The Top Picks This Week
Ainu Mosir (on Netflix) and a new fun but crazy action-comedy set in Massachusetts (on Amazon Prime)
Dear friends,
Today’s picks are complete opposites: a calm Japanese drama and a loud and violent American miniseries.
OUR TOP MOVIE OF THE WEEK
Ainu Mosir
New today on Netflix everywhere. In Japanese.
This quiet Japanese drama set on the northern island of Hokkaido is about an indigenous community and one little boy’s attempt to find himself within it.
Kanto, a bright but reserved kid, is still grappling with the loss of his father. When the community leader notices his distress, he takes him out to nature to introduce him to ancient local rituals.
Beyond the story of little Kanto, Ainu Mosir is a unique examination of modern indigenous identity. His village, a tourist spot careful about its reputation, is wary of traditions like sacrificing animals. But without these rituals, even the leader admits, “I identify as Ainu, but I can't seem to grasp what that means.”
📰 The New York Times: “Rather than relying on dialogue, Fukunaga (the director) allows emotion to shine through musical performances — a school anthem, folk songs, drunken karaoke. These scenes speak for themselves, and they build upon the story with quiet power.”
📺 On Netflix everywhere; 🍅 rating: - not yet reviewed.
OUR TOP TV SHOW OF THE WEEK
Wayne
Now on Amazon Prime U.S. & Canada.
This violent action-comedy miniseries is about a Massachusetts teenager who tries to retrieve a stolen 1979 Trans Am.
And the show is not nice to Wayne who, from the very first scene, takes a beating. Think of it as The End of the F***ing World but more violent and with Boston accents.
📰 The L.A. Times: “Tender and violent, profane and thoughtful, simple and complicated, obvious and subtle, sweet and upsetting, an intermittently bloody hymn to goodness and innocence, and delicately acted even as it runs to extremes, it will not be everybody's cup of tea.”
📺 on Amazon Prime U.S. & Canada; 🍅 100%
Top picks elsewhere
The Good Lord Bird is a new series with Ethan Hawke and Daveed Diggs about John Brown, the famous American abolitionist. The first episode is free on Amazon Prime and the whole thing is available on Showtime. Check out Ethan Hawke:
Terrence Malick’s incredible latest movie, A Hidden Life, is now on HBO Max and rental services. It’s about an Austrian farmer who refuses to fight for the Nazis. The scenes depicting his life as a farmer are in my opinion some of the best cinematic moments of 2019.
That’s it for this week, I hope there is something in there for you.
The next edition will be the weekly New and Expiring recap. It will be in your inbox on Wednesday, November 25th.
Until then,
Bilal
This issue was edited by Salwa Benaissa.