35 Best Short Films To Watch On Netflix

Summary

• Netflix offers a varied collection of short films that are often underappreciated but offer compelling storytelling, direction, acting, and thought-provoking content.
• Short films on Netflix have become more accessible and popular thanks to series like Black Mirror and Love Death + Robots. They can evoke emotions and provoke thoughts in a short amount of time.
• The best short films on Netflix cover a wide range of topics and themes, from refugee life to police brutality, from surreal journeys to the representation of marginalized characters. They offer unique perspectives and storytelling styles.

Netflix boasts some of the best movies, television shows, and anime choices — but what’s not as well known is that the best short films on Netflix are also more than worth watching. Short films are sometimes underappreciated and neglected, but they are treasures for cinephiles. The varied library of short films on Netflix offers almost everything in a bite-sized package, whether it’s a compelling storyline, astute direction, powerful acting, thought-provoking sequences, or brilliant dialogue. Short films have traditionally been a showcase for up-and-coming or underappreciated directors but were often hard to see outside of film festivals.

Netflix has invested significantly in short films and made them more accessible. Several Netflix series such as Black Mirror, Love Death + Robots, and Cabinet of Curiosities have helped to popularize short-form storytelling. The best Netflix short films pack the same punch in a stand-alone package. The best part is that short films can alter actual emotions in 40 minutes or less, and sometimes as little as 11 minutes. They communicate important ideas to the audience and contribute to provoking necessary thoughts in the viewers’ minds.

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Related 10 Movies You Never Knew Started Out As Short Films

From Boogie Nights to This is the End, some of these short films prove to be so effective, studios want to see a full-length version of the story.

35 The Crossing (2017)

A Middle Eastern Family Drama

The Crossing is a short film about three Palestinian siblings who want to visit their bedridden grandfather, but he lives on the other side of the separation wall. Released in 2017, it is 10 minutes long and mostly just a snippet-of-life short film. This isn’t a story with a beginning, middle, and end, but it is instead a look at three people trying to get somewhere that is almost impossible to reach to say goodbye to a loved one, and the red tape that threatens to stop them.

This is about the struggles the Palestinian people face when all they want to do is visit their family.

The acting is strong here, with a strong message at its heart. This isn’t so much about the three siblings and how they treat each other (one brother is kind of cruel to his siblings, but that can be explained by the grief and stress of the trip). However, this is about the struggles the Palestinian people face when all they want to do is visit their family. The main conflict here is getting past the wall, which it turns out is harder than expected, and the harsh truths here make for a tough watch.

34 Heart Shot (2022)

A Coming-Of-Age Drama Short

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Released in 2022, Heart Shot is a 19-minute short drama film about two young women who fall in love, only to find one of their pasts is coming back to ruin things for them. Samantha and Nikki love each other and do what they can to be together, but when Sam calls Nikki over to see her after her parents leave the house, Nikki brings a gun, and it puts the entire short film into question about what could happen next.

Like the best short films, this immediately presents the problem and takes the viewer on a ride. While this is only 19 minutes in length, director Marielle Woods does much more than create a short snippet of a story, and she presents a compelling tale with a beginning, middle, and end that captivates the viewer and leaves them guessing until the conclusion.

Nia Sondaya and Elena Heuzé are great as Samantha and Nikki, and the production values are greater than most people might expect from a short film. The ending is also a real gut punch and delivers on the premise.

33 The Room (2019)

A French Family Drama

A woman named LeClerc is contacted and told that her father has died. She has to go through his belongings, which is a tough journey for her because she has been estranged from him for years and grew to hate him during their separation. The Room is a 19-minute French short film on Netflix that shows the stages of grief that follow a person who never knew the person she is supposed to be grieving for other than what her mother told her about him.

LeClerc learns more about her father as she finds items in his room

The short film is a tale of grief and remembrance, as LeClerc learns more about her father as she finds items in his room that prove he never once forgot about her. The Room mostly follows her in the one location of her dad’s room, but also has small moments with people who knew him as well as short snippets where she speaks on the phone to her mother, who remains bitter about the broken relationship. That means this is a one-person performance, and it is extremely heartfelt.

32 Anima (2019)

A Short Thom Yorke/PT Anderson Film

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Anima is a unique short film on Netflix that combines a music video with an experimental film. It should find a lot of love from two major fan groups. First, the movie is based on the Thom Yorke (Radiohead) album of the same name. This specific album ended up hitting number one on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. The director is acclaimed Oscar-nominated Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights), who put together a 15-minute film for it.

