Beasts of No Nation (2015)

This film is notable for being Netflix's first foray into original fiction films. And it is an excellent first go.  The director of the first season of True Detective helms this movie and adds his personal touch.  Many of the shots are reminiscent of the dizzying panoramic and birds-eye shots from True Detective.  He paints a vicious, uncompromising portrait of the toll of war.  The acting is also exceptional.  Idris Elba plays the warlord Commandant who leads an army of child soldiers in an unnamed African country.   He nails the accent, and he plays the father figure to these orphaned children. But the star is the young Abraham Attah who plays Agu.  The movie explores the damaging psychological effects of war on child soldiers.  One of the most devastating scenes is one in which the children have difficulty adjusting from the only thing they know: war. Attah is this season's Quvenzhane Wallis--young, fierce, gritty, and starring in a movie that coincidentally also features the word "beasts."  Attah is less likely to get an Oscar nomination, but he is deserving of any acting award he can get attention for.

True Detective: Season 1 (2014)

True Detective is not just an average mystery.  It is half detective gothic, half rich character development, and its the latter half that really lets Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson shine.  McConaughey is widely considered a front-runner (along with Bryan Cranston) in the Emmy race and rightly so, but Harrelson holds his own and does not let his costar overshadow him one bit.  If it had not been for McConaughey's momentum fresh off his Oscar win, I think Harrelson would be right up there with him.  His character might not be as mysterious or philosophical, but he has equal depth and range.  Together, their brilliant dialogue reinforces the intense atmosphere and dark style set by the Louisiana bayou.  T Bone Burnett backs that up with a fittingly ominous and gorgeous soundtrack.

We watch the characters evolve as well as the mystery unfold over a twelve year period.  In terms of storytelling, the format of the show allows for the story to unfold slowly, keeping the viewer transfixed.  Multiple timelines reveal different stages of the detective-work sometimes out of order, letting the viewer piece it together.