Have you ever wondered if movies could help you learn a new language? They can! Watching films in Italian is a fun way to reinforce what you’re learning in your grammar classes. They train your ear to recognize how native speakers sound, helping you get used to fast, expressive, everyday Italian.
This list of Italian movies on Netflix is perfect for immersing yourself in the Italian language while enjoying a cozy night in. To make the most of it, note down all the beautiful Italian words and expressions you hear so you can start using them in real life. Prepara i popcorn, il film sta per iniziare! (Make some popcorn, the movie is about to begin!)
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The best Italian movies on Netflix for learning Italian
Language immersion is the secret to learning how to speak Italian. Watching your favorite shows dubbed in Italian is a good start, but if you really want to make progress, nothing beats authentic Italian movies.
In the list below, you’ll find some of the best Italian movies on Netflix to watch. These films feature powerful stories set in Italy, from emotional post-WWII dramas about children separated from their families to coming-of-age tales and classic mafia movies to modern Italian comedies. Whether you’re a beginner learner or looking for more advanced dialogue in Italian, we’ve included a movie for you.
1. L’incredibile Storia dell’Isola delle Rose (Rose Island), 2020
Genre: comedy
Rating: TV-14
Language level: beginner
Rose Island is one of the most fun and accessible Italian movies on Netflix for language learners. It’s hard to believe, but the plot matches the true story of Giorgio Rosa, an Italian engineer who built an artificial platform in the Adriatic Sea and declared it an independent nation in 1968.
Starring Elio Germano, one of Italy’s beloved actors, this movie blends humor, rebellion, and quirky charm. The dialogue is clear and easy to follow, making it perfect for beginners. You’ll learn many everyday Italian words while enjoying a feel-good underdog story.
2. É Stata la Mano di Dio (The Hand of God), 2021
Genre: drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: advanced
Set in 1980s Naples, this film follows Fabietto Schisa, a teenager living a carefree life and thrilled by the arrival of soccer legend Diego Maradona on the Napoli team. But things take a dark turn when a family tragedy shatters his innocence. (Mature content warning.)
Visually stunning, the movie is a poetic reflection on youth, fate, and grief. The story draws heavily from director Paolo Sorrentino’s life, and it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. You will need subtitles to appreciate this movie, as some characters speak the Neapolitan dialect, which can be difficult even for native Italians.
>> Visit the filming locations in real life with these things to do in Capri!
3. Era Ora (Still Time), 2022
Genre: comedy/drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: beginner-intermediate
Dante (Edoardo Leo) is a workaholic who never seems to have time for the people he loves. On his 40th birthday, everything changes: every time he wakes up, it’s his birthday, but with a full year of his life missing. Will he be able to regain his lost years?
Era Ora proves you don’t need a complex plot to deliver a life-changing message. The relatable storyline makes this an accessible choice for learners, with plenty of everyday Italian expressions you can reuse. Also, expect some cussing (the only reason for the TV-MA rating in the US).
4. Lazzaro Felice (Happy as Lazzaro), 2018
Genre: drama/mystery
Rating: PG-13
Language level: intermediate-advanced
Can pure kindness survive in a world driven by exploitation and cruelty? That’s the question at the heart of this haunting fable, blending Italian neorealism and magical realism. Set in a fictional region in central Italy, the movie tells the story of a group of farmers cut off from the world and forced to work under near-feudal conditions. Among them is Lazzaro, whose extraordinary innocence makes him easily manipulated. When he befriends the spoiled son of the landowner, it sets off a surreal chain of events.
Happy as Lazzaro is one of the most original movies in Italian on Netflix, but its slow pace may not suit viewers looking for fast action dramas. Also, even though central Italian dialects are among the closest to standard Italian, some dialogue can still be challenging.
