I cover new films arriving on Netflix each month, and to be brutally honest, August 2024 is one of the least fresh months in memory. But even with the general dearth of choice films (the Child's Play series dominates this month), there are a few selections left that you might want to stream right now.

Normally, this list would be twice (or even three times) as long, but that doesn't diminish the quality of the three films added to Netflix this month that scored over 90% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. So, if you're looking for something new to watch on Netflix, here are three films we recommend adding to your watch list this month...

Brie Larson won an Oscar for her role as Joy, a woman kidnapped as a teenager and now living in a small cabin with her 5-year-old son Jack (Jacob Tremblay), who is the product of rape at the hands of her abductor. This description alone should send chills down your spine, but let me warn you that "Room" is often a very difficult film to watch. It tackles serious subject matter and is not afraid to depict the brutal consequences of such heinous acts.

But while "Room" is emotionally devastating and will bring many viewers to tears, it is also uplifting at the end and amply demonstrates the resilience of the human spirit. It comments on the vital connections we build with those around us, and the maternal love between mother and son on screen is seriously touching. In addition, Larson gives an Oscar-worthy performance, and young Jacob Tremblay's performance is of a very high caliber.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93 Streaming on Netflix

I have a small list of what I like to call "comfort blanket movies". These are the movies I watch when I'm feeling a little blue and need a pick-me-up, and "The Spectacular Now" has been on this list for over a decade. This romantic drama is a great reflection of that awkward adolescent period when you're on the verge of adulthood and don't know where to go next. It will be painfully relatable to some viewers, but even if the experiences of high school seniors depicted on screen do not match your own, it is still a very engaging film and should be seen.

The Spectacular Now centers on Sutter Keely (Miles Teller). Sutter is a proud slacker who doesn't care much about acting his age and is more into partying and spending time with his girlfriend (Brie Larson, who is Netflix's best this month for Brie Larson fans). However, Sutter's immature and carefree attitude soon spirals out of control when his girlfriend dumps him. Shortly thereafter, he meets shy Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley), and the unlikely pair develop a romance and share their hopes, goals, and fears for the future.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91 Streaming on Netflix

Now is a great time to watch "Pearl," as it is the prequel to "Maxine," which just recently (after a relatively short theatrical run) appeared on the premium streaming platform. The Pearl is the second chapter in Ti West's "X" trilogy (the other piece of the puzzle is "X" in 2022), a psycho-horror that is very low-key in its scares but heavy on the dramatic tension. The ending scene is one of my favorite scenes in the entire genre of the decade, and Mia Goth's performance is on full display.

Goss plays the eponymous "Pearl," a young woman living on her parents' ranch in Texas, dreaming of making it big as a Hollywood star. Set at the end of World War I, Pearl's ambition to become famous is put on hold as she must care for her sick father and put up with her strict mother. Naturally, her conservative parents oppose her dream of Hollywood, but Pearl continues to yearn for the bright lights of stardom and gradually succumbs to dark temptations.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92 Streaming on Netflix