Thursday 17th June
Together, BBC Two
Although many recent movies and TV series have left Covid unmentioned, some have used it to build new stories. The BBC Two film Together aims to show a more human understanding of lockdown life.
James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan star as parents on the rocks, forced to re-evaluate their relationship in the claustrophobia of lockdown. Dennis Kelly (The Third Day) writes and Stephen Daldry (The Crown) directs.
Katla, Netflix
A year after the violent eruption of the titular volcano, the inhabitants of the Icelandic town of Vik are shocked to find an apparent survivor emerging from the ashes. Her appearance sets off a chain of events that pits folklore against science, as the landscape starts to reveal buried truths.
Friday 18th June
Luca, Disney+
Luca is set on the Italian Riviera, following two teenage sea creatures who are forbidden to go on dry land. The on-land locals treat sea creatures with hostility, believing them to be dangerous.
But Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer, We Are Who We Are) finds a way to turn human, and passes that power to his best friend Luca (Jacob Tremblay, Doctor Sleep). With the transformation, they’re able to wander around the community as if they’re like everybody else.
Fatherhood, Netflix
Kevin Hart has spent most of his career starring in basic Hollywood comedies, but his more dramatic side is gradually peeking out. In Fatherhood – which, by the trailer, looks like a real tear-jerker – Hart plays Matt, a widower who has to raise his only child by himself. But despite the help from his friends and family, the trials of being a single dad prove exceedingly difficult.
The film is based on a true story, recounted in the popular memoir Two Kisses For Maddy by Matt Logelin. It has been adapted by director and co-writer Paul Weitz (About A Boy).
Physical, AppleTV Plus
Director Craig Gillespie is having a great year. His punky vision of Cruella came out less than two weeks ago, and he already has a new AppleTV+ series coming this Friday.
Created by Desperate Housewives writer Annie Weisman, Physical follows an obedient and dissatisfied housewife in the 1980s who’s struggling with her self-image. But in true 80s fashion, she gets into aerobics – finding unity and confidence in the exercise. And when she has a chance to capitalise on her moves via the VHS revolution, she becomes a powerful force.
Sunday 20th June
The Handmaid’s Tale season 4, Channel 4
After June (Elisabeth Moss) smuggled out the children of Gilead, season four follows the aftermath. She and other handmaids escape into exile, with the furious and vindictive Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) determined to re-capture them. And the friction between Gilead and Canada increases, approaching the brink of war.
