It's a new month and that means tons of new movies are arriving on Hulu. While the streaming service is better known for its TV shows than its movies, it has a surprisingly deep library of critically acclaimed movies.
This February, five titles rose above the rest to join the ranks of the best movies on Hulu. 'Judas and the Black Messiah,' '12 Years a Slave,' and 'Call Me by Your Name' lead this group — which also includes a Best Picture Oscar winner.
Don't believe me when I say these movies are a cut above the rest? All five movies have a rating of over 90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so you know that most critics have given them their stamp of approval. So turn on the TV and get ready to start watching. Here are the five best movies new to Hulu this month.
'Joan Baez: I Am a Noise' (2023)
Joan Baez was a voice of her generation in the 1960s, but the acclaimed folk singer remains an icon in the music world over 60 years later.
"Joan Baez: I Am a Noise" takes a look not only at this incredible career but also goes beyond that. The documentary dives into previously unreleased home movies, artwork, diaries, therapy tapes, and audio recordings that paint a deeper picture of the musician/activist who once said she's not famous — just well-known. If you're looking for the most critically praised movie new to Hulu this month, this is it.
Genre: Documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Hulu starting today
'Judas and the Black Messiah' (2021)
"Judas and the Black Messiah" was nominated for several Academy Awards in 2021, including Best Picture and two Best Supporting Actor nominations. Nomadland (which is also new to Hulu this month) would ultimately beat out this movie for Best Picture but Daniel Kaluuya did take home an Oscar for his portrayal of civil rights leader Fred Hampton.
Starring Kaluuya as Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield as Bill O'Neal (also nominated), this movie is based on the true story of how the FBI infiltrated the Black Panther Party of Illinois and ultimately assassinated Hampton during a raid that led to the death of an additional BPP member and several injuries after the FBI fired 100 rounds inside Hampton's apartment. You know how the story ends but the betrayal still stings all the same.
Genre: Biographical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Hulu
'12 Years a Slave' (2013)
From one powerful dramatization of true events to another, "12 Years a Slave" is the story of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man from upstate New York who was abducted and sold into slavery in Louisiana. He then spends 12 years in captivity until a meeting with abolitionist Samuel Bass (Brad Pitt) finally gives Northup a chance at returning to freedom.
This movie is not fun to watch, but it is an incredible story. It would be nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning three — including Best Picture. The cast is also incredible, with a call sheet that includes Michael Fassbender (nominated for Best Supporting Actor), Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti and Lupita Nyong'o (won Best Supporting Actress) in addition to Ejiofor (nominated for Best Actor) and Pitt.
Genre: Biographical drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stream it on Hulu
'Call Me by Your Name' (2017)
The third Best Picture nominee on this list, "Call Me by Your Name" stars Timothée Chalamet as Elio Perlman, a Jewish French-Italian 17-year-old boy who begins a secretive relationship with Oliver (Armie Hammer), one of Elio's father's graduate students at the nearby university.
While this love story doesn't have a happy ending, to quote Nicole Kidman, "Heartbreak feels good in a place like this." The performance from Chalamet in particular is a star-making one, making him the third-youngest Best Actor nominee ever. Once you're done watching, you won't be surprised that this movie not only got a standing ovation when it debuted at Sundance but received the longest standing ovation in New York Film Festival history when it was shown at the NYC festival following its Sundance debut.
Genre: Romantic drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Hulu
'Nomadland' (2020)
The fourth Best Picture nominee on this list and second winner, "Nomadland" suffers in the annals of history for coming out in the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite winning Best Picture, Best Director (Chloé Zhao) and Best Actress (Frances McDormand), it feels like this acclaimed movie has fallen through the cracks. That's all the more surprising given it made $39.5 million at the U.S. box office even though it came out on Hulu a mere month after its release and movie theaters were struggling in general.
But now it's back on Hulu and you can see this acclaimed drama for yourself. The movie follows McDormand as Fern, a former factory worker and recent widow who sells her belongings and purchases a van to begin a nomadic lifestyle in search of new work. As the movie goes on, Fern becomes more comfortable with and more entrenched in her nomadic life and finds she may never return to her old life.
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Hulu
