Maid (Netflix)

Alex Russell is 25 with a toddler, living in an emotionally abusive relationship that is threatening to turn violent. Her escape is fraught with difficulty, with minimal help from friends and family. Trying to navigate the welfare and legal systems tests her limits, but she tries her hardest to get work and take care of her daughter. It is heartbreaking to see her thwarted at every turn as, after a series of disasters, whenever she catches a break something else goes badly wrong. This is sometimes due to her poor choices, but more often she is let down or undermined by her drunken ex or her unstable mother Paula. This show can be a hard watch but the tale rings absolutely true, no doubt because it is based on the real life story of author Stephanie Land, who is also an executive producer. Margaret Qualley is raw and believable as Alex, her expressive face saying as much as her dialogue. Her real life mother Andie MacDowell plays Paula, an artist who has had a tough life herself but always seems to put her daughter last. Despite her mistakes you cheer for Alex and hope she finally breaks out of her desperate situation.