It is easy to see the influence of classics like
Metropolis
and
1984
in its running time.

The short actually got an IMAX release in theaters when it came out and hit Netflix on the same day (June 27, 2019). It is mostly shot as an experimental film with the cast of characters and Thom Yorke himself in an almost expressive dance throughout the running time. Included in the dystopian scenes are the songs “Not the News,” “Traffic,” and “Dawn Chorus.” It is easy to see the influence of classics like Metropolis and 1984 in its running time.

31 One Last Shot (1998)

A Short Movie With The Trailer Park Boys

While it isn’t a Trailer Park Boys short movie, One Last Shot is a 30-minute short film on Netflix that stars two of the cast members and is directed by the creator of that hit TV series. Mike Clattenburg directs the low-budget black-and-white movie, which features Rob Wells as Rob, a man who has decided to leave Halifax and head to Vancouver to start a business. His best friend G.W. (played by John Paul Tremblay) offers him one last night out before he leaves.

The short has a lot of the same things that people love about The Trailer Park Boys as the business venture for Rob is to sell weed (illegally, of course). There is a lot here that shows that Clattenburg was testing the waters with his humor and filmmaking style, and it is clearly an amateur film production. However, it also has a charm and humor that fans of the show would come to love over the years. For anyone who wants to see where everything started, this is the perfect starting point.

30 In Vitro (2019)

A Sci-Fi Movie Years After An Eco Disaster

In Vitro is a 2019 science fiction film by Larissa Sansour that clocks in at 28 minutes. The story is about an ecological disaster that destroyed the world, and two scientists 30 years later who are talking about the future.

The style of filmmaking here is also experimental, with many scenes playing in a split-screen format, with either the two people talking on each side of the screen or with different looks at the specific location from two different angles. Once the format is in place, it then plays out a black-and-white story about the older scientist on her deathbed, offering her advice and knowledge to the younger one.

The older woman knows what happened in the past, but the younger one has no memories of it and considers the past world experiences as “fairy tales.” The main theme is the importance of cultural identity and remembering the past to ensure mistakes aren’t repeated in the future.

29 Disco Inferno (2023)

The Beginning Of A Supernatural Motherhood

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Release Date October 20, 2023 Director Matthew Castellanos Cast Soni Bringas Runtime 19 Minutes

…a disco nightclub that was once a church becomes a den of eerie horror.

In Netflix’s original short film Disco Inferno, a disco nightclub that was once a church becomes a den of eerie horror. Mel (Soni Bringas) and Brandon (Stephen Ruffin) are a young couple in the 70s disco era who are eager to win the club’s big dance contest. However, when Mel discovers she is pregnant, she awakens a dark supernatural entity.

Disco Inferno is a tight 18-minute horror film that still manages to find time for a host of disturbing images — particularly when it comes to the eyes — that will satisfy fans of the genre. Bringas (Fuller House) and Ruffin (Snowfall) give powerful performances both opposite each other and in their own right, and they appear to be stars in the making. The one downfall is that it ends abruptly, which works for a short film, but also leaves a lot of room open if they decide to make this into a feature-length movie in the future.

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28 Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein (2019)

A Meta Horror Journey

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Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein (2019)

Release Date July 16, 2019 Director Daniel Gray Longino Cast David Harbour , Alex Ozerov , Kate Berlant , Mary Woronov , Alfred Molina , Heather Lawless , Marion Van Cuyck Runtime 32 Minutes

Those who enjoy the lighter, sillier side to Harbour’s acting will get a lot of this short

David Harbour, of Netflix’s Stranger Things fame, plays a surreal version of himself in Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster Frankenstein. In the 32-minute short film, David Harbour III wants to learn more about his father, the noted theater actor David Harbour Jr., who famously played Dr. Frankenstein in the stage play, Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster Frankenstein. Harbour plays himself, and his dad, and goes in with absurdist humor that even pays homage to Orson Welles.

Those who enjoy the lighter, sillier side to Harbour’s acting will get a lot of this short. The kooky humor may not be for everyone, but the story never overstays its welcome. Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster Frankenstein is meta, surreal, and just plain fun. There are a lot of inside jokes for people who have knowledge of the film industry, and the surprise appearance of Alfred Molina was a fun addition to the mockumentary.

