List of 25 Best Asian Movies on Netflix
This year, Asian movies on Netflix is asking for a lot more exposure and visibility. Many actors, however, have been snubbed by best-actor awards, and last year there were more than just two films made by Asian performers. Asia, comprising 48 nations and the largest and most populated continent, is an entire continent with so many different stories to tell.
Right now, with almost everyone trapped at home, people spend even more time on Netflix. However, one of the best ways to broaden cinematic tastes is by dipping your toes into the grossly neglected world of Asian cinema for those tired of Hollywood and searching for something different.
Fortunately, Netflix is collaborating to create original films with more foreign filmmakers and adds more Asian films to its collection every year. Furthermore, with the array of Asian film choices, subtitles and dubbing, and the power to determine what you watch, expanding the choice of Asian cinema is the easiest it has ever been. On Netflix in 2020, there are many exceptional Asian films that the academy will not honor or inform you about. There are a lot of best Asian movies on Netflix. So, here are 25 of the Best Asian Films on Netflix.
25- Snowpiercer (2013)
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Produced by: Jeong Tae-sung
Cast: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho
Release date: 29 July 2013
Running time: 126 minutes
Box office: $86.8M with a total Budget of $40M
Ratings: IMDb (7.1), Rotten Tomatoes (94%), Metacritic (84%)
Why: This top Asian movie is absolutely tremendous and beautifully blends an exciting plot with mature themes. This plot is so exciting and unique that it completely blows my mind that someone thought of this; not only is the plot so exciting and enjoyable, but it is also so easy to follow but feels so complicated at the same time. The acting in this film is actually fantastic. Chris Evans is one of my favorite actors with him doing a brilliant job with captain America. This Oscar-worthy performance is so good that it is completely mind-blowing how Chris and every other actor and actress were so good.
Plot: The nations unleash the CW-7 material to control global warming, but it accidentally contributes to the destruction of Earth by another Ice Age. The only survivors reside in the Snowpiercer train, powered by a perpetual-motion engine invented by the millionaire Wilford, who resides in the engine section. After seventeen years, there is a class struggle within the train in 2031, as the marginalized lower class lives in wretched circumstances in the last wagons of the train, while the rich live in the front wagons. The underclass is fed with protein bars only; they are exploited and abused by Minister Mason and her cruel guards, and their kids were taken now and again when they reach a certain level.
Members Gilliam and others are plotting a system to enter the engine and discuss their circumstances with Wilford using the addicted safety engineer Namgoong Minsoo and his clairvoyant daughter, who are imprisoned to open the locked doors. They decide to execute their scheme when Mason catches Tanya’s son and others. There are many casualties, and Curtis soon learns that they have been exploited by Wilford to balance the assets in the train and that the magnate keeps the underclass alive.
24- Dear EX
Directed by: Mag Hsu
Produced by: Lu Shih-yuan
Cast: Hsieh Ying-xuan, Roy Chiu
Release date: November 2, 2018
Running time: 100 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (7.3), Rotten Tomatoes (89%)
Why: This film truly effortlessly made us feel all the emotions. Everything about this film was spot on; The plot was so realistically comedic yet touching, and get into the list of Best Asian Films on Netflix. The acting was so beautifully raw, and the soundtrack perfectly conveyed the film’s message. This is a film worth a go because it will make you die of laughter initially but gladly makes you shed a few tears in the end. It will allow you to empathize with every character and feel for them deeply. Dear Ex has become one of my favorite films of all time!
Plot: Ex,” his doodles animate the screen, distorting and highlighting the live-action imagery underneath. The twee characteristics of the film should not be taken for fatuousness, however. Chengxi finds himself trapped between his mother, Sanlian, and Jay, a man his father abandoned his family for, following the death of his father. Chengxi was written out of his late father’s insurance policy, and as far as Sanlian signing off on it, all the money would go to Jay. He copes with the ensuing war by moving in with Jay, attracted to the mercurial nature of the man and his father’s relationship.
23- Us and Them
Directed by: Rene Liu
Produced by: Zhang Yibai
Cast: Zhou Dongyu , Jing Boran
Release date: April 28, 2018
Running time: Unknown
Box office: $209 million with a Unknown Budget
Ratings: IMDb (7.4), Rotten Tomatoes (100%),
Why: It’s a fun movie to watch about being youthful, broke, and in love as it is one of the Asian movies on Netflix. It’s about a couple who, ten years later, have met each other and moved on with their lives; they begin to remember the past. I fell madly in love with their spoiler love, and it hurt. Then it flowers into a friendship of its own in which, years later, he writes a letter to Xiao-Xiao to tell her she’s a family, come around when you’re tired. It’s a heartbreaking ending, the loss of someone you love, but not the love you have for anyone you belong to.
