10 Hulu movies you might have missed

The holidays are here, so you might need some help when it comes to selecting just what films to watch on your streaming services. Quite a few hidden gems, and big features, are hidden throughout. We’ll look at Hulu today with a barrage of films, from the sublime action epic Sicario to the small & cerebral Anomalisa. If you’ve got nothing to watch while the snow falls (or wildfires rage?) outside, have a gander at some of the stuff in this top ten!

Sicario (2015)

Denis Villeneuve (Arrival) is mos def Hollywood’s hardest working filmmaker. Every year for the last three, he’s turned out solid, quality films. Sicario puts Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow) on the Mexican-American border and into a story about violence and the real dark heart that lurks in everyone. It’s a thrillride that uses realism as a way to smash open your senses. The film returned to Hulu in May 2026, giving viewers another chance to catch its taut border thriller energy.

Fish Tank (2009)

This 2009 film is a bit of heavy drama to enjoy after a heavy xmas meal. From Andrea Arnold (Red Road) comes a story of romance almost as uncomfortable as it gets. Michael Fassbender (Prometheus) makes a surprise appearance and he’s handsome as ever. Fish Tank is as British as it gets too, gritty and with a keen eye for social realism. Set on a council estate (aka projects) and with quite a few emotional tugs, this flick ended up winning Jury Prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.

Room 237 (2012)

One of the most bizarre documentaries ever made, this film from Rodney Ascher isn’t about the production of The Shining, but rather it’s about the reception and interpretation of Stanley Kubrick’s dark horror flick. Interviewee voices are overlaid with footage of the original film as Room 237 pieces together the puzzle box solutions that each and every one of us brings to film. Beyond being a love letter to the weird & wonderful world of fan theories & film criticism, it’s an ode to the impact that cinema can have on our lives.

Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

Grab your tissues, for this French lesbian coming-of-age drama will surely drive you to complete tears. From Abdellatif Kechiche comes a completely honest & raw romantic story following two French teenagers falling for one another. Dealing with heavy themes of art vs. reality, the dreams of an artist, and the wonders of romance, this film, after a painful production, ended up being one of the most powerful love stories ever put on film.

Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)

Richard Linklater’s long-awaited follow up to Dazed and Confused is the perfect spiritual sequel. It takes the rhythm of the original, alongside its charming characters and warm philosophy, and spins a story about 80s college baseball. There’s a laser-focused effort to bring out the warmth & depth of each character, and Linklater doesn’t shy away from showing every corner that life can hold. Sporty fun for the holidays. The cast marked the film’s tenth anniversary with reunion appearances that reminded viewers how the movie’s hangout vibe still lands.

Frances Ha (2012)

Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig are turning heads with their respective Meyerowitz Stories and Lady Bird. Before their 2017 acclamations, they collaborated to deliver an amazing dramedy about dancers and the struggling artist. Gerwig is in the main role and brings a bombastic energy to the whole flick. Their later projects kept the same sharp eye for messy ambition that made this black-and-white New York portrait feel so lived-in.

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Blade Runner 2049 was fine and all, but we felt we’d seen Ryan Gosling fall in love with an artificial intelligence before. This film follows Gosling’s character, Lars, who develops a loving relationship with a sex doll. There’s no coitus involved! It’s just lovely warm cuddly love! What you might think is played off as some kind of joke turns into a sweet and completely wholesome love story about community and connection.

Anomalisa (2015)

Charlie Kaufman’s stop-motion film takes a quirky, magical view on the reality of romance. Many uncomfortable sequences and the cerebral nature help to lighten the hefty emotional core of this brilliantly inventive film, unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Watch out Team America – the best sex scene performed by puppets has been usurped! (Unfortunately, there’s no Oscar for that.)

In the Loop (2007)

From Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin) comes a feature expansion on his acclaimed British TV series In the Thick of It. Using the lead-up to the Iraq War as full-throttle satire, this laugh-riot throws a cocktail of swear words and angriest Scotsman in the world Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) into the heart of the political world.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

Before he was conquering the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Thor: Ragnarok, director Taika “Beautiful Boy” Waititi made this absolutely gorgeous film. Following a young boy played charmingly by Julian Dennison, who bonds with his adopted “uncle” Hec (Sam Neill), this is a warm hug of a film, constantly filling you up with hearty laughs and a relationship that, while rocky, nonetheless comes across as uniquely real and true. Subsequent Waititi projects kept the same blend of heart and offbeat humor that made this New Zealand road trip feel so singular.

Anora (2024)

Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner dropped into Hulu’s lineup as one of the sharper recent additions, and it fits the platform’s taste for scrappy, character-first indies. Mikey Madison plays a Brooklyn sex worker whose impulsive Vegas marriage to a Russian oligarch’s son spirals into a frantic, funny chase across two coasts. The film keeps its focus on class friction and quick-witted survival without turning its lead into a punchline, which is why it keeps showing up on year-end lists even after awards season closed.

Thelma (2024)

June Squibb leads this brisk action-comedy as a ninety-something grandmother who refuses to let a phone scam slide. Director Josh Margolin stages a string of low-stakes heists and car chases that still feel grounded because the cast treats every beat like real family business. Hulu programmers slotted it into hidden-gem roundups last summer, and viewers who skipped it on the big screen now get to enjoy its mix of gentle slapstick and genuine affection for older characters who still want to drive the story.

Dangerous Animals (2025)

This sun-baked thriller arrived on Hulu with a premise that splits the difference between creature feature and psychological standoff. A shark-tour operator turns predator on the tourists who book his boat, and the film uses tight quarters and open water to keep tension high without leaning on cheap jump scares. Mid-year guides flagged it as a fresh genre pick that gives the service something punchier than its usual drama slate, and the lean runtime makes it an easy late-night watch.

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (2021)

Questlove’s documentary excavates the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, a six-week concert series that ran parallel to Woodstock yet stayed largely unseen until this restoration. The footage captures Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone, and a teenage Stevie Wonder at peak charisma, while archival interviews remind viewers how the event doubled as a community anchor during a turbulent summer. Hulu has kept the title in steady rotation because it pairs musical electricity with clear historical context, giving the catalog a nonfiction counterpart to its narrative hidden gems.

Hulu’s current mix of catalog titles and fresh indies keeps giving viewers reasons to scroll past the obvious choices. Whether you land on a tense border thriller or a music documentary that rewrites festival history, the service still rewards a little digging. These fourteen films prove that strong storytelling does not always need a marketing budget the size of a studio tentpole, and they are all right there when you need something that feels discovered rather than delivered.