Whether you’re looking to learn French or just hoping to mix up your movie nights, you’re in luck – you’re in luck – there are tons of great French movies to watch on Netflix in 2024.
When it comes to finding French films on Netflix, you’ll be spoiled for choice. Provided, of course, that you know where to look.
Revelation, we know. You can get French movies on Netflix – they’re just not always easy to find. Fortunately, Netflix has added a feature where you can search ‘French’ and then filter down to French movies or French television series.
To help you find the right French flick, we’ve compiled a list of the top French films on Netflix right now, with movies from France and the wider French-speaking world.
Whether it’s a rip-roaring comedy or a tear-jerking drama you’re after, trust us – there’s no better way to learn French and familiarize yourself with the French accent than a great film.
Note: We’ve marked which country each film comes from, and included films with actors from a variety of places. Just like with our articles on Spanish movies on Netflix and Netflix’s Spanish series, different French speaking countries have different accents and phrases.
Tomatometer: 90% (audience only)
Genre: Rom-com
Country of origin: France
Tomatometer: 86%
Genre: Action, drama
Country of origin: France
Tomatometer: 85%
Genre: Period drama
Country of origin: France
Mademoiselle de Joncquières is a visually striking period romance for fans of Les Liaisons dangereuses and Atonement. Inspired by a story from the novel Jacques the Fatalist by Denis Diderot, the story follows a widow who tries to exact revenge on a womanizer who breaks her heart by making him fall in love with someone of lower social standing. The film was nominated for six César Awards including Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Actress and Best Actor.
Tomatometer: 76%
Genre: Sports documentary
Country of origin: France
Anelka: Misunderstood profiles the career of the one-time bad boy of French football, Nicolas Anelka, and has him weigh in on his own rise and fall. One of Netflix’s original offerings in the French language, fans of The Last Dance looking for another sports doc about a highly competitive, capable player will find an interesting profile of a controversial yet talented football (soccer) player.
Tomatometer: 96%
Genre: Drama, romance
Country of origin: Senegal, France, Belgium
Rendered in a combination of Wolof and French, Atlantics takes place in a suburb of Dakar, following a pair of young lovers and the looming construction of a new high-rise tower. A rare drama that successfully weaves together themes of romance, revenge, migration and a touch of the supernatural, Atlantics made waves (no pun intended) both for its universal acclaim and as the first film made by a black woman to be featured in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
While the Senegalese accent may be a bit tricky at first for French learners, it’s a good challenge. Just make sure you have the subtitles on – unless you speak Wolof, too!
Tomatometer: 78%
Genre: Action, Comedy
Country of origin: Canada
This hilarious Québécois action comedy follows two police officers – one English and one French speaking – who are forced to work together to stop a serial killer. While its critical score is somewhat low, it was popular enough to spawn a sequel, which is also available on Netflix (if not as widely loved).
The French in Bon Cop, Bad Cop is Québécois through and through, so it could be tough to understand if you’re used to the French spoken in France.
Tomatometer: 86%
Genre: Mystery and thriller, period drama
Country of origin: Belgium, France
Set in the 1930s at the Grand Guignol Theatre in Paris, La Femme la plus assassinée du monde loosely portrays the life of real-life actress Paula Maxa. In the film, Paula – who has been murdered on stage thousands of times as part of her work with the famously gruesome theater company – finds herself being stalked by a real would-be assassin.
Tomatometer: 80%
Genre: Comedy, satire
Country of origin: France
This fantastical rom-com takes a chauvinist man and plops him in a matriarchal world, where women rule and men get catcalled. While the territory of a person getting hit on the head and awakening to find themselves in a topsy-turvy world is well-trodden in the rom-com space, reviewers and audiences agree that Je ne suis pas un homme facile does it with a fresh take and a sparkle that many similar films have lacked.
Tomatometer: 87%
Genre: Zombie, thriller
Country of origin: Canada
Idiosyncratic, nuanced and laidback are not words usually used to describe zombie films. But this Canadian indie entry into the zombie apocalypse genre is exactly that. Set in a small town in rural Québec, Les Affamés has humor, philosophy and gore. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Motion Picture at the Canadian Screen Awards.
Tomatometer: 96%
Genre: Animation, sci-fi, fantasy, drama
Country of origin: France
An original, creative and gruesome animated film, J’ai perdu mon corps follows a hand that’s been cut off, seeking its body. The hand remembers their life together (hand and body), including meeting a woman and falling in love.
And there you have it! Those are the 10 best French movies on Netflix today.
Immersion at home doesn’t have to start and end with French movies on Netflix.
These days, there’s also a plethora of binge-worthy French films on other streaming channels, like HBO and Amazon Prime.
Lucky souls with a Max login have access to a huge library of cinema classics, including the works of some of the major directors of the French New Wave. Here are our recommendations for the best French movies to watch on Max:
And if you’re looking to rent some of the best French films of the last 20 years, you can turn to Amazon Prime to watch these:
Wow! You really have a lot of choices – on Netflix and beyond. All you need to do now is hit the couch and watch something! So, what French movie will take your French to the next level?
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