If you are bored of the regular American movies on OTTs, exploring foreign films might be the next best thing to keep you entertained. Netflix has bought a few great movies made in Russia that authentically depict their history, language, and lifestyle. Attention all Russain Leaners! If you’re one among the fans who are looking to learn the Russian language like native Russian speakers and get a better grip on Russian words then you should, of course, watch Russian movies through which you will learn Russian. Below is a list of the top 40 Russian movies streaming on Netflix. The list also includes several movies promoting Russian history, the Russian Revolution, soviet union activities, and Russian culture.
40. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Gagarin: First in Space – Yuri Gagarin
- Director: Pavel Parkhomenko
- Writer: Andrey Dmitriev, Oleg Kapanets
- Cast: Yaroslav Zhalnin, Olga Ivanova
The astounding story of Yuri Gagarin, the first person to travel into space and one of humanity’s most amazing accomplishments, is brought to life in this inspirational biographical film. The film, which was directed by Pavel, transports us on an emotional trip while showcasing both the man who created the historic milestone and the Vostok 1 mission’s incredible achievement. The movie explores Gagarin’s modest upbringing as the son of a milkmaid and a carpenter, demonstrating how his inquisitiveness and tenacity helped him rise from a tiny town to become a worldwide celebrity. It examines the demanding training schedule he underwent with other cosmonauts, the friendship he had with his colleagues, and the tremendous strain he was under as the selected representative of Soviet brilliance during the height of the space race.
39. The Admiral – Admiral Alexander Kolchak
- Director: Andrey Kravchuk
- Writer: Zoya Kudrya, Vladimir Valutsky
- Cast: Konstantin Khabensky, Sergey Bezrukov
The Admiral is a compelling historical drama that vividly depicts the remarkable tale of Admiral Alexander, a polar explorer and one of Russia’s most famous naval leaders. The film, which was directed by Andrey Kravchuk and is set in the midst of the Russian Civil War and World War I, vividly depicts Kolchak’s devotion to his nation as he leads the White Army in a last-ditch effort to thwart the Bolshevik Revolution. Kolchak is presented as a man of great integrity and responsibility who is caught between his personal ambitions and his devotion for his nation. His tragic relationship with Anna Timiryova, a devoted and passionate woman who supports him during the chaos of war, is at the center of the narrative.
38. Anna Karenina: Vronsky’s Story – Count Alexei Vronsky
- Director: Karen Shakhnazarov
- Writer: Karen Shakhnazarov, Aleksandr Borodyansky
- Cast: Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Maksim Matveev
By switching the focus from Anna to Count Alexei Vronsky, this original translation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic Anna Karenina: Vronsky’s Story provides a new and intensely intimate look at their sad love story. Karen Shakhnazarov, the film’s director, creates a moving image of a man engrossed in his passionate love for Anna Karenina, a love that goes against social expectations and eventually has disastrous results. The Russo-Japanese War serves as the setting for this reflection by veteran officer Vronsky on the events that influenced his life. The film explores his inner agony and conflict as he tries to balance his sense of honor and duty with the love that previously made him do anything for Anna.
37. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Battle for Sevastopo – Lyudmila Pavlichenko
- Director: Sergey Mokritskiy
- Writer: Maksim Budarin, Egor Olesov
- Cast: Evgeniy Tsyganov, Joan Blackham
One of the most renowned shooters in history, Lyudmila Pavlichenko, is the subject of the heartbreaking yet inspirational film Battle for Sevastopol. Following Lyudmila from her early years as a young student with a love for shooting to her development into a staunch defender of her motherland during World War II, the film was directed by Sergey Mokritskiy. During the bloody siege of Sevastopol, Lyudmila’s bravery and unflinching will are evident, and she gains a reputation as one of the Soviet Union’s most deadly shooters. However, the movie doesn’t end with her combat successes. It gives her a human face by examining her anxieties, losses, and the psychological effects of combat.
36. Collector – Arthur
- Director: Alexey Krasovsky
- Writer: Alexey Krasovsky
- Cast: Konstantin Khabensky
One room serves as the setting for the whole psychological thriller Collector, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that heightens the tension throughout. In the Alexey Krasovsky-directed movie, Konstantin Khabensky portrays a debt collector whose life takes a bad turn when a compromising video of him surfaces and threatens to destroy all he has worked so hard to achieve The film is a compelling, character-driven drama that revolves around the protagonist’s moral and psychological downfall. As the film’s repercussions worsen, Khabensky’s character—a stoic and seemingly accomplished debt collector—becomes enmeshed in a web of lies and extortion. The small size of the solitary room intensifies the sensation of loneliness as the characters’ tension increases by the second.
