What’s New On Netflix?
New Netflix titles are always cause for celebration. On the streaming giant’s roster for July? A spate of fascinating documentaries, a heartwarming reality show and a raucous comedy set in the 14th century.
Here are just some of the most exciting new releases on Netflix.
Takeshi Shinto/Netflix1/34The Boyfriend (9 July)
Providing a much-needed antidote to the streamer’s deluge of toxic dating reality shows, this Japan-set series – the nation’s first unscripted programme to centre on same-sex romance – is the TV equivalent of a warm hug. It follows nine gay men looking for love and friendship – artists and designers, chefs and go-go dancers – who gather in a house in the beachside city of Tateyama for an unforgettable summer. Over 10 episodes, they share their unique stories of growing up and coming out, forge deep bonds, develop crushes, experience heartbreak and fall head over heels for each other. It’s life-affirming stuff.
Courtesy of Netflix2/34Simone Biles Rising (17 July)
Katie Walsh’s account of the life and career of the seven-time Olympic medalist and most decorated gymnast in history is essential viewing ahead of the 2024 Paris games. It’s a celebration of her triumph in Rio in 2016, as well as a deep dive into her struggles in Tokyo in 2020, after she was forced to withdraw from a number of events. Now, following a lengthy recovery process, she looks poised to take back her crown in the French capital – and defy her doubters yet again.
Courtesy of Sundance Institute3/34Skywalkers: A Love Story (19 July)
You’re sure to recognise the jaw-dropping photos of Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus that have long made the rounds on social media – staggering shots of the Russian daredevils, who’ve made a career out of (often illegally) scaling some of the world’s tallest structures, perched on the edge of skyscrapers, hanging off bridges and standing on tiptoes on cranes. Jeff Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina’s hair-raising documentary tracks the couple as they gear up for their biggest challenge yet: breaking into and climbing Malaysia’s Merdeka 118 super-skyscraper, currently the second tallest building in the world. Prepare for relationship conflict, run-ins with the law and vertigo-inducing views.
Giulia Parmigiani/Netflix © 20244/34The Decameron (25 July)
As plague rages across 14th-century Florence, an eccentric set of nobles and their servants retreat to the country and party until dawn in Kathleen Jordan’s loose adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s delightful short story collection of the same name. Girls’s Zosia Mamet and Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds are joined in this madcap, wine-soaked sex romp by the likes of Jessica Plummer, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Karan Gill, Leila Farzad, Tony Hale, Amar Chadha-Patel, Lou Gala and Douggie McMeekin. As time goes on, social barriers disintegrate, sickness takes hold and all hell breaks loose.
Courtesy of Netflix5/34Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (31 July)
Lhakpa Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to climb Everest and live to tell the tale, is the subject of double Oscar nominee Lucy Walker’s latest documentary. It opens in 2022, when the titular legend is, staggeringly, living in a tiny apartment in Connecticut, working gruelling hours at a grocery store to support her two daughters, not having summited a mountain in years. It’s then that the clock winds back to her childhood: as the daughter of yak farmers in rural Nepal, she grew up illiterate, but somehow achieved her dream of summiting the highest mountain in the world. She eventually married Romanian-American mountaineer Gheorghe Dijmărescu and immigrated to the US, but her life fell apart when their relationship turned violent. Still, her resilience and passion for mountaineering knew no bounds – she continued climbing, and now holds the record for most Everest summits by a woman, having reached the peak a whopping 10 times.
Below, see more of Netflix’s recent releases.
Tina Rowden/Netflix6/34A Family Affair (28 June)
Amazon Prime Video recently brought us The Idea of You, the tale of a sophisticated gallerist (Anne Hathaway) who launches into a whirlwind affair with a pop star (Nicholas Galitzine) her teenage daughter (Ella Rubin) used to be obsessed with. Now, Netflix is hot on its heels with this Richard LaGravenese-helmed romp about a personal assistant (Joey King) who is horrified to discover that her Hollywood star boss (Zac Efron) is in a secret relationship with her widowed mother (Nicole Kidman). As with its predecessor, expect big laughs and surprisingly emotional moments.
Netflix7/34Supacell (27 June)
Rapper and record producer Rapman (Blue Story) is the creator, writer and lead director of this mindbending sci-fi series, in which five seemingly ordinary Black south Londoners unexpectedly develop superpowers. But, before they get a chance to figure out how to use them, they are targeted by the powerful agency who created them in the first place. Starring the likes of Tosin Cole, Nadine Mills, Eric Kofi Abrefa, Calvin Demba, Josh Tedeku, Adelayo Adedayo and Eddie Marsan, it’s a wild ride.
Ursula Coyote/Netflix8/34Trigger Warning (21 June)
Jessica Alba makes a welcome return to the screen with this Mouly Surya-directed, rollicking thriller following a special forces commando who is called home from active duty with the tragic news that her father has suddenly passed away. Still processing her grief and navigating her new role as the owner of their family bar, she embarks on a search for answers – one that swiftly takes a turn when she finds herself at odds with a violent gang wreaking havoc in her hometown. Drawing on her training – and, in one scene, armed with little more than gardening tools – she pulls them apart piece by piece.