If you’re tired of practicing German by reading charts and reviewing tenses, then perhaps it’s time to immerse yourself in the language with German movies on Netflix. Thanks to the great importance German culture places on art, some of the best foreign language films come from Germany. You can hit your language goals while relaxing and enjoying the quality movies here, which not only build your listening comprehension, but also introduce you to the finer points of German culture.
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Why you need to watch German movies on Netflix
Immersing yourself in the language is an enriching way to learn German. While you can always watch your favorite shows dubbed in German or with German subtitles, you’ll miss out on what makes German cinema authentically German in culture.
As you look over our curated list of German movies below, you’ll see some of the best German language movies on Netflix that show firsthand what life is, was, or might one day be in German culture. Whether you enjoy historical films of Germany’s rich past, cute romantic comedies to watch with a partner, or need something more suspenseful to keep the blood pumping, you’ll find the best way to learn a language is by kicking back and enjoying one of these German films.
1. Isi & Ossi, 2020
Genre: romantic comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: beginner
Isi & Ossi is a light-hearted romantic comedy centered around the unlikely companionship between billionaire heiress Isi and the cash-strapped boxer Ossi. While the relationship starts out as a manipulative way to provoke her parents and pursue her dreams of cooking, it blossoms into a genuine connection that warms the heart.
For German learners, Isi & Ossi offers a fantastic mix of formal and informal speech, as you see the juxtaposition of high-class German society and street-smart German slang. This could help if you struggle to understand what makes a German sound more proper or more casual in their culture. The dialogue gives viewers a setting with lots of relatable terminology around emotions, relationships, money, and family dynamics.
2. Im Westen nichts Neues (All Quiet on the Western Front), 2022
Genre: war drama
Rating: R
Language level: advanced
History buffs who love studying Germany’s war-ridden past get a breath of fresh air as Im Westen nicht Neues covers life on the Western Front during World War I (as opposed to the often-covered World War II stories). Based on the classic novel by Erich Maria Remarque, this intense drama shows the initial enthusiasm of Paul, the main character, as he transitions to abject horror in the face of military industrialization and political disillusionment in the trenches.
The German used in Im Westen nichts Neues is widely formal, historical, and emotionally vigorous. For more advanced learners who want to get used to the standard conversational speed of the typical native German, this movie offers authentic conversation. This is one of the best German movies on Netflix for history buffs who enjoy military history movies.
3. Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run), 1998
Genre: action/thriller
Rating: R
Language level: intermediate
A cult classic, Lola Rennt explores the butterfly effect, how small changes can impact the outcome of events in major forms. When Lola’s boyfriend loses a huge stack of money, she has only 20 minutes to save his life. The film cycles through these 20 minutes, each cycle showing a new way she approaches the issue and how it impacts the world around her in an almost time-loop presentation.
German language enthusiasts will find this film useful in their studies for introducing pace-paced dialogue that provokes thought from the media. While these quick interactions are challenging for intermediate-level German speakers, key German phrases and conversations are repeated throughout the cycles of the movie. This can help reinforce vocabulary and build your listening comprehension for more fast-paced speech.
4. Du Sie Er & Wir (The Four of Us), 2021
Genre: comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: beginner
This modern relationship comedy revolves around two couples who decide a weekend getaway is just the thing to unravel their feelings after a partner swap. You’ll see how Germans handle relationship conflict in today’s world, and how they navigate awkward situations as the lines between friendships and relationships are blurred.
Du, Sie, Er & Wir presents a very natural language you can use with your own partners, friends, or loved ones to reach the appropriate level of familiarity in your speech. You’ll hear the ways Germans argue and navigate daily life, making this a great choice for new learners who want examples of practical German conversations.
5. Meine teuflische gute Freundin (How to be Really Bad), 2018
Genre: comedy
Rating: TV-14
Language level: intermediate
For the teens out there interested in improving their German skills, Meine teuflische gute Freundin breaks the German stereotype of humorless films. The devil’s daughter is sent to Earth to corrupt the mind and soul of an innocent, good-natured girl. Things don’t go as planned, however, as the devil’s daughter learns the challenges of morality and friendship instead of wreaking havoc on the surface world.
