PICK OF DIGITAL & ON DEMAND TV

MAID, NETFLIX

THIS brutal but tender tenpart drama, about a woman’s bid to escape the clutches of her dysfunctional upbringing and abusive boyfriend, became one of Netflix’s most popular shows when it was released on the streaming service last year. A gripping story about the misery humans can inflict on each other and the inadequacies of an unkind system, it’s based on a bestselling memoir by Stephanie Land, called Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, And A Mother’s Will to Survive. Land’s second book, Class, in which she turns her attention to unfairness in higher education, is due to be published this year. Margaret Qualley (pictured) earned a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Alex, who escapes with her two-yearold daughter, Maddy, from the trailer she shares with her alcoholic boyfriend, Sean (Nick Robinson). Her mother, Paula — played by Qualley’s real-life mother, Andie MacDowell — cannot be trusted, and disasters soon begin to pile up. But Alex’s spirit and desire for a better life are never diminished in this utterly compelling story.