Discover the best of German cinema, film, and television

Discover the definitive list of popular and critically-acclaimed movies and TV shows from Germany. Find your next binge-watch, streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!

The cinema of Germany

German cinema has gifted the world two distinct golden ages, a legacy of staggering artistic innovation and profound intellectual depth. Its first revolution was German Expressionism in the 1920s. In the vibrant Weimar Republic, directors like Fritz Lang created masterpieces like Metropolis and M. With their haunting shadows and tilted angles, films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari didn't just tell stories; they invented the visual language of horror and science fiction that Hollywood would adopt for decades. This creative fire erupted again in the 1970s with the New German Cinema, led by intellectually daring auteurs like Werner Herzog, who famously hauled a steamship over a mountain for a film, and Wim Wenders. This era of artistry was followed by modern international hits like the kinetic Run Lola Run and the Oscar-winning historical drama The Lives of Others. Now, Germany is at the forefront of prestige television. The mind-bending sci-fi epic Dark became a global phenomenon, while the stylish Weimar-era crime series Babylon Berlin earned worldwide acclaim, both building on a rich domestic TV tradition anchored by the beloved Sunday night institution, Tatort. What defines German screen culture is this masterful precision, a willingness to tackle the most complex ideas, and a legacy of visual innovation that has shaped cinema for over a century.

Best German series

  • Poster for Dark

    Dark 2017

    A missing child causes four families to help each other for answers. What they could not imagine is that this mystery would be connected to innumerable other secrets of the small town.

    85
  • Poster for 1899

    1899 2022

    When mysterious events change the course of an immigrant ship headed for New York in 1899, a mind-bending riddle unfolds for its bewildered passengers.

    73
  • Poster for How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)

    How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) 2019

    To win back his ex-girlfriend, a nerdy teen starts selling ecstasy online out of his bedroom -- and becomes one of Europe's biggest dealers.

    75
  • Poster for Unorthodox

    Unorthodox 2020

    A Hasidic Jewish woman in Brooklyn flees to Berlin from an arranged marriage and is taken in by a group of musicians -- until her past comes calling.

    77
  • Poster for The Amazing World of Gumball

    The Amazing World of Gumball 2011

    The life of Gumball Watterson, a 12-year old cat who attends middle school in Elmore. Accompanied by his pet, adoptive brother, and best friend Darwin Watterson, he frequently finds himself involved in various shenanigans around the city, during which he interacts with various family members: Anais, Richard, and Nicole Watterson, and other various citizens.

    83
  • Poster for Barbarians

    Barbarians 2020

    Three people's fates are interwoven in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 A.D., during which Germanic warriors halt the spread of the Roman Empire.

    72

Best German movies

  • Poster for Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes 2009

    Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.

    76
  • Poster for Tropic Thunder

    Tropic Thunder 2008

    A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film ever. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

    71
  • Poster for Lord of War

    Lord of War 2005

    Yuri Orlov is a globetrotting arms dealer and, through some of the deadliest war zones, he struggles to stay one step ahead of a relentless Interpol agent, his business rivals and even some of his customers who include many of the world's most notorious dictators. Finally, he must also face his own conscience.

    76
  • Poster for Hellboy II: The Golden Army

    Hellboy II: The Golden Army 2008

    Hellboy, his pyrokinetic girlfriend, Liz, and aquatic empath, Abe Sapien, face their biggest battle when an underworld elven prince plans to reclaim Earth for his magical kindred. Tired of living in the shadow of humans, Prince Nuada tries to awaken an ancient force of killing machines, the all-powerful Golden Army, to clear the way for fantasy creatures to roam free. Only Hellboy can stop the dark prince and prevent humanity's annihilation.

    71
  • Poster for All Quiet on the Western Front

    All Quiet on the Western Front 2022

    Paul Baumer and his friends Albert and Muller, egged on by romantic dreams of heroism, voluntarily enlist in the German army. Full of excitement and patriotic fervour, the boys enthusiastically march into a war they believe in. But once on the Western Front, they discover the soul-destroying horror of World War I.

    77
  • Poster for The NeverEnding Story

    The NeverEnding Story 1984

    While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.

    76