Photo Credit (Gettyimages)

2017 has been an absolutely amazing year for films, from big tentpoles that went above and beyond like Wonder Woman to unexpected studio risks like Get Out to the low-budget independent masterpiece that is The Florida Project. From every angle, cinematic art seems excitingly alive.

It has occasionally been difficult to keep up with the several good films that have been released during the year, and some unavoidably fall behind. To help you catch up, we’ve compiled a selection of the best underappreciated 2017 movies.

To ensure that there is something for everyone, we have purposefully made the selection diverse, including underappreciated family movies, documentaries, comedies, horror, and more. After their theatrical runs, all of these films are now available on DVD and on the majority of streaming services, including iTunes, Vimeo, and Amazon.

1. Kedi

As they have for decades, thousands of cats now wander the streets of Istanbul. Seven of these animals are the main subject of Ceyda Torun’s captivating film, which immerses us in their world through clever cat’s-eye photography and interviews with the individuals whose lives they have affected. These people are regular people from various walks of life, and their spontaneous, honest stories come directly from the heart. Some of the things they reveal are profound.

Few movies have ever so brilliantly captured the bond we have with our pets (Kedi will touch dog owners and all animal lovers equally), as well as how they bring out the best in us. They rely on our generosity and selflessness, which we occasionally lose sight of in the turbulence of life.

The raw force of this 80-minute cat movie will surprise you more than once. You may see Kedi right now if you have a YouTube Red subscription. Time ranked it the sixth best movie of the year.

2. (tie) Brad’s status and Beatriz during dinner

One of the most brilliant screenwriters working today is Mike White, whose rich dialogue is unmatched. He gave major stars an opportunity to try something new by writing two of the year’s most incisive, caustic, and timely comedies.

The dinner-party-from-hell dramedy Beatriz, which was directed by White’s longtime collaborator Miguel Arteta, delivered Oscar contender Salma Hayek her best role to date as a kind masseuse who engages in an ideological battle with a wealthy businessman (John Lithgow). The depressing ending has drawn criticism from some, but it’s difficult to see this finale going any other way. It’s obvious that White and Arteta crafted the film exactly how they intended it.

In Brad’s Status (directed by White as well), Ben Stiller plays a successful man who battles with happiness due to his incessant comparisons to others. White’s humor is seldom lighthearted; rather, it is based on observations of the behavior of actual people in their daily lives. You chuckle—and perhaps wince a little—when you see the unsettling reality on screen.

3. Good Time

Thanks to its stunning neon cinematography, throbbing techno soundtrack, and incredible non-stop, forward-moving pace, Ben and Josh Safdie’s new and exciting crime drama is pure escape. Additionally, Good Time works well as a scathing critique of a modern civilization that some claim has become increasingly egocentric.

It’s difficult to imagine any actor who could have portrayed the character’s surface attractions as a twitchy, bug-eyed, desperate, and entitled narcissist, yet Robert Pattinson delivers a career-best portrayal as failed bank robber Connie.

Although the majority of reviews for Good Time were favorable, some critics were put off by the film’s toxicity, pointing out that Connie was morally reprehensible as a weakness. This is untrue since the Safdies are aware that he is a slime, and even if it’s entertaining to see his darkly comical escapades play out, we rarely support him. Under the ostentatious exterior, the director’s perspective is actually rather kind.

4. The Berlin Syndrome

For at least one or two lives, you may believe that you have watched enough films about women in captivity. And who was to blame?

There are so many films involving abducted women that they might as well be considered a separate genre. These films often follow one of two paths: the suspense of trying to figure out how and whether she will escape is the main focus. Alternatively, some films take an even nastier approach, turning the pain and humiliation of women into spectacle.

Although the adaptation of Melanie Joosten’s novel about a tourist who is imprisoned by a handsome teacher after a passionate one-night stand by Australian director Cate Shortland is a thriller (at times heart-pounding) and much of the woman’s mistreatment is very difficult to watch, this psychological drama is particularly captivating because it focuses on the characters and their innermost thoughts.

Born in Australia Teresa Palmer, of Hacksaw Ridge fame, gives a powerful performance as a victim going through phases that are similar to those of mourning. This is Palmer’s film, and it should give the explosive actress, who has long been limited to portraying love-interest side characters, a genuine calling card in Hollywood. German Max Riemelt (Sense 8) continues at every turn as her eerie and complex captor.

5. It Comes at Night

Hollywood wunderkind Critics praised Trey Edward Shults’ follow-up to his smashing debut, Krisha, but moviegoers didn’t enjoy it as much, and the film did mediocrely at the box office. This is primarily due to the horror film’s poor marketing.