Plot: The story begins on a plane. On a plane ride, Jianqing encounters Xiaoxiao, a woman that he is acquainted with. Ten years before this incident, when these two young people met during a long train ride, the story takes us back. An incredible bond develops between the two adolescents from thereon. He falls in love with her, but, aside from affection, she does not feel something for him at first. Both are going to Beijing in a search to find the life of their dreams. As a video game artist, Jianqing aspires to succeed, and Xiaoxiao wants to fall in love with a resident of Beijing, already established in society.
When they live together and struggle in a tiny apartment for their dreams, they experience the harsh reality and daily life of the big city. Xiaoxiao is involved in different marriages, all of which fail, with different men older than her. Jianqing, meanwhile, is disappointed that the girl he loves doesn’t pay any attention to him.
22- One Day
Directed by: Lone Scherfig
Produced by: Nina Jacobson
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Anne Hathaway
Release date: 8 August 2011
Running time: 108 minutes
Box office: $56.7M with a total Budget of $15M
Ratings: IMDb (7)
Why: What a beautiful and top Asian movie, so tragic as well. It’s the story of two individuals who deeply love each other and ultimately meet 15 years after they first met. Beautifully and convincingly presented as Emma and Dexter by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess and a splendid supporting cast. Perhaps a happy ending would have been good, and eventually, Emma and Dexter had the baby they wanted so badly. I think it would have been too simple and dull, however.
Plot: Adapted from writer David Nicholls’ critically acclaimed novel, Anne as a principled working-class girl who creates a special friendship with a rich jet-setter that lasts two decades. July 15, 1988: Emma may be about to enter into the world of truth. An idealist of modest education, she hopes of creating the world a better place for everyone. Emma meets Dexter on graduation night, a rich guy without any worry in the world. Dexter is also graduated, unlike Emma, but he is looking forward to a career of comfort and luxury.
We witness their happiness, struggles, and heartache by checking in with Emma and Dexter for the next 20 years every July 15, as they try to breathe out their dreams and find meaning in a world that is constantly changing.
21- A Separation
Directed by: Asghar Farhadi
Produced by: Asghar Farhadi
Cast: Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi
Release date: 15 February 2011
Running time: 123 minutes
Box office: $24.4M with a total Budget of $800,000
Ratings: IMDb (8.3), Rotten Tomatoes (99%), Metacritic (95%)
Why: I will consider this movie as one of the world cinema’s all-time best and best Asian movies on Netflix. The direction of Farhadi is superb. Not a single scene is pointless, not a second lost. The camera shots, mostly through half-open doors and windows, help to express what happens in the private lives of people in a family. The film is very much a futuristic film set in traditional Iran and deals with the effect of western civilization on traditional ways of life, the impact of liberalism on the family, and therefore is of universal importance.
Plot: On the Point of divorce are Nader and Simin, a middle-class Iranian couple with an eleven-year-old girl named Termeh. They love each other heartily, but Simin wishes to abandon Iran permanently for a better life, particularly for Termeh, with family escape visas only suitable for the next forty days. Nader, though, denies to go as his dad has Alzheimer’s, and, despite actually not knowing who Nader is most of the time, Nader would not leave him behind. As such, Simin moves out of their home and back in with her parents. Nevertheless, on Hojjat’s first day in this role, he could not do it.
With their wives and children added to the mix, each person has made up his or her mind about what is best for them to do, which is often for the other’s cross-purposes. Justice, humanity, and individual well-being are brought into account by these decisions.
20- Steel Rain (2017)
Directed by: Yang Woo-suk
Produced by: Park Joon-ho
Cast: Jung Woo-sung, Kwak Do-won
Release date: December 14, 2017
Running time: 139 minutes
Box office: US$32.6M with Unknown Budget
Ratings: IMDb (7.1), Rotten Tomatoes (76%)
Why: This film portrays many sides of the fence; the enemy is not really North & South Korea; it is the men who rule them. We get a dual-layered film matched by what Koreans do best with a tense, high-action, and bullet-ridden thriller: characters that give you the ‘feelings.’ The relationship between our divorced, over-weight South-Korean diplomat and his charge, a patriotic, motivated, and desperate North Korean soldier, is naturally established and believable in the short time they spent together. Both felt genuine, and so were my damp eyes at the end of the war, worthy of watching these Asian movies on Netflix.
Plot: Eom Chul-Woo, a former North Korean Special Ops agent, is assigned to execute the Supreme Commander after being informed that the two leaders are preparing a Victory Day coup. He discovers when he finishes speaking on the phone that his ex-wife has packed up his children and left without his understanding.
Eom drives a KPA truck at night in “Pyongyang” and runs an official state car off the bridges with the State Security Department Minister inside the vehicle. They both slip into the freezing water, but “Eom” can get out. Kwak met the Korean branch of the Chinese State Security Ministry in a restaurant the next morning in the South. He displays Kwak a photo of a departed chief of state security in China and a minister of security service in the North.
