TV: Descendant (Netflix)
The great thing about the new Netflix documentary, Descendant, is that it's a bit different from the usual. Netflix is renown for its true crime documentaries but Descendant is a history lesson that will open many people’s eyes to a secret and largely untold story.
Director Margaret Brown's tells an untold chapter in the history of the slave trade, as the Clotilda — the last ship to take kidnapped Africans to America — was destroyed by arson to hide the evidence that it ever existed. Now, in a province of Alabama called Africatown, the descendants of those slaves tell their ancestor's stories.
Descendant is utterly engaging as it removes the covers from an untold part of American history and is a documentary that absolutely needed to be made. Highly recommended.
Film: “A Haunting in Venice” dir. Kenneth Branagh (out now in cinemas)
Another outing for Branagh and iconic detective, Hercule Poirot. The story takes place in Venice with Poirot coming out of retirement, tempted by long-time friend Adradne Oliver to try to expose a psychic grifter (played by Michelle Yeoh).
What follows is a thoroughly entertaining mix of fun and spookiness as the body-count rises and the truth is gradually revealed to Poirot. This is the director’s third attempt at bringing the celebrated sleuth back to the big screen and while it strays a little from a faithful recreation of the original Agatha Christie novel, it’s by far the best one.
Music: Olivia Rodrigo “Guts” (Geffen/Interscope Records, streaming platforms)
Probably one of the most anticipated album releases of the year, Olivia Rodrigo’s second album “Guts” does not disappoint and assures us that there’s far more to her than just another Gen-Z actress-turned-pop-star.
On “Guts”, the 20-year-old turns her own vulnerability into a rallying cry: she’s out of control, running headfirst into adventure, desire and the modern female experience. She sings of how women are expected to moderate their emotion when in the public eye, dissecting troubled love, revenge fantasies and the impossibility of maintaining healthy relationships when under the watchful eye of social media.
Some sublime production and some compellingly unflattering lyrics, Olivia tells her story and asserts herself with confidence and defiance. “Guts” doesn’t just feel like a progression in a musical sense, it also shows the end of her teenage years and works as a blistering display of power, range and versatility. Highly recommended!
Standout track: “Vampire”, a superb piano-led cautionary tale of fame and trust.
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