Shraman Mitra
Mirza Aaqib Beg
Nowadays, everywhere we look, relationships seem to have gone for a toss. Broken marriages, adultery incidents, and short-term, attention-swaying romances — these seem to be the major reasons for failed, broken vows. Although you and I may frown at the first mention of ‘infidelity’, we know, deep down, it is ingrained into our systems. And admit it, we all love our dose of flicks on cheating wives and lying husbands. So with that said now, here’s the list of really good infidelity movies on Netflix that are available to stream right now. The list includes both cheating wife and cheating husband movies on Netflix.
20. Catching Feelings (2017)
‘Catching Feelings’ is a South African film that revolves around an intellectual couple, writer and academic Max and his wife Sam, and their neurotic guest, Heiner, who imposes on them. Although Max effortlessly navigates through his social circle, he is riddled with insecurity as success as an author continues to elude him. He becomes more miserable when he meets Heiner, an older and successful author. Driven by his self-destructive fascination, Max grows close to Heiner, which inevitably leads the former to cocaine and infidelity. The situation worsens when Max and Sam agree to serve as hosts for Heiner after the latter experiences a health-related emergency. ‘Catching Feelings’ is a biting satire on the intellectual class; it sheds light on their shortcomings and insecurities and underscores how self-aware these people are.
19. Loving Adults (2022)
Based on the novel ‘Kærlighed for voksne’ by Anna Ekberg, ‘Loving Adults’ deals with familiar tropes such as cheating, marital problems, love, crime in an unconventional manner. The Danish film revolves around Christian and Leonara, a couple who have been married for a while. Perhaps there was once love and respect in their relationship, but those things are long gone. Now, they actively seek ways to hurt the other person. Christian doesn’t even bother hiding the fact he has a mistress, Xenia. The plot takes a surprising turn when Leonara threatens Christian that she will expose him to the world as the fraud he is, prompting the latter to conclude that he needs to kill her. But making plans is one thing; executing them is another. Leonara survives and proposes to Christian that they should kill Xenia so he can return to his family with a clean slate.
18. The Players (2012)
‘The Players’ is an anthology of short films that focus on male infidelity and the unfaithfulness of married men. Revolving around various married men in different situations, the film showcases how each, no matter from a sad or happy marriage, ends up cheating on their significant others with one or multiple sexual partners. However, none of these men are upstanding about their actions, instead choosing to use trickery and deception to hide their cheating ways. ‘The Players’ provide a wonderful insight into an unfaithful male’s psyche, all the while sugar-coating its serious message in hilarious comedy.
17. The Mistress (2012)
With a talented cast comprised of John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo, Hilda Koronel, and Ronaldo Valdez, the Filipino melodrama film ‘The Mistress’ depicts a young seamstress Sari who can’t choose between her two lovers. The younger one, JD, is passionate, kind, and she can see a future with him, while the older one, Rico, has been cheating on his wife with her for several years. Interestingly, the older man happens to be the father of the younger ones. When JD learns about Sari’s relationship with his father, he decides to walk away. But by then, it’s already too late, and he has fallen deeply in love with her.
16. Deadly Illusions (2021)
‘Deadly Illusions’ follow Mary Morrison, a successful author with a loving husband and two wonderful kids. After accepting a two-million-dollar advance towards a new novel from her publisher, Mary decides to seek a nanny to help with the kid. Grace (the nanny) and Mary initially build up a wonderful friendship, but soon the author begins having sexual fantasies involving Grace. Moreover, she even witnesses Grace and her husband making love in the kitchen, although she is unsure if it is her reality or just imagination. Such incidents cause a rift, but Mary soon forgives Grace and resumes their friendship. However, when the agency claims to have no record of Grace, things take a dark turn, and Mary is left fighting the evil that has entered her home.
15. Newness (2017)
Welcome to the world of dating apps and technology-controlled relationships. Gone are the days when people shared letters on the sly or went on secret first dates in coffee shops. In this age of Tinder, love is fast, convenient, and selfish. And this is what happens to Martin and Gabriella when they meet via an online dating app which they both use to hook up with people. After their first date, they go back to Martin’s apartment and have sex, with Gabriella later on moving in with him. However, things soon take turn for the worse when they start having arguments and one day, both of them end up sleeping with someone else. Later, they admit about their infidelity to each other and start an open relationship. You can watch this movie here.