19- Bad Genius
Directed by: Nattawut Poonpiriya
Produced by: Jira Maligool
Cast: Chutimon, Chanon
Release date: 3 May 2017
Running time: 130 minutes
Box office: $42.35M with Unknown Budget
Ratings: IMDb (7.6), Rotten Tomatoes (100%)
Why: This is an enjoyable Asian movie, especially for all students, because it gives more lessons about cheating’s adverse effects. It helps every student to realize that there are no good things in cheating. However, you intend to sound like you wanted to help your classmates pass your exam; instead of teaching them some trick or way of cheating, why not teach and help them improve their knowledge in the right way. Another thing is that you do not let money ruin your reputation. It is always good to have that brilliant mind, it is a great blessing from our Almighty Father, but it is nicer to Have a Good Attitude. Always well use that blessing.
Plot: Lynn, who lives with her father as a top high school student, is welcomed into a prestigious school, accruing a scholarship for her academic performance. There, the extraordinary but academically challenged Grace befriends her. Based on certain piano pieces, she designs a system of hand gestures and uses them to send responses during exams. She is punished by her father and by a school that suspends her scholarship and revokes her opportunity to apply for a university-level international scholarship.
When Pat and Grace ask her to assist them with an international standardized test for college admissions, Lynn goes back to cheating. Later, however, from a poor family, Bank is assaulted by thugs on the street and loses the scholarship exam, scoping his future on the same university scholarship. With the offer, Lynn then reaches him, and Bank unwillingly agrees. They are making preparations for the final operation around each other. In Sydney, the first segments of the test are completed by Lynn and Bank as per plan, but Bank has resolved my anxiety and gets caught. Once a while later, Bank, who has decided to invest his share in upgrading his mother’s laundry business, approaches her.
18- Rampant (2018)
Directed by: Kim Sung-hoon
Produced by: Kim Nam-soo
Cast: Hyun Bin, Jang Dong-gun
Release date: October 25, 2018
Running time: 121 minutes
Box office: US$11.8M with a total Budget of US$15M
Ratings: IMDb (6.3)
Why: This is quite possibly the perfect zombie movie in the list of best Asian movies on Netflix. The protagonist is a handsome, hardcore badass with a delightful development arc. Look, I’ve watched many zombie flicks, and I have decided that between Kingdom, Train to Busan, and Rampant, South Korea knows how to make zombies RIGHT. They are creepy, gross, and scary, from the beginning to the end. They are a constant, legitimate threat to everyone in the film, and you never know when they might show up and who might turn. Moreover, watching the heroes slaughter their way through the hordes is incredibly cathartic. Grab some popcorn and a fellow zombie nut, and watch these best Asian movies right now.
Plot: In the Joseon dynasty, King Lee Jo is viewed as overly deferential to the nearby Qing dynasty of China. His son plots to buy European arquebuses to drive away from the Qing. War Minister Kim Ja-Joon, who holds impacts over the king and blocks it as a rebellion, exposes the plot. Kim joins the Europeans and understands that zombies have been brought in (called “night demons“). The crown prince left a request that his younger brother raises his wife and unborn child for their safety.
Kim captures the only survivor of the would-be assassins because he is infected. Ministers are arranging for the infection of a concubine. She turns around later, infecting the king. Lee Chung comes to the court of the king, where he asks the army to crush the zombies. Initially, the king agrees, but the ministers urge him to revoke the order, claiming that there was no zombie outbreak, just a civil rebellion. The king fully turns into a zombie at the wedding reception and is killed by Kim, who unlocks zombies there in an attempt to kill members of the palace and the Qing representatives, and then rules with all possible opposition gone.
17- Forgotten (2017)
Directed by: Jang Hang-jun
Produced by: Park Joon-shik
Cast: Kang Ha-neul, Kim Mu-yeol
Release date: November 29, 2017
Running time: 109 minutes
Box office: US$9.9M with Unknown Budget
Ratings: IMDb (7.4), Rotten Tomatoes (80%)
Why: This one now tops on the chart of the best thriller/ mystery Asian movie on Netflix of all time! Seriously the best. While watching, you won’t feel bored at all, just how it sometimes happens during another horror/ thriller best Asian movies on Netflix, but this kept your eyes wide open. Several plot twists, a fantastic storyline, and strong acting with some emotional events made it worthwhile. You should go and check this movie out! It is worth it! At first, you may feel a bit confused, but as the scenes unfold, all the pieces will come together, and you will get to know what is actually happening. Grab some popcorn and a cozy blanket and give this a shot!
Plot: Jin-Seok, a young man, moves to a new house with his mother, father, and older brother Yoo-Seok. Things seem off to him in their new home. He witnesses the kidnapping of his brother one rainy night and is pulled into a wagon. Nineteen days fly by, and suddenly the brother comes back. Jin is starting to note contradictions in the personality of his family. He knows then that they are not his family, but individuals who claim to be his family.
