What’s new on OTT: Iranian drama Leila’s Brothers to South Korean mystery series Dear Hongrang, here’s your watch list.
Directed and written by Saeed Roustayi, Leila’s Brothers is a moving family drama set in Tehran. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2022. The heartbeat of the film is forty-year-old Leila (Taraneh Alidoosti), who has spent her whole life taking care of her parents and her four brothers. The family argues constantly and is crushed by debts, in a country caught in the grip of international economic sanctions. As her brothers are trying to make ends meet, Leila formulates a plan. Following its 2022 Cannes screening, Roustayi and his producer Javad Noruzbegi faced a six-month jail sentence for showing it in Cannes “without authorization.”
Wolf Man
JioHotstar
This reboot of the Wolf Man franchise, directed and co-written by Leigh Whannell, follows a family man, who is struggling to protect his wife and daughter from a werewolf. When Blake (Christopher Abbott) and his family are attacked by an unseen animal and, in a desperate escape, barricade themselves inside a farmhouse as the creature prowls the perimeter. As the night stretches on, however, Blake begins to behave strangely, transforming into something unrecognisable that soon jeopardises his wife and daughter. The cast also features Julia Garner and Sam Jaeger.
Gangers
Prime Video
Gangers follows Saravanan, an undercover cop posing as a PT master in a small town, where a girl goes missing and teacher Sujitha lodges a complaint to find her. As the story unfolds, Singaram, the school’s PT teacher, is pining after Sujitha, but his chances are soon threatened by the arrival of the new PT teacher, Saravanan. However, the plot takes an unexpected turn, transforming into a heist comedy, where a group of characters team up to loot wads of cash that are stocked by three goon brothers who rule the town. Written by Sundar C. and Venkat Raghavan and the film is directed by Sundar C. The action-comedy’s cast features Sundar C., Vadivelu, and Aruldoss.
Dear Hongrang
Netflix
When a long-missing heir returns with lost memories, love and suspicion entwine. Twelve years after he disappeared as a child, Hongrang (Lee Jae-wook) returns to the powerful Sim merchant household as a grown man, but with no memory of his past. Hongrang’s half-sister Jae-yi (Cho Bo-ah) accuses him of being an imposter, refusing to believe he is her dear long-lost brother. Tension builds between Hongrang and Jae-yi, as she questions who he really is, and he dares her to find out. It also features Jung Ga-ram as Mu-jin, the adopted son of the Sim household who assumed Hongrang’s place upon his disappearance.
Overcompensating
Prime Video
Overcompensating is a college-set ensemble comedy about the wild, chaotic journey of Benny, a closeted former football player and homecoming king, as he becomes fast friends with Carmen, a high school outsider on a mission to fit in at all costs. With guidance from Benny’s older sister and her campus-legend boyfriend, Benny and Carmen juggle horrible hookups, flavoured vodka, and fake IDs. The show explores the lengths to which we all overcompensate while on the path to finding out who we really are. Created by Benito Skinner, the comedy series features Skinner, Wally Baram and Mary Beth Barone in lead roles.
