Netflix May – Netflix quietly added standout titles in May—an overlooked grief-and-mystery drama, a Thai action-thriller built on brutal choreography, and a haunting sci-fi horror starring Scarlett Johansson. Here are three you may have missed and exactly what to expect.
Netflix is always moving its furniture around—new releases show up, older titles slip out of view, and suddenly your watchlist is back to “decide later.” By the time May is nearly over, it’s easy to miss the films that didn’t get the loudest buzz.
This month, Netflix added three very different movies that deserve more attention than they’ve been getting. One starts with grief and an aquarium shift. Another leans hard into action and romance inside a world of assassins. The third is unsettling science fiction that still feels colder than most horror.
“Remarkably Bright Creatures” (2026)
At least part of the reason this one’s getting overlooked is the way Netflix surfaces it. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” is currently in Netflix’s top 10, which makes it tempting to assume everyone has already seen it. But it’s landed closer to the background than the headlines.
Directed by Olivia Newman, it’s an adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel about grief, aging, and human connection. The story is heart-first, built around a mystery that keeps widening as the characters change.
The film follows Tova Sullivan (Sally Field), an elderly widow who works the night shift cleaning a small-town aquarium. During those hours. she develops an unusual connection with Marcellus (Alfred Molina). a giant Pacific octopus with an intelligence that shows in quiet. patient ways—he observes the lives around him. Then Cameron (Lewis Pullman), a drifting young man searching for answers about his past, arrives in town. His life starts to intertwine with Tova’s. and Marcellus begins piecing together clues that could change both of their lives.
The tone matters here: this isn’t a mystery that runs on spectacle. It’s a drama that uses the mystery to get closer to people.
“My Dearest Assassin” (2026)
If “Remarkably Bright Creatures” is the slow pull of dread and wonder, “My Dearest Assassin” is the snap of something fast and dangerous.
This is a Thai action-thriller compared to “John Wick” for its intense choreography and slick action sequences. including a depiction of a mysterious. shadow-dwelling organization of assassins. It may not reach the same cultural heights as the franchise it’s compared to. but it’s built for viewers who want stylized fighting—with enough romance to raise the stakes.
The film also attempts an emotional character drama, but it keeps returning to what drives it forward: action sequences that demand your attention.
Lhan (Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul) is a young woman born with a rare blood type that makes her a target since childhood. After her parents are murdered, she’s rescued by House 89, a secretive assassin organization in Thailand. There, she grows up alongside skilled fighters Pran (Thanapob Leeratanakachorn) and M (Sivakorn Adulsuttikul). As Lhan gets older, her bond with Pran deepens. Then the person responsible for her parents’ deaths starts hunting her again.
The story’s tension comes from what she built in safety—and what the past refuses to let her keep.
“Under the Skin” (2013)
Some movies make you tense. “Under the Skin” makes you feel watched.
Released in 2013, it has become a seminal piece of independent cinema—one that’s often remembered less for plot twists than for its sensory approach. Mood and atmosphere aren’t seasoning here; they’re the engine.
Scarlett Johansson delivers one of her most distinctive performances, leaning heavily on physical movement and expression to communicate emotion. The result is an unsettling, atmospheric experience that keeps its grip long after it ends.
The film follows an extraterrestrial entity that assumes the human form of a young woman (Johansson). She drives around Scotland in a van, stopping in public places and along quiet roads. She approaches isolated men, engages them in brief conversations, and lures them toward a nasty demise. As the pattern continues. she begins to observe human life more closely—and finds herself encountering unfamiliar situations outside her usual routine.
There’s something quietly cruel about it: the creature isn’t just hunting. It’s studying. And that’s what makes it linger.
If your May Netflix binge has been stuck in the same loop—what’s new. what’s popular. what already has your attention—these three offer a different kind of relief. “Remarkably Bright Creatures” gives you grief and mystery wrapped in tenderness. “My Dearest Assassin” turns romance into fuel for violence. “Under the Skin” doesn’t ask you to enjoy it so much as endure it.
Pick one mood for the weekend. Netflix, for once, has earned it.
Netflix May movies Remarkably Bright Creatures My Dearest Assassin Under the Skin Scarlett Johansson Olivia Newman Thai action thriller sci-fi horror