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27 Weathering (2023)

A Story Of Loss & Resilience

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Release Date April 14, 2023 Director Megalyn Echikunwoke Cast Alexis Louder , Alfre Woodard , Jermaine Fowler , James Tupper Runtime 20 Minutes

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The real horror of this movie is how poorly women can be treated in the health care system

A heartbreaking but important story, Weathering centers on Gemina (Violent Night‘s Alexis Louder), a young woman who loses her baby in childbirth, nearly dying herself. Upon returning home, Gemina grieves in solitude and suffers from disturbing visions. The real horror of this movie is how poorly women can be treated in the health care system, as Gemina insists something is wrong but is dismissed by the doctor.

Weathering covers a lot of ground in just 20 minutes, and the focus on what women have to go through, especially those of color, is a story that remains an important one to tell. However, even more important, is the inner voice that tries to destroy a person who has suffered a great loss, and how a person can be their own worst enemy in these situations – especially when they can’t find anyone willing to help them find a way out of the darkness. Louder is backed by a stellar supporting cast including Alfre Woodard and Jermaine Fowler.

26 The After (2023)

A Meditative Exploration Of Grief And Redemption

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Release Date October 25, 2023 Director Misan Harriman Cast David Oyelowo , Jessica Plummer , Amelie Dokubo , Ellen Francis Runtime 18 Minutes

With [Misan] Harriman at the helm,
The After
is sure to be a visually stunning, even haunting short film

A meaningful meditation on grief and human connection, The After stars David Oyelowo as Dayo, a London rideshare driver coping with tragic loss. When he picks up a passenger, he is forced to confront his past, but in doing so, is able to see a path to healing. The British short film was honored with a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Live Action Short Film and won the Outstanding Short Form (Live Action) Award at the NAACP Image Awards.

Oyelowo is joined by an impressive company of actors, including Jessica Plummer (EastEnders), Sule Rimi (Andor), and Izuka Hoyle (Persuasion), and the short film is also the debut of renowned photographer Misan Harriman, with his photos of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests shared internationally. With Harriman at the helm, The After is sure to be a visually stunning, even haunting short film.

25 Flashback (2023)

16 Minutes Of A Terrifying Ride

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Release Date October 16, 2020 Director Christopher MacBride Cast Dylan O’Brien , Hannah Gross , Maika Monroe , Emory Cohen , Keir Gilchrist Runtime 97 Minutes

Experiencing the home invasion in this short film is a yoga teacher

From Us to The Strangers, home invasion movies are some of the scariest offerings in the horror genre, and Flashback delivers the chills in just 16 minutes. Experiencing the home invasion in this short film is a yoga teacher, and as it happens, her life flashes before her eyes. From there, she must race against time to save the man she loves, even if it means costing her everything in the process.

Director Jed Shepherd is no stranger to the horror genre, as his credits include co-writing Host (2020), and he brings back Host stars Jemma Moore and Haley Bishop. If Flashback is any indication, all three are set to be the next big names in horror thanks to this breakout project. On top of that, the timing of this short film was perfect, releasing during the Halloween season in 2023.

24 Amsterdam To Anatolia (2019)

A Tale Of Forbidden Love

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Amsterdam To Anatolia (2019)

Release Date October 27, 2019 Director Susan Youssef Cast Adam Bakri , Clara Khoury , Thamer Jendoubi , Gideon Levy Runtime 6 Minutes

Amsterdam to Anatolia
unflinchingly shows the heartbreaking violence that results from two people simply daring to love each other

A tale of forbidden love, Amsterdam to Anatolia stars Adam Bakri and Clara Khoury as a pair of star-crossed lovers who meet for a dangerous romantic rendezvous when Elissa has to decide between this new mystery man and her abusive husband. Under Susan Youssef’s deft direction, Amsterdam to Anatolia unflinchingly shows the heartbreaking violence that results from two people simply daring to love each other. Much is left to interpretation, but that makes this fantastic short film all the more thought-provoking.

In just six short minutes, Bakri and Khoury establish a winning chemistry that takes some A-list actors and an entire feature film to establish. The production is especially high for a short film, and it could end up as the template for a feature-length movie if director Susan Youssef gets the financial backing to go in that direction. As a tale of forbidden love and consequences, it is a harrowing and disturbing tale, and at only six minutes, never overstays its welcome.

