3 award-winning Netflix movies to watch this weekend (August 21-23)

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Aug 21, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT T.M. Amrita is a writer and tech enthusiast with experience as a news reporter covering technology, artificial intelligence, and gadgets. A journalist at heart, she found a soft spot for technology reporting during her tenure as a reporter at The Hindu Businessline, where she covered topics like the economy, data, and personal finance. She has published more than 250 news stories, tech guides, and opinion articles. Outside of technology, she is a passionate poet and brings her interest in learning new things to her work as a writer. Amrita is also a student of design and interface development, and likes to take on passion projects in her free time. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Netflix has plenty of new titles competing for attention every week. However, I sometimes prefer to revisit something that has already proven itself. Award-winning movies may not be everyone's favorite, but they're great to explore when I want to get out of my Netflix doomscroll. This weekend, I've picked three different award-winning movies currently streaming on Netflix U.S., spanning from a bizarre survival story to a strong historical piece, with my first pick being a top book-to-movie adaptation. Here is all you need to know. 3 Swiss Army Man A dead end with a new beginning It's difficult to explain Swiss Army Man without sounding a little ridiculous, but this is a movie worth your time if you're open to more eccentric stories. The surreal comedy film follows Hank, a man stranded on a deserted island who has almost given up hope of getting home. In a turn of events, he discovers a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe) washed ashore. Hank then "befriends" this body, which sets off a bizarre fight for survival. Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe make the odd premise work far better than it appears. There's plenty of weirdness to navigate here, but it remains a great movie at the intersection of dark humor and emotion. Swiss Army Man won the Directing Award for U.S. Dramatic at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival for directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the filmmaking duo better known as the Daniels. Years later, the pair went on to make Everything Everywhere All at Once, which earned them Oscars for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. Swiss Army Man Release Date June 24, 2016 Cast Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Dano, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Antonia Ribero, Timothy Eulich, Richard Gross, Marika Casteel, Andy Hull, Aaron Marshall, Shane Carruth, Jessica Harbeck Runtime 97 minutes Director Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan Writers Daniel Scheinert, Dan Kwan Producers Eyal Rimmon, Miranda Bailey, Lawrence Inglee, Lauren Mann, Jonathan Wang Main Genre Adventure Executive Producer(s) Gideon Tadmor, William Olsson, Jim Kaufman 2 Selma The march toward change A heavier watch but an incredible one nonetheless, Selma holds a special place in the hearts of history and film enthusiasts alike. Ava DuVernay's historical drama follows Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights activists who fought for voting rights in the 1960s. The movie focuses on the historic marches from Selma to Montgomery. Selma highlights the risks that these activists took, which feel very personal and real instead of painting the film as a documentary-like narrative. David Oyelowo gives a powerful performance as King, while the film shows how much work, fear, and persistence went into the movement. Selma won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Glory," performed by John Legend and Common. Selma Release Date December 25, 2014 Cast Carmen Ejogo, David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, Tim Roth, Andre Holland, Colman Domingo, Common, Stephan James, Omar J. Dorsey, LaKeith Stanfield, Oprah Winfrey, Tessa Thompson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Kent Faulcon, Lorraine Toussaint, Alessandro Nivola, David Dwyer, E. Roger Mitchell, Dylan Baker, Ledisi, Niecy Nash-Betts, Corey Reynolds, Wendell Pierce Runtime 128 minutes Director Ava DuVernay Writers Paul Webb, Ava DuVernay Producers Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey Main Genre History Budget $20 million Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Executive Producer(s) Ava DuVernay, Brad Pitt, Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nan Morales, Nik Bower, Paul Goodwin Garnes 1 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo A mystery that gets under your skin If I'm in the mood for something darker, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of the first movies I'd reach for and is my top pick for the week. David Fincher's adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel follows journalist Mikael Blomkvist as he investigates the disappearance of a wealthy family's daughter decades earlier. His investigation eventually brings him together with Lisbeth Salander, a brilliant yet troubled hacker who partners up with him to uncover what happened. As they dig deeper, the mystery becomes darker than either of them signed up for. Rooney Mara's performance as Lisbeth gives the movie a lot of edge, complemented by Daniel Craig's grounded acting. Adding to that, Fincher's cold and unsettling direction makes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo an excellent watch for a gloomy movie night. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing at the 84th Academy Awards. It also received four additional Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Rooney Mara. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Release Date December 21, 2011 Cast Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, Steven Berkoff, Joely Richardson, Geraldine James, Goran Visnjic, Donald Sumpter, Ulf Friberg, Bengt C.W. Carlsson, Tony Way, Per Myrberg, Josefin Asplund, Eva Fritjofson, Moa Garpendal, Maia Hansson Bergqvist, Sarah Appelberg, Julian Sands, Anna Björk, Gustaf Hammarsten, Simon Reithner, David Dencik Runtime 158 minutes Director David Fincher Writers Steven Zaillian Producers Ceán Chaffin, Ole Søndberg, Scott Rudin, Søren Stærmose Sequel(s) The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest Franchise(s) Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Main Genre Thriller Budget $90 million Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century Executive Producer(s) Mikael Wallen, Steven Zaillian Explore what's new Want to expand your Netflix watch list with the titles that suit your tastes best? Make sure you are on top of new releases (from Originals to licensed titles) every month, and enable notifications for the Netflix app to be notified when your most-anticipated titles drop. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription. Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month