24 Best French Movies on Netflix [Updated for December 2024]

Thanks to today’s technology, you can watch French movies from anywhere. All you need is a Netflix account to experience France’s cinematic culture from home.

Whether you like comedy, thrillers or romance, there’s something for everyone among these 24 best French movies on Netflix in 2024. 

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French Comedy Movies

1. Loin du Périph (The Takedown)

Year: 2022

Country: France

Director: Louis Leterrier

This movie follows two cops who couldn’t be more different, who have to work together again years after their partnership ended.

A dead body draws the two into a series of adventures that put them in the middle of drug trafficking rings and white supremacists.

Expect a lot of raunchy jokes, satire, silly action and antics. While this movie received mixed reviews, it’s a great watch if you want something casual.

2. Bigbug

Year: 2022

Country: France

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

This movie takes place in 2045, when AI and robots are integral to managing every home.

When an android rebellion threatens the world, the robots in Alice’s home prioritize her safety over everything, even if it means locking her and her guests inside her house.

What follows is a hilarious and raunchy comedy about a group of people just wanting to form relationships and a group of androids who are trying to learn what it means to be human.

3. 8 Rue de l’Humanité (Stuck Together)

Year: 2021

Country: France

Director: Dany Boon

This movie breathes much-needed humanity and humor into the coronavirus situation.

It takes place in early 2020, when France was first placed on lockdown, and there wasn’t much known about the virus yet.

We get an inside look into an apartment building in Paris, following seven points of view as they try to make sense of the difficult situation.

From the Covid denier to the mad scientist trying to concoct his own vaccine, can this odd cast of characters survive the pandemic—or each other?

4. La Grande Classe (Back to School)

Year: 2019

Country: France

Director: Rémy Four, Julien War

This movie follows two friends that grew up on the lower end of the social pyramid yet ended up with highly successful careers.

When invited to their middle school reunion, they see it as a chance to flaunt their adulthood success in their childhood tormentors’ faces. 

Of course, this doesn’t exactly go as planned, and the men still face struggles from their childhood when it comes to old crushes and bullies.

5. Je Ne Suis Pas un Homme Facile (I Am Not an Easy Man)

Year: 2018

Country: France

Director: Eléonore Pourriat

Damien is an unapologetic male chauvinist who lives with sexist behaviors.

That is, until he hits his head and the universe is altered, causing Damien to be thrust into a matriarchal society. 

In this new life, Damien is subjected to the same sexist treatment he had been giving women his entire life, forcing him to question his old views.

This was the first French film on Netflix, and it’s a great introduction to French satire, which often aims at structures of power in society and politics.

6. L’Ascension (The Climb)

Year: 2017

Country: France

Director: Ludovic Bernard

This movie is loosely based on the Everest ascent of Algerian-Australian Frenchman, Nadir Dendoune.

Dendoune wished to climb Everest to demonstrate the potential of French immigrants and present a positive image of French-Algerians in society.

Like Nadir, Samy is an immigrant and has no experience mountaineering. Although his motivation for climbing the mountain is different, Samy demonstrates the same level of grit and determination as Nadir.

The heartfelt, comedic and ultimately inspiring journey (not to mention the cinematography) will have you wanting to watch the film several times.

7. Le Jeu (Nothing to Hide)

Year: 2018

Country: France

Director: Fred Cavayé

Three couples and one single man who have known each other for decades decide to gather for a friendly meal.

During dinner, they decide to play a game where every text, call, instant message and photo they receive must be shared with the group.

What starts as an amusing game quickly turns dramatic as the nature of the texts becomes more scandalous.

8. Mauvaises herbes (Bad Seeds)

Year: 2018

Country: France

Director: Kheiron

Wael makes his living by conning grocery shoppers with his foster mother, Monique.

But one day, they rob Victor, an old friend of Monique’s. Victor agrees not to press charges but only if Wael and Monique volunteer at his center for at-risk youths.

Wael begins mentoring a group of six teenagers, and he realizes just how much his own story has in common with theirs.

Because of this, he can reach the troubled kids in ways others can’t.

9. Pourris gâtés (Spoiled Brats)

Year: 2021

Country: France

Director: Nicolas Cuche

Three spoiled siblings struggle to handle life’s challenges without money as their rich father pretends he has lost his fortune.

