Last updated: November 2, 2026
Kanopy is free with most library cards, and it’s one of the best-curated streaming libraries out there. These are its hidden gems: films I graded B or higher that most people haven’t seen (each has fewer than 60,000 ratings on IMDb), all streaming on Kanopy right now.
PLEASURE (2021)
A stunningly provocative exploration of the peaks and valleys of the porn industry led by a wowing performance from newcomer Sofia Kappel, Pleasure uses gratuitous sex to speak to structures of power and consent while telling the story of one girl’s thirst for pornstar fame.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019)
The Last Black Man in San Francisco is an aching triumph of self-discovery that’s absolutely electrifying every single minute of your time with it. With some of the most crackling and distinct direction in years, it marks the arrival of a new essential voice in Joe Talbot. I swooned.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
POSSESSOR (2020)
A brilliantly rendered technology-fueled nightmare, Possessor announces Brandon Cronenberg as an uncompromising storyteller, one who manages brilliant, thought-provoking plotting amid incredibly affecting production elements (including an extreme reverence for practical special effects.)▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
KRISHA (2016)
Backed by a spine-tingling score, Krisha is a powerful journey through the dingy bowels of addiction and family secrets. Krisha Fairchild is masterful in a breakout role for the ages just as first-time director Trey Edwards Shults proves himself a powerful emerging voice with a debut that won’t soon be forgotten.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
SMALL TOWN CRIME (2018)
A rural gumshoe caper with splashes of Tarantino and the Coen bros, Small Town Crime soars on the wings of star John Hawkes who leads an unforgettable cast as a washed up ex-detective back on the case. Strange, hilarious and immensely entertaining, Small Town Crime is the modern day dusty noir we didn’t know we needed.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
HONEYLAND (2019)
Honeyland masterfully employs the documentary medium to tell a sprawling story about sustainability through the lens of a traditional Macedonian beekeeper. The perfect cross section of educational entertainment and storytelling prowess, the Sundance award winner is nectar for the soul that buzzes with poignancy.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
DINNER IN AMERICA (2022)
Dinner in America is a rough-around-the-edges ode to love on the fringes of society, where a criminal punk rocker and a bizarre loner court an unlikely flirtation, all while navigating the suburbs, musical aspirations and the law. Expect a brash curb-stomp of a coming-of-age saga and prepare for impact.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
MASS (2021)
A painstakingly intimate, conversation-driven drama with phenomenal performances all around (Jacob Isaacs and Ann Dowd are especially extraordinary), Mass is a terrific and terrifically depressing debut from Fran Kranz that will be sure to move audiences to tears.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
SANCTUARY (2023)
Sanctuary, a kinky dark romantic comedy, transcends its overtly sexually-charged trappings to become a provocative exploration of power, control, and trust. With an unforgettable performance from Margaret Qualley, it’s a wildly unpredictable ride that’ll leaves an indelible mark on the more risqué viewer’s psyche.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
AMERICAN HONEY (2016)
Admirably unfocused and nearly three hours long, American Honey is a behemoth of modern American cinema that dares to tell a coming-of-age drama in untraditional fashion. That it feels cut from the same cloth as the works of Mark Twain or Jack Kerouac speaks to the timeless cultural universality Andrea Arnold almost effortlessly is able to tap into as Sasha Lane and Shia LaBeouf sparkle just as much as her infectious soundtrack.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
INGRID GOES WEST (2017)
Dark, awkward comedy Ingrid Goes West has plenty of uncomfortable laughs and wince-worthy situations but poses potent, pressing commentary about the dark consequences of social media oversharing. Star Aubrey Plaza is heartbreaking and strange as hell as a twisted stalker desperate for friends and attention and any fan of hers ought to seek out this sleeper hit immediately.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
MISSING LINK (2019)
Though not resting with the top-tier Laika efforts, Missing Link is breathtaking proof about the evils of consolidating style: in the age of selfsame CGI-animation, something this devilishly detailed bears fruit of singularly unique beauty. Kids and adults alike will swoon.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
GREENER GRASS (2019)
Greener Grass uses dream logic and ontological sloppiness to create a singularly bizarro sendup of modern person as social media package. The twisted, random, and bogus plot will alienate viewers expecting traditional comedic stylings but those willing to get weird may just love what Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe have cooked up.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
RELIC (2020)
The clever, strange and emotionally-satisfying first film from director Natalie Erika James uses horror to get at the heartache of senility. Emily Mortimer gives an anguished performance as a tormented daughter and mother as Relic burrows under its audiences’ skin through an earnest, emotional approach to genre filmmaking.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
BLACK BEAR (2020)
Black Bear commits fully to breaking rules of cinema, which may leave some bewildered or frustrated, but between its smart screenplay, saucy technical savvy, and all-around great performances, the odd-duck drama-thriller is absolutely deserving of your attempt to puzzle through it.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
A GLITCH IN THE MATRIX (2021)
As fascinating, thought-provoking, and well-researched a documentary as A Glitch in the Matrix is, it also proves to be utterly terrifying in both its study of simulation theory and the dark real world implications it poses.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
IN THE EARTH (2021)
Ben Wheatley’s return to horror uses the backdrop of a global pandemic to spin a folksy yarn about woodland killers and pagan worship that employs militant audio-visual hallucinogenic effects to entertain and disorient. A real return to form for Wheatley and the first movie to effectively tackle the virus and its effect on our collective sanity.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
COME TRUE (2020)
Sustained tension and an entirely creepy visual palette make Come True, a dreamy horror-hybrid about sleep paralysis, a heady haunter. Anthony Scott Burns announces himself as a thoughtful and novelly scary voice in the horror genre.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
GAIA (2021)
Making its mark on the eco-horror field, Gaia forgoes deep character development to focus on larger themes of man vs. nature, all underscored by a chilling sense of unease. The hallucinogenic visual effects are often stunning as is the expert creature design. Carel Nel as a crazed survivalist really pops.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
ULTRASOUND (2022)
From the very first frame, the mysterious science-fiction midnighter from Rob Schroeder sets out to dazzle and bewilder audiences with a magic trick of a film. Smart and captivating, Ultrasound comes fastened to committed performances from a game cast and a perplexing plot that leads to a resoundingly clever conclusion.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
WEREWOLVES WITHIN (2021)
Josh Ruben continues to make a name for himself in the horror-comedy game with his adaptation of Werewolves Within, which employs a supremely-affable ensemble cast, a goofy premise, and plenty of directorial gags to monstrously-amusing effect. Continue to keep a close eye on this guy, he’s apt to transform into a big-timer one of these lunar rotations.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (2022)
The naturally unnatural world comes to a head in surreal, erotic, satirical fashion in a way only David Cronenberg could cook up. The world-building of Crimes of the Future impresses more than some of the plot movements but a game Viggo Mortensen helps keep this ethereal body horror think-piece captivating from gory start to evocative finish.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD (2016)
Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World is classic, if not top-tier, Herzog. Poignant, analytical, wide-spanning and cutting; the kind of documentary that’ll leave you thinking long, long after it fades to black.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
GOAT (2016)
Frat bros and Jonas bros populate Andrew Neel’s taxing melodrama Goat, an impregnable profile of the imposing weight of masculinity and the mental bill of fraternal hazing.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
BLEED FOR THIS (2016)
It may not quite float like a butterfly or sting like a bee but Bleed for This rides on the greatness of Miles Teller and Aaron Eckhart’s killer performances to tell a somewhat predictable true life story with soulful playfulness and showman’s pizazz.▶ Watch on Kanopy · Read the full review
More: Hidden gems on every service → · All the best movies on Kanopy →
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By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
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