A psychologist proposed that because the incident was so traumatic, he had suppressed his memory. The team has the psychologist hypnotize him back to his last great moment in 1997, thinking that Jin would be able to regain his perceptions and tell them what happened if they can just re-enact the events of the murder.
16- Dangal
Directed by: Nitesh Tiwari
Produced by: Aamir Khan
Cast: Aamir Khan, Sakshi Tanwar
Release date: 21 December 2016
Running time: 161 minutes
Box office: $340M Approx. with a total Budget of ₹70 crore
Ratings: IMDb (8.4), Rotten Tomatoes (88%)
Why: Dangal is a fantastic top Asian movie. Everyone should watch it—a very inspirational movie. The performances are riveting, and the visuals are stunning. The scenes of wrestling are extremely realistic and were filmed so well. Once again, Aamir Khan confirms why he is named Mr. Perfectionist and only performs a supportive role here. These scenes are so emotional, and her face’s innocence was beyond description, and her acting deserves a National Award. Their cousin’s brother provided much comic relief in this serious movie. These Asian movies tackle several concepts such as Women Empowerment, Child Marriage, Politics in Sports, Struggles of athletes, Sacrifice of parents, and the Importance of listening to parents. Best movie so far.
Plot: Dangal is a real story of Mahavir Singh Phogat, a real-life patriotic combatant who trains his girls and turns them into a World Class Combat. The film begins with a chewy fight between a former wrestler, Mahavir, and his colleague, thus decomposing the terrific Dangal Theme, revealing the past life of Mahavir as a Wrestler. Mahavir idolizes that his sons make his dreams come true, but four daughters, on the opposite, are born. They have a complaint that they beat down a boy in their town.
Consequently, Mahavir hopes that they will be potential wrestlers. So he coaches his daughters, Gita and Babita, showing that they are no less than male professional wrestlers. Gita reaches the National Wrestling stage after a lengthy battle and wins the victory. She prefers to be trained by the National Sports Academy, where a trainer Gita intentionally fails every match she attempted when she is up to the Internationals. Her sister Babita also reaches an age in order to join Wresting. Now, according to his expectations, Mahavir plans to prepare both. Finally, by pursuing her father’s prevailing course, not of the coach, Gita beats an Australian Wrestler. The film is par excellence, enridges the country’s empowerment of women. I truly love this story and ranked in the list of Asian movies on Netflix.
15- Train to Busan
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Produced by: Lee Dong-ha
Cast: Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok
Release date: 13 May 2016
Running time: 118 minutes
Box office: $98.5M with a total Budget of $8.5M
Ratings: IMDb (7.6), Rotten Tomatoes (94%), Metacritic (72%)
Why: This is one movie from a list of best Asian movies on Netflix I would recommend anyone to watch; it is fantastic! Everything from cast to the story to the CGI and the remarkable humanity shown through the movie, not just saving your own lives and lives of those who are dear to you but also others even if you have not laid your eyes on them before. It is a great Asian movie on Netflix; it gives such a beautiful message. I have watched horror movies all my life, so I’ve grown used to those sudden jumps from behind and the main lead going in search of his death; this movie really managed to take my breath away and made me scream my head off; I loved it.
Plot: The investment manager Seok-woo is a divorced man that resides in Seoul with his daughter, Soo-an, and his mother. Seok-woo is a greedy man and ignores Soo-an, who misses her mother that resides in Busan. On Soo-an’s birthday, she asks to visit her mother, and Seok-woo travels with her intending to return after lunch. They board the fast train KTX, but a sick woman also boards another car.
On the journey, the woman kills a train crew member, and then all the passengers in the car being assaulted, turning into zombies. Seok-woo discovers that there is a zombie epidemic in South Korea, and along with the passenger Sang-Hwa, who is heading with his pregnant wife Seong-kyeong, they separate the safe front vehicles from the infected ones. The non-infected travelers have to combat the selfishness of the zombies and fellow humans on their journey.
14- Cake
Directed by: Asim Abbasi
Produced by: Sayed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari
Cast: Sanam Saeed, Aamina Sheikh
Release date: 13 April 2018
Running time: Unknown
Box office: US$720,000 with a total Budget of US$300,000
Ratings: IMDb (7.7), Rotten Tomatoes (88%)
Why: One of the brilliant drama/art Asian movies about family, the bitterness, and the difficulties they face yet still get along and stay together. Honestly, this is not what happens, especially these days. Parents, children, and siblings find it very hard to forgive, support, and understand each other. Maybe that was Cake’s story as well; they were all distraught with each other, but due to the house’s illness, they got together and forgave each other, well obviously after much drama. Anyway, Amna Sheikh and Sanam Saeed were as always Amazing. Great performances by the whole ensemble.
