Mank — Netflix
David Fincher makes a triumphant return to form with this gloriously shot black and white drama about the other man responsible for what many regard as the greatest film of all time. Orson Welles directed it, but he couldn’t have pulled off the power and magic of Citizen Kane without the help of scriptwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, who, in spite of his terrible addiction to alcohol and sarcasm, managed to create a universal fable about hubris, power and greed that still resonates. Played with chameleon-like brilliance by Gary Oldman, Mank is here presented as a brilliant but troubled man who was equal to the genius of Welles and had an acute eye for the foibles and shallowness of Hollywood’s Golden Age, which provided him with the fodder for his story.
Industry — Showmax
Euphoria meets Billions in this millennial-focused examination of the glistening world of high finance in London’s City district as seen by its young and often exploited workers. Suitably full of the ennui and existential dread that comes with the high-power world of finance, the show challenges its characters to either hold on to something good and pure about themselves or allow their dark sides to gain full rein and become as immoral as those at the top. It’s a competent and engaging look at a world that, while it may be appear cold, opaque and cruel from the outside, is run by real people with real emotions, dreams and desires.
Nimic — Mubi.com
Greek director Yorgan Lanthimos is the master of creating heart-palpitating existential dread from the banalities of everyday life, and this short film affirms his reputation. Matt Dillon plays a morose, disillusioned cellist who has a very creepy encounter with a woman on the subway that will teach him a hard lesson about how irreplaceable we all are in this effective, absurdist piece of psychological horror.
Mosul — Netflix
An admirably effective action drama that tells a story from the Iraq war through the eyes of the Iraqis. It’s a tightly controlled, in-the-thick-of-it recent era combat film that also manages to deliver a strong message about the real consequences of Western meddling for the daily lives of people on the ground.
Ethos — Netflix
An eight-episode, dialogue-heavy but empathetic examination of the challenges facing a cross-section of Istanbul residents whose lives intersect in unexpected ways. It’s a compelling drama that pays homage to a unique and historically rich city through solidly realised characters and an adept understanding of the particular challenges of life in modern-day Turkey.
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