This film offers teen-friendly language that is light and humorous, making it easy for younger learners to engage with German movies on Netflix. The exaggerated emotions and everyday expressions help with retention and add practical German vocabulary to your roster.
6. Black Island, 2021
Genre: mystery thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: advanced
Mystery lovers out there will love the slow suspense of Black Island, which follows a high school student who gets involved with an aloof teacher after the death of the student’s parents. The film is set on a remote island, where secrets, manipulation, and a lingering truth yet to be known steadily bubbles up the dread of what’s to come.
The dialogue in Black Island is slower and more deliberate here than in fast-paced action or comedy movies. For learners, this helps you get used to the German accent and how sounds are formed in the language while testing your German listening skills as you unravel the mystery of this movie using only your listening comprehension in a second language.
7. Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others), 2006
Genre: thriller
Rating: R
Language level: advanced
See life in East Germany before the fall of the Berlin Wall in Das Leben der Anderen. This gripping thriller tells the story of a Stasi officer whose professional demeanor starts to slip the closer he gets to the lives of the people he’s surveilling.
Advanced learners and those interested in the language around German historical politics will likely see this as a fantastic choice for practicing their German. Vocabulary related to artistic resistance, literature, and government surveillance makes Das Leben der Anderen both educational and compelling to watch.
8. Blood & Gold, 2023
Genre: drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
In the final days of World War Two, Blood & Gold follows a deserter of the German army who crosses paths with a young woman protecting hidden gold from the Jewish people. Unexpected alliances give German learners a chance to see the human ways in which cultures clashed during this time period of great cultural separation.
The German language in this film mixes old-fashioned stuffy speech with rugged phrases used by German soldiers at the time, making for an exciting experience to hear war-era vocabulary and even different German dialects in various regions.
9. Good Bye, Lenin!, 2003
Genre: comedy
Rating: R
Language level: intermediate
Imagine your mother was a devoted socialist who went into a coma and missed the fall of the Berlin Wall. When she wakes up, the doctor tells you that any excitement or great change could cause a heart attack and tragically end her life. To what lengths would you go to hide the Westernization of a changing Germany?
Good bye, Lenin! explores just this humorous scenario. You’ll get to hear East German idioms and common family-centered vocabulary spoken at a manageable pace for learners. It’s a must-watch for learners interested in how the fall of the Berlin Wall impacted the life of the average German during this time in a light-hearted and hilarious way.
10. Was Wir Wollten (What We Wanted), 2020
Genre: drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
This movie from Austria (a German-speaking country) focuses on a couple struggling with infertility. To get away from their problems, the couple takes a vacation to Cyprus, only to be confronted with a seemingly perfect family with children and face tension within themselves.
Because Was Wir Wollten is an Austrian production, viewers get to expose themselves to Austrian German, which is a useful variation of Standardhochdeutsch (Standard High German) for those wanting regional comparisons. The language used in this film is natural and intimate, which is ideal for practicing emotional vocabulary and getting used to picking up subtle expressions from a German-speaking person.
11. Dein Herz Tanzt (Into the Beat), 2020
Genre: teen drama
Rating: TV-14
Language level: beginner-intermediate
Music in German culture has been a highly revered form of personal expression for hundreds of years. Dein Herz Tanzt glimpses into the potentially negative impact such a deep-seated value can have on a family as a teenage ballerina struggles between her love for hip-hop and her family’s tradition of classical ballet.
This is a great pick for intermediate learners. The simplicity of the storyline and youth-oriented language allows younger or newer learners of the German language to focus on understanding the dialogue of the film. If your listening comprehension could use some work, Dein Herz Tanzt is the perfect way to practice with speech patterns both casual and structured.
12. Brick, 2025
Genre: psychological thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate-advanced
Delve into the mind of the human ways Germans handle hardship and panic with Brick, a psychological thriller directed by Philip Koch. Tim and Oliva are a couple living in an apartment building that is suddenly and mysteriously sealed off from the rest of the world by a black brick wall. With no explanations or clear exit route in sight, the couple must work with their neighbors to find a way out.
