If you believe you’ve already sifted through all of what HBO Max has to offer, don’t. Yes, the service is full of the heavy hitters, award winners, prestige dramas, and blockbusters, but some of its greatest treasures lie just beneath the surface. These are the shows and films you come across by chance and find yourself texting all of your friends about. Let’s get into it: here are 10 of the greatest under-the-radar gems on HBO Max, from 10 down to the one you absolutely have to watch.
10. My Favorite Wife (1940)
Timeless Hollywood never goes out of style, and this screwball classic is evidence. With Irene Dunne and Cary Grant, the movie tells the story of Ellen (Dunne), who comes back home from years of being stranded on a deserted island, to find that her husband is set to remarry. In comes chaos, funny repartee, and a heap of canny misunderstandings. It’s less than 90 minutes long, making it a quick, witty reminder of why the screwball comedies have been timeless.
9. Lost River (2014)
Ryan Gosling’s debut as a director isn’t your average indie; it’s a surreal, dreamlike vision of rotting Detroit that is a fairy tale and a nightmare in equal measure. Christina Hendricks is a single mom struggling to get by while her son investigates the remnants of an underwater city. Eerily shot by Benoît Debie and with sinister performances from Ben Mendelsohn and Matt Smith, Lost River is eerie, odd, and visually captivating.
8. Inherent Vice (2014)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s take on the Thomas Pynchon book is haphazard, trippy, and utterly addictive. Joaquin Phoenix plays stoner detective Doc Sportello, who muddles through a surreal 1970s mystery populated by offbeat characters. Attempting to keep up with the plot is nigh on impossible, but that’s the idea. This is a movie about vibes, paranoia, and lost love wrapped in fuzzy comedy.
7. The Woman King (2022)
Viola Davis dominates the screen in this epic historical set during the Agojie, 19th-century West Africa’s all-female army. Full of stunning action set pieces and tour-de-force performances (chief among them Lashana Lynch, who steals every scene), The Woman King was unfairly overlooked on its release. It’s inspiring, fearless, and one of the greatest modern epics.
6. Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Elizabeth Olsen’s breakout performance is chilling and memorable. She stars as a young woman trying to rejoin her family after escaping a cult with the traumatic memories of what she left behind. Set against its eerie mood and Olsen’s multi-faceted performance, this indie drama is heartbreaking and impossible to forget.
5. Paris, Texas (1984)
A quiet masterpiece from Wim Wenders, Paris, Texas tells the story of Travis (Harry Dean Stanton) as he reconnects with his young son and searches for his estranged wife. Sweeping landscapes, luminous cinematography, and one of the most emotional father-son stories in film history make it an essential watch. This isn’t just a movie, it’s an experience.
4. Priscilla (2023)
Sofia Coppola approaches Priscilla Presley’s life with her signature dreamlike flair. Cailee Spaeny is terrific in the lead, carrying the arc from a starry-eyed teenager caught up in Elvis’s whirlwind to a woman regaining her agency. Effortless, quiet, and finely drawn, it’s a coming-of-age tale and a quiet uprising.
3. Kimi (2022)
Steven Soderbergh’s slender, chic thriller tracks Zoë Kravitz as an agoraphobic call center employee who finds herself a witness to a brutal crime while listening to voice data. What ensues is a low-key, contemporary twist on surveillance, privacy, and paranoia. Kimi clocks in at just 89 minutes and doesn’t squander a single one of them, acid-tipped, streamlined, and riveting.
2. Turtles All the Way Down (2024)
Based on John Green’s book, this sentimental coming-of-age drama stars Aza (Isabela Merced), a teenager dealing with OCD, as she assists a friend in finding a missing tycoon. It’s sweet, hilarious, and unflinching in its handling of mental illness, buoyed by Merced’s profoundly affecting performance. A YA adaptation that manages to get it just right for a change.
1. Aftersun (2022)
Charlotte Wells’ first feature is a gut-punch in the best possible way. Paul Mescal is a young dad on vacation with his daughter (Frankie Corio), and the movie tastefully assembles memory, loss, and love with heartbreaking exactness. The now-infamous “Under Pressure” sequence will shatter you, and linger with you far past the end credits.
So, next time you’re scrolling HBO Max and feeling like you’ve seen it all, skip the obvious picks and dive into these overlooked gems. From cult oddities to indie heartbreakers, these films prove that sometimes the best stories are the ones hiding in plain sight.