8 Best Movies of 2016

By Vlad Zakh · July 2, 2026

Drama thought provokingintense

2016 mixed musicals, true stories and anime. La La Land has an actress and a jazz musician navigating love and ambition, Lion has an adoptee using Google Earth to find his birth family, and Hidden Figures has Black mathematicians at NASA. Captain Fantastic, The Handmaiden, Hacksaw Ridge, A Silent Voice and Your Name. round out the eight.

Captain Fantastic (2016) 01

Captain Fantastic (2016)

TMDB ★ 7.9

A father raising his six children off the grid must reintegrate them into society after a family tragedy.

Directed by Matt Ross · 1h 59m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
La La Land (2016) 02

La La Land (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.0 RT 91% Metacritic 94

A jazz pianist and an aspiring actress's romance is tested by the very ambitions that brought them together.

Directed by Damien Chazelle · 2h 09m · Rated PG-13

Won 6 Oscars246 wins & 313 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Lion (2016) 03

Lion (2016)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A man adopted from India as a child uses Google Earth to search for his birth family decades later.

Directed by Garth Davis · 1h 58m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Hidden Figures (2016) 04

Hidden Figures (2016)

IMDb ★ 7.8 RT 93% Metacritic 74

Three Black women mathematicians become essential to NASA's early space race successes.

Directed by Theodore Melfi · 2h 07m · Rated PG

Nominated for 3 Oscars37 wins & 94 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
The Handmaiden (2016) 05

The Handmaiden (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 96% Metacritic 85

An erotic con-artist thriller told in three perspectives, each one recontextualising the last.

Directed by Park Chan-wook · 2h 25m · Rated R

Won 1 BAFTA Award72 wins & 108 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Rent: Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Hacksaw Ridge (2016) 06

Hacksaw Ridge (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 84% Metacritic 71

A pacifist Army medic saves dozens of lives on the front line at Okinawa without ever carrying a weapon.

Directed by Mel Gibson · 2h 19m · Rated R

Won 2 Oscars57 wins & 115 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Angel Studios, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
A Silent Voice: The Movie (2016) 07

A Silent Voice: The Movie (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.2 Metacritic 78

A former bully tries to make amends by reconnecting with the deaf classmate he once tormented.

Directed by Naoko Yamada · 2h 09m · Rated NR

6 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd
Your Name. (2016) 08

Your Name. (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 98% Metacritic 81

Two teenagers who mysteriously swap bodies across time and distance search for a way to meet.

Directed by Makoto Shinkai · 1h 46m · Rated PG

17 wins & 27 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

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Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.