11 Best Movies on Amazon Prime India

The first things that grab your attention in Nickel Boys are its beauty and technicality. Director RaMell Ross, a large-format photographer, ensures every frame relays something deep, intimate, and moving. Then there’s how he takes these shots: we see things unfold through the POV of Elwood and Turner, students at an abusive reform school in Tallahassee, Florida. The year is 1962, and even though the civil rights movement inspires Elwood and his peers to stand up for themselves, the political climate is as skewed and violent as ever. Nickel Boys tells the unfortunately common story of how Black men, in particular, had to endure unimaginable abuse during the Jim Crow era in the South. What is uncommon, though, is the sensitivity and boundless inventiveness with which Ross tells this story. Yes, violence is unavoidable in a story like this, but Ross swaps trauma porn with something more effective and chilling—a mixture of silence, archival photographs, time jumps, and that immersive POV, which forces you to be in Elwood and Turner’s shoes. The world before them may be brutal, but inside, they hold space for beauty, fun, relationships, and wonder, manifested in the film in dreamy visual sequences. What Ross does is art in the highest form, an unforgettable balance between style and substance.

My Old Ass has a very simple premise, one it doesn’t even take the effort of explaining. For whatever reason, 18-year-old Elliot meets her 39-year-old self, and they talk at length about life. Naturally, older Elliot gives her younger self some advice to improve her life. But she also gives her a grave warning: under no circumstances must she be with a man named Chad. The film then follows younger Elliot as she tries to heed her advice and learn a lot about life in the process. Now, on paper, that may sound like sentimental schmaltz, but the two actresses playing Elliot—Stella and Plaza—are what make the film so grounded and enjoyable. Stella is bursting with life and energetic humor, while Plaza delivers her signature stoic wit. That’s not to say she’s lifeless though. By the time the climax rolls in, you’ll be struggling to keep the tears in.

Love can happen anytime and anywhere, but some of the best love stories are about the kind of love that fundamentally challenges the lovers in question, as well as the kind of people these lovers are. One such film that does that is Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. It’s a simple holiday romance, but the straightforward plot works because of the leads’ playful chemistry and because of the way writer-director Aditya Chopra understands the characters of his directorial debut. While abroad, the two young adults are pushed to think about each other as they navigate an unfamiliar continent, but as they return to their regular lives– with Raj still remaining in Europe and Simran moving back to India– they’re challenged like many second-generation kids, to either return to the culture they grew up in, or adapt to the culture of where they’re going. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge suggests that being Indian and living abroad, as well as personal happiness and respecting one’s family, doesn’t have to contradict, and it’s these ideas that makes it a classic.

For the longest time, land was where people formed strength in community, where people were born, lived, died, and was buried in, but it was also how empires grew in power, often at the expense of the people that came before. Exhuma is centered in a haunted burial site of a Korean family that migrated due to the war, but as the shamans try to unearth the casket, they also uncover the psychospiritual ways in which Japan colonized Korea– haunting the land with their own ghosts, dividing its people through belief, and leaving deep scars that hasn’t yet been fully recovered from. While the double exorcism situation can be a tad confusing, Exhuma nonetheless elevates this folk horror drama with their respect and attention to detail for Korean shamanism.

Despite how the title sounds like, the horror of Bedevilled isn’t a devil, a demon, or a spirit. It isn’t even the way childhood friend Bok-nam snaps, taking up a scythe and going on a murderous rampage to kill all the people that wronged her. No, the actual horror of Bedevilled is that everyday people like bank employee Hae-won would hesitate to do what’s right. Reading that sentence can sound cheesy, but writer-director Jang Cheol-soo structures the film, and her visit to Modo, in a gradually escalating manner. When Hae-won first lands, the mean gossip seems ordinary, but the film takes these ordinary, if overcritical, words, and delves into the subtext, especially the darker implications that makes the film difficult to watch. The film does understand Hae-won’s hesitancy– the scenes do acknowledge that reporting could mean retaliation, and the score consistently meets that very fear. But Bedevilled also understands that, if hesitancy allows abuse to be left unchecked, the very same violence that Hae-won was (and many people are) avoiding will inevitably escalate.

