes Trailers / YouTube
The only documentary to be included on this list, Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate is an absorbing and sobering documentary about a glitzy club in 1920s Berlin that became a haven for the LGBT+ community. The film explores the freedoms lost amid Hitler’s rise to power, and the insidious nature of intolerance itself, through a mixture of interviews, reenactments and historical footage.
Video credit: Netflix Deutschland, Österreich und Schweiz / YouTube
When protagonist Janne is raped, she vows not to tell anyone. However, as the memory of the attack festers within her, Janne’s day-to-day life, work and relationships begin to slowly unravel. A raw yet compassionate study of female trauma, Eva Trobisch’s debut film All is Well is a slow-moving yet searing exploration of the interactions all women must carefully navigate.
Video credit: CineGardens / YouTube
A feel-good fun film and a classic of the “rich girls meets poor boy” genre popularised by other films like Step Up and Save the Last Dance, Isi & Ossi follows a billionaire’s daughter from a posh neighbourhood in Heidelberg, who pretends to be in a relationship with a struggling boxer in order to escape an arranged marriage and convince her parents to let her pursue her dream of becoming a chef.
Video credit: Netflix Deutschland, Österreich und Schweiz / YouTube
After being released from prison, ex-con Danyal must take care of his two younger brothers. One is a gambling addict and the other has Down syndrome. Familiye is an action-packed portrait of socially outcast men, struggling for recognition and security amid a neighbourhood wracked by violence, crime and drugs.
Video credit: KinoCheck Action / YouTube
We hope you enjoy our selection of German movies on Netflix, and that your language ability is all the better for it. If you're hungry for more, check out our pick of the best TV shows on Netflix!
Thumb image credit: Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock.com