The SLMan Culture List – February

THE ESSENTIAL READ: The Snakehead by Patrick Radden Keefe

In this thrilling panorama of real-life events, the bestselling author of Empire of Pain investigates a secret world run by a surprising criminal: a charismatic middle-aged grandmother who, from a tiny noodle shop in New York’s Chinatown, managed a multimillion-dollar business smuggling people. In The Snakehead, Patrick Radden Keefe reveals the inner workings of Sister Ping’s complex empire and recounts the decade-long FBI investigation that eventually brought her down. He follows an often incompetent and sometimes corrupt immigration service as it pursues desperate immigrants risking everything to come to America. Along the way, he paints a stunning portrait of a generation of undocumented immigrants and the intricate underground economy that sustains and exploits them.

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THE FIRST NOVEL: One Small Voice by Santanu Bhattacharya

From debut author Santanu Bhattacharya, this is a story of friendship and family, ambition and tradition, and a young man coming of age in a country on fire. India, 1992. The country is ablaze with riots. In Lucknow, ten-year-old Shubhankar witnesses a terrible act of mob violence that will alter the course of his life: one to which his family turn a blind eye. As he approaches adulthood, Shabby focuses on the only path he believes will buy him an escape – good school, good degree, good job, good car. But when he arrives in Mumbai in his 20s, he begins to question whether there might be other roads he could choose. His new friends, Syed and Shruti, are asking the same questions – together, buoyed by the freedom of the big city, they are rewriting their stories. As the rising tide of nationalism sweeps across the country, and their friendship becomes the rock they all cling to, this new life suddenly seems fragile. And before Shabby can chart his way forward, he must reckon with the ghosts of his past.

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THE POLITICAL DRAMA: The Independent

Starring Brian Cox (Succession), Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen and Slim), John Cena (The Suicide Squad) and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), The Independent is the story of a budding investigative journalist Eli who uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the very foundations of Washington DC. It’s the final weeks of the most consequential presidential election campaign in US history. America is poised to elect either its first female president or finally break the country’s two-party gridlock with its first viable independent candidate. Reporting history as it’s made, an idealistic young journalist gets an opportunity to work with her idol, veteran Washington political columnist Nick Booker. Eli is pursuing a story about budget cuts, and by following the money she and Booker uncover a financial conspiracy that places the fate of the election, the country, and democracy in their hands.

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THE ACTION FLICK: Plane

If Con Air is (rightly) up there as one of your all-time favourites, put Plane on your must-watch list. Pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island – only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When dangerous rebels take most of the passengers hostage, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI.

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THE FILM TO STREAM: Sharper

No one is who they seem in upcoming Apple TV+ film Sharper, a neo-noir thriller of secrets and lies set among New York City's bedrooms, barrooms and boardrooms. Characters compete for riches and power in a high stakes game of ambition, greed, lust and jealousy that will keep audiences guessing until the final moment. Stars Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, Darren Goldstein and the ever excellent John Lithgow.

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THE TRAVEL SHOW: The Reluctant Traveller

The Reluctant Traveller is a globe-trotting travel series hosted by Emmy award winner Eugene Levy (Schitt’s Creek). Its eight episodes follow Levy as he visits some of the world’s most beautiful and intriguing destinations in Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Portugal, South Africa and the United States, exploring remarkable hotels and the places and cultures surrounding them. Self-confessedly not your typical travel show host – he’s not usually adventurous or well-versed in globe-trotting – Levy agrees the time is finally right for him to broaden his horizons. Packing his suitcase with some trepidation, he hopes his experiences might lead to a whole new chapter in life, even if that means confronting some of his long-held fears.

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THE LONG-AWAITED READ: Victory City by Salman Rushdie

This is the first novel from Booker prize-winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie since he was brutally attacked on stage in the US last summer. Victory City is set in the wake of an insignificant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in 14th-century southern India, where a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for the goddess Parvati, who begins to speak out of the girl's mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa's comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga – 'victory city', the wonder of the world. Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, this is a saga of love, adventure and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling.

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THE WESTERN DRAMA: Django

Loosely based on Sergio Corbucci’s cult classic film, Django stars the award-winning Matthias Schoenaerts (The Danish Girl, Rust and Bone) as the iconic title character. In Texas in the late 1800s, Django is a jaded cowboy in search of the daughter he thought he'd lost. Following her trail, he comes upon New Babylon, a town at the bottom of a crater, where outcasts are welcome and everyone is equal and free. Here, Django discovers that his 20-year-old daughter Sarah is alive and set to marry John Ellis, the founder of New Babylon. Sarah – who blames her father for the death of their family, massacred many years earlier while he was at war – wants Django to leave. But he refuses to give up and does everything in his power to get a second chance with her, becoming a valuable ally for Ellis, who must defend the town from Elizabeth Thurman's attacks. Unbeknown to them, Django, John and Sarah are linked by a web of secrets and a dark past that’s bound to resurface.

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THE TRUE-CRIME DOC: The Man Who Stole The Scream

This is the remarkable story of the theft of one of the most iconic paintings in history. Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ was stolen during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Norway in an outrageously bold art heist that triggered a thrilling cat-and-mouse caper, involving the Norwegian authorities, the global media and Scotland Yard’s specialist Art Squad. Only one man was ever convicted of the crime – former professional footballer Pål Enger. Why did he do it and what really happened? Was his motive money, fame or an obsession that’s haunted him since he first saw the painting as a child on a school trip? Mischievous and profoundly moving, this is an extraordinary Scandi noir-style psychological crime doc.

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THE SPORTS DOC: Shaq

Featuring a series of revealing interviews with Shaquille O’Neal, Shaq tells the story of a basketball legend unlike any other, whose larger-than-life personality transcended the sport and transformed him into a cultural icon. The documentary series chronicles Shaq’s ascent to superstardom, as a dominant force who won four NBA championships, league MVP honours and changed the game. It also encompasses his life off the court, from his upbringing in a military family to his deepest personal relationships and prosperous broadcasting and business careers.

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THE FUN SCI-FI SERIES: Hello Tomorrow!

Hello Tomorrow! is an Apple Original dramedy starring Billy Crudup. Set in a retro-future world, the series centres around a group of travelling salesmen hawking lunar timeshares. Crudup stars as Jack, a salesman of great talent and ambition, whose unshakeable faith in a brighter tomorrow inspires his co-workers, revitalises his desperate customers, but threatens to leave him dangerously lost in the very dream that sustains him. The ensemble cast includes Haneefah Wood, Alison Pill, Nicholas Podany, Dewshane Williams, Hank Azaria, Matthew Maher and Jacki Weaver.

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THE FRENCH THRILLER: Liaison

Liaison is a six-episode thriller series starring César award-winner Vincent Cassel and Eva Green – and is the first French and English language Apple Original series. A high-stakes, contemporary thriller exploring how the mistakes of our past have the potential to destroy our future, it combines action with an unpredictable, multi-layered plot where espionage and political intrigue play out against a story of passionate and enduring love.

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THE OSCAR SHOO-IN: The Whale

From director Darren Aronofsky, The Whale stars Brendan Fraser in his first role in forever, alongside Hong Chau, Samantha Morton and Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink. In this Oscar-tipped role, Fraser plays a reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity, who attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.

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