After Life
I liked watching After Life , the British black comedy/drama web series directed by Ricky Gervais, both for its writing and performances. In After Life , he (the protagonist Tony, played by Ricky Gervais) loses his wife [to breast cancer] and it makes him reassess his attitude towards life. I think it’s a good series to sit and watch now, in a pandemic situation, where we all need to reassess our approach to people and life.
Pandemic: How to prevent an outbreak
I found this new docu-series to be informative and almost prophetic. They deal with different scenarios during a pandemic, how certain infections could be airborne, and issue a warning on what can happen if we don’t take steps to contain the spread of a pandemic. It follows those on the frontlines of the battle and made me think how less the world has been spending on healthcare.
Feminists: What were they thinking?
I keep browsing for documentaries and chanced upon Feminists: What Were They Thinking , and enjoyed it. It goes back to the 1960s and 70s to show us powerful women like Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Michelle Phillips. This documentary by Johanna Demetrakas shows us how women didn’t take it lying down. In the scenario of #MeToo and renewed discussions on feminism, for me, the documentary also answered the overarching question of how we got to the point where we are today.
Hollywood
The drama series has a mix of real life incidents and fiction. I used to live in LA (Los Angeles) for a while and have seen how obsessed the city is with its Hollywood culture, and I didn’t particularly like the Hollywood-inspired signage everywhere. This show is beautiful, uplifting and hopeful in showing what Hollywood could have been without its negativity like homophobia and racism. It presents an alternate history of Hollywood — like the closeted life and career of Rock Hudson.
Love is Blind
This is a silly series, I must warn you, but I still enjoyed watching it. I had watched it before lockdown and revisited it again. You can’t be intellectual and serious all the time. It was hilarious watching the men and women who have to get to know each other without being able to meet, from either sides of the wall. I was reminded of Indian arranged marriages. I also thought Too Hot to Handle was fun to watch. These dating shows are not my kind at all, but sometimes I turn to them for some light-hearted fun.
We would love to know how you are keeping busy at home. Tell us what you are watching at metro@thehindu.co.in
