We Need to Talk About Adolescence
In this month’s news, we take a closer look at a global TV phenomenon, welcome an awesome new cinema partner with Hoyts, and give you the chance to win tickets to a superb new drama starting our second favourite Irishman. We’re not fooling - April is looking GOOD.
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a month ago
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Our Streaming Picks of the Month
But first, what’ll you be pointing your remote at tonight? With a bit of help from our very own impact AI, we’ve peeped every platform’s latest goodies and rounded up the very best streaming for you to feast on.
Something empowering…
Okay, the title had us at hello. And the premise is even more intriguing: diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, Molly decides to leave her sexless 15-year marriage and embark on a journey of sexual exploration. It’s the kind of story that’s often described as “brave”, but in the hands of writer/creator Liz Meriwether (New Girl), it’s a magnetic, funny and empowering comedy-drama.
Based on a true story (and podcast of the same name), the material’s obviously ace, drawing five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams back to series TV for the first time since a certain Dawson’s Creek back in the early 00’s. She told Vanity Fair she was drawn to the project for its sex positivity and its focus on female relationships, and clearly, it’s paid off: Williams has been described as “sublime and superb” in the role.
Heartwarming, raw and bracingly honest, we’re all in for this one. All 8 episodes of Dying for Sex drop on Disney+ this Friday, April 4.
Something rule-breaking…
Survival of the Thickest: Season 2
This show caught our eye back in 2023 with a single line: Mavis Beaumont, a plus-sized Black woman, is newly single and finds herself having to rebuild her life as a struggling stylist. Now, the Netflix hit’s new season has scored a perfect 100% from critics, and we’re here for it.
It was a great springboard, but that “breakup” storyline doesn’t dominate. Instead, the A24-produced series focuses on the self-empowerment and body-positivity of Mavis (the super likeable Michelle Buteau) and her battle to include plus-size women in a fashion industry that all but ignores them.
Personal fulfilment AND fab fashion? Sign us up! The eight brand new episodes of Survival of the Thickest have just hit Netflix.
Something gripping…
The story ends here. Based on Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel, global phenomenon The Handmaid’s Tale wraps up with Season 6, and the first three episodes are being fast-tracked to SBS On Demand for Aussie audiences.
Starring Emmy-winner Elisabeth Moss and Australia’s Yvonne Strahovski, the final season sees June (Moss) pulled back into the fight to take down Gilead, the nightmarish patriarchal society where men hold all positions of power. Can we get a You Go Girl!?
If you need a refresher on everything Handmaids from Seasons 1 through 5, we don’t blame you - and you’re in luck! There’s a handy recap video you can check out here thanks to SBS. Catch the final episodes exclusively on SBS On Demand from April 8.
And keep your eyes peeled for…
If a post-apocalyptic series based on a PlayStation game sounds like a skip to you, trust us when we say there’s more at stake here. The Last of Us was one of the most gripping and heartfelt shows of 2023, and a massively awaited second series is just days away.
Picking up 5 years after tough-as-nails Joel (Pedro Pascal) saved his sorta-daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey) from becoming a human sacrifice, we see how their relationship has evolved living in a settler’s camp in Wyoming – but the action is anything but settled. Expect more chewy themes of loss, revenge, tribalism, and moral ambiguity in the seven episodes coming our way.
There’s sad news for Binge subscribers though: The Last of Us drops exclusively on Max, a brand new streaming service to Australia, on April 14. But for the next four weeks, you can hook yourself up with a limited time discount offer on the Max website.
We Need to Talk About Adolescence
Actually, it seems like everyone’s already talking about the British miniseries Adolescence. Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, it dropped in mid-March and was instantly dubbed this year’s Baby Reindeer. It shot straight to #1 in more than 75 countries and was watched over 100 million times in just its first week!
We’ve been in the thick of the conversation too, where our latest Instagram reel clocked up nearly 350,000 views and counting! There’s been a range of incredibly insightful comments pour in too; from the meaning of the emojis to the symbolism behind the sandwich (it’s cheese and pickle, for the record). Check it out and add your thoughts here.
So why has this show become the water-cooler moment of the month? It’s partly thanks to its skilful “one shot” style, where the entirety of each episode was shot and presented in literally just one take – no cuts, no tricks, no hidden joins. That alone adds incredible tension to the story. But beyond the camera kudos, we’re particularly excited about how Netflix marketed the show – because it proves our point that in the wash of content to choose from, impact is THE differentiator.
