Unless you use the hack that gets you immediately to the category you’re after, it can be pretty difficult to find your jam on Netflix.

So, a pretty good thing to do is to scour the Netflix forums and sites to see what fellow subscribers are watching.

Recently, we’ve had folks talking about the ‘super intense’ film being called ‘best movie ever’ and even a series having viewers hooked to this day despite being seven years old.

Now, fans cannot get enough of The Goat Life – a survival-drama movie that was released in March this year.

An official Netflix synopsis for the film reads: “An Indian man seeking work follows a job lead to Saudi Arabia, only to find himself forced to labor without pay as a goat herder in the remote desert.”

The movie is an adaptation of the 2008 best-selling Malayalam book ‘Aadujeevitham’, which is based off on the real-life story of Najeeb – and it was reportedly banned in multiple Gulf countries before being lifted everywhere, according to TimeLine Daily.

The Malayali immigrant labor worker in the Gulf has a pretty turbulent life, all of which is told in The Goat Life.

It’s certainly pulled on the heartstrings of many Netflix subscribers, and has become a must-see amongst those on the ‘Netflix Bangers’ Facebook group.

“Movie left me traumatized coz this kind of thing happens to a lot of foreigners that gets conned into going to Saudi for jobs only to find there was no job,” one viewer penned on the group.

They continued: “They pay huge amount of money for a visa with promises of good jobs and accommodation.”

The Goat Life has been dubbed ‘outstanding’ (Prithviraj Productions)

“One of the best …I barely watch Indian movies on Netflix,” a second added, while a third remarked: “What an emotional ride.”

Meanwhile, a fellow Facebook user simply dubbed the movie ‘outstanding’.

The Goat Life reviewed incredibly well upon its release, and sits at an impressive 88 per cent Rotten Tomatoes score to this day.

Ganesh Aaglave, from FirstPost, penned: “Sukumaran delivers one of career best acts as Najeeb in The Goat Life. Right from his impeccable transformation to his innocent eyes, the actor steals the show in every frame..”

While Film Companion’s Anupama Chopra wrote: “For all the bumps however, Aadujeevitham is a film worth experiencing, especially on the big screen. There is such ambition and artistry in it. I recommend that you catch the original Malayalam with subtitles.”

Netflix viewers have all been saying the same thing about a new coming-of-age TV series that dropped earlier this week.

January is notoriously quiet when it comes to film and TV releases but 2024 is turning that annual plight on its head.

The release slate on Netflix alone is phenomenal and subscribers have already been treated to Kevin Hart’s Lift, Daniel Levy’s directorial debut Good Grief and season two of Break Point.

If you’re a TV fanatic or identify as a cinephile then you also have Queer Eye season eight, crime drama Griselda and The Kitchen to look forward to this month.

Before then though there’s another series that deserves your attention – a ‘fantastic’ offering set in 1908s suburban Brisbane.

Check out the trailer below – warning: contains strong language:

Based on the semi-autographical book of the same name by Australian author Trent Dalton, the series follows the 13-year-old’s upbringing.

The working class youth has had it tough due to his stepfather’s involvement with selling drugs and his mother’s issues with taking them.

However, as the Queensland native grows, he attempts to save his mum, Frances (Phoebe Tonkin), by engaging with the criminal underworld.

As per Netflix, the Boy Swallows Universe synopsis reads: “A young boy growing up in the suburbs of 190s Brisbane faces the harsh realities of life – and the looming dangers that threaten his family.”

Following the show’s release on January 11, viewers have taken to social media to express their adoration for the mature project.

One X (formerly Twitter) user wrote: “Just spent the last 7 hours crying on and off, Boy Swallows Universe was fantastic.”

A second said: “Watching Boy Swallows Universe on Netflix and loving it. Stunning acting. A fantastic story. Have you started watching it? What do you think? Congratulations to @TrentDalton.”

“The lead kid actors in Boy Swallows Universe on Netflix absolutely crush their performances,” gushed a third. “Some heavy subject matter and they knock it out of the park.”

Another fan took to the platform and wrote: “I just binge-watched Boy Swallows Universe over two nights! I absolutely loved it, and I couldn’t stop watching it.

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“I felt a range of emotions. Love, pride, fear, laughter & tears, as I could relate to some of it,” they continued. “10 out of 10. Congrats to the writer, producer and fabulous cast!”

Amazingly, it isn’t just fans who are obsessed with the John Collee-written show.

According to the popular review site Rotten Tomatoes, critics have given the offering an average Tomatometer score of 86 percent.

And on IMDb, the suburban-based drama has an average 8/10 star rating.

If you’re a fan of true stories then you’ll also be interested to know that Boy Swallows Universe is actually loosely based on the author Dent’s childhood.

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Opening up about his life to the Townsville Bulletin, he said: “I don’t have enough words in the book to go on about all the things my mum survived, things that other people would have succumbed to.

“My mum went away for two years just like Frankie Bell does in the book.

“Everything that happened in that passage in the book with the kid wanting to see his mum is pretty close to the bone for me.”

So, if you like the sound of Boy Swallows Universe then all seven episodes are available to stream on Netflix now.

Whether it was Netflix’s emotional romance series which viewers binged in a day or the streaming giant’s brand new rom-com which people have spotted some hidden easter eggs in, it’s safe to say there’s been no shortage of stuff to watch to mark Valentine’s.

But for those after something much darker to whet their appetite following the big day, Netflix fans have come to the rescue with an all new recommendation.

The current talk of the town is The Abyss – a horrifying disaster film that is actually inspired by a true story.

Originally released in 2023, The Abyss is directed by Richard Holm and written by Holm, Robin Sherlock Holm, and Nicola Sinclair.

The story revolves residents of Kiruna, Sweden, who are struggling to survive after a catastrophic rock burst that threatens to swallow up the town.

Kiruna is in fact a real city, so nothing is fictional about that.

However, as is the case with a lot of film and TV shows, The Abyss’ inspiration runs further than that.

Essentially, the action flick features a series of seismic events, but before Frigga, a security manager at the Kiruna mine, can understand the damage it has caused, it’s unfortunately far too late.

Devastatingly, a rock burst in the mine leads to sinkholes, with Frigga having to figure out how best to evacuate the town and save as many people as possible.

The real-life story the film is loosely inspired by took place four years ago, when an earthquake was triggered by extraction activity in the local Kiruna mine.

The earthquake reached around a 4.8 reading on the Richter Scale.

Obviously, the filmmakers massively deviated from this by adding in lots of fictional elements to dramatise the movie, and I think we can safely say the earth did not begin to swallow itself as a result of the 2020 mine disaster.

Still, the film has been a hot topic of conversation on LADbible’s ‘Netflix Bangers‘ page, with one viewer commenting: “This had me on the edge of my seat!”

“Watching it now. So far so good,” a second added.

“Yes watched this last night and yes, it’s a sitting on the edge of your seat kinda movie,” a third remarked.

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While viewers on Facebook are loving The Abyss, critic and fan reviews are not as kind, having been slapped with an 18 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The application of a little verisimilitude helps a disaster flick like The Abyss go down a little bit easier,” Decider’s John Serba said.

While Roger Moore from Movie Nation penned: “Entirely too on-the-nose, time and again, as it saunters towards a finale sure to surprise no one, even those it leaves feeling film-comfort-food satisfied at the end.”

The Abyss is streaming on Netflix now.