American Beauty (1999)

Rated R

While struggling to endure his perfection-obsessed wife, a unfulfilling job and a sullen teenage daughter, suburbanite Lester Burnham falls deep into a midlife crisis and becomes infatuated with one of his daughter’s friends. Director Sam Mendes dazzles with this arresting blend of social satire and domestic tragedy that scooped up five Oscars.

Away We Go (2009)

Rated R

Buoyed by the news that they are expecting their first baby, Burt and Verona embark on a journey to locate the perfect place on the planet to raise their child. But their quest inevitably yields many unexpected surprises. Sam Mendes directs this quirky comedy.

Jarhead (2005)

Rated R

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a fictionalized version of Marine Anthony Swofford, whose biting memoir about his real-life stint as a sniper in Operation Desert Storm serves as the inspiration for Sam Mendes’s drama. But instead of combat, the film focuses on the long, lonely days spent at war, and the cynicism and caustic humor soldiers employ to deal with unbearable conditions and ever-present danger.

Revolutionary Road (2008)

Rated R

The perfect couple living in the perfect house in a perfect suburb? Not quite. April and Frank’s  marriage unravels when a desperate plan to change their “perfect” lives becomes their last hope to escape lives actually engulfed in emptiness. Sam Mendes helms this heartrending, razor-sharp glance at the 1950s American Dream — behind the picture window.

Unscripted (2005)

Rated NR

Crummy auditions, sleazy agents, big breaks and, as always, the heartbreak of rejection: Welcome to the life of a struggling actor in Los Angeles. Produced for HBO by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney, “Unscripted” is a half-hour comedy show that blends improvisation and real incidents while following three hopeful young actors as they make the showbiz rounds.

Synopsis by Netflix.