5. Sotto il Sole di Riccione (Under the Riccione Sun), 2020
Genre: comedy/romance
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: beginner-intermediate
Under the Riccione Sun is a good pick to unwind when you don’t need another intense movie drama. It’s a classic Italian ensemble comedy, where the summer stories of several young people intertwine in Riccione, one of the leading beach destinations on the Adriatic Coast for locals spending the summer holidays in Italy.
You will like it if you enjoy teen rom-coms full of affairs and romantic plot twists. The language is easy to understand even if you just started to learn Italian. However, you must get used to the younger characters’ Italian slang and casual speech.
6. Mafioso, 1962
Genre: mafia comedy
Rating: Not-rated (Recommended for age 12+)
Language level: advanced
If you’re into mafia movies on Netflix, Mafioso is a hidden gem. It even made it onto Martin Scorsese’s list of must-watch gangster films. This dark comedy follows Antonio (played by the legendary Alberto Sordi), a kind-hearted Sicilian man who has built a quiet life in Milan with his wife and daughters. During a trip back to his hometown in Sicily, things take a turn as he’s unexpectedly pulled into the world of the Italian mafia.
Shot during the golden age of Italian cinema, the film cleverly plays on north-south cultural contrasts and a twisted notion of honor and family. It’s linguistically challenging, with Sicilian dialects, strong accents, and even American mobsters speaking broken Italian, but it’s worth watching with English subtitles.
>> Thinking about visiting this wonderful island? Here are the best things to do in Sicily, Italy, this year.
7. Il Treno dei Bambini (The Children’s Train), 2024
Genre: drama
Rating: TV-14
Language level: intermediate-advanced
Between 1945 and 1951, more than 70,000 Italian children boarded the treni della felicità (trains of happiness). This post-war initiative brought kids from the poorest areas of southern Italy to live with more wealthy families in north and central Italy. The movie follows the story of one of these kids, Amerigo, a 7-year-old boy from Naples, sent to live with a host family in Modena.
Based on the bestselling novel by Viola Ardone, The Children’s Train explores themes of war and identity and the idea that to show you love someone truly, you have to let them go sometimes.
8. La Vita Davanti a Sé (The Life Ahead), 2020
Genre: drama
Rating: PG-13
Language level: beginner
In La Vita Davanti a Sé, Donna Rosa (Sophia Loren) is a Jewish Holocaust survivor who has turned her home into a shelter for the children of local sex workers. One day, she takes in Momo, a young orphaned boy from Senegal who’s already headed down a risky path. Their cultural and generational differences cause tension, but can they overcome them and learn to trust one another?
The film is based on The Life Before Us by Romain Gary but still relevant today. The performances are heartfelt and powerful, especially Sophia Loren, who is magnetic on-screen. The language is quite accessible, ideal for learners who want to get used to spoken Italian without overly complex structures or fast-paced slang.
9. A Classic Horror Story, 2021
Genre: horror
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: beginner
The title says everything: This movie displays every classic horror trope. It starts like an American road-trip slasher, then gradually incorporates themes and visual styles typical of Italian horror cinema. A group of strangers share a camper on their way to southern Italy, but things don’t go as planned (of course!).
This was one of the most-watched horror movies on Netflix in Italy in 2021 and even made The New York Times list of five horror films to watch that year. Reviews are mixed, but it’s worth watching if you’re into the genre, thanks to its simple Italian dialogues.
10. La Vita è Bella (Life is Beautiful), 1997
Genre: comedy / war drama
Rating: PG-13
Language level: intermediate-advanced
If you love watching the Academy Awards, you may remember Roberto Benigni’s unforgettable way of receiving his Oscar. Written, directed, and interpreted by Benigni himself, La Vita è Bella tells the story of Guido, a Jewish Italian man who uses imagination and humor to shield his young son from the horrors of a concentration camp.
This movie was a global critic phenomenon, and it’s still one of the highest-grossing foreign-language films ever released in the U.S. Benigni’s Tuscan accent and speed speaking can be challenging for the newest Italian learners. Still, it’s a beautiful way to experience the language and one of the most stunning Italian movies on Netflix.
