Scrolling through Netflix’s long list of categories that range from action and adventure films, to anime series to docuseries, likely keeps viewers up at night: it seems there is no end to Netflix’s list of options to watch. Tech-savvy viewers might have found Netflix’s secret codes that help narrow down the options.
Among those secret codes, viewers can find international movies, whether they’re hard-hitting movies such as Lazzaro Felice (2018) and Big Fish and Begonia (2016) or newer 2022 released movies that are also Netflix originals. Yet which of these currently released 2022 international films might interest viewers?
‘The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure’ — South Korea
Viewers who watched The Pirates of the Caribbean movies and are eagerly anticipating the details of the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean 6 movie might want to watch a South Korean take on the pirate adventure movies. The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure was the sequel to The Pirates (2014). In The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, a crew of pirates searched to find sunken treasure.
Joining them in their search for treasure was a group of bandits that were previously floating out on a plank of wood out in the sea. The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure is a lighthearted action-adventure comedy. 60% of critics gave The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure a 3.5 or higher, whereas 56% of audiences gave the movie a 3.5 or higher.
‘Today We Fix The World’ (Original Title: ‘Hoy se arregla el mundo’) — Argentina
For the past nine years, television producer, David Samarás (Leonardo Sbaraglia) thought Benito (Benjamín Lasarte) was his son. During a heated argument with the boy’s mother, Silvina (Natalia Oreiro) informed David that he was not Benito’s father. Now a television producer who helped fix other people’s complex issues on the show Hoy se arregla el mundo, he was on a mission to find Benito’s father.
Today We Fix The World or Hoy se arregla el mundo was released in Argentina in 2021, but it didn’t make its way to Netflix until 2022. The film does not follow the clichés seen in similar storylines, such as having the biological father being an unlikeable person or having the main character entirely self-absorbed by his success. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of audiences scored Today We Fix The World a 3.5 out of 5.
‘How I Fell in Love with a Gangster’ (Original Title: ‘Jak pokochalam gangstera’) — Poland
Viewers trolling through Netflix’s international movies might find a few romantic comedies, such as The Taming of the Shrewd (2022) or Squared Love (2021). However, there was one Polish movie that was labeled as a crime drama. How I Fell in Love with a Gangster (2022) chronicles the life of Nikodem “Nikos” Skotarczak (Tomasz Wlosok), a Polish gangster.
Nikos chose this lifestyle, and he was well aware that once he became a gangster, there was no turning back. The dark undertone of the movie conveyed the rise and fall of the gangster, hungry for fame and fortune. 65% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes gave How I Fell in Love with a Gangster a 3.5 or higher.
‘Love Tactics,’ (Original Title: Ask Taktikleri) — Turkey
Asli (Demet Özdemir) wrote advice on her blog “Love Tactics,” aimed at women looking for love. She considered herself an expert in how men and women act in relationships. Kerem (Sükrü Özyildiz) believed he knew every detail about women, how they think and how they work.
Yet to demonstrate that their knowledge actually works, they are challenged to find love using only their advice. Love Tactics (2022)had the ingredients of a typical romantic comedy that viewers will likely find on Netflix. 67% of audiences gave Love Tactics a 3.5 or higher on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Silverton Siege’ — South Africa
At the beginning of Silverton Siege (2022), two armed men and a woman were threatening to shoot an incident people in a bank. The two men, Calvin Khumalo (Thabo Rametsi), Aldo Erasmus (Stefan Erasmus), and woman, Mbali Terra Mabunda (Noxolo Dlamini), did not intend to rob the South African bank. They pledged that their mission was not to hurt innocent bystanders. They were freedom fighters who wanted to eliminate the current leaders in power and weren’t afraid of the consequences.
The gripping action in Silverton Siege was based on true events that occurred in the 1980s where freedom fighters held hostages at a Pretorian bank and, in exchange, requested that Nelson Mandela be released. 71% of critics and 65% of audiences gave Silverton Siege a 3.5 or higher on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘In Good Hands’ (Original Title: ‘Sen Yasamaya Bak’) — Turkey
In Good Hands is a Turkish film about a woman, Melisa (Asli Enver), who raised her son, Can (Mert Ege Ak), alone. While she learned to overcome being a single mother, there was one challenge that she wouldn’t be able to handle on her own. Melisa visited her doctor, who informed her that she only had five months to live.
While she did spend every day enjoying life with her son, she worried about her son’s life once she was gone. She considered the possibility of finding a businessman to help raise her son. In Good Hands was a romantic drama that emphasized the importance of family and living life to the fullest. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 75% of audiences ranked In Good Hands 3.5 or higher.
‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ — India
The biographical film Ganguabai Kathiawadi was about an aspiring actress turned Indian social activist. Alia Bhatt played the role of Ganguabai, who secretly planned to marry her boyfriend, but instead of marrying her boyfriend, her boyfriend sold her to a brothel. She became a sex worker and a leader for the other women who took a stand against Shelia Masi, the brothel owner.
Bhatt delivered a powerful performance by portraying a character based on the actual Gangubai Harjivandas Kathiawadi. Gangubai Kathiawadi was enjoyed by critics and audiences alike; 87% of critics and 97% of audiences gave the movie a 3.5 or higher on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘The Shadow In My Eye’ (Original Title: ‘Skyggen i mit øje’) — Denmark
As its residents tried to go about their daily responsibilities, a gray sky loomed over Copenhagen, Denmark. Warplanes filled the sky as the British Air Forces planned to destroy the Gestapo in Copenhagen. However, the planes fired missiles straight into a school rather than the Gestapo.
The Shadow In My Eye recounted the real, tragic events in 1945 when 120 were killed, including children. The movie showcased the gripping experiences and the trauma that the people of Copenhagen endured. Although initially released in 2021 in Denmark, Netflix added The Shadow In My Eye in March 2022. 94% of audiences gave The Shadow In My Eye a 3.5 out of 5, whereas all five reviews from critics have positively ranked the film, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
