My Wonderful Life (Netflix)
At the centre of this Polish film is Jo (Agata Buzek), who juggles several roles. She teaches English at the local school, where her husband is the principal. If there are disinterested students in the classroom, her home is equally chaotic, with little breathing space. There's her mother, who is suffering from Alzheimer's; elder son, his partner and their child; younger son who studies in the same school. But there is one place where she lets her hair down: her parents' empty apartment, where she smokes marijuana and meets with her lover, also a teacher. Now someone is threatening to reveal all, and things are spiralling out of her control.—Nipa Charagi
Also read: This new book is a people's account of the Delhi Metro
Formula One: Drive To Survive (Netflix)
We wrote in our review of the latest season of Drive to Survive: “The new season attempts to make an underdog out of Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, whose oligarch father sponsored the Haas racing team to give his son a seat. The show evades Nikita’s already-popular nickname ‘Maze-Spin’, for his constant excursions off the track, and his problematic behaviour which includes harassing a young woman and physically assaulting a racing competitor. The episode about the poor little rich boy builds to a rainy Russian Grand Prix where Mazepin makes a clever tyre decision, but don’t be fooled by the triumphant background music: what the show doesn’t mention is that he finished last.”
Bachchhan Pandey (in theatres)
One never has long to wait for an Akshay Kumar release. This one, directed by Farhad Samji, has him playing a dreaded gangster who's being courted by a young film-maker. Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez and Arshad Warsi co-star.
The Parisian Agency (Netflix)
Season 2 of the French reality show on the Kretz family which deals in luxury real estate is here. The properties, with tropospheric prices and picture-postcard views, have gotten bigger as the agency is looking to expand. But what makes the show endearing is the family itself: Olivier Kretz and his wife Sandrine, and their three sons, Martin, Valentin, Louis. run the business—commissions are split evenly. The youngest son, Raphaël, graduated from school this season. The sassiest of the lot is Sandrine's mother, Majo, 88. She pairs sneakers with a dress for an event and plays boules with the grandsons. This season ended with the agency seeking an exclusive partnership with the world's leading real estate agent, Daniel Daggers.—NC
Papicha (MUBI)
During the Algieran Civil War of 1997, a young student named Nedjma defies the policing of women's bodies and lives to put on a fashion show. This lively and defiant 2019 film is directed by Mounia Meddour and stars Lyna Khoudri.
Also read: The Indian showcase at Art Dubai delves deep into memory
