September already? As we emerge from winter, some days in a cosy spot on the couch and something worth watching on the TV is still a good option. Here are my picks for September viewing.
A drama based on the true story of a group of women in the UK town of Corby who find that their babies are being born with deformities. Very strong performances by the two leads, Jodie Whittaker and Aimee Lou Wood as Susan and Tracey, who band together when many local children, conceived when the old steel works site is under remediation, are born with limb deformities. They decide to fight for justice for their children.
Aimee Lou Wood is perfectly cast and gives a heart-wrenching performance as young Tracey, mother of Shelby. You will need some tissues on hand. This is beautifully counterbalanced with the rough and tough exterior of battler Susan. Reminiscent of Erin Brockovich, the four episodes follow the story and court battle uncovering shortcuts and corruption within the local Council. Written and created by Jack Thorne and directed by Minkie Spiro, Toxic Town is a tribute to the women of Corby. I watched it on Netflix.
Elizabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale, Mad Men) stars in this thriller as British MI6 spy Imogen Slater – complete with a great British accent. Moss is also one of the executive producers of the show. Imogen is sent to retrieve Adilah El Idrissi (Yumna Marwan) from a Turkish-Syrian refugee camp in an effort to gain information needed to prevent a large-scale terrorist attack.
International locations include Istanbul and Paris. This is a classic terrorism/spy thriller in which you can never be sure who is telling the truth. This thriller will have you wanting to watch “just one episode of before bed”. Can these two women trust each other and what are their motivations? You will be guessing all the way to the final episode. My favourite quote from the show is from Imogen: “hell is empty, all the devils are here”. I watched The Veil on SBS On Demand.
Hard to review this one without giving away too much, as each episode in the five-episode series reveals another layer with unexpected twists and changes. A parent’s nightmare becomes reality for Elisa Blix when she agrees to allow her daughter Lucia to have a sleepover at her new school friend’s house. A police manhunt ensues across Europe with Elisa and her husband Fred being suspected and their private lives scrutinised.
Denise Gough plays Elisa Blix and Jim Sturgess plays her husband Fred Blix. Ambika Mod is believable and genuine as journalist Selma, and the main cast is rounded out with Holliday Grainger as Nina and Xavier Sameul as Marcus. There is a reasonable storyline and enough to hook you but I got a bit bored at some points. I also thought some of the dialogue was a bit clumsy. Stolen Girl is based on a novel by Alex Dahl and directed by Eva Husson. You may need to suspend reality at times to keep believing that this could happen, but it is an interesting watch on Disney.
I felt as confused as Sandra Bullock’s character Linda Hansen was most of the time while watching this movie. Written by Bill Kelly and directed by Mennan Yapo, the late Julian McMahon stars alongside Bullock in this mystery/thriller/drama ( I’m not really sure how to classify it). A middle-class woman has a vision of her husband’s death. On Thursday, the local sheriff informs Linda that her husband has been killed in a car crash but when she wakes the next morning, he is there beside her. However, when she wakes the following day he is dead.
At some point while her family and friends think she is mentally unwell, Linda realises her days are mixed up and out of order. According to IMDb the movie was shot in continuity so Bullock only knew each day what she was given by the crew. That may well have been the secret to her confused and well-acted role because her performance is what makes the movie worth watching. Prepare to be perplexed. I watched Premonition on Netflix.
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