The movie follows each child as they try to navigate life as real adults who have to earn their own money. 

While the movie is mostly meant for comedic relief, there are some good happy-go-lucky themes surrounding family, finding one’s identity and the importance of hard work.

French Action Movies

10. Sans répit (Restless)

Year: 2022

Country: France

Director: Régis Blondeau

A cop isn’t walking on the right side of the law, as he’s willing to overlook certain offenses for the right price.

His corruption is even clearer when he accidentally hits a man—a key figure in an ongoing investigation—with his car and covers up the accident.

To make things even worse, there seems to have been a witness who continues to call and threaten him.

11. Balle perdue (Lost Bullet)

Year: 2020

Country: France

Director: Guillaume Pierret

Ex-mechanic Lino is on a relentless crusade to clear his name of a murder charge after being framed.

A single bullet is the key piece of evidence to clearing his name, but he must first set out to find it.

With impressive driving, fight scenes and real stunts, this movie is perhaps not what comes to mind when you hear French cinema.

Even though this film wavers from traditional French style, it will undoubtedly impress you.

12. Bon Cop, Bad Cop

Year: 2006

Country: Montreal, Canada

Director: Erik Canuel

This bilingual film begins when the body of a hockey executive is found strewn across the border between Quebec and Ontario, resulting in the two provinces sharing jurisdiction of the case.

To find the killer, by-the-book detective Martin and easygoing David must work together despite their extreme differences in everything from disposition to culture and language.

A cult classic in Canada, this movie plays to all of the action stereotypes while using an uproariously funny bilingual script.

French Drama Movies

13. ADN (DNA)

Year: 2020

Country: France

Director: Maïwenn

How much does family mean to you? This is a question that Neige struggles to answer.

The movie gives viewers an intimate look at Neige’s life as she struggles to deal with her grandfather’s passing, connect with her Algerian roots and make peace with the trauma her family caused her in the past.

Ultimately, “DNA” is a look at identity and family and the importance that both have in shaping a human being.

14. Banlieusards (Street Flow)

Year: 2019

Country: France

Director: Kery James, Leïla Sy

This is a gritty story that artfully depicts the realities of life in the Parisian projects.

It follows the youngest of three brothers as he forms his identity with two very different examples of older brothers.

Will he follow the footsteps of the hard-working lawyer, or will he join a drug-dealing gangster who lives on the edge?

15. J’ai perdu mon corps (I Lost My Body)

Year: 2019

Country: France

Director: Jérémy Clapin

French animated movies are known the world over, and France is one of the biggest exporters of animated features. 

Praised for its storytelling and animation, this particular film follows the journey of a severed hand through Paris to reunite with its owner, Naoufel.

Naoufel’s tragic story is also told in flashbacks and highlights his feelings of loss, blame and guilt. The animation itself is dripping with symbolism and is sure to inspire you to see Paris in a new light.

16. Divines

Year: 2016

Country: France, Qatar

Director: Houda Benyamina

This film is about two girls in the French housing projects trying to make it big in the criminal underworld.

Douina does petty crimes with her best friend Maimouna and attends a dead-end vocational school.

In an attempt to avoid the life of poverty led by her mother, Douina decides to work for a drug dealer named Rebecca.

The raw, authentic energy of Douina and Maimouna’s friendship is captivating, as it shows how their bond is forged and then tested in these difficult times.

17. Atlantique (Atlantics)

Year: 2019

Country: Senegal

Director: Mati Diop

“Atlantics” takes place in Senegal and paints a beautiful transmigration story. 

Ada is a young woman living in Dakar and is betrothed to a wealthy socialite, Omar. Despite the social pressure to marry Omar, Ada’s heart lies with a poor construction worker named Souleman.

When he and his fellow workers go unpaid for their labor, Souleman leaves with them to look for better conditions in Europe.

However, as Ada’s wedding day approaches, the town seems to fall under some supernatural influence.

18. Mademoiselle de Joncquières (Lady J)

Year: 2018

Country: France

Director: Emmanuel Mouret

This gorgeous period piece weaves a tale of romance, betrayal and revenge among the elite of French society.

A young widow, Madame de La Pommeraye, attempts to resist the romantic wiles of the Marquis of Arcis but ends up falling for him. After some time, he tires of her and seeks out other women.

