It’s unavoidable; that time of the year is here again. If you don’t have a bae to spoil or carve cucumbers with this Feb 14, break out the ol’ laptop and catch a flick instead. We don’t fancy the phrase “Anti-Valentine’s”; so here are some alternative shows to watch to kill the mood.
A Ghost Story
In this heartbreaking drama film from David Lowery, a quietly beautiful couple in the form of Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara have their lives ripped apart in a single night, when Affleck’s character is killed in a car accident. The rest of the film is a slow, mostly wordless, unraveling of a widow’s grief, framed unexpectedly through the perspective of Affleck—who returns as a sheeted ghost. The small Texas house in which the couple lived in becomes a vessel for the storytelling too, holding time, memory, love, loss and all the histories of owners past; before wrapping things up with a mind-bending twist. This one’s for those who have loved and lost, and just want a good bawl. Tissues very much required.
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
We don’t mean to be a buzzkill, but then again a true crime documentary about one of America’s most notorious serial killers is guaranteed to put romance furthest from your mind. The four-part series directed by Joe Berlinger compiles interviews and archival footage of Ted Bundy, who assaulted and murdered numerous women and young girls in the ‘70s (he confessed to 30 homicides). Most chillingly, he decapitated at least 12 victims and kept their heads as souvenirs in his apartment. He’s recently turned into a bit of an unfortunate celebrity in America—thanks to this series, and an upcoming biographical film starring Zac Efron in the titular role; but also because he was often described as handsome and charming. It’s often speculated that Bundy’s actions were set off by being spurned by a first love, Stephanie Brooks. Decide for yourself; and ladies, be careful who you dump.
Now streaming on Netflix
It Follows
If there’s one film to make you glad you’re single and sexually inactive, you can bet it’s David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows. The 2014 supernatural psychological horror flick has a simple premise that plays off one certain Coach Carr’s infamous quote: ‘Don’t have sex, because you will (get pregnant and) die.’ In a spoiler-free nutshell, having sex generates a shapeshifting entity that will follow you to your deathbed unless you pass it on; a group of sexually active teenagers finds this out the hard way. No prizes for guessing what the entity is symbolic of.
Sex Education
The British comedy-drama Netflix original was only released here Feb 1, but has already slipped into multiple hearts across the globe—ours included. In a devastatingly picturesque English town, awkward teenager Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) lives with his divorced mother Jean (Gillian Anderson), a well-known sex therapist. Fate works its mysterious hand and Otis ends up befriending the school bad-girl Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) to run a sex clinic dispensing sex advice to the horny teenagers in their school.
The eight-episode series starts out a laugh at first—complete with some hilarious sex scenes that go pretty heavy-handed on the nudity—but manages laudable character development in its progression. It also respectfully explores some important social issues: racism, homophobia, bullying and peer pressure—with supporting actor Ncuti Gatwa (Otis’ best friend Eric) shining in his role, in bearing the brunt of it. Sex Education celebrates the weird and the wonderful of its high school students; its cheeky title is a deliberate misnomer for the heartfelt messages it hides, and definitely one to watch if you’re in need of some heart-warming.
Now streaming on Netflix
The Bachelor
Specifically, Season 23 Ep. 4. The American reality dating show with its outdated values and sexist overtones might seem like the last thing you’d want to watch if you’re protesting love and all its grand gestures. But fret not; today you’ll be watching it as comedy. Episode 4 sees bachelor Colton Underwood take his gaggle of girls out of the Los Angeles mansion and to a new, exotic destination to fall in love—none other than our charming city of Singapore. The episode, which aired live in the US two weeks back, caused a furor here when it portrayed Asian cuisine as weird and disgusting—choosing to serve the cast fish eyes, pig’s trotters and other offal-heavy dishes, likely in a bid to get more dramatic reactions from the women. Pair the culture-shaming with a bizarre soundtrack of oriental EDM music, the women toting paper fans on a walk through Chinatown, and a seriously misplaced fortune teller dispensing nonsensical fortunes—you’ll be cheered up in no time. Sadly, there’s no one channel in the region that screens the series, but we’re sure with a quick Google around you’ll figure it out.