Plot: ” Cake,” a story about love, loss, and the passage of time. The story of this top Asian movie is something we all can relate to in some way. We have seen globalization, children moving away, and the rivalry between siblings. It’s a story about love, loss, and life and death – all the things that we are familiar with. It’s about two sisters, one of whom lives abroad and the other is left behind here.
The story revolves around two sisters, Zareen and Zara, both living with their struggles while managing their aging parents and the conflict arising out of it. Zareen carries an insufferable attitude due to her years of taking care of her parents, the family business while placing her ambitions and love on the back burner. She carries pain in her heart, knowing that she has to take care of everything, but at the cost of her time, her life. She is lonely but bemoans companionship or solidarity.
13- Okja (2017)
Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Produced by: Dede Gardner
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano
Release date: May 19, 2017
Running time: 120 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (7.3), Rotten Tomatoes (86%)
Why: This is one of the best Asian movies on Netflix is captivating. Commercial hybridization of animals for food can become a reality any time with this massive increasing human population and the environmental impacts of livestock farming. It should be noted that whether the animals were born in the natural process or through biotechnology, it is seen that they too have emotions, are sentient, and feel pain. It also shows the disgusting, ugly side of corporates that they can do anything to look good on the outside while hiding their dark nature, even to the point of emotionally blackmailing and using a young girl.
Plot: Self-styled ‘ecologist’ Lucy Mirando appointed as CEO of the Mirando Company in 2007, replacing her twin sister Nancy. She reveals that they have been raising a “super pig.” a unique type. The twenty-six samples produced are sent to peasants worldwide in various locations, and 10 years later, one of them could be named the winner of a contest to raise the best pig. Mija’s grandfather introduces her to a gold pig and describes that when she was taken away, he saved money to purchase a tangible gold object to replace Okja.
12- The Forest of Love
Directed by: Sion Sono
Produced by: Hiroshi Muto
Cast: Kippei Shiina, Kyoko Hinami
Release date: October 11, 2019
Running time: 151 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (6.3), Rotten Tomatoes (100%)
Why: That’s right; this Asian movie on Netflix is not for everyone. It is one of the strangest, most perverted, splatter, and dramatic films I have ever seen. In itself, it combines multiple film genres, and this lets you completely immerse yourself in it, so you’ve got to understand that kind of thing. Based on time, you should not criticize it because you know how long it is right before it begins. This is Sion Sono’s first film in Asian movies on Netflix, and you will undoubtedly watch his other creations.
Plot: Joe Murata sits in a restaurant as the serial killer’s misdeeds are reported on TV. Murata carries a yearbook from a girls’ school, with numerous photos crossed out. He claims he’s a scriptwriter to the waiter and questions if he knows what it was like to murder someone. Jay and Fukami, two teenage boys, meet a young person, Shin, and bring him to the abandoned warehouse where they live. She is still a virgin but is not interested in Shin, Mitsuko states.
Taeko says that she should “make some wounds and move on.” When Mitsuko and Taeko had been in high school, their class collaborated for the school festival on the creation of Romeo and Juliet. Five of the girls decide to take sleep medication and stand on the edge of the school roof. Mitsuko is now getting a call from Murata, who says she borrowed him 50 yen years ago. He says he’s thriving now, and he needs to give the money back.
11- Psychokinesis (2018)
Directed by: Yeon Sang-ho
Produced by: Kim Yeon-ho
Cast: Ryu Seung-ryong, Shim Eun-kyung
Release date: January 31, 2018
Running time: 101 minutes
Box office: US$7M with a Unknown Budget
Ratings: IMDb (5.9), Rotten Tomatoes (80%)
Why: It is my favorite Korean film so far on the best Asian movies list. The effects, the storyline, the thrill, and the comedy all make this movie enjoyable. It is the perfect movie to watch on a Friday night. When I watch Asian movies like this one, I will watch them in their original audio. All the actors in these movies do excellent jobs, especially this one, so try watching one non-dubbed. I look forward to seeing a sequel for this movie, regarding where the supernatural powers came from.
Plot: Shin Roo-mi runs a successful fried chicken restaurant in a traditional market area. She gets embroiled in a real estate fight with the building firm run by the mafia. The company is expected to destroy small businesses and build a massive Chinese tourist shopping center.
After drinking water from a mountain spring struck by a meteor, Seok-heon, a security guard engaged in petty robbery, gains telekinetic powers. In a shared legal dispute against Tae-san, the local store owners join Roo-mi as they have been denied compensation for the failure of their companies. Tae-thugs san’s arrive and start beating them as they blockade themselves in a shopping plaza. Seok-heon appears and uses his powers to battle the attackers, leaving those around him in shock and amazement.
