Category Archives: Divorce

2021, Acceptable for teenagers, Cancer theme, Could Be Sad, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, English, Feel Good For All, Friendship, Gay theme, Good Acting, Happy ending, Kanopy streaming, Language lessons, Low Key, Mourning, Spanish, Talking Heads, Tender, Zoom sessions

Language Lessons (2021)

From Kanopy:

When his husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, Adam (Mark Duplass, Bombshell, The Morning Show) is unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But after tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño (Natalie Morales, Dead To Me, Parks And Recreation), becomes a lifeline he didn’t know he needed. Adam develops an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with Cariño — but do you really know someone just because you’ve experienced a traumatic moment with them? Bittersweet, honest, and at times darkly funny, this award-winning debut from director Natalie Morales is a poignant, funny, and emotionally resonant (Screen Rant) exploration of platonic love.

From Kanopy you can stream this 1.5 hour film.

Adam and Cariño talk via Zoom sessions. In fact the entire film is a series of such sessions, several of which are one-sided.  Just after the first session, Adam’s husband dies. Adam goes into deep grief and depression which he escapes with the help of Cariño.  Mostly they speak in English and if they do speak in Spanish there are subtitles. Really the language lessons are besides the point. Eventually we learn quite a lot about about Adam and Cariño.

This film is so sweet and touching that if you don’t yet belong to Kanopy (which is free), then join just for the chance to see this tender film.

DO NOT MISS!

2022, Ageing gay men, Amusing banter, Art as worthless fakery, Comedy, Divorce, Failed Marriage, Friendship, Gay theme, Husband leaves wife, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Real Estate Agents

Uncoupled (2022)

From IMDB:

Michael’s life seemed to be perfect, until his long time partner blindsided him after 17 years of being in long time relationship. He has to confront the nightmares of losing his soulmate and suddenly finding himself as a single gay man in his mid-40s.

From Netflix you can stream the 8 episodes of this gay-themed comedy about the difficulty of creating or maintaining relationships. Each episode lasts about 30 minutes.

Neil Patrick Harris plays Michael, a New York city real estate agent dealing in high-priced condominiums. His wealthy client Claire, played by Marcia Gay Harden, becomes an annoying buddy with whom he shares a history of rejection.

So-so comedy that depicts the problems of ageing unattached gay men.

 

2022, Abduction, Anxiety Attacks, Arson, Binge worthy, Bloody scenes, Boating, Cocaine, Contract Killing, Corruption, Could Be Hard To Watch, Dark family secrets, Detective, Dishonest father, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Dog episode, Drama, Drug Dealers, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Frame someone for a crime, Hopeless Love, MHz Choice, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Motorcycles, Murder, Murder Investigation, Prison, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Suspense, Swedish, Swedish Crime Thriller, Violent

Gasmaman (2022)

From MHz Choice:

Alexandra Rapaport stars as a suburban mom pulled into the criminal underworld to pay off her murdered husband’s debts.

From MHz Choice you can stream the 8 episodes of Season 1. Each episode lasts about 44 minutes.

Sonja Ek and her husband Fredrik have three children Nina, Gustav and Linus.  Sonja’s brother is Niklas.  Fredrik, Niklas, and their associate Stein have stolen cocaine from a crime boss. Because Fredrik has hidden the cocaine and then been shot dead, the  other two cronies cannot return the cocaine to the crime boss. Sonja is now burdened with appeasing the crime boss. Sonja’s father is also corrupt, which only makes her life more difficult.

There is not a single relaxing moment in this tense Swedish crime drama.  Expect lots of violence. DO NOT MISS!