35. The Duelist – Yakovlev
- Director: Aleksey Mizgirev
- Writer: Aleksey Mizgirev
- Cast: Pyotr Fyodorov, Yuliya Khlynina
The Duelist, a visually magnificent historical drama that blends intrigue, action, and a tinge of romance, is set in Saint Petersburg in the 19th century. The story of Yakovlev, a professional duelist who is compensated to fight on behalf of others, is told in the Aleksey Mizgirev-directed movie. This unconventional line of employment places him in dangerous and morally difficult situations as he navigates the complex world of Russian nobility. The film explores the ideas of honour and revenge as Yakovlev, a guy with nothing to say but deadly talent, becomes entangled in a web of political intrigue and personal grievances. As he fights his way through society’s elite, he is connected with a beautiful woman, which makes his emotionally aloof life even more challenging. The romance adds a human element to the usually cold and cunning realm of dueling, which deepens the narrative.
34. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: The Fool – Dima Nikitin
- Director: Yuri Bykov
- Writer: Yuri Bykov
- Cast: Natalya Surkova, Boris Nevzorov
A humble and honest plumber named Dima learns a horrifying reality in the compelling and intensely emotional thriller The Fool. He discovers that a dilapidated apartment complex is about to collapse during a regular inspection, endangering hundreds of lives. Dima is adamant about averting a catastrophe and makes every effort to raise the alarm and compel action. However, he encounters a wall of corruption and apathy from those in positions of authority—those who are more concerned with safeguarding their personal interests than the security of common people.
33. The Edge – Ignat
- Director: Alexei Uchitel
- Writer: Aleksandr Gonorovsky
- Cast: Vladimir Mashkov, Anjorka Strechel, Yulia Peresild
The Edge is a gripping historical drama set in the immediate aftermath of World War II, blending intense human conflict with stunning visuals of Siberia’s untamed wilderness. Directed by Alexey Uchitel, the film follows Ignat, a decorated Soviet war hero sent to a remote labor camp as punishment for insubordination. There, he discovers a forgotten German steam locomotive hidden deep in the forest, along with a mysterious woman who has been secretly living there since the war.
As Ignat attempts to restore the train, tensions rise between him and the labor camp’s diverse inhabitants, many of whom harbor deep-seated animosity toward anything German. The film explores themes of survival, redemption, and the scars left by war, all while delivering breathtaking cinematography. With a mix of high-stakes drama and thrilling locomotive action, The Edge captures a unique and often-overlooked chapter of Soviet history.
32. Chernobyl 1986 – Alexey Karpushin
- Director: Danila Kozlovsky
- Writer: Elena Ivanova, Aleksey Kazakov
- Cast: Danila Kozlovsky, Oksana Akinshina, Filipp Avdeev
Inspired by real events, Chernobyl 1986 is a gripping disaster drama that explores the human cost of one of the world’s worst nuclear catastrophes. Directed by Danila Kozlovsky, the film follows Alexey Karpushin, a firefighter on the verge of leaving Pripyat for a fresh start in Kiev. However, his plans take a dramatic turn when the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explodes, throwing the entire region into chaos.
As one of the first responders, Alexey is thrust into a life-or-death mission to contain the radiation and prevent further devastation. Alongside his former lover and their young son, he finds himself in a race against time, battling not only the disaster but also the bureaucratic failures that worsen the crisis. Blending intense action with emotional depth, the film highlights the sacrifices made by unsung heroes in the face of overwhelming destruction.
31. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Leto – Viktor Tsoi
- Director: Kirill Serebrennikov
- Writer: Kirill Serebrennikov, Mikhail Idov, Lily Idova
- Cast: Teo Yoo, Irina Starshenbaum, Roman Bilyk
Leto is a visually stunning and nostalgic musical drama set in the underground rock scene of 1980s Leningrad. Directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, the film follows the rise of Viktor Tsoi, a young and ambitious musician who would go on to become a Soviet rock legend. At the center of the story is his relationship with established rockstar Mike Naumenko and his wife, Natalia, as they navigate the restrictions of Soviet censorship while pushing the boundaries of their art.