10- The Drug King (2018)
Directed by: Woo Min-ho
Produced by: Kim Jin-woo
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Jo Jung-suk
Release date: December 19, 2018
Running time: 139 minutes
Box office: US$14.5M with a total Budget of US$13.4M
Ratings: IMDb (6.2), Rotten Tomatoes (80%)
Why: It’s a decent top Asian movie if you like the Narcos driven hype and drug kingpin storyline at the moment. Korean cinema is generally exciting with a lot of brilliant films. The plot is interesting, the general directing is fine, but the movie needs a smooth, fluid transition between the different chapters of the narrative in a few locations. The film is a bit-perfect, and by the time you hit the end, it seems played well; they should have prioritized what could be left out a little more. Together with many of the co-stars who worked very well, the lead actor did an outstanding job.
Plot: Kang played real-life mafia boss Lee Doo-sam. Doo-Sam starts as a “crank” tiny dealer but immediately started to get involved in the Japanese mobsters, Korean internal security, political intrigue in a complicated and brutal world.
Overall, the tradition of the rise-and-fall drama genre is not added much by director Woo. However, there are slight touches that allow The Drug King, cumulatively, a little classic. Although the tale is somewhat familiar, Woo makes some extraordinary decisions that differentiate him from an army of imitators. The plot, like Henry Hill, is based on a real individual. But the tale of Hill was from a gang that comes up and drops. With Doo-Sam bouncing back and forth between Japan and Korea and being a major player in the drug business seemingly overnight, it also adds an international perspective.
9- Dead Kids
Directed by: Mikhail Red
Produced by: Pauline Zamora
Cast: Sue Ramirez, Khalil Ramos
Release date: November 17, 2019
Running time: 94 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (5.6)
Why: This Best Asian Film on Netflix was so good to the point where I cried because I wanted the movie to last longer and have a better ending for Sta. Maria. Like I actually knew how to work that revolver and run away with Paolo, Uy, and Charles into a place where they’re never found. This was the BEST Tagalog movie I have ever seen in my life aside from Heneral Luna and Goyo: Batang Heneral. Keep it up with the good movies! I hope there could be another movie like this or a sequel at least! A great job on this one!
Plot: In the spring of 2018, Mark is college-bound, and while the girl he likes, Janina, doesn’t seem to like him as he does her, they are friends. However, on top of the issue of the girl he likes, possibly caring more about a spoiled rich kid named Chuck, at least in Mark’s eyes, Mark lacks money. Mark is not necessarily poor since he does have a family connection that allows him a home better than most. However, between school and the future he desires, he can’t keep up with his peers.
So while he doesn’t necessarily want to go along with Blanco, Uy, and Gabriel’s plan to kidnap chuck and get money from his drug lord of a father, it is a hard thing to refuse. For on top of the money, he could get the girl. However, as Uy repeats repeatedly, their failure to plan ends up them setting themselves up for failure.
8- Seoul Searching
Directed by: Benson Lee
Produced by: Andrea Chung
Cast: Justin Chon
Release date: January 2015
Running time: 105 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (7), Rotten Tomatoes (75%)
Why: Seoul Searching is a good coming of age in Asian movies on Netflix to enjoy. Seeing all the actors portray other identities, cultures, and somewhat stereotypes made the movie funnier than imagined. It holds the right message and understanding of how different it is to be Korean, yet it belongs to a different culture. Funny, fresh, vibrating, and something new for a non-Korean, entirely emotional. A magnificent film with convincible actors and actresses, especially Ji-a Park, who touched my heart and soul.
Plot: A group of diverse Korean high school teens worldwide come together in 1986 to experience the most important summer of their lives. They meet at a special summer camp in Seoul in which they were sent by their parents to explore what that really means to be Korean – a side that they know nothing about. While the camp’s motives were noble, the teens’ actions were not. Three Korean kids from the US, Mexico, and Germany, and the girls they meet that summer, are the subject of the plot, changing their love forever.
7- 37 Seconds
Directed by: Hikari
Produced by: Peter Maez
Cast: Mei Kayama
Release date: 9 February 2019
Running time: 115 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (7.3), Rotten Tomatoes (88%)
Why: Somehow, I had a feeling this top Asian movie would be useful, but it surpassed my expectations. I’m still reeling from the emotional journey the story took me through and what a performance from the main character Yuma. The acting in Japan usually is mediocre at best. This movie surpassed my expectations. The main actress and the supporting roles almost made me forget that I was watching Asian movies. The cinematography is fantastic. It almost makes me want to major in film, to be able to analyze this movie even further. Great work! I highly recommend this, and I am so glad I clicked on it tonight.
Plot: Yuma is a mature adult now with the responsibilities and duties that come with it. Sorry about that she went without breathing after birth for 37 seconds, which led to her developing and living with a cerebral paralysis. She is handicapped. Although juggling an ambition to become a manga artist, she aims to work under duress. She embarks on a sexual quest to understand the subject expected of her by an employee, with the world using her and the fact that arises with her disability.