 

2016, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime, Blackmail, Bloody scenes, Career Competition, Conspiracy, Contract Killing, Corrupt Corporation, Corrupt lawyers, Corrupt policemen, Cover-up, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Environmental concerns, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failed Father, Failed Marriage, Father-daughter relations, FBI, Frame someone for a crime, Gay theme, Government cover-up, Illegal Weapons, Lawyers, Mother-daughter relations, Murder, Office Love Affairs, Personal Betrayal, Police Corruption, Prostitutes, Revenge, Suicide, Suspense, Trial Scenes

Goliath Season 1(2016)

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From Amazon:

Once a powerful lawyer, Billy McBride is now burned out and washed up, spending more time in a bar than a courtroom. When he reluctantly agrees to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest client of the massive law firm he helped create, Billy and his ragtag team uncover a vast and deadly conspiracy, pitting them all in a life or death trial against the ultimate Goliath.

From Amazon Prime you can stream 4 seasons of this lawyer series.  This review is just for season 1 which consists of 8 episodes where each episode is roughly one hour.

Billy McBride is played by Billy Bob Thornton who has often taken unusual roles. You might recall him as Lorne Malvo in “Fargo”.  In season one he is up against the Goliath of law firms named Cooperman and McBride which he helped establish.  His personal nemesis is the other name on the company name,  Donald  Cooperman. Cooperman as one of the best “bad guys” I have ever seen is played to stunning and eccentric perfection by William Hurt. Not that Cooperman is the only villain.  His most notable lawyer-in-crime, Callie Senate,  is played with cunning malice by Mollie Parker, whose every smug smirk is a masterpiece of acting.  When you really hate one of the villains, that actor is doing her job. Mollie Parker played Jackie Sharp in “House of Cards”.

Rest assured the daemons get their comeuppance.  But the journey to get to that point is agonizingly frustrating.

DO NOT MISS!

 

2021, Abduction, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Clever Plot, Controlling personality, Danish, Danish Detectives, Danish Police, Danish TV series, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Failed Father, Failing Marriage, Father-son relations, Gory, Mother-son relations, Profiler, Revenge, Sadism, Serial Killer, Suicide, Suspense, Torture, Unhappy Marriage, Violent, Wife leaves husband

Blinded: Those Who Kill (2021)

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From Amazon Prime:

Five years ago, a serial killer murdered three young men but was never found. Now, criminal profiler Louise Bergstein is asked by the terminally ill mother of a victim to help solve the case. Teaming up with the police, Louise discovers a distinct pattern to the killings-and the hunt only intensifies as the murderer strikes again in this Danish thriller. CONTAINS VIOLENCE AND GRAPHIC SCENES.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 8 episodes of this well-done Danish serial-killer series.  Each episode lasts about 45 minutes. English subtitles.

From the very beginning you know who the killer is: Peter is a father with son Johannes . Peter’s marriage has failed and his wife has moved to Singapore.  Louise and Karina are two of the detectives working to solve the case. Louise is a profiler who, in an original plot twist , completely fails to recognize as killer the handsome man whom she meets quite by accident, after which the plot thickens a bit.

Poor Johannes is baffled by the strange behavior of his father. Johannes sorely misses his mother but is prevented by his father Peter from seeing her.

Because Peter kidnaps and tortures his victims,  the crime photographs can be quite gory.  But because the series is done so well, if you can get past the ugliness, DO NOT MISS!

2012, Acceptable for teenagers, Alcoholism, Ambitious Dirty Tricks, Anxiety Attacks, Brother-Sister relations, Career Competition, Character Driven, Corruption, Could Be Sad, Cover-up, Danish, Danish Politics, Danish TV series, Depression, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Embezzlement, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Husband leaves wife, Love Story, Love Triangle, Marital Infidelity, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Netflix Streaming, Newspaper Culture, NOT violent, Personal Betrayal, Political Intrigue, Politicians, Psychiatrists, Revenge, Romance, Thought provoking, TV Culture, TV news industry, TV Reporter, Well developed plot, Womanizing

Borgen (2012)

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From IMDB:

A political drama about a prime minister’s rise to power, and how power changes a prime minister.

From Netflix you can stream 3 seasons of this Danish political drama series. Each season consists of 10 one-hour episodes.  Recent news hints that there might someday be a fourth season. Danish with English subtitles.

In Danish, Borgen, lit. ’The Castle’, is the informal name of Christiansborg Palace where all three branches of Danish government reside: the Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Supreme Court, and is often used as a figure of speech for the Danish government.