Blending dreamlike sequences with raw black-and-white cinematography, Leto captures the rebellious energy of a generation yearning for freedom. The film seamlessly interweaves music, romance, and political undertones, offering a tribute to the pioneers of Russian rock. With electrifying performances and an evocative soundtrack, Leto is an ode to artistic expression and youthful defiance in an era of rigid conformity.
30. The Cranes Are Flying – Veronika
- Director: Mikhail Kalatozov
- Writer: Viktor Rozov
- Cast: Tatyana Samoylova, Aleksey Batalov, Vasiliy Merkurev
The Cranes Are Flying, a timeless Soviet masterpiece directed by Mikhail Kalatozov, depicts the horrors of war, love, and sacrifice in a magnificent manner. Set in World War II, the film is about two young lovers named Veronika and Boris, whose lives are torn apart by the conflict. Veronika battles the painful separation between them as well as the uncertainties surrounding Boris’s future as he is sent to the front lines. Veronika’s struggles with bereavement, separation, and the psychological repercussions of war are chronicled throughout the film.
The tragedy of the couple’s love story is shown with uncanny emotional depth as Boris faces the brutal realities of conflict and Veronika’s devotion to him is put to the test by the chaos of war. The film’s breathtaking cinematography, which earned it a lot of accolades, includes sweeping views that heighten the emotional effect of the narrative. The creative use of camera techniques emphasizes the fragility of human connection in the face of immense pain.
29. White Sun of the Desert – Fyodor Sukhov
- Director: Vladimir Motyl
- Writer: Valentin Yezhov, Rustam Ibragimbekov
- Cast: Anatoliy Kuznetsov, Spartak Mishulin, Kakhi Kavsadze
White Sun of the Desert, a popular Soviet adventure film directed by Vladimir Motyl, blends humor, action, and drama with a unique plot set in the vast desert. Fyodor Sukhov, a Red Army soldier assigned to guard a harem in a remote desert region, is the protagonist of the story. As Sukhov finds himself in a series of predicaments, the film explores his internal struggle between his duty and his growing affections for the people he meets, particularly a group of women confined in a harem. As Sukhov is lured into a world of intrigue, bloodshed, and loyalty, the film features a broad spectrum of fascinating characters, including desert tribes, faithful allies, and terrible foes. Despite its action-packed premise, White Sun of the Desert is known for its skillful use of humor and sarcasm, which lend a lighter, more human touch to the incredibly dramatic plot.
28. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: T-34 – Nikolay Ivushkin
- Director: Alexey Sidorov
- Writer: Alexey Sidorov
- Cast: Alexander Petrov, Viktor Dobronravov, Irina Starshenbaum
T-34 is an exciting battle film that combines intense action with a story of bravery and perseverance during World War II. The film, directed by Alexey Sidorov, follows a group of Soviet soldiers as they plot a daring escape from a Nazi prison camp using a legendary T-34 tank. Under the direction of the resourceful and determined tank commander Nikolay Ivushkin, the crew turns the captured tank into a symbol of defiance against overwhelming odds. Exciting tank battles, innovative strategies, and the soldiers’ unshakeable solidarity in the struggle for independence are all featured in the film. With well-choreographed combat sequences and stunning visual effects, T-34 provides an immersive and thrilling experience that makes the tank just as much a character in the story as the infantry.
27. Ivan’s Childhood
- Director: Andrei Tarkovsky – Ivan Bondarev
- Writer: Vladimir Bogomolov, Mikhail Papava
- Cast: Nikolay Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov, Evgeniy Zharikov
A young child is followed as he encounters the harsh realities of World War II in the famous war drama Ivan’s Childhood by Andrei Tarkovsky. Ivan, an orphan whose family was killed by the Nazis, is a Soviet spy who exploits his speed and small stature to gather intelligence behind enemy lines. Ivan is young, but his courage and perseverance contrast sharply with the innocence of his childhood, which the war has irreparably stolen. Tarkovsky’s poetic filmmaking, which deftly blends unsettling imagery with gripping narrative, is evident in every frame. The film illustrates the mental toll that war takes on a child by juxtaposing Ivan’s brutal reality with fleeting memories of his lost innocence and fantasy.
