Tae-goo Um and Jeon Yeo-Bin in “Night Paradise”. – Noh Juhan / Netflix
There is not only the direct in life, there is also the replay. From YouTube to Netflix to TV channel replays and radio station podcasts, 20 minutes every Sunday concocts a list of things to see, or review, listen to or listen to again.
Week of April 5 to 11
“Varsity Blue” or the college admissions scandal
This scandal made headlines around the world. The docufiction Varsity Blue: the admissions scandal, directed by Chris Smith (Fyre, the greatest party that never happened), available on Netflix, describes how mediocre students from wealthy families were able to gain access to America’s most prestigious universities. A corruption in which celebrities such as Felicity Huffman, the star of Desperate Housewives or Lori Loughlin, the heroine of The Secret Shop, but also rich heirs, real estate tycoons, financiers and lawyers. The series draws on testimonies from those involved in the scandal, journalists who released the case and replayed scenes based on the transcripts of wiretaps from Rick Singer, the ex-sports trainer, college counselor and big boss of the scam.
“Baghdad Central”, a geopolitical thriller in Iraq
A geopolitical thriller under high tension. Baghdad Central, available on Arte. TV, takes place in 2003, the day after the fall of Saddam Hussein and follows Muhsin Kadr al-Khafaji, a former inspector of the secret services under the Baathist regime (Waleed Zuaiter, seen in Homeland). When his eldest daughter disappears, he sets out to find her, supported by his younger daughter, and finds himself forced to collaborate with the coalition forces. Adaptation by Stephen Butchard (The House of Saddam) of a novel by Elliot Colla, an expert on the Middle East, the miniseries shows the disintegration of the country through the singular journey of a man in search of identity. A family and national drama, which shows how the peace process is a perilous exercise.
“The Line”, a podcast before a series
A podcast that announces a series. Apple posted the podcast on Tuesday The Line, a six-part audio series that looks back on the story of Eddie Gallagher, a Navy Seal accused of war crimes. In 2017, this soldier was suspected of murder by members of his unit before being acquitted of all charges. Except one: that of having posed on a photo with a corpse. Thanks to the testimonials, The Line shows the psychological impact of war on elite units of the US military. The first two episodes are already available, the other four will follow at the rate of one per week. This podcast foreshadows the arrival of a documentary miniseries of the same name soon on Apple TV +.
“Night in Paradise”, a bloody and romantic Korean film
In the absence of a theatrical release, the film Night in Paradise, is now available on Netflix. Selected out of competition at the Venice Film Festival 2020, the feature film by Park Hoon-jung, screenwriter of the excellent I met the devil, follows Tae-Gu (Tae-goo Eom), formidable murderer and number two in a mafia gang, wanted by the biggest mafia pundits in Seoul. While he goes green, he meets a young woman, suffering from an incurable disease … A film about revenge and redemption, which drips with romanticism and hemoglobin.