The Water Man

This week's smartest sci-fi pick in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Hoopla is The Water Man. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 262 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. David Oyelowo sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. Start it on Netflix whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

There is a reason The Water Man keeps coming up in conversation. The Water Man uses its genre premise as cover for asking bigger questions. Hoping to save his sick mother, a boy named Gunner and his friend Jo venture into the remote Wild Horse forest to search for a mythical figure who possesses the secret to immortality. When they go missing, Gunner's father Amos must immerse himself in his son's world to find them. The human element stays intact thanks to David Oyelowo and Amiah Miller, who anchor every scene. It was released in 2020. What separates The Water Man from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

The Water Man is satisfying on multiple levels — something to watch and something to think about after. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Watch for David Oyelowo in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.

The Water Man was released in 2020, directed by and starring David Oyelowo. The full 92-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.