Sweet As (2022), directed by Jub Clerc

Repeatedly abandoned by her party girl mother, Indigenous teen Murra turns to her cop uncle for help. To provide breathing space he gets her into a week-long photo safari trip in the bush for at-risk kids. Despite a rocky start she bonds with the other troubled teens and the youth workers and discovers a passion and talent for photography that could help her develop a purpose. It’s a bit of a quick fix, but an outstanding cast - featuring Shantae Barnes-Cowan as Murra - help create a good story, well told. The reality of life in a remote Western Australian outback town is not sugar coated; the cinematography is magnificent and the nods to country and culture are credible and meaningful. The soundtrack perfectly suits the action.

System Collapse, by Martha Wells

Following on directly from the Murderbot novel Network Effect, the story continues the alliance of Preservation and the University against the evil corporations. The two sides are in a stand-off over the fate of the population of a failed colony planet – will they be resettled or re-enslaved? Unfortunately the SecUnit has had a breakdown after the events of the previous book so it is uncertain how much use it will be in supporting the good guys. The corporations are starting to eat themselves, so Murderbot needs to get its act together and help exploit the situation. It turns filmmaker and propagandist to beat the-ultra capitalists at their own game and help the colonists choose the right path. What is it to be human? This vastly entertaining series poses the question and strives to provide some answers.

Forget Me Not, by Julie Soto

Despite her mother’s chequered marital history, Ama is a driven and ambitious wedding planner. Because of this history she doesn’t believe in happy endings and avoids serious relationships. When she scores the celebrity wedding of the year Ama is forced to work with her ex, florist Elliot, and must navigate a minefield of hurt feelings as well as celebrity whims. This modern rom com alternates between Ama’s point of view over six months in the present day and Elliot’s take on the history of their relationship from some three years ago. The outcome is a tad predictable but the journey is entertaining.

The Substance (2024), directed by Coralie Fargeat

Work opportunities and acclaim is drying up for fading star Elisabeth Sparkle, who has descended from the red carpet to morning show aerobics. Despite extreme pain and significant drawbacks she takes the chance to become a younger, better version of herself but only week on week off. A version of The Picture of Dorian Gray as an inditement the treatment of women in the entertainment industry, this film is, to say the least, unsubtle. Striking production design contributes to a hyperreal allegory that borders on cartoonish and is undermined by an excess of gratuitous nudity, sexploitation, violence and gore. The film makes a good point about women being at war with themselves and often literally their own worst enemies and accurately depicts the way the industry undermines and pressures them. But there is no suggestion of retribution nor consequences for any of the disgusting men who contribute to the problem. The acclaim and attention this film received is a great example of Hollywood pumping itself up and taking credit where it is not due. Demi Moore is good as Elisabeth, but neither her performance nor the film is Oscar nomination-worthy. This is a true horror story that doesn’t quite hit the mark and, as with so many films in recent years, is far too long.

The Seven, by Chris Hammer

Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan head to a wealthy irrigation town on the Murrumbidgee River in western NSW to investigate the murder of a local accountant in this third tale of their exploits. Seven squatter families established the town and its irrigation scheme in the early 20th century, setting themselves up for power, wealth and influence. As in Hammer’s previous tale of murder and water politics, The Tilt, the story flashes back to two earlier time periods – 1910s, when the irrigation scheme originated and the 1990s, when two young people disappear after looking into its history. Hammer’s depth of research and broad knowledge contribute to a rich story of modern day robber barons continuing the legacy of their colonial forebears. This time its Ivan’s personal and family issues that impinge on the homicide investigation, but this element of the story is a tad perfunctory and wholly unnecessary. A reunion of sorts makes for an unusually upbeat postscript.

Fugitive Telemetry, by Martha Wells

Murderbot turns detective when a man is found dead on peace-loving Preservation Station. The newly independent SecUnit gets involved in this local issue to investigate whether the corrupt and violent GrayCris corporation is imaking another effort to target Preservation leader and Sec Unit mentor Mensah. Station security staff are suspicious and wary but find they can’t do without the specialised and efficient help provided. As for Murderbot, the case leaves little time for watching its favourite serials as it learns to play nice(er) with others and work as part of a team. The essential humanity of this non-human entity is the shining light of these wryly funny and action-packed tales that spell out where ultra-capitalism is leading us. May there be much more Murderbot.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, directed by Glendyn Ivin

When Alice Hart was nine years old her parents died in a house fire that she may have started. She goes to live with her paternal grandmother, a stranger, on a flower farm that also serves as a refuge for women escaping violence. Domestic abuse and childhood trauma underpin this twisty tale that very clearly shows how coercive control leads to major damage and how difficult it can be to leave. The first three episodes feature Alice as a child before skipping forward 14 years to when she starts to uncover secrets and lies that have affected her life. She strikes out on her own but can’t escape her past, rooted in a matriarchal dynasty that communicates through native flowers. The incredible cast features Sigourney Weaver, Leah Purcell and Tilda Cobham-Hervey and it is fun to see Asher Keddie and Alexander England reunited as a very different sort of couple from their Offspring adventures. Intense and dark, the series does not shy away from an awful reality for many women and children. it is also quite beautiful, set in evocative landscapes with images that linger. While the female characters are complex and nuanced, the males are much less so but it is not their story.