19. Girl

Year: 2018

Country: Belgium

Director: Lukas Dhont

This film follows a 15-year-old dancer named Lara, who is determined to become a professional ballerina.

She enrolls at a prestigious ballet school but doesn’t only face the challenges of competing in a dance school.

Nobody at the school knows that Lara was born in a boy’s body and is in the middle of her transition to be female.

Even though she has a supportive environment, Lara still struggles with dysphoria and misunderstandings that reflect the experiences of the film’s muse.

20. Shéhérazade

Year: 2018

Country: France

Director: Jean-Bernard Marlin

With a script that rings true to the realities of life in Marseille, this smooth-flowing film shows the growth of two teenagers as they struggle to overcome life’s injustices through love.

At 17 years old, Zach was released from juvenile detention, only to be rejected by his mother and left homeless. When his friends refuse to employ him, he meets a prostitute named Shéhérazade and becomes her pimp.

While this works for a short time, their arrangement becomes more complicated as the two fall in love.

21. Le Sommet des Dieux (The Summit of the Gods)

Year: 2021

Country: France

Director: Patrick Imbert

A photojournalist has encountered a mysterious mountain climber he believes to have a crucial piece of evidence in a mystery.

The climber is Habu, and the journalist believes he has George Mallory’s camera, which would reveal what really happened when the climber and his partner never returned from Mount Everest.

The journalist then goes on his own adventure as he attempts to follow Habu on his own Mount Everest climb to understand the addiction that all climbers seem to have.

French Thriller/Horror Movies

22. Oxygène (Oxygen)

Year: 2021

Country: France

Director: Alexandre Aja

A woman wakes up in a cryogenic chamber without any memories.

With only 90 minutes to live, she must employ her limited resources (an AI named MILO) to recall who she is and find a way to get out before she runs out of oxygen.

This is a one-woman show, as the camera is fixed on the main actress for 90% of the film, giving you a front-row seat to her emotional and mental turmoil as she struggles to survive.

23. La femme la plus assassinée du monde (The Most Assassinated Woman in the World)

Year: 2018

Country: Belgium

Director: Franck Ribière

Paula Maxa is known for over 10,000 theater death scenes.

Throughout the film, she draws startling comparisons between her stage life and real life as a deadly stalker emerges from the darkness.

Characterized by extreme violence, blood and gore, this early 20th-century theater tradition is brought to life as realism takes its toll on Maxa.

Eerily similar murders to her own work are discovered throughout the city of love, and she realizes that something strange is happening.

24. Les Affamés (Ravenous)

Year: 2017

Country: Quebec, Canada

Director: Robin Aubert

In a small village in Quebec, the population has been decimated by a sickness that has turned the townspeople into zombies.

A group of survivors scattered about the carnage band together, led by a geek named Bolin, to attempt an escape to the city for help.

While “Ravenous” leans more towards artistic melancholy than your traditional hack-and-slash zombie thriller, the refreshing take on the genre coupled with the group’s charming characters makes this film worth watching.

Finding French Movies on Netflix

This list should give you a wealth of material for enjoyment and practice. But if you burn through it and are left wanting more, here’s how you can find more great French movies on Netflix:

• Search on your own. Netflix has a feature that allows you to filter out the French movies available.
• Dub movies in French. You can also find several that may be originally in a different language, but dubbed over or subtitled in French! To learn better with subtitles, FluentU now lets you turn any Netflix video into a language learning lesson.

  FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

  You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

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• Use a VPN. Keep in mind that Netflix might not always include movies from French-speaking regions other than France. It’s worth searching for the Belgian, African and Canadian categories as well. If you are able, I’d also suggest using a VPN to access other regions’ Netflix as that will also open up a whole plethora of French movies.

More Resources for French Movies

If you want to explore more French movies, there’s an abundance of places to do so! Here are a few more resources you can use to scout out the best French films, Netflix and not:

• The Best French Movies on Amazon Prime Right Now
• The Best French Movies to Learn French
• Shows and Movies with French Subtitles on Netflix
• The 15 Best French Romantic Movies
• Classic French Movies to Put on Your Must-Watch List
• Well-known French Movies with English Subtitles to Improve Your French Skills

Immersing yourself in French is the best way to learn it, and movies are the easiest way to do that. Enjoy the trip with these French movies on Netflix! And for even more recommendations, check out our list of the best French TV series you can stream right now: