Four new Wes Anderson short films, adapted from Roald Dahl stories, are streaming on Netflix: The Swan, The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar (the longest at 37 minutes), The Rat Catcher, and Poison. The rotating cast of actors include Ralph Fiennes (who also plays Dahl, sitting in his shed, Gipsy House), Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Rupert Friend—staged in a theatrical manner, the characters narrate their own story to the audience. (Netflix)
Srimathi (Nithya Menen), a hotel management graduate, has no dearth of suitors, but at 30, she is still single, a topic of much discussion in her East Godavari village. Srimathi wants to open a bar, Taj Mahal Bar and Restaurant, to make enough money to get the ownership of her ancestral house from her uncle. There are two other feisty women in the family: Her grandmother (Rameshwari) and mother (Gowtami)—Srimathi’s father abandoned them after squandered the family money. This Telugu web series is charming with plenty of laughs as women take centre stage. (Amazon Prime)
One of the most talked-about films from Sundance this year comes to streaming on MUBI. Tomas (Franz Rogowski), a film-maker in Paris, is married to Martin (Ben Whishaw), a printer, yet falls easily into an affair with a teacher, Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos). This intense, sexually-charged film, directed by Ira Sachs, got a rare NC-17 rating in the US, a decision strongly criticised by its makers. One can see the influence of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder on the hothouse action. Rogowski is one of the most exciting actors in the world right now, and this is the perfect showcase for his uniquely intense pansexual appeal. (MUBI)
A heavily pregnant Mia (Ana Castillo) and her husband Nico along with some other migrants are fleeing a totalitarian regime. The couple get separated in two different containers. Mia manages to hide and survive when everyone in her container is shot dead by the police and the bodies removed. The container is loaded on to a ship but is soon adrift in the sea following a storm. Mia, all alone, must find a way to survive before the container sinks. The Albert Pinto film is lacklustre despite Castillo’s performance. (Netflix)
Compiled by Nipa Charagi and Uday Bhatia