26. Solaris – Kris Kelvin\
- Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
- Writer: Fridrikh Gorenshtein, Andrei Tarkovsky
- Cast: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet
Another masterpiece by Andrei Tarkovsky, Solaris is a provocative science fiction film that delves into the complexities of memory, regret, and humanity. The protagonist of the story is Kris Kelvin, a psychologist sent to a space station orbiting the mysterious planet Solaris. Upon arriving, he discovers that the planet could be a tangible representation of the crew’s innermost fears and unresolved emotions. Solaris uses stunning visuals and a thought-provoking narrative to explore existential issues and question the boundaries between memory, reality, and human consciousness. Instead than focusing on technological marvels, Tarkovsky employed the sci-fi setting as a background for an introspective examination of human nature and the consequences of our past actions.
25. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Locust
This steamy thriller about star-crossed lovers from various social backgrounds is a 4-part tragic drama. It begins as a summer romance between a struggling poet and a woman from a big city, but it quickly intensifies. He is her only option because his family won’t accept him.
After the summer is over, she goes back home and marries her dad’s wealthy friend. Things get messy when the poet finds her.
As they look for ways to stay together over the course of several years, they find themselves in progressively riskier situations that end in disaster. An entertaining series you could watch in a couple of nights with excellent acting and pacing.
24. The Method
- Director– Marcelo Piñeyro
- Writers– Jordi GalceranMateo GilMarcelo Piñeyro
When a renowned detective hires a recent graduate of the Moscow police academy as a trainee, the woman is thrilled. But his approaches aren’t at all what she had anticipated.
He is antisocial, withdrawn, mentally ill, and employs a covert technique to track down serial killers.
Although there is a lot of violence, the two main characters have a terrific dynamic, and you get a fascinating look at Russian culture. Some scenes could be too rapid for you to follow if you’re just starting off.
23. To The Lake
This television show is based on a widely read book. Moscow becomes a city of the dead due to an unidentified and terrible respiratory infection, forcing Anna and her lover to leave for safety. Together with a shaky group of relatives and neighbours, they travel to a lake in the extreme north of Russia.
All city entrances are sealed off in the meantime, currency depreciates, people are fighting and looting, and marauding gangs are prowling everywhere.
The survivors are followed as they struggle to survive with dwindling food and fuel resources in the television show. It’s a tense zombie drama with excellent characterization, a little romance, and—best of all—no zombies. This is a nice one to take if you can considering the year we just had.
22. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Sparta
- Writers and director-Ulrich Seidl
- Screenplay– Ursula Seidl
- Starring– Veronika Franz, Hans-Michael Georg Friedrich Rehberg, Elena Florentina Pop
A skilled investigator is drawn into the world of a perilous virtual reality game that the pupils play while looking into the inexplicable death of a teacher.
The detective believes that something is being kept from the students even if the teacher’s death appears to be a suicide. He makes the decision to work covertly while pretending to be a teacher.
Because the dialogue is so simple to understand, an upper beginner should have no trouble. Additionally, you’ll hear a lot of jargon from video games and learn about how Russian teenagers behave at school, including bullying.
21. Better Than Us
This show is awesome! In the Moscow, 2029 setting, robots have replaced humans in many aspects of daily life, including menial employment. They work as chefs, lovers, security guards, and people who help raise kids.
A damaged family unintentionally acquires a special, cutting-edge robot that is being sought after by many bad people, homicide investigators, and the Russian robotics company that purchased her.
Because “Arisa” is taught to defend herself and her chosen family at any costs, many people are upset when she bonds with a 5-year-old after escaping and killing a guy.
The adolescent son of the family joins a militant anti-robot group that seeks to eradicate robots from the globe in the meantime.
20. Fatal Illusions
- Director: Anna Elizabeth James
- Writer: Anna Elizabeth James
- Cast: Dermot Mulroney, Kristin Davis, Shanola Hampton
- IMDb Rating: 3.7/10
The celebrated illusionists, the Romanov brothers, put up their last show before they end their partnership. But what ensues is a tragedy as one of their assistants disappears from the tank full of water. On their stage headphones, a mystery voice claims that he has the girl and will kill her if the show does not go on, despite having messed with their equipment.
19. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Break
- Director: Tigran Sahakyan
- Writer: Denis Kosyakov, Alexandr Nazarov, Olga Rud
- Cast: Irina Antonenko, Andrey Nazimov, Denis Kosyakov
- IMDb Rating: 4.6/10
A troupe of 3 guys and two girls goes on a holiday to celebrate New Year’s at the top of a mountain. But this quickly turns into a tragic nightmare when their cable car halts when they are crossing an abyss. Fear and desperation take over, causing a fall out between the group.
