As the US remains in the extraordinary position of having a President who refuses to acknowledge he hasn’t been re-elected, and who continues to encourage those who agitate for a populist coup, we often seem on the brink of political violence Americans are accustomed to seeing only in “banana republics,” or other nations we routinely dismiss as corrupt and backward. That violence did not explode as feared around Election Day, when the Electoral College certified its results, or when the Supreme Court shot down yet another bogus challenge from Team Trump. But who knows what January will bring?
Two new documentaries highlight the kinds of scenarios abroad that no longer seem quite so unimaginable in the “land of the free.” They highlight instances in which jail or outright assassination is the price for whistle-blowing, human rights advocacy, or investigating the crimes of an elite. Jeff Kaufman’s
Rachel Brosnahan may be American, but she believes a little bit of her funny bone is British.
Brosnahan is famous for The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, Amazon Prime s smash comedy hit in which she plays New Yorker Midge, the perfect housewife from the Upper West Side who becomes a Downtown stand-up (specialising in mocking men) after her marriage breaks up.
Brosnahan s feature film choices have been astute, too. Check her out as Jean, first seen lounging in a magenta negligee (above) in director Julia Hart s superbly plotted 1970s set crime thriller I m Your Woman.
Written with Jordan Horowitz, a producer of La La Land, it also features a fine performance from London s Arinze Kene, making his Hollywood film debut.
Soon after, a pair of Eddie’s associates turn up – without him. One then tells her that she needs to take the baby and leave the house with him – now. Frightened and confused, she reluctantly agrees, but is increasingly frustrated at the lack of answers as to her husband’s whereabouts, or why this is all happening. Some finally start to emerge when she’s passed into the care of Cal (Arinze Kene), who at least shows a little sympathy for her plight. Offering her advice on bottle feeding, and carrying a cigarette he never lights, he’s an enigmatic figure, but one who finds her a place to stay and leaves Jean with supplies and an emergency number. He also gives her a warning – not to interact with anyone else (“no people, people ask questions”), as there are those who are still looking for Eddie, and now her, with less-than-friendly intentions.
Film critic Wil Loper shares his picks for this week’s must-watch television and movies. He recommends checking out Meryl Streep’s latest “Let Them All Talk” on HBO Max, a thriller on Amazon Prime called “I’m Your Woman” and the animated film “Wolfwalkers” on Apple TV+.
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