Our recommendations of best new films, books and tv to keep an eye on.
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati Penguin Random House | 2nd March
Clytemnestra is the book for fans of Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles and Circe. Clytemnestra, wife of Agamenon, leader of the Greek army in the Trojan War, is famous for the betrayal of her husband and her murderous revenge. But what if that wasn’t the whole story. Casati beckons us to hear Clytemnestra’s side: “You are born to a king but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. Slowly, you plot. You are Clytemnestra.”
A Town Called Malice | Sky Drama 16th March
This intoxicating cocktail of crime thriller and family saga in the early ’80s follows the Lords – a family of former South London gangsters who’ve fallen to the bottom of the criminal food chain – and they’re not happy about it. When they flee to the Costa del Sol in Spain following a gangland battle, the Lords realise this is a golden opportunity to re-invent themselves and re-capture their former glory. However, they spend as much time battling each other as they do their rivals.
Daisy Jones & The Six Amazon Prime | 3rd March
From the author of New York Times bestseller, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo comes the tv adaptation of her second bestselling novel. Daisy Jones & The Six is a mockumentary series about the formation of the fictionalised band The Six and their collaboration with ‘80s it-girl, Daisy Jones. Told through a series of flashbacks and interviews with the pop-stars, Daisy Jones & The Six is a story teeming with salacious gossip which leaves no stone unturned.
The Magician’s Elephant | Netflix 17th March
Based on the award winning novel of the same name, the Magician’s Elephant is a fantasy animated film about Peter’s search for his long-lost sister, Adele. When Peter crosses paths with a fortune teller in the market square, there is only one question on his mind: is his sister still alive? The answer, that he must find a mysterious elephant and the magician who will conjure it, sets Peter off on a harrowing journey to complete three seemingly impossible tasks that will change the face of his town forever and take him on the adventure of a lifetime. Featuring characters voiced by Dawn French (Vicar of Dibley), Mandy Patinkin (Homeland), and Natasia Demetriou (What We Do in the Shadows), the story is also set to be developed into a stage play by the RSC later this year.