Find the Thing You Never Knew You Needed

Netflix’s “Find the Thing You Never Knew You Needed,” created by its in-house Brand Creative Studio in partnership with Mother, celebrates the unexpected shows and films that become our next big obsession. The campaign features three films directed by Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia, each using an unlikely character and a humorous situation to show how discovering something new to watch can become an all-consuming passion.

In “Axolotl,” an aquarium full of fish is enjoying a Bridgerton marathon when their viewing is interrupted by their owners. Their four-legged amphibian friend comes to the rescue, using its unusual feet to save the screening. “Hypersleep” follows a lonely astronaut who wakes his crewmate from deep sleep, not because of an emergency but because he desperately needs someone to discuss KPop Demon Hunters with. In “Dawn,” a vampire risks a dangerous trip across town in daylight after his television breaks before he can finish watching Love Is Blind.

Produced by Iconoclast UK, with post-production by Electric Theatre Collective, all three films were shot on 35mm, with distinct visual treatments tailored to their settings. “Axolotl” uses widescreen, “Hypersleep” adopts an anamorphic format to capture the scale of space, and “Dawn” takes inspiration from classic horror films with its 4:3 framing. Each set was built from scratch, while the music plays with the contrast between the characters’ worlds and the shows they love.

The campaign launched across the US, Canada, Brazil and Spain, supported by “Typecast,” a four-part social series directed by Rodney Lucas. The series features fashion designer Willy Chavarria discussing Love on the Spectrum, musician Teezo Touchdown on The Hunting Wives, makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench on documentary The Deepest Breath, and the Compton Cowboys sharing their admiration for Maria. Together, the films and social content celebrate the unexpected discoveries that make Netflix viewing so compelling.