Five things to watch this week
HEADHUNTERS – SHOWMAX
Jo Nesbo’s bestselling Scandi noir set in the ruthless corporate world was previously adapted as a film in 2011. Now it gets the limited series treatment in this Norwegian language adaptation starring Axel Boyum as Roger Brown, a hustling selfinventor, who, after he lands a job as a headhunter at a prestigious firm, finds his lifetime of lies swiftly catching up with him. It is a noirish and satisfyingly twisty dissection of the underbelly of modern corporate life.
MESSI’S WORLD CUP – APPLE TV +
Before he arrived in Qatar for the World Cup in 2022, Lionel Messi was arguably the greatest soccer player in history and certainly the greatest never to have enjoyed the elusive glory of winning the game’s greatest accolade. After four unsuccessful campaigns with Argentina, “the little flea” arrived in Qatar with expectations at fever pitch for what many believed would be his last chance at World Cup victory. The rest is history but this docuseries offers a behind-thescenes look at Messi’s journey and the weight of expectations on him as he battled towards a momentous personal and national victory.
CONSTELLATION – APPLE TV +
Rooney Mara stars in this compelling psychodrama series as an astronaut who, after she is involved in a fatal accident on the International Space Station, returns to Earth, fragile and uncertain of what has happened. The show offers plenty of twisty intrigue thanks to some strong performances, imaginative visuals and overall mysterious atmosphere.
NEXT GOAL WINS – DISNEY PLUS
It’s not exactly groundbreaking stuff from much-loved director Taika Waititi but this standard inspirational underdog sports comedy offers easy-to-digest, heartwarming satisfactions in its dramatisation of the story of the American Samoa soccer team, who, after their infamous 31-0 loss in 2001, hire a maverick coach to help them turn their luck around.
KING LEOPOLD’S GHOST – PRIME VIDEO
With war in the Democratic Republic of Congo devastating the region, this documentary from 2006 is a historical primer on the deep roots of the violence and the brutality of its colonial history. It is directed by Pippa Scott, narrated by Don Cheadle and based on the bestselling book by Adam Hochschild.