In the very first episode we see  Birgitte Nyborg become Prime Minister of Denmark.  This first episode is OK but does not begin to compare with the gut-punching episodes that follow.  Can a woman “have it all” is one of the issues.  Birgitte comes off as a morally upright and  sincere woman steering her way through the compromising pressures of political life.   She will pay a personal price for her success.

Surrounding Birgitte are a multitude of characters meaningful to the plot,  some praiseworthy and quite a few sneaky , malicious,  ambitious “villains.”  Quite a few of those characters are members of the news media.  All these many characters are involved throughout the series and often have their own personal stories to tell.

Each episode usually centers around a theme:  health care, peace negotiations,  and many others.  Don’t expect each episode to have a happy ending.  After most episodes Kathy and I exclaim “WOW, how do the writers maintain such consistent excellence?”

DO NOT MISS!

2017, Alcoholism, Amazon Prime Acorn, Basically Sad, Blackmail, Character Driven, Clever Plot, Complicated, Crime, Detective, Divorce, Ethical struggles, Extramarital Affair, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Farm Life, Father-son relations, Financial malfeasance, Forensics, Gangs, Human trafficking, Lawyers, Lesbian Theme, Longsuffering wife, Love Triangle, Money Laundering, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Occasionaly violent, Office Love Affairs, Personal Betrayal, Police Culture, Possibly depressing, Prison, Ruthless Killer, Suspense, Trial Scenes, Unhappy Marriage, Welsh detectives

Keeping Faith (2017)

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From Amazon Prime Acorn,

Season 1: 8 one hour episodes.

Award-winning actress Eve Myles (Torchwood) stars in this BBC thriller as Faith Howells, a lawyer with a happy marriage until her husband suddenly disappears. As Faith becomes the police’s prime suspect, her search for the truth leads her to the criminal underbelly of her quiet town.

Season 2: 6 one hour episodes.

A year after her husband’s disappearance, Faith (BAFTA Award winner Eve Myles) is drawn into a new mystery in this BBC thriller set along the stunning Welsh coast.

Season 3: 6 one hour episodes.

In the final season, Faith deals with her divorce, one of the most complex legal cases of her career, and her mother returning, threatening to expose long-buried secrets.

So far Kathy and I have seen the first two seasons and watching is a bit exhausting. Faith repeatedly has to face the challenges of her career and well as many personal problems, especially the betrayals of people near her.  Poor Faith never gets a moment’s rest. Season two does not end well for any of the characters. After abandoning Faith for awhile we will return to season 3. which promises to present Faith with even more wrenching difficulties.

Despite her trials and tribulations, the complicated plots  are well done.  Some of the bad guys are especially villainous.  Although each season brings its plot to conclusion, there is a continuity of themes and characters throughout all the seasons.

Well worth the watch. Just don’t expect to come away happy.

2018, Acceptable for teenagers, Based on true facts, Bigamy, British, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Family Conflict, Government cover-up, London History, Marital Infidelity, Mother-son relations, PBS Masterpiece Streaming, Personal Betrayal, Plot twists, Religious Theme, War

Mrs. Wilson (2018)

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From IMDB:

After the sudden death of novelist and ex-Secret Intelligence Service man Alexander Wilson, his wife Alison is forced to investigate when mysteries from her husband’s past come knocking.

From PBS Passport (also called PBS Masterpiece Streaming) you can stream the 3 episodes of this Masterpiece drama. Each episode is less than an hour.

Mrs. Wilson is based on the true story of actress Ruth Wilson’s grandmother, Alison, who discovered, upon the sudden death of her husband Alec, that he had another, secret family. … And it’s up to Alison to prevent her family and her world from being torn apart as she unravels them, one at a time.

Ruth Wilson, who plays her grandmother Alison, and Iain Glen, who plays the intriguing Alex Wilson,  are more or less the entire story. Rather than spoil the plot for you, let it suffice to say that Alison spends all three episodes trying to piece together her late husbands “adventures.”