14. Leyla Everlasting (2020)
Directed by Ezel Akay, ‘Leyla Everlasting’ is a Turkish comedy-drama film that follows Leyla and Adam, a couple whose happily married life slowly stagnates, and the two begin to drift apart. So, when the latter falls in love, he decides to end his decades-long marriage to get closer to his gorgeous mistress Nergis. Unfortunately for him, Leyla is not the kind of person who gives up relationships that easily, so Adam realizes that he will have to figure out a way to get rid of her, or he will end up losing his forbidden lover Nergis.
13. White Girl (2016)
Heaps of cocaine, nudity, colors, money, and twisted motives — ‘White Girl’ captures each of these elements of the addiction world quite aptly. But what happens when you introduce love into the midst of this chaos? Let’s see. When Leah, a college girl, seeks out intoxication in any form, she meets the Latino drug dealer Blue. Just within a couple of days, both of them start selling drugs and begin earning quite some bucks. However, one day, Blue is busted and arrested, leaving a bag of cocaine in Leah’s hands. Now, Leah tries her best to rescue Blue by crossing all boundaries. But does she really mean it? Or is there any ulterior motive? After all, she had met Blue only for five days? Give it a watch and you will find out.
12. The Unmarried Wife (2016)
‘The Unmarried Wife’ is a Filipino movie that tells the story of Anne Victorio, who is a successful woman but determines to be the perfect mom and wife, which she never was in her past. She is married to Geoff and their perfect marriage is the cause of envy among their peers. However, unknown to many, Geoff had cheated on Anne and this whole idealistic marriage is just a facade in front of people. In order to get over her husband, Anne meets Brian, another single, separated man, and both of them start a passionate relationship. But all the while, Anne is still married to Geoff. The story tries to explore Anne’s battles as she struggles to balance this relationship with her motherly duties and her unresolved feelings for her husband. You can watch this movie here.
11. 365 days (2020)
In the Polish crime thriller ‘365 Days’, Laura Biel (Anna-Maria Sieklucka) is a high-achieving business executive whose relationship with her boyfriend has become tedious and boring. Following her 29th birthday, she gets kidnapped by Massimo Torricelli (Michele Morrone), the head of the Torricelli crime family. He explains to her that he first saw her five years ago and has been obsessed with her since. He also tells that she will be his captive for the next 365 days until she develops genuine feelings for him. He further clarifies that he doesn’t intend to force himself on her. After an initial attempt to escape, she quickly realizes how futile it is, and has no choice but to accept her current circumstances. Following the ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy’, ‘365 Days’ is another attempt of portraying the BDSM subculture on the big screen.
10. The Love Affair (2015)
The second Filipino entry on the list, ‘The Love Affair’ follows Vince (Richard Gomez), whose world comes crashing down after he finds out that his wife Trisha (Dawn Zulueta) has been unfaithful to him. Wanting to annul their marriage, he meets beautiful lawyer Adie (Bea Alonzo). It turns out that she has a similar problem in her personal life. In time, they grow closer through their shared sense of heartbreak. But Trisha is not someone who easily gives up, and the relationship between the three broken but stubborn individuals becomes a volatile love triangle. Directed by Nuel C. Naval, the film has the distinction of being the second Filipino movie to cross the ₱300 million mark in 2015.
9. No Other Woman (2011)
Another romantic drama from the Philippines, ‘No Other Woman’ has three protagonists, furniture supplier Ram (Derek Ramsay), his wife Charmaine (Cristine Reyes), and heiress Kara (Anne Curtis). Ram and Charmaine are a happy couple. But after Ram meets Kara, things begin to change between them. With Kara’s help, Ram manages to secure a lucrative deal with her father’s resort. Soon, forbidden desires take root, and he spends the night with Kara. After Charmaine finds out about it, she decides that she will not lose to someone this easily and launches a ferocious fightback against the rich woman. The film is directed by Ruel Santos Bayani, whose other credits include the 2009 TV series ‘The Two of Us’ and the 2010 romance-drama ‘Paano Na Kaya’.
8. 6 Years (2015)
Directed by Hannah Fidell, ‘6 Years’ is a romance drama that documents a 6-year-long volatile relationship between two young individuals, Mel Clark (Taissa Farmiga) and Dan Mercer (Ben Rosenfield). It’s a raw and earnest depiction of some of the darker aspects of young love. Mel has a tendency to turn violent during their arguments, which sometimes leaves Dan injured. He generally lies to people about these injuries, stating that they were caused by some accidents. Their relationship becomes even more turbulent after Dan cheats on her with one of his colleagues. The movie devotes equal time and effort to develop both characters. Both of them are deeply flawed human beings, but as the film progresses, the audience learns to appreciate that fact about them.
