Here are our picks for what you should watch this week.
God Bless This Child
When you were growing up, you surely had moment — if not entire summers — that you spent with minimal supervision. Those were the times! Left to your own devices, you got to make your own fun and live in a fantasy world. If you had siblings or friends with you, all the better — You could become immersed in your make-believe adventures together.
That’s the essence of what God Bless This Child attempts to capture. The film depicts five siblings, ranging in age from the one year-old baby to the 13-year-old girl who is left in charge, as they spend their day entertaining themselves after their mom suddenly takes off. The personalities of the kids shine through and play off of one another perfectly, as they drive the story forward with their interactions. It’s a film that will make you miss the freedom of youth and resent the responsibilities of adulthood.
Portlandia Season 5
Portlandia has quietly built itself into a comedic institution. Even though it’s hidden on a somewhat obscure channel (IFC), it’s found a massive audience through streaming services. Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein make a wonderful pair, and the two have somehow continued to craft hilarious sketches centered around the Pacific northwest’s quirkiest city. Built out with absurd, yet somehow believable characters and stories, Portlandia has become its own living, breathing, slightly off-kilter version of Portland.
Love at First Fight
Love is often found in unexpected places, or at least takes you to them. That’s what happens to Arnaud, a man from a coastal town in France who finds himself at a fork in the road for his future. When he meets Madeleine, he falls for her and sees promise in their relationship. Madeleine, meanwhile, thinks primarily about the apocalypse. She convinces Arnaud to go with her to a military bootcamp. There, the two will prepare themselves for what she sees as the inevitable end of the world.
6 Days to Air
The most incredible thing about South Park — other than the consistent quality the show had maintained over nearly two decades — is the fact that each episode is made in just six days. From story idea to final product, Matt Stone and Trey Parker work long days to make each show. 6 Days to Air goes behind the scenes, through the creation process, and reveals every part of how the sausage is made. It moves from the brainstorming session that kickstarts the week to the time-consuming animation process that often comes down to the wire.
About Elly
Iranian film About Elly begins with a group of friends catching up on old times, as they gather for the first time in years. One of their old college buddies has just returned from Germany. Another of the friends has brought along Elly, her daughter’s kindergarten teacher, in hopes of pairing her up with the newly returned friend. And then, out of nowhere, Elly disappears. The film suddenly becomes a mystery that unravels lots of lies and half-truths, which make the group of friends question just how much they actually know about one another.