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23 Forgive Us Our Trespasses (2022)

A Harrowing Tale Of Survival In Nazi Germany

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Release Date February 17, 2022 Director Ashley Eakin Cast Knox Gibson , Hanneke Talbot , Justin Mader , Nathaniel McParland , Tyler Hutchings , Noah Lamanna Runtime 13 Minutes

Gibson delivers a powerful performance in the film’s 14 minutes, underlining
Forgives Us Our Trespasses
‘ message about the importance of humanity

One of the most intense short films on Netflix, Forgive Us Our Trespasses is the harrowing tale of a boy with a limb difference in 1930s Nazi Germany. When the Nazis begin hunting people with disabilities, the young Paul (Knox Gibson) must run for his life. The movie takes an important and underseen look at how people with disabilities struggled to survive during the Nazi regime during World War II, and the acting allows this movie to deliver a deeply personal and harrowing tale.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses proves that action doesn’t need to be big-budget or bombastic, as the chase scene between Paul and the Nazis is as breathtaking as it is horrifying. Gibson delivers a powerful performance in the film’s 14 minutes, underlining Forgives Us Our Trespasses‘ message about the importance of humanity. While the movie might not be completely historically accurate, it remains an important look at empathy during a horrific time in world history.

22 Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl Shorts (2023)

The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar, The Swan, The Rat Catcher, Poison

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Release Date September 1, 2023 Director Wes Anderson Cast Ralph Fiennes , Benedict Cumberbatch , Dev Patel , Ben Kingsley , Richard Ayoade , Rupert Friend Runtime 39 Minutes

Wes Anderson made four short films based on Roald Dahl stories for Netflix, and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is the first and most publicized. Leading a small ensemble cast of A-list actors, Benedict Cumberbatch plays Henry Sugar, a gambler who discovers meditation and uses it to help him win money at blackjack, only to be faced with philosophical consequences.The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is one of Dahl’s lighter stories, and the 41-minute movie was universally praised by critics.

The Swan
is one of Anderson’s deepest films

The Swan sees Rupert Friend tell the tale of the sweet, bird-loving boy Peter (Asa Jennings), who is tormented at gunpoint by two bullies. Even with its brief 17-minute runtime, The Swan is a difficult watch as Peter’s bullies make him perform increasingly disturbing acts. However, The Swan is one of Anderson’s deepest films. The Rat Catcher, centers on the titular rodent hunter (Ralph Fiennes) who is enlisted in dispensing with a local infestation of rats. The Rat Catcher is only 17 minutes long but doesn’t need longer to take the audience on a dark, twisty journey.

Poison is a dark-humored three-hander between Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, and Ben Kingsley. Cumberbatch plays Harry, a man lying in bed who informs his friend Timber (Patel) that a krait, a venomous snake, is on his stomach beneath the covers. Timber seeks the help of Dr. Ganderbai (Kingsley) and they separate the snake from Harry. Anderson’s 17-minute short film isn’t the first adaptation of Dahl’s “Poison.” It was a radio play in 1950, and both Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Tales of the Unexpected adapted the story. Poison asks questions about fear and its relation to human perception.

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21 Cops And Robbers (2020)

A Poetic Response To Racial Injustice And Police Brutality

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Cops And Robbers (2020)

Release Date December 28, 2020 Director Arnon Manor , Timothy Ware-Hill Cast Timothy Ware-Hill Runtime 6 Minutes

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…the filmmaker ties together the double meaning of the title

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, many turned to art to share their experiences and thoughts on police brutality and how it relates to racial injustice. In Timothy Ware-Hill’s Cops and Robbers, the filmmaker ties together the double meaning of the title — a schoolyard kids’ game and how Black people are perceived and treated by the police. This is accomplished through spoken-word poetry and is in direct response to the death of Ahmaud Arbery

In Cops and Robbers‘ seven-minute runtime, Ware-Hill uses mixed animation to show the contrast between these two concepts. This artistic choice reflects not only the all-encompassing urgency of the situation but also how children are robbed of innocence at such a young age. This is Ware-Hill’s most recent film, but if it’s any indication, he has many more stories to share.

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20 A Drowning Man (2017)

A Glimpse Into Refugee Life Through A Day In The Kid’s Eyes

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Release Date May 17, 2017 Director Mahdi Fleifel Cast Atef Alshafei , Jalal Qaniry , Thymios Koukios , Rebih El-Saleous Runtime 15 Minutes

By just focusing on a day in the life of The Kid, it really hits home about the dangers, even without fictional threats added in

A Drowning Man is a 15-minute short film that follows a protagonist known only as The Kid (Atef Alshafei), who is a Palestinian refugee in Athens just trying to make it through his day. It’s a hard film to watch, but A Drowning Man pulls no punches in its depiction of what refugee life can be like. The story seems simple, as it just shows The Kid trying to get through the city, while there is danger and threats on every corner.