The quick, emotionally-charged conversations held by the worry-stricken tenants of the apartment building help those who are comfortable with their German listening skills challenge themselves. The isolated setting helps intermediate learners focus on listening practice, while the metaphorical language and narrative symbolism give advanced learners the chance to hear conversational topics you’re less likely to encounter in the classroom.
13. Betonrausch (Rising High), 2020
Genre: comedy/drama
Rating: TV-MA
Language level: intermediate
Betonrausch is a crime drama that tells the story of true events in a comedic tone. Two ambitious young men quickly rise to the top of the real estate world in Berlin by scamming the systems in place. You get to see how they manipulated investors and deals as they grow their real estate empire until their own greed starts to crumple its foundations. This film captures the boom of Berlin’s real estate at the time with high-stakes drama.
This film is a strong choice for German language learners who want to discover how modern German is spoken in the urban areas of Germany’s largest city: Berlin. Persuasive speech is also a central theme of this movie, making it helpful for people who study German for business and financial purposes.
Bonus: German series on Netflix
Sometimes you don’t have enough hours in the day to watch a whole movie, but that won’t stop you! You can also learn a language by watching TV in shorter bursts.
The five TV series highlighted below are highly reviewed by audiences and even have some popularity in the United States, so you’ll have no trouble finding someone to talk to about them. You can also use them as a great opportunity to embrace new German dialogues in different scenarios, from cultural clashes to a kid-friendly show you can use to introduce German to your little ones.
- Türkisch für Anfänger (Turkish for Beginners) (2012 comedy, TV-MA): Did you know that people of Turkish descent are the largest minority group in Germany? See how 16-year-old Lena Schneider is impacted when her mother marries a Turkish police officer and German and Turkish cultures collide.
- Dark (2020 thriller, TV-MA): The small German town of Winden begins losing children who seem to vanish entirely. Dark is a sci-fi thriller revolving around time travel as it relates to four generations of deep secrets.
- Chips und Toffel (Chip and Potato) (2022 kids, TV-Y): This sweet, animated series is perfect for your young ones, whom you wish to introduce to appropriate German content at a young age.
- How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (2025 comedy, TV-MA): What starts as a plan to win back his ex-girlfriend quickly turns into high schooler Moritz Zimmermann becoming a drug lord. Inspired by real events.
- Die Kaiserin (The Empress) (2024 drama, TV-MA): This historical drama chronicles the early life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria as she enters the Viennese court. Empress Elisabeth must navigate romance, power struggles, and political intrigue.
Movie vocabulary: Talk about movies like a German
Are you a film buff and a language enthusiast? Then combine your passions to build your fluency!
Check out the film vocabulary below to discuss your love for cinema with your friends or to help you better understand German film reviews.
| German Movie Term | English Translation |
| Actionfilm | action movie |
| Bearbeitung | editing |
| Dokumentarfilm | documentary |
| Drama | drama |
| Film | movie |
| Genre | genre |
| Komödie | comedy movie |
| Kurzfilm | short film |
| Originalversion | original version |
| Regisseur/Regisseurin | director (male/female) |
| Reihe | series |
| Schauspieler/Schauspielerin | actor (male/female) |
| Synchronfassung | dubbed version |
| Tonspur | sound track |
| Untertitel | subtitles |
Learn how to have meaningful conversations in German
Language learners often bury themselves deep in vocabulary charts and grammar textbooks without remembering warum (why) they learned in the first place—to communicate and express their true selves. Ultimately, your language goals should revolve around being able to hold meaningful conversations in the German language and talk about your interests in ways that form genuine connections with native German speakers.
The Dynamic Immersion method from Rosetta Stone brings the focus of your language studies back to earth through culture and practical context. Combine this with helpful tools like Rosetta Stone tutoring and live lessons, and you’ve got the winning recipe for language learning with the professionals in linguistic education on your side.
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