We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.
If you enjoy thought-provoking local docs: Ram Raid Mums (TVNZ+, December 2)
You’ve likely heard the news stories and seen the headlines about rangatahi stealing cars and smashing up shops, but you probably haven’t ever heard from the whānau of the perpetrators before. Ram Raid Mums follows Marama, Jan and Debs, who are “fighting for their whānau and finding hope for the future” with the help of a programme for vulnerable youth. Ram Raid Mums is essential viewing for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the challenges contemporary Aotearoa is facing.
If you like devastating coming-of-age tales: Close (Neon, December 2)
Living in the idyllic countryside of the French-speaking part of Belgium, Leo (Eden Dambrine) and Remi (Gustav De Waele) are inseparable. Together, they frolic through fields, ride bicycles and paint. But on the first day of a new school semester, their relationship is questioned by classmates: Are the two queer? In the throes of prepubescence and in a heteronormative society, Leo wants to fit in, not stand out. Produced by indie darling A24, Close won the Grand Prix at Cannes and was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. Described as a “coming-of-age-story that’s exquisite and heartbreaking”, keep a few tissues Close-by.
If you need a bear-hug: Paddington (Neon, December 5)
You’re a thief of joy if you don’t love Paddington, the clumsy marmalade-loving bear. He’s forced from his homeland in search of lodgings safe from the “dark” of darkest Peru. The forlorn bear makes his way to London and stumbles across the Brown family at Paddington station. Thankfully, he didn’t disembark at Elephant and Castle. Unconcerned by Paddington’s ability to speak or his feverish penchant for marmalade, the Browns give him shelter. Laden with “gloriously silly jokes, pitch-perfect performances and incidental detail”, little ones and not-so-little ones are sure to adore this film. It’s as sweet as Pineapple Lumps. Or marmalade.
If you enjoy family-friendly sci-fi: Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney+, December 3)
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew looks to be a refreshing change of pace for the franchise. It’s not aiming to appease the toxic fandom who led a “bigoted online campaign” against The Acolyte star Amandla Stenberg. Rather, this galaxy, far, far away, will be seen through a new perspective; the eyes of four 10-year-old kids. Making a mysterious discovery which sets them off on a wild adventure light-years from their home planet, expect the show to be full of big-hearted Spielbergian charm. If the Goonies-style synopsis isn’t enough for you, behind the camera is a who’s-who of Hollywood: David Lowery, Lee Isaac Chung and the Daniels. Check out this show you must.
If you liked Tiger King: Dangerous Breed: Crimes. Cons. Cats. (TVNZ+, December 8)
Teddy Hart is a cross between Brock Lesnar and Joe Exotic. He’s a controversial wrestler whose side hustle is breeding Persian cats, and director Frederick Kroetsch is trying to turn him into a reality TV star. When that effort fails, he is sucked into Hart’s narcissistic orbit, and terrifying secrets emerge. Hart, like David D’Amato in Tickled, has left a trail of victims in his wake. While Dangerous Breed is a “tabloidy tale of sex, drugs, and violence”, it’s also a reminder of the danger of making the wrong people famous. Prepare to gawk in horror with every chilling twist and turn.
Pick of the flicks: Birdeater (Netflix, December 7)
If you didn’t catch genre film Birdeater at the Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival, now’s your chance. In the Australian outback, a group of young men gather for a bachelor party. Louie (Mackenzie Fearnley) has invited his fiancee, Irene (Shabana Azeez), insisting, “When I told the boys you were coming, they got so excited.” But before long, things go horrendously awry as the uncomfortable truths of their relationship bubble to the surface. Birdeater is “uncomfortable to watch yet impossible to turn away from.” You’ve been warned…
