What must YOU watch on OTT this week?

The year is ending, but the OTT shows no signs of slowing down. Sukanya Verma brings you everything you can catch this week.

 

Mank
Where to watch? Netflix
Language: English

A David Fincher film is always a special occasion.

It's no different for Mank on which the film-maker began work long before he made his directorial debut.

Starring Gary Oldman as legendary screenwriter Herman J Mankiewicz, the black and white drama tells his life story whilst highlighting his contribution in making the Orson Welles masterpiece Citizen Kane what it is.

 

Mulan
Where to watch? Disney Hotstar
Language: English

Disney's live-action treatment of its animated classics continues with Mulan that had to settle for an OTT release post pandemic concerns.

Sweeping imagery, slick action and a spirited young woman coming into her own in a man's world -- there’s method than mythology to Mulan's retelling. But it's still good for a one-time watch.

 

Sound of Metal
Where to watch? Amazon Prime Video
Language: English

Riz Ahmed delivers one of the best performances of his career as a drummer losing his hearing in Director (The Place Beyond the Pines) Darius Marder's poignant drama.

Steering clear of the clichés associated with the genre, Sound of Metal looks at disability with possibilities not constraint.

 

Godmothered
Where to watch? Disney Hotstar
Language: English

If you enjoyed Amy Adams's ditzy adventures outside fairy tale cartoons in Disney's 2007 musical Enchanted, you're sure to be amused by the light-hearted frolic of a rookie fairy godmother waving her wand on a down-and-out single mom.

 

Darbaan
Where to watch? Zee5Premium
Language: Hindi

In this Zee5 original film based on Rabindranath Tagore's story, a domestic help's devotion to his masters comes at the expense of his personal life.

Darbaan hugely benefits from its leading man Sharib Hashmi's compelling portrayal of unquestioning servitude.

 

Detention: The Series
Where to watch? Netflix
Language: Taiwanese (with subtitles)

Based on a video game, Detention is a horror TV series where an anguished high school student's ghostly encounter leads to other unsettling discoveries all the way to Taiwan's White Terror period.

Creepy ambience, abundant intrigue, Detention packages suspense and dark chapters of history in one.

 

Earth at Night in Color
Where to watch? Apple TV Plus
Language: English

Tom Hiddleston lends his charismatic voice to share enriching insights into the night life of fauna in this brand new docuseries streaming on Apple's OTT platform.

Shot across six continents, Earth at Night in Color boasts of breath-taking images and sophisticated technology.

 

Pawn Sacrifice
Where to watch? Amazon Prime Video
Language: English

Thanks to The Queen's Gambit, chess is trending big time.

From selling game boards to streaming movies about it, you name it.

Get on the chequered bandwagon with Edward Zwick's biographical thriller engaged in a battle of strategies between Grandmasters Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky.

Tobey Maguire's nuanced portrait of Fischer's genius and troubles is reason enough to not miss it.

 

The Passenger
Where to watch? Mubi
Language: English

Michelangelo Antonioni's cult classic depicts existential crisis at its stinging best through the experiences of a disenchanted war correspondent assuming the identity of a deceased lookalike.

As it turns out, the latter worked as an illegal arms dealer.

Needless to say, Jack Nicholson's stunning presence as both adds to its critically-acclaimed allure.

Baboo Band Baaja
Where to watch? Amazon Prime Video
Language: Marathi (With subtitles)

Rajesh Pinjani's National Award-winning film shares the dilemma of a boy whose father wants him to follow his footsteps and work as a wedding band musician while his mother wants him to focus on his studies.

Strong performances and an emotional narrative of a socio-politico scenario lend Baboo Band Baaja its heft and Marathi cinema another feather in its cap.

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