25 best critically acclaimed movies on Netflix right now

23. The Kindergarten Teacher

Release Year: 2018

Directed By: Sara Colangelo

Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Michael Chernus, Gael García Bernal, Anna Baryshnikov, Ajay Naidu, Rosa Salazar, Sam Jules, Daisy Tahan, Samrat Chakrabarti

You generally count on film festival selections to receive critical acclaim, but these kinds of movies aren’t usually the easiest to track down in limited release or on streaming. Thankfully, Netflix has started picking up some of the best of the best, such as the 2018 Sundance Film Festival hit The Kindergarten Teacher, starring indie movie favorite Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Based on the 2014 Israeli film also titled The Kindergarten Teacher, Maggie Gyllenhaal stars as Lisa Spinelli, a kindergarten teacher in Staten Island grappling with a less than ideal personal life.  Her marriage has seen better days, and her relationships with her teenage children aren’t tight. But Lisa throws herself into nurturing the smarts and talent of five-year-old Jimmy Roy (Parker Sevak), and her passion for her student might get her into trouble.

The Kindergarten Teacher premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2018, where it competed for the Grand Jury Prize and won an award for Sara Colangelo’s directing. The film holds a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics lauding the remake for honoring the original and singling out Gyllenhaal’s performance. Don’t miss this critically acclaimed drama on Netflix!