98 Best Thought-provoking Movies On Netflix Australia (Page 7)

While the film attempts to depict teenage sexuality, Dear David misses the mark due to certain plot points. At the heart of the film, Dear David is all about expression – that teenagers actively seek for ways to explore their sexuality like fanfiction, photos, and clothing. In taking on this premise, the hope for these kids would be to be able to to express these feelings through safe and constructive spaces. But because the film only presents Laras’ work as porn without plot, her relationship with David doesn’t feel like it stems from genuine affection. David isn’t characterized as popular enough for everyone to have a good concept of him, to have a positive canon narrative about him, and so, as Laras’ work spreads, it’s only his objectified self people have in mind. Her creative work comes across as some form of sexual harassment, rather than innocent expression.

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Actor: Agnes Naomi, Caitlin North Lewis, Chanceline Ebel, Claudy Putri, Emir Mahira, Frans Nicholas, Izabel Jahja, Jenny Zhang, Lutesha, Natalius Chendana, Palestina Irtiza, Restu Sinaga, Ricky Saldan, Shenina Cinnamon

Director: Lucky Kuswandi

There’s something frightening about being consistently spurned due to circumstances out of your control. This is the main concern of Pulimada’s Vincent, since he’s not marriage material due to his family’s history of mental illness. The twisty plot is reminiscent of old gothic mysteries, complete with a tiger metaphor, but the execution is off, especially since it takes more than two thirds of the film before there’s anything to fear. It’s clear that Pulimada has an engaging, though dated concept, and Joju George’s transformation for Vincent could have definitely gotten there. But entering this tiger’s den feels like a letdown when there’s no risk, no style, no intrigue in the film’s approach.

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Actor: Abu Salim, Aishwarya Rajesh, Balachandra Menon, Chemban Vinod Jose, Dileesh Nair, Jaffer Idukki, Jeo Baby, Johny Antony, Joju George, Krishna Prabha, Lijomol Jose

Director: A K Sajan

Starting out with an ad for the protagonist’s practice, Irugapatru clearly advocates for couples therapy and marriage counseling. Dr. Mitra even recommends it as a preventative measure, not just as a cure. However, this well-meaning objective doesn’t feel like it’s been met. The film showcases common fights and situations that any couple might be familiar with, but these instances come and go without seeing any development within each marriage. It dumps a set of psychology theories and therapeutic strategies that might be useful, but it seems to come out of nowhere. But most of all, these relationships don’t feel real, because the characters themselves don’t feel like people, they feel like examples. Because of this, Irugapatru doesn’t really explore couples therapy, it only prescribes it without recognizing the love that was lost.

Genre: Drama, Family, Romance

Actor: Abarnathi, Manobala, Saniya Iyyappan, Shraddha Srinath, Sri, Vidharth, Vikram Prabhu

Director: Yuvaraj Dhayalan

The premise is really exciting to jump into: Paralympic domination feels original, but the cartoonish crime underbelly is not at all the best wrinkle to add to the initial idea. The sports and family drama side of the action feels grounded, full of heart, and far from being fleshed out to a satisfying degree. In contrast, the dark world side of the action has a Hollywood emptiness to it, which is ironic because the premise is heavy enough on its own, only to be overcrowded by this sci-fi noise. It could do without a lot of the elements, but maybe all the bloat is intentional to move the story away from a political conversation and into a safer albeit uneventful one.

Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

Actor: Bruno Gagliasso, Christian Malheiros, Danton Mello, Erika Januza, Gabz, Guta Ruiz, Jessica Córes, Klebber Toledo, Miguel Falabella, Nill Marcondes, Paulo Vilhena

Director: Afonso Poyart

Rating: R