Clark (2022, Netflix)

If there’s one thing online streaming platforms and audiences are obsessed with nowadays, it’s con artists. From the global success of Netflix productions such as The Tinder Swindler, Inventing Anna, Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, The Bad Vegan, The Puppet Master, Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator, Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, Dirty John, and Amazon Prime’s LuLaRich, the list — and the public’s fascination — is seemingly endless.

So, what could Netflix’s latest Nordic production, Clark, offer that we haven’t seen before? First of all, the fascination begins with who the series is about. Set in the 1950s-1960s era and starring Bill Skarsgård (who is perfectly cast), Sandra Ilar and Hanna Björn among others, Clark is the incredible story behind Sweden’s most notorious gangster, Clark Olofsson. His infamous crime — a bank robbery spanning several days, after which the employees he held hostage tried to protect him — gave rise to the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’.

The series is based on both “truth and lies” from Clark Olofsson’s own biography and follows Clark’s life from his childhood to the present day. He was convicted of several counts of assault, attempted murder, drug trafficking and dozens of bank robberies. Leaving behind a trail of heartbreak and disappointment, Clark has spent most of his life in prison, always trying to figure a way out.

The series also covers, in detail, the 1973 failed bank robbery that gave rise to the term Stockholm Syndrome and solidified Clark’s status as an incredibly charming celebrity criminal, fooling the entire country to fall in love with him while he plotted to steal from them and escape.

The main character in the series often breaks the fourth wall. This is not a documentary, it’s a truth-and-lies fictionalised account of the absolute scoundrel Clark was and how he always got away with it. And despite knowing everything, we love him for it.

Sweden’s most notorious gangster whose exploits led to the coining of the term ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, the directorial debut short by the Pakistani director whose feature won a jury prize at Cannes, or the upmarket Jewish woman trying to pursue a career in the male-dominated, chauvinistic world of stand-up comedy — there’s enough variety for you to catch this week at home…

Darling (2019, YouTube)

We’ve had a good several weeks in which we’ve been celebrating Pakistani cinema and its achievements. From the rave reviews and positive general audience feedback of the utterly beautiful, melancholic, off-beat Sarmad Khoosat production Kamli, which is currently running in cinemas, to the incredible success of Saim Sadiq’s Joyland internationally, it’s been a very good week for Pakistani cinema.

Joyland was selected to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival and on top of the rave reviews it’s been getting, it also won the jury award in the Un Certain Regard category. It’s now slated for release in Australia. Here’s hoping it will eventually hit Pakistani cinemas as well, so that domestic audiences can also experience the film that’s been making the country proud.

Until it does, we have the short Darling to see. Available to view on YouTube, Darling features Saim Sadiq’s heroine from Joyland, Alina Khan. This is Saim Sadiq’s directorial debut which won him a prize at the Venice Film Festival, and what immediately stands out is his sheer attention to detail — to craft, movement and scenes that seamlessly flow from one to the other. And the ability to communicate complex emotions without the use of unnecessary dialogue.

The film’s log line reads: “As a new show is introduced at an erotic dance theatre in Lahore, a sacrificial goat goes missing, a dreamy trans girl desperately tries to become a star and a naïve young boy falls in love.”

That’s it. That’s the film. Don’t just watch it to “support” Pakistani cinema, watch it because it’s really well made, entertaining and stays with you long after it’s finished.

The Marvellous Mrs Maisel (2011-2022, Amazon Prime)

If there’s one series that is an absolute endless feast for the eyes and peppered with intelligent and yet snarky one-liners, it’s the incredibly popular, The Marvellous Mrs Maisel. This exceptionally entertaining series is a must-watch and should be on everyone’s list.

It’s set in 1950s Manhattan, New York. Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel is a preppy, energetic, sharp-witted young Jewish woman who has her whole life mapped out for her and who does everything right. She goes to college, finds herself a nice Jewish husband, has kids and cooks the perfect feasts.

She’s blessed. She lives in an apartment in the same building as her parents in the posh Upper West Side and she’s a devoted cheerleader for her husband — who dreams of a career in stand-up comedy but completely lacks the talent. Midge’s whole life is upended when her husband, who already doesn’t seem good enough for her, suddenly leaves her for his dumb blonde secretary.

Angry, devastated and very drunk, she accidentally stumbles on to the same stage her husband has bombed at several times, and discovers she’s a natural comic. Not only that, she’s very talented at stand-up and entertaining. The Marvellous Mrs Maisel follows Midge as she tries to pursue love and life in the incredibly male-dominated, chauvinistic world of stand-up comedy. She shocks her parents when they find out she’s gone from a hoity toity, uptown society madam to an East Village club entertainer.

Published in Dawn, EOS, June 12th, 2022