Weekend Watch — 4/1/23
ER, IRL + dystopia gets an electrifying feminist spin + a love letter to mothers, sons, and hustlers of NYC...
Hey there, TueNighters! It’s been a long month (see ya’, March!) and we’re sliding into April with brand new drops on our watch list, no foolin’. 😁 Let’s dive in!
Here are this week’s picks:
A Thousand and One (Theaters) — Sundance 2023 Grand Jury Prize winner; follows unapologetic and free-spirited Inez (Teyana Taylor) living in mid-1990s New York, who kidnaps her six-year-old son Terry from the foster care system. Holding onto their secret and each other, mother and son set out to reclaim their sense of home, identity, and stability, in a rapidly changing New York City.
Critics’ consensus via Rotten Tomatoes: A tribute to parental devotion and a testament to Teyana Taylor's talent, A Thousand and One presents a heart-wrenching portrait of perseverance in the face of systemic inequity.
Emergency: NYC (Netflix) — following Lenox Hill the hit docuseries about several doctors and nurses working in a New York City-area hospital, executive producers Ruthie Shatz and Adi Barash are back with a spinoff series that expands the scope to include the fast-paced world of emergency medicine. The gripping docuseries follows New York City's frontline medical professionals as they balance the intensity of their work with their personal lives.
It’s giving ER and Grey’s Anatomy vibes: IRL, also may be triggering after the last few years. YMMV.
The Power (Amazon Prime Video) — an emotionally-driven global thriller, based on Naomi Alderman’s international award-winning novel. Suddenly, and without warning, teenage girls develop the power to electrocute people at will. The Power follows a cast of remarkable characters from London to Seattle, Nigeria to Eastern Europe, as the Power evolves from a tingle in teenagers’ collarbones to a complete reversal of the power balance of the world. The series stars Toni Collette and John Leguizamo.
Unseen (Netflix) — In this six-part crime thriller series from South Africa, Zenzi Mwala (Gale Mabalane) plays a house cleaner desperately searching for her husband as a dreaded criminal syndicate dredges up past tragedies and ultimately drives her to violence.
Fun fact: Unseen is actually a remake of the Turkish Netflix series Fatma released in 2021, made freshly remade with a Black female lead.
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu) — is a galvanizing look at actor, model, and icon 57-year-old Brooke Shields as she transforms from a sexualized young girl to a woman discovering her power. Her professional career began at only 11 months old, working as a child model before starring in Louis Malle's controversial film "Pretty Baby" at the age of 12. Holding a mirror up to a society that objectifies women and girls, her story shows the perils and triumphs of gaining agency in a hostile world. But, above all, it tells the moving story of Shields discovering and embracing her own identity and agency.
Just binged UnPrisoned (new; one season; Hulu) and Ginny & Georgia (two seasons; Netflix). Somewhat complementary it turns out. Both deal with mixed race families led by ambitious single moms grappling with being in more privileged & secure environments than they both grew up in. Both delve into the waters of trauma...the former a bit more in the realm of healing and the latter a bit more in quantity. Both are very funny but G&G has more weighty scenes and plots/character struggles. UP leans more into its lighter, sweeter side. They’re both great. Highly recommended.