The Herald - The Herald Magazine
THIS WEEK’S BEST FILMS
The race to the White House was a long and rather fraught one, to say the least. But after accusations of voter fraud from incumbent Donald Trump and various recounts, it was finally confirmed that political veteran Joe Biden was the winner. Now he’s about to be sworn in as the 46th US President, alongside his VP, Kamala Harris. It’s usually lavish and hugely popular, but as Covid continues to wreak havoc, only 1,000 tickets have been made available for the official ceremony. Who isn’t there could be more intriguing than who is - rumour has it that Trump will buck tradition by refusing to attend.
Targeted: The Truth about Disability Hate Crime (BBC2, 9pm)
Richard Butchins contracted polio as a child, which left one of his arms paralysed. In the astronauts to become drillers (which even one of the film’s stars, Ben Affleck, admits would have made more sense), Harry Stamper (Bruce Willis) and his crew train to become astronauts so they can land on the rock and blow it up.
The Boss (2016) (Film4, 11.20pm)
Michelle Darnell (Melissa McCarthy) becomes America’s 47th richest woman until her dubious ethics result in a five-year prison sentence for insider trading. She emerges without any friends to greet her.
Her bodyguard has abandoned her and long-suffering personal assistant Claire Rawlings (Kristen Bell) has a daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson) to nurture. In desperation, Michelle turns up on Claire’s doorstep and takes up temporary residence on her sofa bed. From this low-rent headquarters, Michelle sets out to rebuild her empire.
WEDNESDAY
Victoria & Abdul (2017) (BBC4, 9pm)
In 1887 Agra, two lowly men
– Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal) and Mohammed (Adeel Akhtar) – are chosen by British authorities to present Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) with a ceremonial gold coin. Abdul catches Victoria’s eye and the visitor is rapidly promoted to the monarch’s spiritual adviser or “Munshi”. A relationship of mutual appreciation blossoms between Victoria and Abdul. Serious discourse about the impact of the British empire in India is conveniently swept under the palaces’ Persian rugs, but Victoria & Abdul remains a bittersweet and irresistibly charming tale.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) (Film4, 11.20pm)
Jamal (Dev Patel), a teenager from the Mumbai slums, is only one question away from winning the
years since, he has become an acclaimed, award-winning documentary-maker, often using his own experience as a disabled person as the grounding for his work. He does that again here in a moving and horrifying programme that shines a light on some of the abuse and aggression faced by disabled people in everyday life. It was made after Butchins put out a call for individuals willing to discuss their experiences; that so many were willing to speak about the terrors they have faced says, unfortunately, a lot about our society. Their stories range from verbal to violent physical attacks, whose impact have lasted far longer than the seconds or minutes the events actually took to take place.