Certainly you have seen Iain Glenn in many different productions. For example he played Jorah Mormont in Game of Thrones.  If you have never watched Ruth Wilson I would recommend your seeing her as Alison Bailey in The Affair  and as the diabolical Alice Morgan in Luther.

DO NOT MISS!

2016, Abduction, Coarse manners, Divorce, Eccentric Detective, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, German, German Detectives, Jewelry theft, Mental Illness, MHz Choice, Missing Person, Murder, Murder Investigation, Nudity, Police Culture, Religious fanatic, Religious Theme, Revenge, Serial Killer, Stalker, Suspense, Teenagers

Wolfsland (2016)

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From MHz Choice:

Criminalist Viola Delbrück and Detective Burkhard “Butch” Schulz are mismatched investigators in this atmospheric German crime drama set in the mountains of Upper Lusatia.

From MHz Choice you can stream one season consisting of 6 episodes. Each episode lasts about 1.5 hours and is a complete story. German with subtitles.

Running through the 6 episodes are several themes, the most important being the fact that Viola’s former husband is stalking her and determined to win her back.  Viola is an intelligent and sincere detective who tries to follow the rules.  Detective “Butch” on the other hand is a real pain-in-the neck who is most often rude but underneath  the coarse surface is, in his own way, a caring person.

Well done set of engrossing stories.

2014, Acceptable Trash, Accidental Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Amazon Prime, Arson, Art Marketing, Autism, Binge worthy, Brother-Brother relations, Brother-Sister relations, Cancer theme, Cooking and food, Corny at times, Corrupt Prison Guards, Courtroom scenes, Depression, Detective, Divorce, DO NOT MISS, Drugs, Dysfunctional Lives, Ethical struggles, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Extramarital Affair, Failing Marriage, False Imprisonment, Family Conflict, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Fishing, Flashbacks, Flirting, Friendship, Gay theme, Happy Family Gatherings, Husband leaves wife, Illegitimate Child, Incompetent or unfit mother, Lawyers, Longsuffering wife, Love Story, Love Triangle, Marital Infidelity, Medical Theme, Mental Illness, Mother-daughter relations, Mother-son relations, Murder, Murder Investigation, Murder Trial, Narcissist, Nudity, Occasionaly violent, Prison, Psychiatrists, Romance, Small Town, Small Town Atmosphere, Soap Opera, Suicide, Surfing, Unhappy Marriage, Unmarried mother, Weird California Cultures, Wife leaves husband, Womanizing

The Affair (2014)

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From IMDB:

A struggling novelist and a young waitress strike up an extramarital relationship that promises to forever change the course of their lives.

From Amazon Prime you can stream the 10 episodes of this steamy romance and crime series. Each episode is just under 1 hour.

UPDATE:  Now from Amazon Prime you can stream 5 seasons of the soap opera that never ends. Season 2 has 12 episodes. Season 5 has 11 episodes. Seasons 1,3, and 4 have 10 episodes. Each episode is still about one hour.  That gives us a total of 53 hours of soap opera escape.

Nothing is perfect. Some portions are downright corny.  There is a strange interruption in plot when Noah seems to be having a series of psychotic episodes.  Did the writers forget to finish that part of the story?   Sometimes present events plus flashbacks from the past might seem somewhat confusing.

Toward the end I watched slowly because I did not want the story to end.  If a LOOOONG soap opera with a fair number of sometimes explicit sex scenes is your thing, DO NOT MISS!

Original review:

Noah Solloway is played by Dominic West,  the British actor with a long acting resumé. At the time of filming he was 45 years old.

Alison Bailey is played by Ruth Wilson, the British actress whose own resumé is just as long even though she was only 32 years old at the time of filming.  Her role as the sociopath “Alice Morgan” in the TV series “Luther” was chillingly unforgettable.

Alison’s marriage is failing while she and her husband morn the death of their young son.  Noah is having trouble writing his second novel and is trying desperately to be faithful to his wife even though he is immediately attracted to Alison.

Along the way there is a death that is being investigated  by Detective Jeffries.

As soap operas go, this one is not too bad.