Five things to watch this weekend
Three Pines — Showmax
Alfred Molina gets the spotlight in this slight but effective series adaptation of the books by Louise Penny. Molina gives suitable emotional gravity to the role of overly empathetic Montreal homicide Inspector Gamache who, when he crosses the line and shows himself to be a little too willing to listen to the protesting families of missing indigenous children, is sent off to the small town of Three Pines to investigate the murder of a wealthy local woman. His investigation opens a can of worms both for the community of Three Pines and for Gamache, who is haunted by ghosts of his own.
Rogue Agent — Prime Video
James Norton and Gemma Arterton star in this intriguing spy thriller inspired by the true story of British con man Robert Freegard, who used the insecure, paranoid atmosphere of the Irish troubles to his advantage in the 1990s to convince unwitting students and other useful collaborators to help spy on the IRA. Several years later Freegard seduces a young woman named Alice Archer, who in spite of her better judgment finds herself falling hard for his charms but begins to suspect that he may not be what he claims after she does some digging.
The Clearing — Disney Plus
This thriller series is adapted from the 2020 novel In the Clearing by JP Pomare, inspired by the story of the real-life Australian cult known as “the Family”, which operated in Melbourne from the late 1960s to the 1980s. The story is told through a time-jumping pair of narratives — one following the experiences of a former cult member; and the other set in the present, where the disappearance of a young girl with a connection to the Family raises fears that the cult has reformed. Miranda Otto gives a fearsomely threatening performance as cult mother Adrienne and the show slowly but surely paints a murky picture of the relationships that bind cult members, both past and present, in a nightmare of codependency, manipulation and betrayal.
The Son — Rent or buy from Apple TV+
Hugh Jackman stars in Florian Zeller’s follow-up to his Oscar nominated 2020 drama, The Father. This time it’s the relationship between fathers and sons that’s under inspection in an uneven but not unsatisfying melodrama in which Jackman plays a remarried man who is dealt a harsh reminder of his past life when his ex-wife arrives at his door and deposits their teenage son in his care. Jackman’s struggles with this new, complicated relationship with a troubled teenager lead him to question his own relationship with his father as he tries to reconcile the failings of his own past with the difficult demands of his hectic present.
Fubar — Netflix
Timed for release just ahead of the upcoming Netflix docuseries about his life and career, 75-year-old action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new action comedy series is either just as much Arnie as his fans needed or way too much for anyone’s liking. Schwarzenegger plays a CIA agent whose long-held hopes of a quiet retirement are derailed when he learns a family secret that will send him on a globe-trotting, high-octane mission to save the world one last time and prove that he’s still got plenty of fight left in him.