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| 20 Days In Mariupol Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute |
Fresh from winning at the Oscars, this Ukrainian documentary is a difficult but essential watch, plunging us into the first days of the Russian invasion with a small reporting crew who were some of the last to leave the besieged town. Strong reportage footage captures the locals as they take shelter from the onslaught. Some of this was shown on television news globally at the time - including film of the bombing of a maternity hospital - but here it is not only more detailed but features director and journalist Mstyslav Chernov offering his memories of the situation and his broader feelings surrounding it. Chernov and his small team show incredible bravery, which only goes to emphasise the everyday courage of the locals who have no choice but to be resistant under fire, even more.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 9pm, ITV4, Monday, March 11
A bit of a curiosity in the Bond back catalogue, this solitary outing by George Lazenby as 007 was the directorial debut of Peter R Hunt, who had previously edited a clutch of films from the franchise, including Dr No. Sean Connery – who had been Bond five times – was a hard act to follow but Lazenby proves adept at the action sequences and has a vulnerability that Connery never showed, which helps the film's dramatic and unexpected ending pay off. The film is one of the most faithful in the franchise to the Ian Fleming books and is also notable for its more fully written (one hesitates, with Bond, to use the phrase, fleshed out) than normal Bond Girl (Diana Rigg).
Pink String And Ceiling Wax, 5.45pm, Talking Pictures TV, Thursday, March 14
Googie Withers puts in a magnetic performance as a pub landlady who is desperate to escape the clutches of her drunken husband in this dark mix of comedy and melodrama from Robert Hamer - who would go on to direct classic Kind Hearts And Coronets. She hatches a poisonous plan that involves an innocent young man (an almost impossibly young Gordon Jackson). Although Withers' Pearl is conniving, she's also shown to be a victim of circumstance as the film scrutinises the patriarchy not just of the Victorian period the film is set in but of the Forties, when it was made.
Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom, 10.50pm, BBC4 Thursday, March 14
This sweet-centred drama became the first film from Bhutan to reach the Oscars short-list, although it took two attempts since it was disqualified on a technicality the first time around because the country didn't have an Academy approved selection committee. It's a fish-out-of-water tale about a young teacher (Sherab Dorji) who finds himself posted to a remote mountain village. Needless to say, he has a difficult trek to get there and finds himself trying to cope with the various unplugged privations of village life. Lessons are set to be learned but writer/director Pawo Choyning Dorji is careful not to lay on the drama too thickly. The slow-build nature of his direction allows this quiet charmer - complete with yak, as promised - to gain increasing emotional resonance.
The Sounvenir: Part II, BBC iPlayer for the next 29 days
We included Joanna Hogg's Souvenir in the Stay-at-Home last week and though this sequel doesn't have quite the same grip as the first, it's still well worth catching. This film picks up where the first left off and sees Julie (Honor Swinton-Byrne) trying to come to terms with the death of her boyfriend. Beyond the interplay of upper middle-class emotions, which hinge on Julie's relationship with her mother (played by her real-life mum Tilda Swinton), Hogg's film is also an exploration of what is 'real' and what is 'constructed' even within our own lives that isn't afraid to include some experimentation of its own.
Honey Boy, 1.40am, Film4, Monday, March 18
Shia LaBeouf's semi-autobiographical tale of life for a child star and his ex-rodeo clown dad is searingly intense in places and directed with panache by Alma Har’el, who has a real handle on conveying life on the fringes. LaBeouf plays an incarnation of his own father with Noah Jupe and Lucas Hodges picking up the role of his son, Otis, at the ages of 12 and 22. The film charts the father and son's volatile relationship as we see the jealous dad shape the sensitive kid into the troubled young man with addiction issues. There's a raw feel to much of this because of its confessional nature but it's ultimately a compassionate portrait of a man coming to terms with his past.
Unbeatables, ITVX on demand
There's no doubt we've included some heavy stuff in the Stay-at-Home this week, so why not enjoy this little gem from the other end of the spectrum. Juan José Campanella had already had huge international success with The Secret Of Their Eyes when he made this family-friendly treat. The film has an all-star cast in the English language dub, including Rupert Grint, Anthony Head and Rob Brydon and offers slyly comic fun in the spirit of Merrie Melodies. The plot revolves around a man who goes on an adventure with the players from a table football game. Packed with sight gags, along with plenty of clean shots on everything from sponsorship to players' attitudes, Campanella's fancy footwork is impressive.
