What to Watch on Netflix Instant : Edition #19

[amazon_link id=”B009UHGW7Y” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]- The Scapegoat (UK, 2012)

John Standing lives a lowkey life as a teacher at a boarding school. At a local pub one day,  he spies someone who looks exactly like him. The other guy, Johnny Spence, spots him too and they decide to sit down for a drink to talk about the strange phenomenon.

John wakes up to find that Johnny has made off with his identity, leaving him his (Johnny’s) belongings. Thoroughly taken aback, John is about to make a clean breast of things, but is entranced by the allure of wealth enough to go along with the charade. But of course, surprises await poor John.
 

[amazon_link id=”B000T46ODO” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]- Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (US, 1967)

Dr. John Prentice and Joanna “Joey” Drayton are in love and want to get married. This is somewhat of a problem since they are on the opposite sides of the pigmentation spectrum, in a race-divided America. John, older and more worldly than 23 year old impetuous Joanna, insists that they meet her parents and take the next step only after their unreserved acquiescence. Joanna tells him that his concerns are unnecessary since her parents are forward-thinking liberals who believe in equality.

This very interesting film explores our deep-down prejudices – those that remain after we scratch the liberal-looking surface.

[amazon_link id=”B003ICXC0M” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]- Life in a Metro (India, 2007)  

This film has a multi-layered cast and an expansive storyline. The many characters in the film are connected by tenuous threads, but the stories are mostly independent, and focus on the many forms of love and the dream of a good life in a bustling metropolitan city.

This lovely film is dirtied by Anurag Basu and features Kaykay Menon, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kangana Ranaut, Nafisa Ali and Dharmendra among others. Life in a Metro also has a fabulous soundtrack.

Full review here.

[amazon_link id=”B0094PMRJE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]- Duplex (US, 2003)

A young handsome couple, very much in love, want to set up cosy house together. So they look for a home, and find one they really like. A minor downside to their dream home is the ancient renter, a not-all-there old lady who has been renting forever and cannot be ousted. The couple bite the bullet and buy the home anyway.

They move in, only to find that the cute,  grandmotherly looking lady is actually the renter from hell.

Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore impress in this family-friendly comedy.

[amazon_link id=”B0079K4XC0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]- My Piece of the Pie (“Ma part du gâteau”, France, 2011)

Single mom France loses her job at the local factory in her small town and is forced to go to work in neighboring Paris, in order to provide for her family. She gets a job cleaning for rich, power hungry stock broker Steve. Slowly Steve gets to depending more and more on France, and she gets to subtly influence his character from an arrogant, selfish power broker to something more remotely human.

This film seems like it’s going down the “Pretty Woman” route, but it turns unexpectedly into a film about morality and social integrity. I will say that I saw this film mostly for Gilles Lelouche, but watching lovely Karin Viard steal the show was an unexpected bonus. An interesting watch.