Are you ready to immerse yourself in the latest on-screen cinema hype?
This month’s streaming list features not one, not two, but three Australian productions, including one with a main character you’ll definitely recognise if you’ve seen Love On The Spectrum. ABC’s quirky new comedy show Austin tells the story of a 28-year-old autistic man (played by autistic actor Michael Theo) who makes contact with his father for the first time.
Both the Netflix film Trigger Warning and Stan’s new series Exposure deal with the investigation of suspicious deaths and offer plenty of suspense. In the case of the latter, it’s a clever exploration of grief and trauma.
And on SBS, Martin Freeman (known from “The Office”) can be seen in the tough role of a Liverpool police officer in “The Responder”.
Whether you’re in the mood for comedy, action, drama or mystery, you’ll find something here for your watchlist. So grab your snacks and settle in!
Read more: Carriage rides, good mood and a web of lies: What we’re streaming in June
Austin
ABC iView
ABC’s new comedy series follows Austin as he first meets his biological father Julian (Ben Miller). Julian is married with a family in London, while Austin lives in Canberra. As the two grow closer, Austin must navigate his complex role as a child born out of wedlock, while Julian’s family must adjust to the life of a young autistic man.
Despite some drawbacks, the show offers a heartfelt and unique portrayal of autism and neurodiversity – a portrayal that challenges audiences to confront and rethink their assumptions about autistic people.
Austin has several personality traits that will undoubtedly resonate with many autistic people (many of which are used for comedic effect). For example, he takes everything very literally, often lacks sarcasm, and is blunt to the point of brutal honesty. His approach to cultural norms also often doesn’t fit the context, such as when he wears a suit to dinner at home.
However, in some cases these portrayals miss the mark. As an autistic viewer, I sometimes felt in on the joke, but other times I felt like I was the joke.
But while there is still room for improvement, there are also many steps in the right direction – and a great foundation has been laid for the second season.
– Beth Radulski
Read more: ABC’s new comedy “Austin” tackles autism stereotypes – with mixed success
Ladies in Black
ABC iView
ABC’s Ladies in Black follows a group of women who work at the luxury department store Goodes in Sydney in 1961. The story is set shortly after the events in Madeleine St John’s original 1993 novel The Woman in Black and its numerous subsequent adaptations.
The series begins with the main character Magda (Debi Mazar) confidently walking down the main street as we hear Peggy Lee’s famous 1962 feminist anthem “I’m a Woman.” It’s a fitting beginning: “Ladies in Black” is essentially a story about women struggling to find their place in the world.
Mazar is joined by Jessica De Gouw as Fay, Clare Hughes as Lisa and Azizi Donnelly as Angela. Miranda Otto plays the terrifying Mrs. Ambrose – the foil to the other characters. She has been recruited by Harrods to be the head of the department store’s “model dresses” and we quickly realize that it’s either her way or nothing.
In six parts, we see how the Goodes clique masters the complexity of the Swinging Sixties through fashion, sex and friendship. The sexism, classism and racism of this era remain obvious.
If you like women’s stories with female protagonists, shopping or 1960s fashion, you should watch Ladies in Black.
– Lisa French
Read more: ABC’s new series “Ladies in Black” presents us with vintage fashion and feminist anthems
The respondent
SBS On Demand (Australia) and TVNZ+ (New Zealand)
While the political tragedies among us are watching the British election campaign with a mixture of open-mouthed amazement and astonishment, The Responder’s grim portrayal of post-austerity Britain is just the ticket.
Set in Liverpool, the series follows Chris, a police officer (played by Martin Freeman) who works the night shift. Chris is a former inspector and it’s clear that this role is a demotion – and a punishment. His partner is probationary police officer Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo), who is keen to do everything by the book. But The Responder suggests that doing everything by the book is impossible in a system that’s falling apart.
The series is a striking portrait of Britain as a failed state, where hollowed-out institutions pave the way for corruption. Freeman brings warmth to the traumatised but resourceful Chris, and Adedayo is great as the inexperienced Rachel. Along with them is a strong supporting cast, particularly Emily Fairn as irresponsible drug user Casey.
The series’ depiction of coercive controls is particularly horrifying. Just as gripping as the excellent British police series Blue Lights, but far darker, The Responder is an incredibly exciting and gripping drama.
– Michelle Arrow
Trigger warning
Netflix
In Trigger Warning, Jessica Alba returns to her Dark Angel action days after a break from acting to focus on her role as a mother. Alba plays Mexican-American special forces agent Parker Calvo, who returns home from “killing terrorists and doing spy stuff” to investigate the suspicious death of her father, “Pops.”
Many of the typical genre elements of a run-of-the-mill ’80s action movie are on display here: Parker is a grumpy, whiskey-drinking, cigarette-smoking daredevil who is happiest when he’s wielding a knife and bashing bad guys’ heads in. The film is also unashamedly pro-military. Pops fought in Vietnam, and sentimental father-daughter flashbacks reveal that military service is “part of our heritage.”
There are some novel aspects, however. While ’80s action movies tend to pit our reluctant American heroes against South American drug cartels, the threat in Trigger Warning comes from within. Not only is Parker a woman of color, but she’s also up against white male terrorists – rednecks who illegally sell military weapons and are on a crusade to preserve “liberty, faith and family” at all costs.
Overall, Trigger Warning could be described as the ultimate Friday night movie show: the film is both incredibly entertaining and forgettable. Perhaps that’s why – despite making the top 10 Netflix movies list – it only received a dismal Rotten Tomatoes rating of 23%.
-Rachel Williamson
exposure
Stan
This review deals with the topic of suicide.
Grief drives much of Exposure, a new arthouse thriller series set primarily in Port Kembla, Wollongong. The series is created by Lucy Coleman, directed by Bonnie Moir and stars Alice Englert in a strong lead role.
Episode one begins with the tragic suicide of Kel (Mia Artemis). Kel is discovered by her best friend Jacs (Englert), whose photograph of the discovery wins her a controversial art prize. Shattered by the loss, Jacs returns home to stay with her mother (Essie Davies). When she goes through Kel’s phone, she discovers some disturbing messages that set off a wider investigation.
Exposure cleverly uses a mysterious framework to explore Jacs’ grief. She knows that Kel regularly visited a man in Port Kembla, so she might find some answers there. Who is this man? Did he play a role in her death?
The investigation is intercut with footage of the two girls’ boozy trip to Bali, where they drank, danced and met a party boy named Raffa (Sean Keenan). The loud, sudden cuts to the past reminded me of Sharp Objects, another brilliant series about dealing with trauma.
Exposure is a tough film – some scenes are particularly hard to stomach – but it’s fantastic to see such well-crafted Australian stories on screen.
– Stuart Richards
If this article has raised concerns for you, or you are worried about someone you know, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
