What to watch this weekend
TV, film and a theatre show
Kaos
Written by Charlie Covell, Kaos is one of the maddest and most brilliant things I’ve seen in a long time. I’m forcing myself to savour each episode because I don’t want it to be finished. I’m on episode 6 right now and I’m thinking - why does this have to end! It uses Greek mythology as an entry point to explore huge themes, like death and organised religion, in a way which is a mirror up to our own structures and systems. It packs a punch.
You can tell all the portrayals and conversations around gender and sexuality have been written by a gender non-confirming writer. It’s so fresh. These themes are rarely executed so brilliantly on a TV show. The writing is fantastic and the Greek mythology references are there in abundance. It also has a cast of A list talent - Janet McTeer as Hera is sensational. There is nothing about this show I would change. This is what television should look and feel like!
Blink Twice
I was lucky enough to go to the premiere of Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut and loved it. One of my favourite actresses Naomi Ackie stars as the lead. It’s one of those films that makes you feel deeply uncomfortable, as sometimes films should. It explores issues around patriarchal structures, consent and relationships to power. All of these themes are explored in a way that doesn’t feel gratuitous, like they’ve needlessly included violence against women, as other shows that have come out recently do. It’s just miles ahead of other films in the revenge genre. The layers, the energy, the amount they are able to unpack - Kravitz did a brilliant job. I can’t wait to see more of what she and Naomi Ackie put out.
Shifters
This show has just moved to the West End. I’ve shouted before about how brilliant this play is and the writer Bene Lombe recently wrote a piece for the feels which you can read here. Alongside its West End move it now has producers including Idris Elba, Little Simz and Maya Jama. Having seen it previously at the Bush theatre and now at the West End - I think they stay very true to the original version. It’s beautiful, moving and good for the soul. The kind of theatre environment that doesn’t feel stuffy and feels like you can really get involved. You cheer with them, cry with them and the energy in the room feels alive and electric. It’s also going to be adapted into a TV show. On at the Duke of York’s theatre until 12th October.
Black Dog
Brand new film from director Guan Hu and I loved it. It’s set in a town which is going through rapid change and has an overpopulation of dogs. A town in which people are gradually being pushed out. It’s about a bond that a man, having recently come out of prison, makes with a wild dog.
It was giving all of those happy and smushy feelings. Sometimes a movie can just be that and deliver the ending you want. It explores loneliness, what it feels like to be an outsider, what it feels like to be searching for your place in a home which no longer looks like the one you once knew. What happens when you return home and everything is different and everyone is judging you. There is not a huge amount of dialogue but you barely notice, it’s so beautifully shot. Magnificent!