18. Chernobyl: Abyss (2019)
- Director: Danila Kozlovskiy
- Writer: Djamel Bennecib, Elena Ivanova, Aleksey Kazakov
- Cast: Danila Kozlovskiy, Oksana Akinshina, Filipp Avdeev
- IMDb Rating: 5.1/10
Chernobyl: The Abyss is the main major Russian component film about the aftermath of the explosion at the Chernobyl thermal energy plant when many people gave their lives to clean up the disaster site and effectively avert a significantly bigger catastrophe that could have turned a large portion of Europe into a terrible rejection zone.
Alexey, a firefighter at the power station, is the film’s unlikely legend. On a perilous mission to discharge water from a repository beneath the devouring reactor, he is aided by Valery, an expert, and Boris, a tactical jumper.
They lack the capacity to cope with real preparation; the water in the overcrowded passageways they must cross is becoming increasingly sultry as the liquid reactor centre leaks closer and closer. The three men go into the depths of the reactor building, willing to give up their lives to avert a far more serious disaster.
The main character, firefighter Alexey, works at the Chernobyl thermal energy facility but is pondering going to Kiev to avoid wasting his life in this backwater. Overall, he stumbles into his former love interest Olga at a stylist’s and the power unit detonates. As a result, Alexey must forego relocating and instead travel to the epicentre of the disaster to prevent radiation from spreading to Europe.
The Chernobyl disaster, which inspired a blockbuster HBO small-scale series in 2019, is mostly ignored in Russian films . Furthermore, Chernobyl 1986 does little to modify this.
17. Kresty (2020)
- Director: Angelina Golikova
- Writer: Elizaveta Koniakina, Sergei Miroshnichenko
- Cast: Angelina Golikova, Elizaveta Koniakina, Sergei Miroshnichenko
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
Kresty is one of Russia’s oldest and largest detention institutions, located in the heart of Saint Petersburg. Kresty’s historical setting echoes Russia’s historical backdrop. The movie includes popular russian actors like Angelina Golikova, Elizaveta Koniakina, Sergei Miroshnichenko.
Throughout the jail’s 130-year history, many people have passed through its gates: progressives, engineers, commanders, professors, authors, researchers, criminals, and chronic executioners.
The Kresty prison is essentially society, where human indecencies, as well as power, opportunity, and composure, emerge without limit.
16. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Chagall-Malevich
- Director: Aleksandr Mitta
- Writer: Aleksandr Mitta, Kristii Schneider
- Cast: Leonid Bichevin, Anatoliy Belyy, Kristii Schneider
- IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
To recreate the world of folklore ballad and myth originally made by Marc Chagall, this film serves as an ode to his work. What unfolds on the screen is a well-dramatized display of creativity, facts, and exaggeration inspired by his dreams and wild imagination.
15. 8 First Dates
- Director: David Dodson, Sasha Malarevsky, Alexander Yurchikov
- Writer: Ekaterina Gordetskaya, Studiya Kvartal-95, Andrey Yakovlev
- Cast: Oksana Akinshina, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Denis Nikiforov
- IMDb Rating: 6.1/10
A crazy comic tale where the protagonists wake up in the same bed every morning, regardless of where they fall asleep. They soon realize that they are stuck in a time loop and eventually get to know each other better.
14. Mermaid
- Director: Stephen Chow
- Writer: Hing-Ka Chan, Stephen Chow, Chi-Keung Fung
- Cast: Chao Deng, Show Lo, Yuqi Zhang
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
A shy little girl grows up trusting that she has a superpower to make wishes come true. However, as she becomes an adult, she must face reality when she travels to Moscow, emotions and life head first.
13. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Secret Magic Control Agency
- Director: Aleksey Tsitsilin
- Writer: Analisa LaBianco, Vladimir Nikolaev, Jeffery Spencer
- Cast: Nicholas Corda, Sylvana Joyce, Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld
- IMDb Rating: 6.2/10
The main characters from a popular fairy-tale for children, Hansel and Gretel, are recruited as secret agents. They are forced to use their wit, quick thinking, teamwork, and magic to find and rescue a missing king on their latest mission. Hansel and Gretel, the Secret Magic Control Agency’s two top experts will confront the witch of the Gingerbread House.
