Whether you’re looking to learn French or just hoping to mix up your movie nights, you’re in luck – there are tons of great French movies to watch on Netflix in 2023.
When it comes to finding French films on Netflix, you’ll be spoilt 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.
Expand your horizons with these 11 French movies on Netflix
All of these films are available on US Netflix at present.
1. Le Monde est à toi (The World Is Yours) – 2018
Tomatometer: 95%
Genre: Thriller, Comedy
Director: Romain Gavras
Country of origin: France
A crime-caper French comedy about a small-time drug dealer looking to get out of the business and move to Morocco. He takes on one last job and ends up tangled up with the Illuminati (a secret society at the center of a number of real and fictitious conspiracy theories), among other things.
2. Funan – 2018
Tomatometer: 93%
Genre: Animation, Drama
Director: Denis Do
Country of origin: France, Belgium
Set in Cambodia in 1975, this animated film follows a family fleeing from – and then held by – the Khmer Rouge, separated but always seeking each other. Based on Denis Do’s research and the memories of his Cambodian mother, Funan is a tearjerker, to say the least.
3. La Vie scolaire (School Life) – 2019
Tomatometer: 90%
Genre: Teen Movie, Comedy, Drama
Directors: Grand Corps Malade, Mehdi Idir
Country of origin: France
La Vie scolaire is a critically acclaimed teen comedy-drama following the new Vice Principal of a middle school in the suburbs of Paris, as she gets to know the school’s students and helps the school turn things around. The film received the Cinephiles of the Future Award from the Seville European Film Festival, was nominated for a few other French film awards, and has been largely well-received as a humorous and engaging take on the inspiring teacher-meets-at-risk youth cinema trope.
La Vie scolaire is also available on the UK version of Netflix.
4. Le Chant du loup (The Wolf’s Call) – 2019
Tomatometer: 85%
Genre: Mystery and Thriller, Drama, War
Director: Antonin Baudry
Country of origin: France
If you’re in the mood for an action thriller or a war movie, Le Chant du loup is one of the better releases in recent years. The heart-pounding film follows a submarine’s Sonar Officer. Up against the clock, he seeks a French ballistic missile submarine, his keen sense of hearing to end a threat of nuclear war.
5. Anelka: Misunderstood – 2020
Tomatometer: 76%
Genre: Sports Documentary
Director: Franck Nataf, Éric Hannezo
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.
Anelka: Misunderstood is also available on the UK version of Netflix.
6. Atlantics – 2019
Tomatometer: 96%
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director: Mati Diop
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!
Atlantics is also available on the UK version of Netflix.
7. Bon Cop, Bad Cop – 2006
Tomatometer: 78%
Genre: Action, Comedy
Director: Eric Canuel
Country of origin: Canada
This hilarious Québécois action comedy follows two police officers – one English and one French speaking 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 a word to the wise: it could be tough to understand if you’re used to the French spoken in France.
Bon Cop, Bad Cop is also available on the UK version of Netflix.
8. La Femme la plus assassinée du monde (The Most Assassinated Woman in the World) – 2018
Tomatometer: 86%
Genre: Mystery and Thriller, Period Drama
Director: Franck Ribière
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.
La Femme la plus assassinée du monde is also available on the UK version of Netflix.
9. Je ne suis pas un homme facile (I Am Not An Easy Man) – 2018
Tomatometer: 80%
Genre: Comedy, Satire
Director: Éléonore Pourriat
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.
Je ne suis pas un homme facile is also available on the UK version of Netflix.
10. Les Affamés (Ravenous) – 2017
Tomatometer: 87%
Genre: Zombie, Thriller
Director: Robin Aubert
Country of origin: Canada
IIdiosyncratic, 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.
Les Affamés is also available on UK Netflix.
11. J’ai perdu mon corps (I Lost My Body) – 2019
Tomatometer: 96%
Genre: Animation, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Drama
Director: Jérémy Clapin
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.
J’ai perdu mon corps is also available on the UK version of Netflix.
And there you have it! Those are the 10 best French movies on Netflix today.
But wait: there’s more…
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.
French movies on HBO Max
Lucky souls with an HBO 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 HBO:
- Au revoir les enfants (Goodbye, Children)
- Cléo de 5 à 7 (Cléo from 5 to 7)
- Essential films by François Truffaut: Tirez sur le pianiste (Shoot the Piano Player); Jules et Jim (Jules and Jim); Le Dernier métro (The Last Metro)
- Essential films by Jean-Luc Godard: À bout de souffle (Breathless); Masculin Féminin (Masculine Feminine)
All these French movies are available to watch in the US.
5 recommendations for French films available on Amazon Prime
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:
- Paris, je t’aime (Paris, I Love You) – Free with ads via Freevee
- Délicieux (Delicious) – Free with Prime
- Les Parfums (Perfumes) – Free with Prime
- La Vie d’Adèle – Chapitres 1 & 2 (Blue is the Warmest Colour) – Available for rent
- Coco avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel) – Available for rent
All these French movies are available on the US and UK versions of Amazon Prime.
Wow! You really have a lot of choices – on Netflix and beyond. All you need to do now is get online and watch something! So, what French movie will take your French to the next level?
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