Have we saved the best for last this month? Showmax is delivering a variety of new movies, documentaries and other specials – both international and homegrown – to South African viewers in the coming days. And there are a lot of underrated gems in there.
Before we jump into our top picks for this November, a reminder to watch the ongoing series IT: Welcome to Derry, which kicked off on Halloween, and is one of the best things we’ve watched in 2025. Plus, if you want to go beyond our recs, the complete Showmax schedule can be found here.
Film
We love a good survival thriller, and bonus points for anything based on a true story. Which brings us to the gripping Last Breath, which transports viewers to the bottom of the ocean, and plunges them into the perilous world of saturation divers. Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole head up the cast of this film based on real-life incident, where seasoned deep-sea divers and their surface support team race to rescue a crewmate separated on the North Sea floor.
Stream Last Breath from Monday, 3 November.
Keeping things thrilling (but in a more fun, popcorn movie manner) is Drop, from the maker of the Happy Death Day films and multiple Paranormal Activity entries. Widowed therapist Violet (Meghann Fahy) has started tentatively dating again, but what starts as a promising dinner with a handsome and charming date turns into a nightmare when she starts receiving anonymous message drops to her phone with a unthinkable ultimatum. Everyone in Violet’s vicinity is a suspect.
Watch Drop from Monday, 10 November.
There’s a definite theme this month on the movie front with Showmax, because Cuckoo is another psychological thriller… this time with a touch of body horror. Following the death of her mother, teenage Gretchen (Hunter Schafer) goes to live with her father and his new family at a resort in the German Alps. She’s given a job at the hotel by her father’s enigmatic boss (Herr König), but between shrieking from the woods, vomiting guests and a mysterious hooded figure, Gretchen realises something is horribly wrong.
Cuckoo is streaming from Monday, 10 November.
Finally on the notable new movie front is Juror #2, which ranked on many Best of 2024 lists from review bodies, critics and filmmakers. In this understated courtroom drama from Clint Eastwood, Nicholas Hoult plays Justin, a family man serving jury duty on a high-profile murder trial. Justin soon realises he has a secret that can sway the verdict, but in coming forward, it could destroy his own life. Also in the cast are JK Simmons, Toni Collette, Kiefer Sutherland and more.
Watch Juror #2 from Monday, 24 November.
Documentaries & Specials
IdeaCandy, the production team behind such local documentary hits as Devilsdorp, Steinheist, Tracking Thabo Bester, and the recent Helderberg, has a new powerful expose under their belt. Unspoken War presents archival footage and gathers voices from across the Apartheid Era conflict known as the South African Border War, the Angolan Bush War, or the Namibian War of Independence, which ran for over 20 years, starting in 1966. The declared reason for the cross-border army deployment was the “threat of communism,” but the whole operation remains drenched in secrecy.
Binge the six-part Unspoken War on Showmax from Wednesday, 12 November.
On the international documentary front, our top choice for November is the highly acclaimed Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God. The three-part series chronicles the life and death of Amy Carlson (AKA Mother God), a woman from Kansas, who grew an online following and became a self-proclaimed spiritual saviour known as Mother God, heading up the Love Has Won movement. If you’re fascinated by the machinations of religious cults, this one is for you.
Stream Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God from Thursday, 13 November.
We don’t normally spotlight comedy specials, but following his incredible work in Ted Lasso (which he also wrote for), we have to mention Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night Of Your Life. In this HBO offering, the British Goldstein shares his insights on love, sex, masculinity, Sesame Street, and everything in between. It may not be the best stand-up set, but the signature Goldstein charm and insight is there for fans.
Stream Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night Of Your Life First from Friday, 28 November