There's really only one way to articulate the energy of this collection, so we'll put this right there:
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Gone Girl
Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel Gone Girl made the leap to cult classic with this 2014 film, for which she wrote the screenplay. Rosamund Pike plays Ann, who, when she suddenly goes missing, is desperately and publicly sought-after by her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) before he becomes a prime suspect in her disappearance. The thriller was met with critical acclaim as well as being beloved by audiences, and Pike walked away with Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Screen Actors’ Guild Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, while Flynn won a Critics’ Choice award for best adapted screenplay. A great chance to catch this gripping film if you missed it the first time round. Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry also star.
Gone Girl is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Rebecca
A brilliant detective battling depression is back on the police force six years after quitting her job – and tracking down the killer responsible for a spate of murders is only one of the battles she’s facing. Award-winning actress Anne Marivin (previously seen in Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis and Call My Agent) carries the series as Rebecca Lacoste in this fast-paced French crime thriller, based on the international hit Marcella. Betrayed by her husband and experiencing crippling blackouts (coming to with blood on your hand and no memory of what’s happened can’t be easy to deal with), she throws herself into work to avoid falling apart. The eight-part series also stars Benjamin Biolay, Clotilde Courau and Samir Guesmi.
The Dry
Irishwoman Siobhan, known as Shiv (Roisin Gallagher), has returned home from London for her grandmother’s funeral. What her family don’t know is that she is freshly sober at the ripe old age of 35. Added to the challenge of not drinking at the wake and her family figuring she’s just going through a phase, she’s also thrown about when her ex-boyfriend and fellow artist Jack rocks up, especially as she’s decided to chuck London in and stay on at home. With a brilliant ensemble cast and that gloriously unique Irish humour, The Dry is as entertaining as you like.
The Handmaid’s Tale
We cannot love this show more, and in season 5, which will be the series’ penultimate, the goddess herself, Elisabeth Moss, has somehow got better in her compelling role as June. Here, she must face the aftermath of killing Commander Waterford while redefining her identity and purpose. Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada. Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) works with Nick (Max Minghella) and Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd) as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power. And June, Luke (O-T Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley) fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah (Jordana Blake). It is all happening.
Season 5 episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale air on Thursdays at 9.30pm on SBS. Episodes stream a little earlier. See the above article for the full schedule. Encore episodes also air on SBS VICELAND on Saturdays at 9.30pm.
Inked
Chinese–New Zealand drama series Inked has unique written all over it. When Jiayue Qiu (Lisa Zhang) ends up living back home with her father, she has a fair bit of covering up to do. He thinks she’s studying medicine. She’s actually pursuing her heart’s desire to be a professional tattoo artist. From creators who themselves arrived in New Zealand from China to study, there is much resonance in this endearing tale, which features four different Chinese dialects.
Surge
This French thriller is a brilliantly captured short-form drama starring the magnetic Golshifteh Farahani as Nora, a night driver. The five episodes take us from 6pm to 6am through the streets of Paris as Nora, in innocently taking a delivery to help out her fellow driver and brother Ben (the equally excellent Vincent Heneine), ends up lured into a violent criminal syndicate. She must find a way out and regain custody of her young daughter. This is a wild and heart-racing ride. Jump on board!
A Beginner’s Guide To Grief
Australian Anna Lindner turned her real-life grief into this glorious short-form drama series full of humour and raw honesty about the experience of death by cancer, for those suffering and those left behind. This is a truly beautiful show to be proud of. The sparkling ensemble cast includes Lindner as Harry, Cassandra Sorrell as her long-lost foster sister Daisy, Carlo Ritchie as Harry’s cousin Isaiah and Georgina Naidu as Barb, the kind of auntie we all need in our lives.
See more great stories in the , with everything from historical drama to dark comedy, now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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