3 hidden gems on Hulu you should watch this weekend (October 9-11)

Hulu‘s library is stacked with several new releases, so some of the great films from years past tend to get buried. This weekend you can pick between a wordless animated movie that’s heartbreaking, a British drama about a man confronting his own mortality, and a genre-defying, one-man show that somehow makes magic feel like therapy. Each of these picks earns every bit of its acclaim.

We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best free movies, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.

Robot Dreams (2023)

Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
IMDb: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%

Dog lives alone in 1980s Manhattan until he builds himself a robot companion, and the two spend a summer forming an easy, joyful friendship across the city. Everything changes one day at the beach, when Robot malfunctions and gets left behind, setting off a chain of events neither of them can undo.

This movie captures the bittersweet reality of relationships without a single word of dialogue, letting animation and music carry every emotion. I went in expecting something cute and left completely wrecked by a story where the silence hits even harder. It’s one of the most purely emotional films I’ve seen in years, animated or otherwise.

You can watch Robot Dreams on Hulu.

Living (2022)

Genre: Drama
IMDb: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Mr. Williams (Bill Nighy) has spent decades buried in paperwork as a mid-level bureaucrat in 1950s London. His dull routine shatters when he receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. He realizes he’s barely experienced life and decides to finally change his ways. So he sets out to face everything he’s avoided and become someone who actually matters before his time runs out. This underrated movie is a remake of Kurosawa’s Ikiru, relocated to postwar England with a script from Kazuo Ishiguro.

Bill Nighy earned his first Oscar nomination here, and it’s easy to see why. He delivers an absolute masterclass in subtle acting, conveying decades of bottled-up regret with just a slight shift in his posture. I found myself deeply moved by the film’s ending, and I bet you’d rethink your own daily priorities once the credits roll.

You can watch Living on Hulu.

Derek DelGaudio’s In & Of Itself (2021)

Genre: Documentary
IMDb: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%

Illusionist Derek DelGaudio brings his acclaimed stage show to the screen in this unique documentary. He stands on a small New York stage and shares deeply personal stories about his past. He weaves these vulnerable anecdotes together with mind-bending magic tricks. The entire performance challenges the audience to explore the complex nature of human identity.

I love how DelGaudio uses simple sleight of hand to expose how quickly we judge one another. It’s hard to categorize this project because it is not a standard magic show. Don’t get me wrong, the illusions are quite impressive, but in my view they serve as a mean to deliver a bigger philosophical purpose. Either ways, you are in a treat!

You can watch In & Of Itself on Hulu.