Best movies — biographie on Netflix : our Top 20

1985 · Peter Bogdanovich

A brilliant teenage boy with pronounced physical deformities and his mother, who belongs to a motorcycle gang, struggle to preserve a semblance of normal life amid social stigma, danger, and the constraints of their circumstances.

With Cher, Sam Elliott, Eric Stoltz, Estelle Getty, Richard Dysart, Laura Dern and Micole Mercurio

1990 · Martin Scorsese

Based on the real-life rise of Henry Hill, a Brooklyn youth of Irish and Sicilian parentage who is taken under the wing of local mobsters and, mentored by Jimmy Conway, climbs the hierarchy of a Mafia crew.

With Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, Paul Sorvino, Frank Sivero and Tony Darrow

2025 · Nick Hamm

In the 14th century, as European powers jostle for dominance within the Holy Roman Empire, an expansionist Austrian crown turns its eyes toward the peaceful, pastoral cantons of Switzerland. When imperial forces march across the border, William Tell—a once-tranquil hunter—finds his home and family imperiled by a tyrannical Austrian ruler and his brutal commanders. Compelled to pick up his bow again, Tell becomes the reluctant center of a growing resistance that will determine the fate of his people.

With Claes Bang, Connor Swindells, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, Ellie Bamber, Rafe Spall and Emily Beecham

1980 · Martin Scorsese

A gifted fighter reaches the top of his sport through relentless aggression and a volatile temper, only to have that same rage unravel his relationships and destroy his life outside the ring.

With Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Cathy Moriarty, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, Mario Gallo and Bernie Allen

2002 · Steven Spielberg

Before his nineteenth birthday, Frank Abagnale Jr. assumes a string of high-profile identities—posing as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor and a lawyer—to cash millions in fraudulent checks. A relentless FBI agent makes it his mission to catch him, but Frank stays several moves ahead, thriving on the thrill of the chase and his ability to slip away.

With Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams and James Brolin

2023 · J. A. Bayona

On October 13, 1972, a chartered Uruguayan Air Force aircraft transporting a rugby team to Chile went down on a glacier deep in the remote Andes.

With Enzo Vogrincic, Agustín Pardella, Matías Recalt, Tomas Wolf, Diego Ariel Vegezzi, Esteban Kukuriczka and Francisco Romero

2014 · Ava DuVernay

In Selma, Alabama, civil rights organizers mount a peaceful campaign for voting equality, but a brutal crackdown on marchers shocks the nation and forces President Lyndon B. Johnson to back decisive federal action that culminates in landmark voting-rights legislation.

With David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Carmen Ejogo, Tim Roth, Oprah Winfrey, Giovanni Ribisi and Alessandro Nivola

2001 · Richard Eyre

A true-life portrait of the enduring love between novelist Iris Murdoch and John Bayley, tracing their relationship from university beginnings through the heartbreaking years of Murdoch’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

With Kate Winslet, Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, Penelope Wilton, Samuel West and Timothy West

2015 · F. Gary Gray

In 1987, five young men turned uncompromising rhymes and relentless, hard-edged beats into the only weapon they had to voice their anger and frustration about life in one of America's most dangerous neighborhoods. The film traces how these cultural insurgents—relying on provocative lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—confronted the authorities determined to keep them silent and built one of the most notorious hip-hop collectives, N.W.A. By laying bare the realities of life in the hood, their music unleashed a cultural and social uprising whose impact continues to resonate.

With O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., Aldis Hodge, Marlon Yates Jr. and R. Marcos Taylor

2008 · James Marsh

On August 7, 1974, French wire-walker Philippe Petit stepped onto a cable illegally strung between New York’s World Trade Center twin towers — then the tallest buildings on Earth. For nearly an hour he balanced, danced and improvised 1,350 feet above Manhattan’s sidewalks before being taken into custody. This mesmerizing, buoyant documentary reconstructs the daring plot, the tension of the act itself, and the breathtaking audacity of Petit's most celebrated feat.

With Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, David Forman, Alan Welner and Barry Greenhouse

1989 · Edward Zwick

Robert Gould Shaw is appointed to lead the Union's first volunteer regiment of Black soldiers, struggling to forge unity and courage among his men while confronting entrenched racism within his own army and the fierce hostility of the Confederacy.

With Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, Jihmi Kennedy, Andre Braugher and John Finn

2015 · Adam McKay

During a worldwide financial collapse, a small group of men exploits the chaos to turn the crisis into vast personal fortunes.

With Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater and John Magaro

1979 · Don Siegel

January 18, 1960 — Frank Lee Morris is sent to Alcatraz, the infamous maximum-security prison perched on a rocky island in San Francisco Bay. Regarded as inescapable, the fortress has never seen a successful breakout. Refusing to accept that verdict, Morris joins forces with other inmates and begins to methodically prepare a daring escape.

With Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau, Fred Ward, Paul Benjamin and Larry Hankin

2004 · Martin Scorsese

From 1927 to 1947, this biographical drama traces Howard Hughes’s ascent from ambitious filmmaker to a towering figure in both Hollywood and the aviation industry, charting his inventive productions and daring aeronautical endeavors. As his influence and wealth grow, his private life frays—he struggles with intensifying obsessive-compulsive disorder that gradually undermines his relationships and stability.

With Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alan Alda, Danny Huston and Ian Holm

2022 · Sally El Hosaini

Fleeing a Syria devastated by war, two teenage sisters undertake a perilous odyssey, risking everything and relying on love, bravery and their remarkable swimming talent as they pursue the chance to reach the 2016 Rio Olympics.

With Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ali Soliman, James Floyd, Ahmed Malek and Kinda Alloush

2000 · Steven Soderbergh

A twice-divorced mother of three, bold and resourceful, sees a grave injustice and decides to take it on—partly fueled by grit and, yes, a trusty push-up bra. While working at a small law office she uncovers medical records revealing a cluster of illnesses in a neighboring town; her tenacious investigation unravels a vast, deliberate cover-up.

With Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Cherry Jones, Veanne Cox and Conchata Ferrell

2002 · Julie Taymor

A cinematic portrait of Frida Kahlo, depicting how she transformed the trauma of a debilitating injury and the upheaval of a tumultuous marriage into powerful, deeply personal works of art.

With Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Mía Maestro, Patricia Reyes Spíndola, Diego Luna, Roger Rees and Ashley Judd

2026 · Thérèse Ahlbeck

Gösta Engzell, a largely overlooked official in Sweden’s Foreign Ministry during World War II, quietly used diplomatic channels to save thousands of lives, turning his country’s declared neutrality into an unexpected moral force. His determined challenge to bureaucratic indifference changed policy and left a durable humanitarian legacy.

With Henrik Dorsin, Sissela Benn, Jonas Karlsson, Johan Glans, Olle Jansson, Oscar Töringe and Loa Falkman

2016 · Patricia Riggen

Christy is shaken to discover her ten-year-old daughter Anna is afflicted with a rare, untreatable condition, and she throws herself into a relentless search for answers and remedies. After a freak accident sends Anna tumbling three stories, the dramatic rescue that follows is succeeded by an astonishing, seemingly inexplicable recovery that confounds medical experts, heals fractured family ties, and awakens hope throughout their community.

With Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, Brighton Sharbino, Courtney Fansler, John Carroll Lynch and Eugenio Derbez

2015 · Baltasar Kormákur

A motley crew of outsiders stumbles upon a young Yeti named Everest and embarks on an uplifting quest to return the enchanted creature to his family on the peak that shares his name.

With Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Emily Watson, Martin Henderson and Michael Kelly