May 2023 is a slow month for Netflix on the movies front, with only five new original releases coming to the streamer. That doesn’t mean subscribers will struggle to find something to watch, as there are some unmissable releases this month. For instance, in May 2023, we’ll get to see Jennifer Lopez becoming a deadly assassin. This month also has some poignant documentaries and international releases that prove we shouldn’t be limiting our watch list to Hollywood productions. So, to help you choose what to watch this month, we’ve listed the best new movies coming to Netflix on May 2023.

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Royalteen: Princess Margrethe

Available on: May 11 | Director: Ingvild Søderlind

Cast: Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne, Ines Høysæter Asserson, Mathias Storhøi, Filip Bargee Ramberg, Ina Dajanna Ervik, Frode Winther

Last August, Netflix premiered the Norwegian movie Royalteen, based on the young adult series of the same name by Randi Fuglehaug and Anne Gunn Halvorsen. The movie's mix of teen romance with high society secrets turned it into an absolute success, so the streamer didn’t waste time getting a sequel. This May, Royalteen: Princess Margrethe brings another exciting teen drama story by putting Margrethe (Elli Rhiannon Müller Osborne) in the spotlight. Since the first movie left so many questions in the air, fans of Royalteen should be happy that Netflix is moving forward with the franchise.

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The Mother

Available on: May 12 | Director: Niki Caro

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Lucy Paez, Joseph Fiennes, Paul Raci, Omari Hardwick, and Gael García Bernal

When it comes to the most-anticipated original movie to hit Netflix on May 2023, it’s hard to compete with Jennifer Lopez playing a deadly assassin. Directed by Niki Caro, who was behind 2020’s Mulan live-action remake, The Mother follows Lopez as an ex-assassin who needs to use her murderous skills to protect the daughter she abandoned years ago. While Lopez’s assassin gave up the opportunity to raise her child so that her daughter would remain safe, once enemies from her past emerge, she will turn her motherly instincts into a powerful weapon. In addition, the movie’s trailer is filled with delicious action set-pieces, another reason to keep this film on your radar.

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Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me

Available on: May 16 | Director: Ursula Macfarlane

Vickie Lynn Hogan, best known by her stage name Anna Nicole Smith, quickly became a pop culture phenomenon after appearing in the pages of Playboy Magazine in 1992. The blond bombshell's life would be exposed in tabloids all over the country, willing to make money by exploring her marriage to an older man, the death of her infant child, and her history of drug abuse. Still, Smith remained an iconic symbol of America, who even got her own reality show, The Anna Nicole Show, in the early 2000s. With access to never-before-seen footage, home movies, and interviews with key figures who have not spoken out until now, Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me promises to shed new light on the model and actress's life, recounting the events that led to her premature death due an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

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Victim/Suspect

Available on: May 23 | Director: Nancy Schwartzman

Viewers should be warned that Victim/Suspect is not a pleasant watch. Still, the upcoming documentary is a necessary view. Based on the investigation of journalist Rachel de Leon, Victim/Suspect dives into the systematic condemnation of women for false reports of sexual violence, despite the fact these women were actually victims. Using the footage initially recorded by de Leon during her investigation, director Nancy Schwartzman promises to reveal how police forces in the United States unfairly turn sexual assault victims into suspects of crimes that never existed. It’s a shocking documentary that reveals how sexism stills guide the actions of the people sworn to protect us.

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Blood & Gold

Available on: May 26 | Director: Peter Thorwarth

Cast: Robert Maaser, Marie Hacke, Alexander Scheer, Jördis Triebel, Stephan Grossmann, Florian Schmidtke, Petra Zieser, Gisela Aderhold, Jochen Nickel

You know what’s fun? Movies about killing Nazis! Coming straight from Germany, Blood & Gold follows the German deserter Heinrich (Robert Maaser) and farmer Elsa (Marie Hacke) as they take down Nazis and fight the SS to get their hands on a Jewish treasure the Third Reich wants to cash in. It’s a wacky concept for a war action-comedy, and the movie’s trailer promises Blood & Gold is tapping into Quentin Tarantino's delicious madness to deliver a unique treasure hunt.

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