The SLMan Culture List – October

A Friend of the Family is a nine-parter based on the harrowing true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by a charismatic, obsessed family ‘friend’. The Brobergs – devoted to their faith, family and community – were utterly unprepared for the sophisticated tactics their neighbour used to exploit their vulnerabilities, drive them apart and turn their daughter against them. This is the story of how their lives were permanently altered – and how they survived. Its cracking ensemble cast brings together Anna Paquin (The Irishman), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus), Colin Hanks (The Offer) and Mckenna Grace (The Handmaid’s Tale).

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Forthcoming cinema release Amsterdam is a crime epic about three close friends who find themselves at the center of one of the most shocking secret plots in American history. A fascinating tale that brilliantly weaves historical fact with fiction, the film stars a truly impressive cast of award winners and A-listers, including Christian Bale, Rami Malek, Robert De Niro, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Alessandro Nivola, Andrea Riseborough, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Rock, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Shannon, Mike Myers, Taylor Swift, Timothy Olyphant and Zoe Saldaña. Oh, and it’s directed by David O Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter, American Hustle).

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Richard E. Grant emigrated from Swaziland to London in 1982, with dreams of making it as an actor, when he unexpectedly met and fell in love with renowned dialect coach Joan Washington. Their relationship and marriage, navigating the highs and lows of Hollywood, parenthood and loss, lasted almost 40 years. When Joan died in 2021, her final challenge to him was to find ‘a pocketful of happiness in every day’. This honest and frequently hilarious memoir is written in honour of that challenge. Richard has faithfully kept a diary since childhood, and in these entries he shares in raw detail everything he has experienced: the pain of losing his wife and the excitement of their life together; the role that transformed his life overnight in Withnail & I; and his thrilling Oscar nomination 30 years later for Can You Ever Forgive Me?

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A page-turning story with a cast of unforgettable characters, The Satsuma Complex is the funny first novel by author and comedian Bob Mortimer. Gary Thorn goes for a pint with a work acquaintance called Brendan. When Brendan leaves early, Gary meets a girl in the pub. He doesn’t catch her name, but falls for her anyway. When she suddenly disappears without saying goodbye, all Gary has to remember her by is the book she was reading: The Satsuma Complex. But when Brendan goes missing, Gary needs to track down the girl he now calls Satsuma to get some answers. And so begins Gary’s quest, through the estates and pie shops of South London, to finally bring some love and excitement into his unremarkable life.

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The Bear follows Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a young chef from the fine-dining world who comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop – The Original Beef of Chicagoland – after a death in his family. A world away from what he’s used to, Carmy must balance the soul-crushing realities of small business ownership, his strong-willed and recalcitrant kitchen staff, and his strained familial relationships – all while grappling with the impact of his brother’s suicide. As Carmy fights to transform both The Original Beef of Chicagoland and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges kitchen crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family.

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Alan Rickman remains one of the most loved actors of all time across almost every genre – from his breakout role as Die Hard's villainous Hans Gruber to his heart-wrenching run as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film franchise. In this posthumous book, his diaries are laid bare, running from 1993 to his death in 2016, and offering insight into both a public and private life. Rickman's writing details the extraordinary and the ordinary in a way that is anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid. Madly, Deeply includes a foreword by his friend and actor Emma Thompson and a selection of Rickman's early diaries, dating from 1974 to 1982, when his acting life began.

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Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy (The Road) is back with not one, but two new tales. This month, The Passenger lands. In 1980s Mississippi, Bobby Western discovers a sunken jet – nine bodies still buckled in their seats. Missing from the crash site are the pilot's flight bag, the plane's black box and the tenth passenger. But how? A collateral witness to machinations that can only bring him harm, Western is shadowed by men with badges; by the ghost of his father, inventor of the bomb that melted glass and flesh in Hiroshima; and by his sister, the love and ruin of his soul. Traversing the American South, from the bar rooms of New Orleans to an abandoned oil rig off the Florida coast, this is a novel that explores the madness of human consciousness. In December, Stella Maris – which focuses on Bobby’s sister – will be released, and both books will be available to buy as a boxed set.

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