Travel plans may be postponed for the time being but that doesn’t mean you can’t have an international staycation at home. Give your watchlist a representation makeover and see the world through these amazing movies and shows—all while avoiding TSA. Check out our list of international finds to get you through social distancing.
1. Killing Eve (United Kingdom)
Villanelle (Jodie Comer) is a psychopathic assassin, and Eve (Sandra Oh) is the woman charged with hunting her down; the two fiercely intelligent women, equally obsessed with each other, go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse. Recommended to us on Instagram as a social distancing must-see, Killing Eve is an exciting crime drama starring and written by women. In 2018, Sandra Oh made Emmy and Golden Globes herstory as the first Asian woman to win in multiple categories.
2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire snagged our #MediaWeLike title earlier this year, and if you still haven’t seen it—now is the perfect opportunity. Celine Sciamma’s masterpiece deservedly received a rave review in our Weekly Action: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire was written, directed, filmed, and produced by a team of talented women, and features a nearly all-women cast. It’s a refreshing break from the male gaze, a challenge to heteronormative storytelling and the fetishization of queer women. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a liberating cinematic experience.”
3. Queen Sono (South Africa)
Queen Sono is a drama about a secret agent who fights crime while dealing with crises in her personal life. Queen Sono is delivering something you don’t often see on Netflix. Critic Daniel Fienberg gets it so right: “If you actually tune in for the Alias-esque thriller, you’ll be exposed to a dozen languages, several of which you probably haven’t heard on your TV, and to a cultural and geopolitical backdrop that makes the familiar plot feel distinctive and somewhat new.”
4. Roma (Mexico)
Roma artfully chronicled the life of an indigenous domestic worker in 1970s Mexico. Mexican Director Alfonso Cuarón was the first person to win both Best Director and Best Cinematography for a single film for Roma in 2019. And in one of his acceptance speeches, Cuarón acknowledged “…the Academy for recognizing a film centered around an indigenous woman. One of the 70 million domestic workers in the world without workers’ rights.” Yalitza Aparicio was the first Indigenous woman and the fourth ever Latinx actress nominated for Best Actress for her role in Roma.
5. Reply 1988 (Korea)
If you’re nostalgic for the 80s and in the mood for a feel-good show, look no further than Reply 1988 on Netflix. This show centers on high school student Deok-sun and the roles she fills, from being the alpha female of her all-male friend group to being the middle child of her close-knit family. A heart-warming depiction of family and friendship, the “comfort found in ‘Reply 1988’ may be the evidence that, across space and time, families yell about the same things, friends geek out over the same things, and songs are written about the same things.”
6. Elite (Spain)
When three working-class teenagers begin attending an exclusive private school in Spain, the clash between them and the wealthy students leads to murder. Teen drama, a murder mystery, and class division commentary—what more do you need? Elite is so good, calling it just another teen soap would be doing it a disservice. “Elite, full of nuance in its discussions about class, privilege, and sexuality, doesn’t have to be relegated to yet another guilty pleasure.”
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