The Netflix phenomenon goes on, and this television viewing concept / platform continues to grow by leaps and bounds with original programming that is taking the ratings world by storm and establishing new standards of quality for television & film production.by Erin French

Note: This article was published in 2016.

The Netflix Phenomenon goes on

With 70 million subscribers worldwide as of 2015, Netflix has not only out sold Blockbusters nationwide – as well as been the cause of declining DVD sales – but has consistently been able to provide us with various options that we can choose from right in the comfort of our own living room. While there are some classic and ordinary movie choices, Netflix also has a wide range of movies and tv series that have caught the attention of a wide variety of viewers.

Andrea Vasquez, a college student living in Austin, Texas, recently watched the movie on Netflix, and thought that the entire idea behind it turned out to make it a very strange film.

“Keith is this mysterious guy doing these extremely weird things like convincing Natalie to go out with him in the middle of the night to put bowling balls on people’s front yards,” said Vasquez.

“Unexpectedly, she finds herself falling for him after hanging out with him so much. *Spoiler alert* When Natalie finds antidepressants in Keith’s jacket, she realizes something was wrong with him. Then she bumps into Keith’s therapist whom she thought was just one of his friends, and he surprises her with the news about Keith’s dying of cancer. Keith disappears on her and she realizes that everything he had ever said to her was a lie when she drives over to his house and a stranger opens the door. When he finally comes to school after a few weeks, she finally confronts him with her feelings, they have sex, and she loses her virginity to him. Keith destroys her by saying he hated her guts and his intentions were only to make her life miserable.

I felt this was a very strong film because usually the story goes “I’m dying of cancer and I love you”. This time, Keith was hateful and actually tried to make someone feel exactly the way he felt. It really spoke to me because I have grown up with a minor case of depression and I know it’s something uncontrollable. It makes you desperate knowing that no matter how much you try to be happy, that chemical imbalance will never allow it. Instead of living the last days of his life trying to love to the fullest, he decided to hurt somebody and bring her down with him.

And in the end, no matter how much pain she was put through, he left the world being cared about, even if he couldn’t do the same. I think that’s the most important thing. It’s very hard to understand why you can love someone so much who cannot return the same amount of love. Some can’t even return any love, but in the end, it mattered that Natalie tried knowing she wouldn’t ever change his mind.”

Caleb Jost, a college student living in Austin, Texas, felt that Our War on Netflix turned out to be an eye-opening movie.

“It’s the First World War through the eyes of British soldiers who fought and died in it,” said Jost. “All true stories— they opened my eyes to how brutal, vicious, and senseless war is and how important it is for powerful people to take care in every action. Small things done by big people can result in the deaths of millions of small people in big ways.”

Rani Vrudhula, a college student  living in Austin, Texas, felt that Shameless, a show she watched on Netflix, really spoke to her.

“It is about a family that does not have it all together and lives day by day to survive,” said Vrudhula. “The father is not there for them and it really makes me appreciate what I have but also see how different other people’s lives are. It is just interesting to see how everybody is different and has a different outlook on life but we all need each other to survive.”

Rachel Hendrickson, a college student  living in San Marcos, Texas, feels that having the ability to watch Law and Order SVU (Special Victims Unit) on Netflix has been able to open her eyes to the harsh reality and injustice in the world.

“Not only does the show convey the hatred and discrimination that taints this nation, it also shows corruption of politics,” said Hendrickson. “In recent episodes, Rafael Barba, a district attorney, faces numerous death threats and violence because he uncovered a scandal which led to the indictment of a corrupt officer. This illustrates the radical political game that is happening all around the world, just because Barba is doing the right thing. SVU also shows how the political system itself can be dirty, how criminals affect more than just the victim, and the strong brutality people have against civilians who are doing the right thing.”

Jerry Ventura, a college student living in Lubbock, Texas, recently finished watching the tv series Lost on Netflix, and regards it as one of the greatest shows that he has ever watched.
“What really touched me was the way the show created this dichotomy between the life the survivors were living in the past – before the crash –  and the life they were living on the island after the crash,” said Ventura. “Even though both realities showed that the survivors were going through hardship, the island gave them the community and companionship that they didn’t have in their old life. The island allowed the survivors to feel special and “chosen” even if they didn’t really like what made them special. This is something that I feel is really lacking in our society. We are all so caught up in our goals and problems that we never really stop to appreciate ourselves and our loved ones. We are all special and capable of incredible things.”