Queen Cleopatra — Netflix
The subject of recent online outrage, this mix of documentary and dramatic re-enactment, produced by Jada Pinkett-Smith, casts black actor Adele James as the fabled Egyptian monarch whose beauty and tragic ending have fascinated storytellers and historians for centuries. The Egyptians, archeologists and antiwoke conservatives have been quick to shout that Cleopatra wasn’t black, but so far there’s been little actual consideration of whether the series does her story justice. Watch it if you dare, and make up your own mind.
Meet Me in the Bathroom — Rent or Buy from Apple TV +
In the early 2000s, the most interesting thing to happen to rock music in decades burst out of New York when indie-rock outfits like The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and LCD Soundsystem breathed much needed new life into a music scene forged in the anxious shadows of Y2K and 9/11. Directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern’s documentary features time-capsule footage and interviews with pioneers of the indie movement, before and after they hit the big time and chronicles the brief but exhilarating rise and fall of a small but influential group of musicians whose work went on to shape the sounds of a generation.
A Small Light — Disney Plus
The story of Anne Frank is well known and much documented, but less explored is the story of Miep Gies, the courageous Dutch woman who helped to hide Frank and her family and other Jewish families during the terrible years of the Nazi occupation. Featuring a strong cast that includes Liev Schreiber, Joe Cole and the sparky Bel Powley in the title role, it’s a solid addition to the well-travelled territory of Holocaust drama that offers an inspiring story of heroism in the face of incomprehensible tragedy.
Sanctuary — Netflix
This Japanese sports drama takes a deep dive into the mysterious world of Sumo wrestling. A young man facing seemingly insurmountable personal and money problems discovers that the Sumo ring offers significant riches, fame and female company to those who succeed within its age-old and difficult disciplines and traditions. The gritty realities of the sport soon prove to be a lot harder for a self-interested delinquent to master than he might have initially thought.
Silo — Apple TV +
A star-studded adaptation of the bestselling sci-fi novel by Hugh Howey, imagined for television by Justified creator Graham Yost. Starring Rebecca Ferguson, Iain Glen and Tim Robbins, it’s a sci-fi show for serious sci-fi fans that tells the story of a dystopian future where the surface of the earth has become so toxic that human survivors have been driven underground. There they live in a giant silo, governed by strict rules they’re told are for their good, until a series of nefarious events begins to lead them to question those in charge.
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