6- Tune in for Love (2019)
Directed by: Jung Ji-woo
Produced by: Movie Rock
Cast: Kim Go-eun, Jung Hae-in
Release date: 28 August 2019
Box office: US$8,631,781 with unknown Budget
Ratings: IMDb (7.1)
Why: Tune In for Love is worth watching in the list of Asian movies on Netflix. It’s not just about love or trust, but it’s all about patience and faith. It may not be the cup of tea of some, but it will surely take you through an emotional journey to shed tears and move your heart. The character of Hyeon-U and Mi Su was a challenge by time and different events in their lives. They will help you think that all you need is courage and confidence in anyone you love and let go of all your worries to achieve that happiness you both dream of, no matter how difficult life can bring or how much time scares you.
Plot: Mi-soo, an aggressively part-time bakery worker in the 1990s, shares stories on a radio show with Hyun-woo. Both fall out of love and continue to meet up, but they are not in favor of timing. Mi-soo mentions soy milk but discovers they don’t have soy milk and points to him down the street at the grocery store. The local radio tunes in and hires a new host for the musical song, Yoo Yeol, as Hyun-woo is leaving. Hyun-woo claims it’s a miracle with leaves. He is getting the job, and he and Mi-soo are beginning to work together. Hyun-woo, Mi-soo, and Eun-Ja spend lots of time around, selling bread happily and opening themselves up to one another. Mi-soo informs Hyun-woo of her relationship and reminds him that her mother had died and relied on Eun-JA to produce bread for the bakery.
5- Always Be My Maybe
Directed by: Nahnatchka Khan
Produced by: Nathan Kahane
Cast: Ali Wong, Randall Park
Release date: May 31, 2019
Running time: 102 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (6.8), Rotten Tomatoes (89%)
Why: Honestly, this is one of the best Asian movies on Netflix, unexpected and genuinely warm-hearted. This movie may have a predictable ending, but it had some different standards and points that many other rom-coms did not hit as well or at all. This movie will make you laugh and cry in the 2 hours that it plays. You fall in love with the characters and learn to hate other ones. This Netflix original was outstanding! This movie had real-world moments, and I think everybody should appreciate that. This is a feel-good movie to watch at sleepovers, with your friends, or when you need a pick-me-up.
Plot: Sasha and Marcus are childhood next-door neighbors and best friends in San Francisco. Marcus’ mom dies when they are teenagers, and the two get extra close and finally have sex. Marcus informs Sasha right afterward that he’s not going to college, and when she asks about it, he hits out at her, obviously angry with his mother.
Sasha is an extremely talented chef, engaged to restaurant owner Brandon in Los Angeles. He suspends the engagement until Brandon gets a chance to tour with Jose Andres. The four go back to Keanu’s place, and during an ice breaker game, Sasha reveals she had a crush on Marcus the entire time they were growing up, to Marcus’s shock. With Marcus and Keanu losing patience, the game is getting more intense. Marcus intends to hit Keanu’s head with a vase, which Keanu immediately bleeding from his head.
4- The Night Comes for Us
Directed by: Timo Tjahjanto
Produced by: Todd Brown
Cast: Joe Taslim, Iko Uwais
Release date: 22 September 2018
Running time: 121 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (7), Rotten Tomatoes (91%)
Why: That was one immense carnage from start to finish! The Night Comes for Us is undoubtedly a treat for action fans who crave gory fights that don’t hold back in blood and tension and ranked in the Best Asian Films on Netflix. The plot is indeed pretty good, but action being its biggest highlight means you can enjoy it for that and that alone. We also get impressive performances from nearly all the actors, and the cinematography too is top-notch. I enjoyed the film and can easily recommend it to others who like the genre and aren’t easily turned off by gore and its variants.
Plot: It is one of six elite enforcers for the South East Asian Triad, known as the Six Seas. “Ito” finds the last hostage, a young girl identified Reina, after a village was massacred because a few peasants had robbed Triad drugs. In Fatih, who’s also in a gang with Ito, Shinta fixes his wounds and calls. Fatih moves them to his flat, gives Wisnu to his cousin, and Bobby, a drug user, is the last drug dealer. He is also arranging to get new passports for Ito and Reina.
Another participant of the old gang is Arian, but he has transferred to Macau to operate a Triad club. He is seen butchering other thieves because one of his waitresses is beaten up. He gets Shinta to the protection and comes back to help battle Fatih and Wisnu. Originally, they were successful, but Triad enforcers lead by Elena and Alma arrived. They kill the last of Yohan’s guys, Bobby and Wisnu. Before Alma can kill Fatih, Arian gets involved, throwing her unconscious.