12. Major Grom: Plague Doctor (2021)
- Director: Oleg Trofim
- Writer: Vladimir Besedin, Evgeny Eronin, Artyom Gabrelyanov
- Cast: Tikhon Zhiznevskiy, Lyubov Aksyonova, Sergei Goroshko
- IMDb Rating: 6.3/10
This is one of the most expensive and intriguing Russian movie projects of 2021. It is based on Russian (which is extremely intriguing!) realistic novels of the same name published by Bubble Comics.
Police Major Igor Grom is well-known across St. Petersburg for his perceptive personality and hopeless attitude toward criminals. However, everything changes dramatically as a person appears behind the Plague Doctor’s veil.
After declaring that his city is “infected with the disease of chaos,” he begins “therapy,” murdering people all at once. Society is up in arms. The officers are elderly. Surprisingly, Igor has difficulties in the examination, the outcome of which might determine the fate of the entire city.
This common superhuman behaviour creates a specific realistic book setting, similar to Nolan’s Gotham City. There is a gaudy bar Golden Dragon filled with the entire evil foundation, the police base camp is located in a royal home, and Grom, like Batman, leans towards rooftops.
The parody, inspired in part by Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, is a component of director Zhora Kryzhovnikov’s marketing strategy of exaggerating everything to the point of inconceivable obscenity. This is how this film should be viewed: as a completely ridiculous spoof for a fun night out.
11. Dovlatov
- Director: Aleksey German Jr
- Writer: Aleksey German Jr, Yulia Tupikina
- Cast: Milan Maric, Danila Kozlovskiy, Helena Sujecka
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
The movie spans the timeline of six days in the life of the cutting-edge writer who wrote beyond the narrow views and limits of Soviet Russia in the 1970s. Sergei Dovlatov struggled to maintain and display his ability alongside poet Joseph Brodsky.
10. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Black Sea
- Director: Kevin Macdonald
- Writer: Dennis Kelly
- Cast: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
A well-experienced submarine captain loses his job. He decides to get together a crew of misfits to find a sunken treasure rumored to be forgotten deep in the Black Sea. When greed and frenzy take over their travel, the mission goes south and turns into a fight for survival.
Following ten years at a maritime rescue organization, Robinson, the recently retired submarine chief, decides to risk everything. He goes on a quest for a fabled hidden treasure: a submerged Nazi U-boat stocked with gold ingots.
Robinson organizes a hand-picked mixed crew of hostile specialists to sweep the vast bottom of the viral Black Sea in a rusted Soviet submarine in order to unearth the unclaimed reward beneath the nose of the Russians and their menacing maritime navy. Regardless, when avarice overcomes the all-around isolated group, the commitment to an analogous offer swiftly fades.
9. Sputnik (2020)
- Director: Egor Abramenko
- Writer: Oleg Malovichko, Andrey Zolotarev
- Cast: Oksana Akinshina, Fedor Bondarchuk, Pyotr Fyodorov
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10</li>
At the Cold War level, a Soviet shuttle crashes lands after a failed mission, leaving the leader as the only survivor. Something dangerous may have returned to Earth with the cop after a respected Russian doctor assesses his psychological health. Sputnik is a great movie for everyone who wants to be among the one for watching russian movies.
The director was undoubtedly influenced by Ridley Scott’s Alien and John Carpenter’s The Thing, but Sputnik stands out among numerous versions of the plot. In any case, it is intricately interesting. It’s not just a vintage loathing, but an “imaginative extreme noir,” where aesthetic compositions are as important as surprising outcomes.
8. Flight Crew
- Director: Nikolay Lebedev
- Writer: Tikhon Kornev, Yuriy Korotkov, Nikolay Kulikov
- Cast: Danila Kozlovskiy, Vladimir Mashkov, Agne Grudyte
- IMDb Rating: 6.6/10
When a distress call for help is received from a volcanic island, a Russian airliner set out on a rescue mission. This takes them further into danger than they ever thought they’d go and turns out to be a fight for the victims’ lives as well as their own.
A story of bravery, compassion, and human pride being scrutinized by a cold-hearted force of nature. A young pilot gets discharged from the military flying corps after refusing a preposterous request.
He obtains a new job as a co-pilot for a common carrier. He isn’t centered on ideal circumstances with his new colleagues because he is passionately legitimate and direct. During a trip to Asia, his crew receives a distress signal from a volcanic island and decides to attempt a salvage effort.
7. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Hardcore Henry
- Director: Ilya Naishuller
- Writer: Ilya Naishuller, Will Stewart
- Cast: Sharlto Copley, Tim Roth, Haley Bennett
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
A recently resurrected cyborg, Henry, must save his wife, who is also his creator, from the grasps of a psychotic villain AKAN who has telekinetic skills. Fighting along with Henry is Jimmy, who is his only hope to survive the day. The movie takes place over only one day, in Moscow, Russia.
6. Two Days
- Director: Avdotya Smirnova
- Writer: Avdotya Smirnova, Anna Parmas
- Cast: Fedor Bondarchuk, Kseniya Rappoport, Evgeniy Muravich
- IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Petr Drozdov, a senior administrator from Russia, Moscow, accepts the governor’s appeal to demolish a rural museum of Russian literature. Masha is a young student who works in the museum, and she decides to plead against this and demands that it be kept safe.
5. Born to Be Free
- Director: Tatiana Beley, Gayane Petrosyan
- Writer: Gayane Petrosyan
- Cast: Manos Krystalis
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Casting light on the abuse of sea mammals, this gut-wrenching documentary reflects the difficulty of 18 Beluga whales kept in captivity for years. They were all initially intended for U.S. aquariums but were not permitted due to a new law.<p>This left the group of Belugas to live in small tanks in Russia, and eventually, after six years of captivity, one whale died while the others were severely ill.
Born to be Free is a great movie for people are the new Russian language learners.<p>Born To Be Free is a powerful and incisive video about the global trade of wild marine vertebrates created by three daring, free-jumping authors, Gaya, Tanya, and Julia. Their method leads us to the most isolated areas of Russia. A depressing and horrible story of eighteen belugas (white bowhead whales) lounging in tanks on the sweltering Black Sea shore. Freedivers have helped reveal different horrible secrets and hidden truths.
4. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: The Watchman
- Director: Zack Snyder
- Writer: Dave Gibbons, David Hayter, Alex Tse
- Cast: Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Carla Gugino
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Vlad, is a forty-year-old watchman in an old asylum that is soon to be demolished. One night, a couple, Vera and Stas, arrive at the sanatorium. On hearing their story of being on the run from their friends and family, Vlad is reminded of his past and how he runs from it. He decides to help them stay safe and, in the process, uncover things about himself and the couple.
3. Loveless
- Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Writer: Oleg Negin, Andrey Zvyagintsev
- Cast: Maryana Spivak, Aleksey Rozin, Matvey Novikov
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
A couple in Russia goes through a terrible and ugly divorce, filled with fights, blames, and tempers. They both have new partners and cannot wait to leave each other until their 12-year-old son vanishes after listening to one of their arguments.
Boris and Zhenya, a Moscow couple, are still living under the same roof and are in the dreadful final stages of a terrible separation. Under those circumstances, as both have actively sought new collaborators, the abuses pour down like rain in this dangerous family conflict zone, always circling the unresolvable and pressing issue of Alyosha’s authority, their 12-year-old just kid.
The unheard, despised, and unhappy child feels like an unbearable weight. In any case, what he can be certain of is that he can hear every word. By the time Boris and Zhenya realize Alyosha has been missing for over two days, it is past the point of no return.
2. Brother (1997)
- Director: Aleksey Balabanov
- Writer: Aleksey Balabanov
- Cast: Sergey Bodrov, Viktor Sukhorukov, Svetlana Pismichenko
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
Danila, who has recently been discharged from the military, travels to his more experienced brother – a hoodlum and an executioner – to begin a new life in St. Petersburg, where he is quickly organized in the criminal world and asked to kill someone. His new life begins there.
He meets new people, including a young girl, and becomes a big fan of the musical group “Nautilus Pompillius,” but now he’s an executioner, and realizing that killing is easier for him than living drives him to realize he’s on the wrong track. Despite a relatively pedestrian narrative, this is one of the most important film establishments in post-Soviet cinema. The story of a still “green” man who is thrust into the cruel world of the 1990s, coordinated by Aleksei Balabanov, has earned faction status in Russia.
1. Best Russian Movies on Netflix: Icarus
- Director: Bryan Fogel
- Writer: Bryan Fogel, Mark Monroe, Jon Bertain
- Cast: Bryan Fogel, Dave Zabriskie, Don Catlin
- IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Set to bring to light the truth about doping in athletics, the facts uncovered by a Russian scientist turn this movie into a geopolitical mystery. Between an unexplained death and Olympic gold medals lies the story that will expose one of the largest scandals in history.
