I’m in a Stephen Graham chokehold
March has been the quickest month of the year so far, and for me it’s been another month filled with dramatic TV shows and attention-grabbing movies from the best streaming services. This month, I used five different streaming platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video and even Mubi to get myself in the mood for a new season – and it really helped.
There were plenty of new titles to watch this month, and I couldn’t think of a better way to kick off my monthly roundup than by mentioning the most-watched Netflix show Adolescence, a show that has been inescapable and one that has really divided viewers. As always, I like to fill out my list with a balance of movies I’ve never seen and re-watches, and two of my newer watches come from recent Oscar-winner Sean Baker, which has compelled me to visit his earlier works next month.
It was another difficult one to narrow down to just nine, but that’s when you know you’ve watched a lot of good stuff and I’m determined to keep up this momentum – bring on April.Adolescence (2025)
Creators: Jack Thorne & Stephen Graham
Age rating: TV-MA
Episode length: ~51 minutes
Where to stream: Netflix (US, UK and AU)
Adolescence is the show that everyone is talking about right now, and rightly so. In a world where violence against women has become a frightening epidemic there’s never been a more important time for a show like this to emerge, and for that we have Stephen Graham to thank.
The show’s one-shot filming approach is nothing new to Graham who starred in the one-take drama Boiling Point (2021) — another thrilling watch that I urge you to watch. Set across four hour-long episodes the limited series follows the Miller family, whose youngest child Jamie (Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a girl in his school year.
Flipping the script on the classic ‘whodunnit’ story line, Adolescence is an exploration of why he did it, bringing attention to the motivations that fuels men to commit merciless acts of violence against women and young girls, at the same time offering an insight to the effects crimes like this have on the parents and the family of the perpetrator.The Substance (2024)
Director: Coralie Fargeat
Age rating: R
Length: 141 minutes
Where to stream: Mubi (US & UK)
I’ve watched The Substance twice and frankly, I can’t get enough of it. If you know me, you know I love a movie with a strong underlying commentary of culture and society — especially when its thrown in your face in the most absurd and artistic way. For me, Coralie Fargeat smashed it out of the park with The Substance from the writing, cinematography, and all the way down to its unique use of symbolism.
When aging actress and fading celebrity Elisabeth Sparkle (Demi Moore) is let go from her TV job, she’s faced with the harsh realities of neglect that women of her age face in the entertainment industry. But her chance at an extended career presents itself when she uses a black market drug that creates a younger version of herself played by Margaret Qualley. Switching between Elisabeth and her younger-self every seven days, Elisabeth finally feels seen, but it comes with strict terms and conditions that when abused, result in catastrophic consequences.Anora (2024)
Director: Sean Baker
Age rating: R
Length: 139 minutes
Where to stream: Hulu (US)
I loved Demi Moore in The Substance, but there’s something about the fierceness yet vulnerable nature of Mikey Madison’s performance in Anora that had me laughing, crying, and everything in between.
