New to Netflix UK: April 2023
From Richard Armitage creating erotic tension in Obsession to Lewis Capaldi confronting his demons in How I'm Feeling Now, Netflix in April examines the secrets in people's souls
UK Netflix release date: Thursday 13 April
If eroticism has faded at the cinema, it’s vibrant and alive on television. In fact, many erotic thrillers from back in the day are being remade into TV shows (Dead Ringers, Fatal Attraction, etc). The latest example is Obsession, starring Stay Close’s Richard Armitage and Happy Valley’s Charlie Murphy as two very inappropriate lovers.
William (Armitage) is a top surgeon, loved by his wife Ingrid (Indira Varma) and his son Jay (Rish Shah). But he has a darker side: embarking on a steamy, intense affair with Jay’s fiancée Anna (Murphy). Adapted by the feminist playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, this sizzling, four-part drama aims to be a more nuanced version of Josephine Hart’s 1991 novel Damage.
Beef
UK Netflix release date: Thursday 6 April
After leaving The Walking Dead, Steven Yuen dipped into many small and fascinating projects including Sorry to Bother You, Burning and Minari (for which he was Oscar-nominated) – showing his breadth and intrigue as an actor. Now, he stars alongside Paper Girls' Ali Wong in Beef, a black comedy from the indie company A24 (Euphoria).
And
it’s a wonderfully weird concept. Yuen and Wong play drivers whose road-rage argument turns into a much longer feud. They come from
different backgrounds: Danny (Yeun) is a failing contractor and Amy is a
wealthy entrepreneur with a picturesque life. As the conflict continues,
their lives unravel with hilarious and poignant results.
Transatlantic
UK Netflix release date: Friday 7 April
Immigration has always been an important issue, inspiring the best and worst of humanity. The new period drama Transatlantic captures its empathies and divisions within Nazi-occupied France, following the valiant efforts of the Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC).
Formed
by journalist Varian Fry (portrayed by Cory Michael Smith) and helped by heiress
Mary Jane Gold (Gillian Jacobs) in 1940, the ERC rescued over 2000 refugees
including Hannah Arendt, André Breton and Max Ernst. This
seven-part series – punctuated by laughs and lovemaking – shows their struggles
navigating the Nazis, the local police, and the American diplomats.
Lewis Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now
UK Netflix release date: Wednesday 5 April
It’s become a trend for musicians like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish to reveal themselves in one-off documentaries, which examine the people behind the art. Now, it’s Lewis Capaldi’s turn. Capaldi is a swift success story: breaking through in 2018 with his first UK number-one single Someone You Loved, which has reached over 2.7 billion plays on Spotify. He’s also a funny, charismatic presence in interviews and on social media.
How I’m Feeling Now (named after his latest
single) shows Capaldi behind the scenes, dealing with anxiety and
panic attacks while trying to reconnect with his pre-fame life.
Moonage Daydream
UK Netflix release date: Wednesday 5 April
The death of David Bowie – mere days after releasing his sombre last album Blackstar – catalysed an infamous year of celebrity departures. Many Bowie documentaries have since been made (as well as a vacuous biopic starring Johnny Flynn), but Brett Morgan’s galactic effort Moonage Daydream is a moving, wondrous, hallucinogenic tribute to the great starman.
The film plunges into a fevered
tapestry, stitching together many hours of archive footage from concerts to
interviews – rifling through various stages of Bowie’s stardom. Given that his music
and personas possessed a surreal, subconscious flair, Moonage Daydream
is edited with much the same elegance. This is a documentary you
experience rather than study, much like Bowie himself.
The full Netflix in April slate:
Saturday 1
April
The
Deep House
Home
Thirteen
The
Whole Truth
Sunday 2
April
War
Sailor
Tuesday 4
April
Colors
of Love
Mo’Nique:
My Name is Mo’Nique
Wednesday 5
April
Lewis
Capaldi: How I’m Feeling Now
Moonage
Daydream
Thursday 6
April
Beef
Monster
Hunter
Friday 7
April
Chupa
Oh
Belinda
Thicker
Than Water
Transatlantic
Wednesday 12
April
American
Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing
Thursday 13
April
Florida
Man
Nobody
Obsession
Running for my Truth: Alex Schwazer
Friday 14
April
The
Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die
Queenmaker
Weathering
Saturday 15
April
Keeping
Up With the Kardashians, season 13
The
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, season 8
Sunday 16
April
2
Hearts
Tuesday 18
April
How
to Get Rich
Longest
Third Date
Wednesday 19
April
Chimp
Empire
The
Marked Heart, season 2
Mighty
Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always
Thursday 20
April
Brooklyn
Nine-Nine, season 8
The
Diplomat
Friday 21
April
Chokehold
Indian
Matchmaking, season 3
One
More Time
Rough Diamonds
A
Tourist’s Guide to Love
Tuesday 25
April
John
Mulaney: Baby J
Wednesday 26
April
Love
After Music
Thursday 27
April
The
Matchmaker
Sweet
Tooth, season 2
Friday 28
April
AKA
King
of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch
