We can really use some good distraction from reality right now. One ready source is Netflix of course. Here’s a summary of its offerings this April. If you’ve missed what came to the streaming giant last month, you can check them out here.
tigertail
After clinching the Primetime Emmy Award for comedy series Park and Recreation, and three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for comedy-drama series Master of None, director Alan Yang is looking to fill his trophy cabinet further with his latest film Tigertail.
The Netflix original film focuses on a Taiwanese man (played by Tzi Ma, The Farewell), who migrates to the US in search of the American Dream. The decision, however, haunts him throughout his life because he has had to settle for an arranged marriage and a low-paying job instead. It’s a classic case of the road not taken, but craftily and poignantly delivered by Yang.
Date: 10 April
The Innocence Files
Whether because of police corruption or misleading forensic evidence, more than 150 Americans have been wrongfully convicted in 2018 alone. To shed light on the scale of such miscarriage of justice, Netflix, with the help of The Innocence Project, has introduced a limited documentary series, The Innocence Files, highlighting eight high profile prosecutions—Chester Hollman III, Kenneth Wyniemko, Alfred Dewayne Brown, Thomas Haynesworth, Franky Carrillo, Levon Brooks, Kennedy Brewer, and Keith Harward—the organisation has worked to overturn.
Date: 15 April
Sergio
After debuting on Netflix as Pablo Escobar in 2015’s Narcos, actor Wagner Moura tackles a new role as the film’s titular character. Ana de Armas, who garnered notice in the critically acclaimed Knives Out, plays the love of his life.
As a UN diplomat, Sergio Vieira de Mello believes he can help bring peace to every country he’s assigned to. However, he finds himself caught in the enemy’s crossfire and trapped under shifting rubble in his latest mission. If you enjoyed World Trade Centre and 127 Hours, you’ll probably enjoy this movie.
Date: 17 April
Too Hot to Handle
Because Netflix’s Love Is Blind was such a hit, it’s been signed on for two more seasons. This is huge considering that Marvel’s Luke Cage, which had garnered nominations at the BET Awards and People’s Choice Awards, got cancelled after two. Netflix audiences penchant for dating-reality series is now fed by its latest offering Too Hot To Handle.
Unlike LIB, THTH is about physical appearances. The producers place 10 attractive single men and women together in a villa to face one challenge: chastity. What’s at stake isn’t love and a happy-ever-after, but $100k worth of prize money. So let’s see if the candidates can keep their hands to themselves to the very end.
Date: 17 April
Extraction
The last time we saw Chris Hemsworth in uniform was when he played Captain Mitch Nelson in Nicolai Fuglsig’s 12 Strong. It’s been two since and Hemsworth has slipped back into military regalia in the Russo brothers’ Extraction.
Unlike the heroics of his previous character, Hemsworth plays a black market mercenary, Tyler Rake, embarking on his most lucrative mission. That is until he meets a young boy who pushes him into a spiral of self-reflection and inspires him to become a better man.
The film also features Stranger Things star David Harbour and Derek Luke of 13 Reasons Why.
Date: 24 April
Extracurricular
“Time is money” is very much the central theme of Netflix’s new South Korean series, Extracurricular.
Actor Kim Dong-hee, of Netflix’s earlier series Itaewon Class, plays a high-school student deeply involved in the criminal sphere outside school hours as he looks to gather as much money as possible to pay for a college education. But as the money flows in, problems also surface, jeopardising the safety of his loved ones. He quickly learns that the promise of easy money is nothing but a trap.
Date: 24 April
Other honourable mentions: Money Heist (Season Four) (3 April), Brew Brothers (Season One) (10 April), Rising High (17 April), Earth and Blood (17 April), Cooked with Cannabis (20 April), Afterlife (Season Two) (24 April) and Dangerous Lies (30 April).