by Colin GorensteinBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Contributor Imagine a world in which small, human-centered stories dominate the box office and spawn countless spin-offs like the MCU. Now that is a Reality (2023) you might have to travel to another Janet Planet (2023) to find. Here, you'll find 13 hidden-gems of films streaming on HBO Max you'll need to experience during your next marathon watch weekend. 1. Sorry, Baby (2025) A24 /Courtesy Everett Collection "Have you seen Sorry, Baby?" was one of my most-asked questions of 2025. Congrats to me! This Golden Globe-nominated gem announced writer-director Eva Victor to the world as a major talent to watch. (Although true heads will know she got her start creating online comedy videos and even performed at BuzzFeed's Internet Live in 2019.) Equal parts acerbically funny and heartbreaking, Sorry, Baby is a masterclass in tone, toggling between flashbacks in which Agnes (Victor) relives a sexual assault by a grad school mentor and the present day, on the campus of a small New England university where she is an English lit teacher and being visited by her close friend and former colleague Lydie (Naomie Ackie). Stay for the electric chemistry between the two and the clumsily endearing boy-next-door romance between Agnes and Lucas Hedges' Gavin.
Watch it on HBO Max. 2. Janet Planet (2023) A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection Every year, there's a quiet little indie that eviscerates the hearts of moviegoers and then shows up nowhere on Oscar nomination morning. Such was the case for Janet Planet, the excellent debut from acclaimed playwright Annie Baker, which stars a never-better Julianne Nicholson (though her recent dance-mom work on Hacks is GOATed) and Zoe Ziegler as the precocious but somehow-not-at-all-insufferable daughter. One of the greatest coming-of-age films in recent memory.
Watch it on HBO Max. 3. Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) (C)Fox Searchlight / Courtesy Everett Collection This spectacular debut from Sean Durkin (who has since made the splashier film The Iron Claw) follows Martha (a pre-Marvel Elizabeth Olsen) on a harrowing journey into rural New York, where she is coaxed into a cult group led by the charismatic Patrick (John Hawkes). If you're looking for something in the same spiritual universe as Midsommar - which is to say, a slow-burning, dread-inducing indie with a knockout performance at its center - this one is for you. Watch it on HBO Max. 4. You Hurt My Feelings (2023) Jeong Park / (C) A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection Nicole Holofcener has never missed (as far as I'm concerned, The Last Duel is not a real movie and never existed), and in her most recent feature film, the writer-director reunites with the great Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Enough Said) for another pitch-perfect exploration of marital turbulence. This time, Dreyfus plays a struggling author who spins out when she accidentally overhears her supportive husband (Tobias Menzies) roasting her writing to a mutual friend. As is the Holofcener way, every single character is exceptionally charming even when they're on their worst behavior - so good luck taking sides!Watch it on HBO Max. 5. The Daytrippers (1997) (C)Cinepix Film Properties / Courtesy Everett Collection This debut film from Greg Mottola (Adventureland, Superbad) has many hallmarks of the comfort-watch genre: It stars Parker Posey and Stanley Tucci (a double whammy) and places a comically dysfunctional family on a road trip. Eliza (Hope Davis) suspects that her husband is cheating on her after discovering a handwritten love poem from someone named "Sandy." How and why did her entire family decide to join her on this journey? Let's just say this one is best enjoyed with suspended disbelief... and a watchful eye for enormous '90s fits.
Watch it on HBO Max. 6. Flow (2024) Janus Films / Courtesy Everett Collection On paper, it seems inconceivable that a tiny Latvian animated film (with no dialogue) would be able to come out of nowhere and unseat a blockbuster sensation like that of DreamWorks' The Wild Robot as the Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. But that is exactly what happened at the 2025 ceremony - and I'm betting that after you press play on this trim, 84-minute film about a post-apocalyptic cat just trying to stay alive amidst a flood, you'll understand the hype.
Watch it on HBO Max. 7. I Saw The TV Glow (2024) Spencer Pazer / (C) A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection A24 has mastered the art of a neon-hued movie with a strong emotional center (see also: Moonlight), and Jane Schoenbrun's totally original tone poem about the trans experience, starring Justice Smith and Jack Haven, should not be overlooked as a relatively new entrant in this category. I Saw The TV Glow was a mainstay of cinephile year-end lists in 2024 and had a huge showing at the Independent Spirit Awards (six nominations, including Best Feature). Plus, with a handful of new projects underway - including a film with Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson - it's clear Schoenbrun is a m