Best on the Box
James Croot picks out the best on the box for the week ahead.
The Lives of Others 8.45pm, Saturday, Ma¯ ori TV
A superbly subtle, but gripping 1980s-set 2007 German drama that also offers a dash of paranoid, political thriller. Cinematographer Haden Bogdanski’s work is stunning – his use of fish-eye lenses, grey landscapes and light and dark are the perfect accompaniment to the action on screen, making the audience complicit in the East German authorities’ surveillance of a writer and his lover. ‘‘A powerful but quiet film, constructed of hidden thoughts and secret desires,’’ wrote the Chicago Suntimes’ Roger Ebert.
Beyond the Known World 8.30pm, Saturday, Rialto
A New Zealand-india coproduction, this 2017 drama is an intimate look at one fractured family’s struggle for reunification. Director Pan Nalin (Samsara) does a terrific job of evoking the sights, sounds and even smells of rural India. It also provides a terrific backdrop for the ever-watchable Dave Wenham (Top of the Lake) and Sia Trokenheim (Step Dave )to sell the drama. While he normally excels in this kind of role, Trokenheim displays a maturity and depth of performance audiences might not have seen before.
Agatha Raisin 8.30pm, Saturday, Prime
Ashley Jensen (Extras) stars in this eight-part 2016 British series about a former high-flying public relations whiz who accidentally turns into an amateur sleuth when things keep happening around her in her new abode of Cotswolds village Carsely.
Son of Saul 8.30pm, Monday, Rialto
Winner of last year’s Oscar for best foreign language film, this Hungarian World War II drama focuses on a man who attempts to find a rabbi to help him bury the body of boy he has claimed as his son. ‘‘Unusually for a Holocaust drama, the film offers no false hope of rescue or resurrection, but does insist that our bearing witness matters,’’ wrote Toronto Globe and Mail’s Kate Taylor.
Brian Johnson’s A Life on the Road 8.35pm, Tuesday, Prime
In tonight’s episode, the AC/DC singer is joined by former frontman of The Police – Sting. The pair reminisce about both growing up in Newcastle, before the latter shares how he wrote Roxanne while staying in Paris’ red-light district.
Josh Widdicombe: And Another Thing 8.35pm, Thursday, UKTV
Part of a new Thursday night series celebrating British stand-up comedians, this 2013 show sees the Insert Name Here team captain and regular panel show guest romping through the mild annoyances of everyday life. Others scheduled to appear in future weeks include Lee Evans, John Bishop, Jon Richardson and Kevin Bridges.