3- Burning
Directed by: Lee Chang-dong
Produced by: Lee Joon-dong
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Steven Yeun
Release date: May 16, 2018
Running time: 148 minutes
Box office: US$7.1M with Unknown Budget
Ratings: IMDb (7.5), Rotten Tomatoes (95%)
Why: Before watching it, I knew that it’s based on the story written by Murakami. This Asian movie on Netflix turns out to be very unconventional. It’s an outstanding film. With its slow-paced screenplay, long visual shots, the interval between dialogues; scenes without dialogues by characters themselves; the movie has a lot to offer on its platter. It offers a character study for the audience. It has beautiful cinematography, and the film has been edited very well. The film’s cast and direction keep your curiosity alive throughout the movie to unfold the hidden secrets of the story.
Plot: After Ben mentions that he burns down an abandoned greenhouse about every two months and that he’s planning on burning one very close to Jong-su’s home, Jong-Su starts to pay attention to likely targets around him. While finding out a little more about Hae-mi via numerous leads he pursues, Jong-su begins to stalk Ben. Did she or didn’t she make up stories?
Jong-Su leads Ben into the countryside one day. But Ben is gazing at a remote reservoir rather than searching out old greenhouses. When Ben showed up to meet Jong-su near a deserted field, the latter fatally stabs him with one of his father’s fighting knives and then impales petrol with the body within Ben’s sports car, just as Ben mentioned how he would burn down those dispensable greenhouses.
2- A Sun
Directed by: Chung Mong-hong
Produced by: Yeh Ju-feng
Cast: Chen Yi-wen, Samantha Ko
Release date: September 6, 2019
Running time: 155 minutes
Box office: Unknown
Ratings: IMDb (7.6), Rotten Tomatoes (89)
Why: Intelligent story concept. When you read the film’s synopsis, it might look simple, but if you watch it thoroughly, you’ll realize that there’s more to it. The characters and story are relatable, something that usually happens in a family. I also commend the strong acting of the actors, very in character. Once you start watching this, you’ll get hooked! No wonder it got many nominations and awards. Must watch!
Plot: Troublesome teenager Chen Jian Ho is arrested after he and his friend Radish assault a young man named Oden at a market, during which Radish chops off Oden’s hand with a machete. A-Ho is sentenced to juvenile detention, while Radish is given a harsher prison sentence.
A girl named Xiao-Yu and her aunt approaches the Chen family, as she has become pregnant with A-Ho’s child. While Qin helps Xiao-Yu during her pregnancy, during her weekly visits, she does not tell her son about the boy. After A-body Hao’s is discovered on the ground floor of the apartment complex, A-Wen is awakened by a neighbor in the middle of the night; he had died after falling from the balcony. Xiao-Yu visits the mourning family and tells Qin that the day before, A-Hao had sent her a text revealing that he felt that he had no place to hide from all his attention.
1- Lucid Dream
Directed by: Cho Il-hyung
Produced by: Eugene Lee
Cast: Yoo Ah-in, Park Shin-hye
Release date: June 24, 2020
Running time: 99 minutes
Box office: US$14.7M with unknown Budget
Ratings: Rotten Tomatoes (88%)
Why: I enjoyed the top Asian movie. The effects were hood with the infected and well-acted by all, including the Zombies. Nothing too gory, and the bloodletting are relatively restrained but still nasty enough to give a sense of tension. It’s far more romantically themed and juvenile than the equivalent French and great watchable in best Asian movies on Netflix, though. It’s fun, some major plot holes aside, and the feeling of being stuck is well communicated. More upbeat than expected. Zombies seems a little easily repelled for my liking, but I guess you can’t just have the two cast members killed or film over.
Plot: Oh Joon-woo, who lives with his parents and sister in an apartment complex, spends his day’s video game live streaming when his family is out, the media stories that a strange rapidly-spreading virus is leading its victims to target and eat uninfected citizens, and the government lost command. Joon-woo sees his neighbors from his balcony running or threatening one another. He heads to the hallway to search, but a neighbor barges in, succumbing to infection. Joon-woo desperately tries to lock the door and drive him out. Then he gets his parents’ texts, informing him that they are protected.
Seeing that Joon-woo is starving, Yoo-bin links a handmade zip line to their apartments and gives him food. The zip line is manipulated by an infected firefighter, causing Yoo-table bin’s to fly and push her out. The infected firefighter moves up a string to her house, but Joon-woo diverts attention to him long enough so that Yoo-bin can wake up to kill him with his flying drone.
Conclusion
Netflix has become a household name. This media industry enjoys popularity in cinema, TV, and other popular media. This article by Zain Mumtaz Summaries the 25 best Asian movies on Netflix. Although Netflix movies’ interest seemed to have been going down everywhere, Asia is going high even now.
I hope you are amazed and got the desired Asian movies on Netflix you are looking for; also check my blog on Best Action Anime.