7. Blonde (2022)
Andrew Dominik’s biopic ‘Blonde‘ is many things, but perhaps most importantly, it’s an unrelenting depiction of how the world around a woman destroys her. The film begins when Marilyn (Ana de Armas) is still known as Norma Jeane Mortenson, before showing the troubles she endures throughout her life. As Marilyn, Norma accumulates great popularity, but her personal life remains in complete disarray. There have been multiple attempts to explore Marilyn’s life on the screen in the past, but none quite succeeded in the task. ‘Blonde’ approaches the concept in a novel manner. It’s so relentless in its exploration of some of the brutal moments on the screen that it feels exploitative. ‘Blonde’ is a film that people are going to argue about for years to come. For some, it’s an uncompromising portrayal of the horrors that lie underneath the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, while for others, it’s a gross exploitation of a long-dead popular actress.
6. A Fall from Grace (2020)
Tyler Perry’s ‘A Fall from Grace’ is a thriller movie that recounts the captivating story of second chances, heartbreak, betrayal, and crime. The film revolves around Grace Waters, a classy and strong young woman who has a rough time getting over her ex-husband’s affair. Luckily, she finds happiness to return to her life when she meets another man, but it does not take long for her to realize that her new husband is not the prince charming that she imagined him to be. A few months later, she finds herself in jail on the charges of murdering her husband. When there seems no hope for Grace, a rookie lawyer who thinks she is innocent decides to take the case.
5. Haseen Dillruba (2021)
Featuring stand-out performances by Taapsee Pannu, Vikrant Massey, and Harshvardhan Rane, ‘Haseen Dillruba’ is a romantic mystery thriller film written by Kanika Dhillon. The Vinil Mathew directorial centers upon a murder mystery of a man named Rishab Saxena. When the law enforcement authorities look into the case, they feel Rishab’s wife Rani is a prime suspect. As the story unfolds, the harsh reality of their complicated relationship begins to surface. But the thin line between reality and fiction also begins to blur as the mystery behind Rishab’s death perplexes everyone.
4. The Girl on the Train (2021)
Based on Paula Hawkins’s novel of the same name and a remake of Tate Taylor’s 2016 movie, ‘The Girl on the Train’ is a mystery thriller film. The Ribhu Dasgupta directorial centers upon Mira, a brave lawyer who takes the case against a powerful gangster despite the risks involved. With her own personal life falling apart, she finds some consolation in looking at a seemingly perfect couple from the train that she frequently takes for work. When one day she notices something shocking, Mira decides to get herself involved in their personal life and end up getting embroiled in a murder mystery.
Read More: Best Schizophrenia Movies on Netflix
3. Fatal Affair (2020)
Starring Nia Long, Omar Epps, and Stephen Bishop, director Peter Sullivan’s Netflix thriller drama ‘Fatal Affair‘ tells the story of a woman named Ellie (Long), who has a brief passionate encounter with David (Epps), a person she knew in college. But she ends the relationship before it becomes anything serious and goes back to her husband. Frustrated by this, David quickly inserts himself in her personal life by starting to date one of her closest friends and developing a friendship with her husband. As the film progresses, Ellie learns that David has likely murdered his former wife and her boyfriend. She now must do everything she can to protect the ones she loves.
Read More: Best Sad Romantic Movies on Netflix
2. Lust Stories (2018)
‘Lust Stories’ is a 4-part anthology movie that explores the turmoils of love, relationships, and sex in modern India. One story is about married college professor Kalindi, who engages in a sexual relationship with her student Tejas, with an aim to discover her own sexuality. Things soon become complicated when Tejas starts dating his classmate Natasha and Kalindi starts getting obsessively jealous about the two. Another story is about Ajit, who has a sexually passionate affair with his maid, Sudha. This soon changes when he decides to get married. The third tale is about homemaker Reena who is cheating on her husband, Salman by having a secret affair with his best friend Sudhir. You can watch this movie here.
1. Marriage Story (2019)
Directed, co-produced, and co-written by Noah Baumbach, ‘Marriage Story’ is a drama movie that recounts a painful tale of divorce and explores the complexities of modern-day romantic affairs. Nicole and Charlie Barber have seen all the ups and downs of a relationship and understand the sacrifices it takes to stay together. Unfortunately, the duo also understands that it is better to let go when things spiral out of control. So, when they have marital problems, the couple seeks a mediator’s advice but to no avail. As disagreements and regrets pile up, divorce suddenly seems like the practical choice. The compassionate view of marriage with all its shortcomings is an intriguing watch.
Read More: Best Family Movies on Netflix