Given the political nature of the story, it’s not surprising that The Mauritanian takes a somewhat safe and simple approach in depicting the real life Guantanamo Bay prisoner who was unjustly detained for more than a decade. Nevertheless, sticking to familiar procedural beats is effective, because of the powerful story itself, and the outstanding performances of Jodie Foster and Hollywood newcomer Tahar Rahim, who won and was nominated for a Golden Globe respectively. The formulaic approach helps the film carry the complexities of the case in a more concise manner, and sticking close to the story without much flair helps keep the focus on the real injustice. The Mauritanian thankfully works because of its talent.

There’s a pervasive myth in movies that struggle (financial, physical, or otherwise) makes you stronger, but the truth is that struggle makes you weaker. Adversity makes you more resilient and resourceful, sure, but it takes a lot more to be stronger. The Fire Inside, a biopic about American Olympic athlete Ressa Shields, understands that truth, so instead of being a romanticized rags-to-riches picture, it’s instead a sympathetic and thoughtful film about how Shields and her trainer, Jason Crutchfield, navigate the many hurdles and biases that they encounter as a Black and poverty-stricken athletic team. The film is a sports drama, but the excellent dialogue (written by award-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins) hits just as much as the boxing scenes. Unlike most sports movies, The Fire Inside’s story doesn’t stop at the crucial match—we get to see how Shield fares after all the hype and fanfare, which makes it all the more compelling and memorable.

A movie well-ahead of its time, WarGames follows high schooler David Lightman (Matthew Broderick) as he accidentally finds his way into the US Air Force’s supercomputer while trying to access a video game. Thinking it’s all still a game, he launches a nuclear simulation that could possibly start World War III. WarGames came out before computer hackers and cyberthrillers became popular, so it was rightly lauded by critics and audiences alike for being edgy and forward-thinking, even garnering three Oscar nominations at the time of its release. It may sound gimicky, but WarGames is saved by its smart script, which connects cybersecurity, the military, and gaming in interesting ways. It also features compelling performances by Broderick and The Breakfast Club’s Ally Sheedy. In fact, the film was so convincing that then-President Ronald Reagan, after having seen the film, had federal secruity review their digital defenses and came up months later with the the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. What other film can say that about their influence?

The concept of a soulmate– the idea that there is someone out there that you’re meant to meet, who’s been made for you to be with, and vice versa– has inspired plenty of romance stories. Dil To Pagal Hai is one such musical centered on the idea. There are some flaws, especially with the love triangle, but the stacked cast, the classic soundtrack, and the elaborate, gorgeous dance numbers are just so enthralling to watch. There’s an interesting thread with the way the two leads’ lives mirror each other even before they meet, as well as the way the film contemplates the decades’ anxieties over crafting the modern woman, which makes Dil To Pagal Hai not perfect, but iconic nonetheless.

Picture this: Hugh Grant falls for an American out of his league. Helping him boost his confidence are his long-time friends, a clique that includes a sibling and a kooky roommate. Grand professions of love are made and timing plays a crucial role in how Grant gets the girl. What you’ve just read may remind you of Notting Hill, but it’s actually true, too, of the lesser known but equally beloved Four Weddings and a Funeral. Both are written by Richard Curtis, but while Notting Hill is sleeker and smoother—more accessible to a wider audience—Four Weddings feels grungier and riskier. As the title suggests, it follows Charles (Grant) and his friends as they get invited to one wedding after another, which forces them to think about love and what it means in this day and age. Do people get married just to feel less lonely? Is true love a naive figment of our imaginations or is it real? Charles thinks it may be the latter when he meets Carrie ( MacDowell), but circumstances, bad timing, and his musings on love and relationships prevent him from fully committing. It’s a delightful romp, tempered with that trademark British wit and the genre’s irresistible sweetness. Four Weddings may not have gained the same box-office fame as Notting Hill, but its status as a cult classic tells you all you need to know about its quality.