Streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have become the easiest and most popular way of viewing movies and TV shows. Since their emergence, a whole bevy of streaming services have developed; Mubi, in particular, is a global film streaming platform, production company, and film distributor that should be on the radar of all cinephiles. Not only are they very inexpensive and have made available tons of classic films and more modern indies and arthouse movies, they also have some exciting new content available exclusively.

Mubi may be one of the best streaming platforms to discover new, smaller independent movies, and Mubi has a collection of amazing movies that we shouldn't be missing out on. 2020 was a great year for Mubi, one where they truly came into their own in acquiring, producing, and distributing fantastic original films. Mubi has an array of brilliant movies from any genre we desire that we can exclusively stream on their platform, so let's take a look at some of the best.

7 Ballad of a White Cow

The 2020 Iranian drama Ballad of a White Cow, co-directed by Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moqadam, made its worldwide premiere at the Fajr Film Festival and was also shown at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2021. This movie is a tense and telling story that draws the viewer in to raise important and pressing questions around the dilemmas that women face in contemporary Iran. While Maryam Moqadam directs this drama, she also takes on the extremely raw lead role of a woman who goes against all her rights to find justice for her executed husband.

Mina's life is shattered when her husband Babak is executed for a crime of which he is actually innocent. Just as she feels like there is no way to move forward and she's running out of money, a stranger appears in her life to repay a debt that he owes to Babak; desperate, she lets him in, but she doesn't know the dark secret that connects them. Streaming on Mubi, Ballad of a White Cow is a sad and emotional story with an underlying, serious, and important message about justice.

6 Sweat

The Polish-Swedish movie Sweat, written and directed by Magnus von Horn, follows a famous social media influencer and fitness guru, Sylwia. She is optimistic, inspiring, and full of energy, leading workout classes that help with her loyal followers' self-love. But as always, what is shown on the surface is not always the reality behind closed doors. Sylwia actually goes home every night full of deep sadness, but who would ever realize that a smiley, bubbly, totally motivated influencer can be so miserable.

Sweat goes to show that we should never assume what people go through, and it definitely highlights the power of social media, as well as the dangers of it too. It's almost as if she is leading a double life, which, when looked at from a different angle, is actually quite saddening and no one should feel as though they have to present themselves a certain way on social media. Sweat portrays the struggles of modern celebrities and takes away the expectations and false realities, revealing how we should be acknowledging and questioning what social media is actually portraying.

5 Malmkrog

Set at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century in Transylvania, Malmkrog introduces us to Nikolai, who owns a manor house on the hillside. The movie mainly centers around a group of people who have stayed at the manor over the Christmas holidays, and their various different conversations. As they dine and discuss deep philosophical topics, what started as a sophisticated, pleasant evening, turns into something a bit more complicated.

As cultural differences cause tension, suddenly wining and dining isn't at the top of everyone's list. This movie could be seen as an adaptation of Vladimir Solovyov’s 1900 book War and Christianity, where it details some interesting discussions between five people, which consist of deep philosophical thoughts, like the belief of God, good and evil, and the Antichrist, and whether it is best to take a non-violent, pacifistic approach (conversations that become even more important considering the early 20th century perspective of the film). Yet, in Malmkrog, it is clear that opinions and beliefs are life and death matters.

4 Red Moon Tide

In a gloomy village on the Galician coast, no one moves, but we hear their quiet whispers as they talk about ghosts, witches, and monsters. As a sailor is taken away by the tide into the dark depths of the sea, three women appear, searching for more like him. But what they expect to find and what they actually discover is one large mystery in this hypnotic, experimental film.

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Red Moon Tide is full of fantastic cinematography from the director, filmmaker Lois Patiño, with deep, cold shades to add to the mysteriously ghostly atmosphere and elegant landscapes on the cold coastal village. It's a loose, easy narrative, allowing the audience to be drawn into the movie, and appreciate the beautiful art.

3 Love After Love

There's nothing like an epic Chinese romance full of drama and tension, and 2020's Love After Love is exactly that. Directed by Ann Hui, this is an adaptation of Eileen Chang's short story, Aloeswood Incense: The First Brazier, which is a dramatic and erotic love story set in Hong Kong in the 1940s. This romance movie follows Ge Weilong as she appears on Madame Liang's doorstep, Weilong's rich aunt living in Hong Kong. As she takes Ge in, money is on her mind, and she realizes that she can use her for her own benefit. Having a beautiful young lady in her house means more attraction to rich men, and more rich men means more money for her.

However, for Ge, who doesn't come from a background of wealth and is trying to forge a better life for herself, she is understandably uncomfortable being viewed as a money-making object. But what is beautiful about this tragic occurrence is that Ge finds love amongst it all, though it is not as simple as it seems; trying to navigate her complicated romance, while trying to find a place where she and her beloved are able to freely be with each other is hard, resulting in a hopelessly romantic unrequited love movie.

2 Air Conditioner

Can you imagine seeing air conditioners mysteriously fall out from buildings? Well, that's what happens in Air Conditioner, a 2020 Angolen film, directed by Fradique. Premiering at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam, the story follows a security guard, Matacedo, who is directed to fetch an air conditioning unit for his boss. But as Matacedo goes on his search across the city, he seems to be able to telepathically communicate with the machines. But when they start falling from the buildings, Mr. Mino, who owns a repair shop, claims that they're falling for a reason. Viewers are taken on a strange and unique adventure, where it doesn't need much dialogue to keep you hooked and asking questions.

1 The Trouble With Being Born

The Trouble With Being Born is a science-fiction 2020 film directed by Sandra Wollner (with a title taken from the great antinatalist text from Emil Cioran). A year after a father's young daughter, Elli, mysteriously disappears, he creates an android replica to replace her. She is essentially a human machine in the shape of a girl. She lives with Georg, who she refers to as 'Papa,' and they spend their summer talking and swimming.

Georg created the robot based on the memory of his daughter, to make him happy; but Elli is emotionless, just a robot programmed a certain way. Although, Elli later meets her inspiration, the real life version of herself, when Elli is back in the picture, and it creates a new experience and adventure, as the viewers begin to see the story from her perspective. It is a saddening and emotional story of how people process grief and loss, and the memories we carry with us.