Derry Girls

Set in the Northern Irish city of Derry (or Londonderry, depending on your persuasion), this boisterous comedy follows the misadventures of a raucous, profane, self-involved set of four schoolgirls and one schoolboy. As the Troubles rage inconveniently around them, Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle, and James try their worst to get out of exams, weather detention, and earn money for the school trip to Paris. Like the best Irish and British comedies, each episode sees the characters make more and more inane and selfish choices until they reach an uproarious climax—at one point, they try to fake an IRA kidnapping to avoid being banned from the chip shop. Come for the sendups of religious tensions, stay for Siobhan McSweeney as the deliciously sardonic nun who runs the school.

TV ShowCian DinanMarch 14, 2020Ireland, Historical, Humor

Babylon Berlin

This gorgeous German period piece revels in the joys and turmoil of Berlin's "Golden Twenties"—the brief, raucous years between the horrors of the Great War and the Great Depression. Police commissioner Gereon Rath, a veteran with a morphine problem, is sent from sleepy Kōln to Berlin to find his father's blackmailers. The investigation leads him through slums, nightclubs, train yards, Communist hideouts, and fine restaurants on the trail of an ever-expanding conspiracy.

TV ShowDominique LearMarch 14, 2020Germany, On Netflix, Quirky, Historical

Incendies

Incendies is an astonishing work. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play of the same name, this movie follows a pair of twins who return to their mother's (unnamed) country in the Middle East to uncover the family's past. They embark on a heart-breaking journey that exposes the impact of a brutal civil war. This is a tough, but beautiful and moving film.