Netflix directly engaged with topical and challenging subjects such as toxic masculinity, parenting, knife crime, and male rage. Topics that many would shy away from. They then used social-first content to set a fire under thought-provoking discussions across various platforms. The series has caught fire for its deeper thematic questions about the social and digital minefield that today’s young’uns are forced to navigate.
If you haven’t caught it yet, Adolescence explodes into action from minute one with the arrest of Jamie Miller, a 13-year-old boy accused of stabbing and killing his classmate Katie in a carpark the night before. To his parents and friends it seems impossible, but as the investigation unfolds, we learn Jamie was relentlessly bullied online, labeled an incel, and pushed to his breaking point.
We think a big part of Adolescence's “talkability” is how many viewpoints it provides without ever providing “solutions” or placing blame. There’s Jamie himself – why didn’t he feel like he could reach out for help, or hint at what he was going through before he snapped? There’s the students at his school, who have an entire culture of subjugation and coded online chatter that’s impenetrable to adults. There’s the parents and teachers, who seem mystified as to how they can connect to today’s teens. And there’s the law enforcement and counselors, who are genuinely invested in making a difference – but are too swamped (or exhausted) by their daily workload to break through.
A father of two in real life, writer-creator Graham (who also pulls triple duty playing the father, Eddie, in the series) says Adolescence is a response to the sudden increase in violent knife crime in the UK. He created the show as a way to explore what lay behind the (often extreme) acts of violence being perpetrated against girls by young boys who, like Jamie, were often barely in their teens. Collaborating with screenwriter Thorne, they embarked on the 4-part, 4 hour screenplay as a way to, as Thorne puts it, "look in the eye of modern male rage."
The series also hints at how controversial online figures – like the “manosphere” commentator Andrew Tate – can influence and warp teenage boys whose brains aren’t yet fully formed. And all the while, Jamie’s father Eddie is unaware of his son’s growing indoctrination. He thinks he’s doing a good job as a Dad, because he doesn’t belt his son, like his own father did to him.
It’s these kind of generational disconnects that are scaring parents all over the world – and hopefully, sparking thousands of conversations in living rooms and bedrooms everywhere. Meanwhile, the UK government and Netflix have just announced that the series will be made freely available to screen in all British high schools.
So, if you’re up to speed, what are your thoughts on the show? Follow us @watchgoodfilm on Instagram and drop us a comment!
Jump into the Adolescence conversation on Insta
Ticket Giveaway Time, To Be Sure!
Oh Cillian, even when you’re smudged with coal dust, we love seeing you on the big screen. And we don’t have long to wait, because the Irish Oscar-winner’s new movie is out next week!
Based on Claire Keegan’s superb Booker Prize shortlisted novel, Small Things Like These highlights the unresolved history of the Magdalene laundries. The film explores the true meaning of moral integrity as Bill (Cillian Murphy), a coal worker and father to five daughters, quietly and courageously stands up to Ireland's most powerful institution - the Catholic Church.
Interestingly for our impact-loving community, while the Irish government has provided some compensation, the Church has not yet admitted accountability. While historical, this issue is still playing out now – and thanks to our friends at Roadshow, we’re giving away a bunch of double passes to see it.
To be in the running, just hit the link below and tell us in 25 words or less, What does integrity mean to you? If you have the luck of the Irish, we’ll email you by April 7 to let you know you’re a winner. Good luck!
Enter the Small Things Like These double pass giveaway
Welcome to the party, Hoyts!
Hoyts lovers, you let us know, and we listened. We’re beyond excited to announce that, alongside our existing cinema partners Dendy, Event and Village Cinemas, you can now buy and redeem Good Tix at HOYTS Cinemas all around Australia!
If you’re not familiar with Good Tix, they’re movie vouchers that instantly save you money on the regular ticket price at the box office. And just to make Good Tix even good-er, we give 50% of profits from every Good Tix sold to fantastic Australian charities.
So where does the money go? That’s up to you! You can choose which great cause your Good Tix will support at the checkout. With recent disasters in the news like the earthquake in Myanmar or the record-breaking floods in North Queensland, you might have Disaster Relief top of mind. Select this cause at checkout and your Good Tix purchase will support three amazing outfits: Australian Red Cross, Disaster Relief Australia, and Givit.Org.Au.
To check out the full range of charities we support with Good Tix, head to this link. And to give Good Tix a whirl at your local Hoyts Cinema, what are you waiting for? Click the link below!