11. Rimetti a Noi i Nostri Debiti (Forgive Us Our Debts), 2018
Genre: drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: beginner-intermediate
Guido (Claudio Santamaria) is a down-and-out man who accepts a job as a debt collector for the same loan company that’s hounding him. He begins his training under Franco (Marco Giallini), a ruthless veteran of the trade with highly questionable methods. A patto col diavolo (deal with the devil) that will pull him in deeper than he ever expected.
The phrase Rimetti a noi i nostri debiti is a line from the Italian version of Our Father, so familiar that many use it almost like an Italian saying. The film offers a stark look at economic survival and people’s moral compromises when pushed to the edge.
Bonus: Italian series on Netflix
Do more than just movie nights! There are plenty of Italian TV series on Netflix you can enjoy when you’re short on time but still want to unwind with just one episode.
These five shows are among the most popular and well-reviewed, and they’re also a great way to experiment with Italian dialogues in various settings, from everyday romance to courtroom and crime thrillers.
- Baby (Baby) (2018-2020 Coming-of-age drama, TV-MA): Between the Spanish series Élite and a real-life Italian news case, the series dives into the secret lives of wealthy Roman high school students in the upscale Parioli district.
- Guida Astrologica per Cuori Infranti (An Astrological Guide for Broken Hearts) (2020-2021 Comedy/romance, TV-14): Alice is single, heartbroken, and stuck in a dead-end job at a small TV network. But her life changes when she meets a soap-opera actor obsessed with zodiac signs.
- Generazione 56k (Generation 56k) (2021 Comedy, TV-14): A nostalgic and funny take on friendship, dating, and falling in love in the digital age through the life of a group of thirty-something friends who grew up in the ’90s.
- Il Processo (The Trial) (2019 Crime-legal drama, TV-MA): A gripping courtroom drama centered around the murder of a 17-year-old girl. The story unfolds through the lives of the lawyers, suspects, and families involved.
- Suburra – La Serie (Suburra: Blood on Rome) (2017-2020 Crime, TV-MA): A dark and powerful drama set in Rome, where politics, organized crime, and the church collide. Expect high tension and powerful storytelling.
Movie vocabulary: Talk about movies like an Italian
Love movies and learning Italian? Combine the two!
This short vocabulary list will help you sound like a true cinefilo italiano (Italian film buff) while chatting with friends about your favorite Netflix finds or better understanding when reading Italian film reviews.
| Italian | English |
| attore/attrice (m/f) | actor |
| cartone animato | cartoon |
| colonna sonora | soundtrack |
| commedia | comedy |
| cortometraggio | short film |
| documentario | documentary |
| dramma | drama |
| fantascienza | science fiction |
| film | movie |
| film d’animazione | animated movie |
| film d’azione | action movie |
| film per famiglie | family movie |
| fotografia | cinematography |
| genere | genre |
| miniserie | limited series |
| montaggio | editing |
| produttore | producer |
| reality | reality show |
| recitazione | acting |
| regista | director |
| sceneggiatura | screenplay |
| serie | series |
| sottotitoli | subtitles |
| telefilm | telefilm |
| versione doppiata | dubbed version |
| versione originale (VO) | original version |
Learn how to have meaningful conversations in Italian
Speaking Italian isn’t just about knowing how to ask for directions using the correct verb tense. It’s about talking about your passions in Italian and engaging in meaningful conversations that help you truly connect with native speakers.
Movies, books, astrology…whatever your passion is, sharing is the goal. That’s why learning a language like Italian through real-life scenarios is so important.
Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion method gives you a full immersion in Italian through a proven approach focusing on culture and context. Plus, you’ll have plenty of additional features to improve your Italian exactly where you need it, like live lessons, online language tutoring, and helpful tools that support you in building your vocabulary progressively.
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