As we get closer to the end of the year, the biggest streaming platform in the world is not slowing down one bit when it comes to teeing up new movies and TV shows for subscribers to enjoy. Indeed, next week will be jam-packed with new Netflix releases to enjoy, including everything from star-studded and high-profile movies to important documentary titles that shine a new light on aspects of the world that you might have been aware of.
Slumberland
We’ll kick off our rundown of all things Netflix for the coming week with a Jason Momoa-led film that, at least in my opinion, looks to be an antidote of sorts to the crush of dark and depressing subject matter that’s characterized Netflix releases of late.
In Slumberland, which debuts on Netflix on November 18, Momoa portrays the wild “outlaw” character of Flip, a creature who helps the young and precocious Nemo (Marlow Barkley) navigate a dream- and nightmare-filled slumberland state in the hopes of reuniting with her father (Kyle Chandler) who was unexpectedly lost at sea.
Dead to Me, Elite + more Netflix releases to check out
Moving right along, next week will also see the return of some monster Netflix TV releases — specifically, some of the most popular, longest-running, and critically acclaimed titles. They include the long-awaited season three of Dead to Me (starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini), which hits Netflix on November 17.
From Netflix’s logline about the return of Jen and Judy for this final season of the show:
“In the aftermath of yet another hit-and-run, both women receive shocking news, and are ready to risk their lives for a friendship that’s above the law.”
Two other big Netflix releases coming soon include a new season of the hit Spanish-language teen drama Elite, as well as an all-new series from the makers of the German-language Dark — one of those Netflix hidden gems with a hardcore fanbase that’s constantly evangelizing about it.
Regarding Elite Season 6 (coming on November 18), creator Carlos Montero promises that this one will pack a punch. “This season is more intense, more mature, but equally addictive as previous ones. I have the feeling that everything which made fans fall in love with Elite is back in this season.’
As for 1899 (coming on November 17), this German-language TV drama follows an immigrant ship bound for New York in, you guessed it, 1899. When the ship comes across a second migrant ship that’s adrift at sea, what they find on board turns what should have been an ordinary passage to America into a nightmare.
Additional titles
Meanwhile, some other titles across a range of genres to check out on Netflix include:
The Wonder: Starring Florence Pugh, this Netflix film is set in 1862 — 13 years after the “Great Famine,” and built around Pugh’s English Nightengale Nurse Lib Wright. Per Netflix’s logline, she’s called to the Irish Midlands by a devout community to conduct an examination over someone there. Anna O’Donnell (Kíla Lord Cassidy) is an 11-year-old girl who claims not to have eaten for four months, surviving miraculously on “manna from heaven.” Release date: November 16.
Somebody: Netflix’s Korean-language content is almost always top-notch and worth at least checking out, if not bingeing entirely if you’re a fan of the genre. As far as this new crime show, here’s the official description: “When a software developer creates a dating app that a serial killer uses to find his next targets, she’s drawn into a dark world of romance and murder.” Release date: November 18.
I am Vanessa Guillen: Another in Netflix’s ongoing slate of top-tier — and, in this case, particularly urgent — documentary releases, this film from director Christy Wegener is a Story Syndicate production and is based on the life and death of US Army soldier Vanessa Guillen. In 2020, Vanessa told her mother she was being sexually harassed while stationed at Fort Hood, where she was murdered by a fellow soldier. Her story sparked an international movement among assault victims demanding justice. Release date: November 17.
The Great British Baking Show — Holidays: The peace and tranquility of the British countryside, holiday pastries, what more do you need? The fan-favorite cooking show always tees up especially “scrummy” holiday-themed episodes. Release date: November 18.
A must-watch Netflix documentary release
Last but certainly not least, we also want to also highlight an important Netflix documentary, backed by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, that tells the story of a heroic, inspiring woman in a dangerous land.
In Her Hands, which is now streaming, follows the life and work of Zarifa Ghafari, one of the first female mayors of a province in Afghanistan. This documentary, which premiered in Toronto in September, was directed by Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen. And it’s the first non-fiction project from the Clintons’ HiddenLight Productions.
The film also forms a companion project of sorts to Ghafari’s memoir, A Woman’s Battle in a Man’s World. Its author was just 3 years old when the Taliban banned girls from school, 6 when the first American airstrikes began, and in addition to her eventual political career, was later the target of multiple assassination attempts.
The Taliban tried to kill @Zarifa_Ghafari three times but that will not stop her from fighting for women’s rights all over the world.
Zarifa is one of the most inspiring people on the planet and it was a true honour to host her at @thetroubleclub.
So excited for #InHerHands! pic.twitter.com/GHcddXojzz
— Eleanor Newton (@EleanorJNewton) November 3, 2022
Militants killed her father in 2020, after which came the abrupt unraveling of Afghanistan when the US pulled out in 2021. That was followed by the Taliban returning to power. “I am joining this storm,” Ghafari bravely declares at one point in this new Netflix release, referring to the fight to save the disintegrating country that she loves. “Let’s see where it will head, but I have faith.”
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