The short is Danish-Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel’s debut narrative film, and it went on to screen in several prominent film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival. Previously, he directed a documentary called A World Not Ours, and he had other documentary shorts before setting out to make A Drowning Man. By just focusing on a day in the life of The Kid, it really hits home about the dangers, even without fictional threats added in a feature film.

19 Canvas (2020)

A Heartfelt Journey Of Loss, Healing, And Rediscovery Through Art

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Release Date December 11, 2020 Director Frank E. Abney III Runtime 9 Minutes

Was there something that was left behind or something there she lost in that loss of my dad?

Animated short films don’t waste any time hitting viewers at their emotional core, and the nine-minute Canvas is no exception. Written and directed by Frank E. Abney III, Canvas tells the story of an elderly man who emotionally closed off after the loss of his wife, but through his granddaughter, he finds joy in painting again. Though the image of a blank canvas as a metaphor for starting over isn’t exactly subtle, the short film is so uplifting that it truly does not matter.

Abney III was inspired to make this film based on his own experience of losing his father at the age of five and how that profoundly affected his family (via Variety). “Seeing how my family has been affected by it, especially my mom, watching her and how she has had to work to support us as a single mother. I always kind of wondered, ‘Was there something that was left behind or something there she lost in that loss of my dad?’”

18 Sitara: Let Girls Dream (2020)

Empowering Girls Through Animation

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Release Date September 23, 2019 Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Runtime 15 Minutes

Sitara
is sure to make the audience aware of the devastating number of yearly child brides, but the film itself ends on an optimistic note

An animated silent short film from Pakistan, Sitara: Let Girls Dream sees 14-year-old Pari living in 1970s Lahore. Pari idolizes Amelia Earhart and yearns to be a pilot, but this is in direct conflict with her father, who plans to marry her off to a much older man. Sitara is sure to make the audience aware of the devastating number of yearly child brides, but the film itself ends on an optimistic note. The fact that the story is told through the eyes of her six-year-old sister adds a level of innocence to the movie.

The 15-minute Sitara was screened by Gucci at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival as part of their #LetGirlsDream campaign, and Netflix released it on March 8, International Women’s Day. Sitara also screened at the Los Angeles Animation Film Festival, where it won three awards, including the Humanitarian Award. Director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy has won two Oscars and went on to direct episodes of the MCU series Ms. Marvel.

17 Maradona’s Legs (2019)

A Touching Football Tale

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Release Date June 20, 2019 Director Firas Khoury Cast Faris Abbas , Walaa Eltiti , Yazeed Faruja , Ayoub Abu Hamad , Ali Suliman Runtime 20 Minutes

Set during the 1990 World Cup, two young Palestinian boys are huge football fans, and they’re eager to complete their sticker album in order to win an Atari. The final sticker they need is the titular image, of football player Diego Maradona’s legs, so the boys set out to Nazareth in order to find it. Short films with a focus on children are often animated, but the 23-minute Maradona’s Legs manages to evoke a tone of whimsy and optimism thanks to its two young protagonists in a live-action short.

With its clearly defined quest, Maradona’s Legs feels like a true hero’s journey. This is also a short film that rewards repeated viewings thanks to messages sprinkled within about the Palestinian revolution and the struggles of people in the nation, set against the innocence of the children. However, this is also a very sweet and charming short film and not one that hammers home any message outside of a child’s love of soccer and their desire to be kids.

16 Ave Maria (2015)

A Unique Blend Of Satire And Social Commentary

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Release Date May 18, 2015 Director Basil Khalil Cast Maria Zreik , Huda El-Imam , Shady Srour , Ruth Farhi , Maya Koren Runtime 14 Minutes

a fully realized story that was impressive enough for
Ave Maria
to be nominated for Best Animated Short Film

Directed by Basil Khalil, Ave Maria finds a family of Israeli settlers dealing with car trouble in the West Bank near a Palestinian convent. There they seek assistance from five nuns who have taken a vow of silence. There are a lot of serious short films about Israel and Palestine, and though they are important, Ave Maria stands out as being pure satire. While it is religiously based, the entire concept of the Israelis and Palestinians realizing they can accomplish more by working together is a nice theme in this short movie.

Typically, short films have very small casts, often only two actors, if that. However, between the nuns and the family, eight characters share the screen, and in just 14 minutes, the ensemble is able to create a fully realized story that was impressive enough for Ave Maria to be nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards.

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Source: https://www.lsu.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment