The Witch

The Witch has built a devoted audience in the US on Netflix and YouTube TV among viewers who want their drama to earn its emotional beats. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 7,723 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Anya Taylor-Joy's performance alone is worth the time investment. Available now on Netflix — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Witch is worth clearing space for. The Witch takes its time building the world its characters inhabit, and the patience pays off. In 1630, a farmer relocates his family to a remote plot of land on the edge of a forest where strange, unsettling things happen. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, each family member's faith, loyalty and love are tested in shocking ways. Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Ineson lead a cast doing genuinely serious work here. The Witch came out in 2016. The Witch resists tidy resolutions in a way that respects how messy real consequences actually are. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, The Witch delivers. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Anya Taylor-Joy's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.