It Comes at Night, a claustrophobic, restricted, and terrifying thriller starring the always dependable Joel Edgerton, Carmen Ejogo, and Riley Keough, tells the story of two families who are trapped together in a cabin after an outbreak has decimated the world and their growing conflict of distrust and fear. Naturally, the trailers’ overt promotion of a jump-scare-heavy rollercoaster reminiscent of Insidious and The Conjuring about a monster in the woods (or something similar) disappointed several viewers.

In a year full of—well, dominated by great horror—It Comes at Night is among the best horror movies. It’s crucial to know what to anticipate from It Comes at Night: it’s not a boo!-heavy horror film; rather, Shults is far more interested in examining the horrors of the human heart and mind.

6. Lady Macbeth

William Oldroyd, a London-born filmmaker, created Lady Macbeth, an 89-minute period drama on a shoestring budget (period is typically quite expensive), and it hits you hard like a Martin Scorsese crime drama.

There seems to be an unjustified demand on female protagonists in modern films to be strong, heroic, and morally upright. Despite the importance of having characters like these, storylines involving flawed but likable males are more prevalent than those involving women. After introducing us to one of the most memorable and ethically nuanced heroines of 2017, Lady Macbeth challenges us to form an opinion about her.

Florence Pugh, a rising star, portrays a young woman in rural England in 1865 who is forced into a harsh, loveless arranged marriage to an older man. After being a victim all of her life, she loses it. She discovers a force within herself and will do whatever it takes to gain control over her own life. Eventually, this resolve turns the victim into the one who manipulates and forces everyone around her to do as she pleases. We are quite interested in what happens, even though her decisions are now inexcusable.

To be sure, Lady Macbeth takes unexpectedly dark turns, and it is understandable that some people could find it too depressing. One is eager to see where Oldroyd and Pugh will take their work from here because it is demanding and captivating.

7. Killing Ground

This year, Tasmania-born writer/director Damien Power’s unrelenting, eerie Australian wilderness-set horror film Killing Ground was another noteworthy film that deserved greater recognition. It’s a step up from most of this year’s genre entries because the characters are given a satisfying amount of development before chaos breaks out, clichés and expectations are subverted in ways that will surprise even the most seasoned horror fans, and the storytelling is clever and keeps you guessing from the non-linear opening that will leave you baffled.

Take caution: Unlike popcorn-friendly horror films like It or Annabelle: Creation, Killing Ground is a horror film with a capital H. Any good scary filmmaker will tell you that using our imaginations is always the most terrifying option, and Power doesn’t even utilize a lot of gore in this film.

Click here to read our conversation with Power about how we watch violence and Killing Ground.

8. Ingrid Moves West

Matt Spicer co-wrote and directed this scathing, ruthless, and oftentimes humorous critique of the image-obsessed, meaningless society of social media. Stars Elizabeth Olsen and Aubrey Plaza’s dedication to grounding and humanizing characters who could have easily come off as caricatures is the main reason this black comedy succeeds.

It’s important to remember that Olsen played equally deadly roles in two films that came out just one week apart in August, despite the fact that the characters were (really) completely different. Olsen demonstrated grit in the role of overwhelmed but resolute rookie FBI agent Jane Banner in Taylor Sheridan’s critically acclaimed thriller Wind River. She plays the role of Taylor Sloane in Ingrid, a shallow, conceited Instagram celebrity who becomes the object of unstable Ingrid’s obsession.

9. Z: The Lost City

The biographical adventure play by James Gray is utterly captivating and even eerie. Percy Fawcett, played by Charlie Hunnam, was a British explorer from the 20th century who went on multiple journeys into Bolivia in quest of a purported ancient lost city in the Amazon before going missing.

The main problem with Z is that Fawcett isn’t nearly as compelling on screen as the expedition or the majority of the supporting cast. Robert Pattinson excels as fellow explorer Henry Costin in a performance that is almost unrecognizable and completely dedicated, while Sienna Miller is brilliant as his wife.

In the end, it appears inevitable that, like its topic, The Lost City of Z would falter a little in its lofty goals. Nevertheless, it’s a very fulfilling adventure movie that’s well worth seeing.

10. Christopher Robin, goodbye

It’s a little puzzling that critics gave Simon Curtis’ dashing biography of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne (played brilliantly by Domhnall Gleeson) and his family, particularly his tense relationships with his wife (Margot Robbie) and son (Will Tilston), mixed to moderately positive reviews. With the exception of a double-ending that barely makes it, the moving family film strikes a balance between humor and sadness, joy and grief, in ways that are rarely seen in entertainment that is meant for a wide audience.

Farewell Christopher Bring tissues since Robin’s four leads are crucial in bringing home the well-earned feelings. You’ll believe that no one else could have portrayed the egotistical, insensitive Daphne Milne as Robbie Earn does. Sunny-eyed Tilston is a revelation, practically carrying his debut feature on his shoulders, while Kelly Macdonald of No Country for Old Men lends her trademark kindness and wisdom to the boy’s nanny.