Hi readers 🙂 I hope you’re all well & safe, although that might be a loaded wish at the moment.

Before you get into this post: please donate money to people who face inequality, racism, transphobia, sexism, and homophobia if you are able. Sari is a charity that supports and empowers victims of hate crime to survive the emotional, mental and physical trauma they experience. They do other great things, and even £1 can make a difference.

To rest my mind these last few weeks, TV has been my solace. I don’t have a lot of space in my mind to read a lot of books, so I’ve spent time watching shows & movies instead.

And I realised these last few weeks that I’m not really intentional about what I watch. I haven’t been conscious to make sure the things I’ve watched have good and fair representation. So from now on, I definitely will be doing that.

Despite that, I still want to share my May list with you guys.

1. Normal People (BBC)

Rating: 10/10 stars

Review: Wow. I loved the book and the show did it justice! Thank you Sally Rooney for blessing my little quarantine world with this beauty. This show portrays the somewhat toxic relationship of Connel and Marianne as they navigate the adolescent world while being in love with each other, despite their huge difference. If you’re able to watch it, I 100% recommend.

Trigger warnings: Domestic abuse, violence, bullying, suicide

2. This Is Us (Amazon)

Rating: 10/10 stars

Review: I’ve talked about this every month so far but OMGGGG, it’s just so good. I’ve finally finished season one and my little achy breaky heart hurts. This follows three siblings as they grow up in a somewhat disruptive household, into a grief-shaken adolescence and then into a traumatic adulthood. This show has some of the best characters & writing I’ve ever seen.

Trigger warnings: Death, cancer, alcohol, body-shaming

3. Sex Education (Netflix)

Rating: 9/10 stars

Review: This show is lovely, education, sad, frustrating and funny. The acting is AMAZING. I feel like I’m watching real teenagers. The scenes with Ncuti Gatwa are my favourite – he has the best facial expression range in existence??? I think??? Anyway, I love this show and if you’re a parent, I recommend watching & discussing this with your teens.

Trigger warnings: Sexual assault, self-harm (there is a great blog post about all the scenes that might be triggering here)

4. Three Identical Strangers (Netflix)

Rating: 9/10 stars

Review: This documentary three siblings who were separated at a young age and went to three different sets of adoptive parents. They reunite in college and become quite famous because of their bizarre story. But over time, they realise there are lots of sinister reasons as to why they were separated in the first place. This documentary was mind-blowing every step of the way!

Trigger warnings: Suicide, depression, drug and alcohol abuse

5. Orange is the New Black (Netflix)

Rating: 8/10 stars

Review: I watched the last two seasons of this show (finally!!). It’s such a good show with lots of important discussions and topics. My heart breaks pretty much every episode as the writers expose some of the issues that are present in modern-day American prisons. Although the show is fictionalised, a lot of the scenarios are based on real events.

Trigger warnings: (Pretty much everything…) Racism, rape, suicide, drug abuse, self-harm, police brutality, abuse. If you’re sensitive to certain things, I’d recommend not watching this show or watching it with a trusted friend or family member.

6. Ready Player One (Amazon)

Rating: 8/10 stars

Review: I read the book a few years ago but didn’t fall in love with it. HOWEVER, the movie is very good. The special effects really bring the story alive. While it was pretty long, and I still don’t like some aspects of the storyline, it was a really awesome cinematic experience.

Trigger warnings: Violence, transphobia, homophobia and suicide

7. Killing Eve (BBC)

Rating: 7/10 stars

Review: I’m just not… enjoying this as much as previous seasons. Villanelle was my queen at one point but she’s falling flat in this season which I’m very sad about.

Trigger warnings: Murder (graphic)

8. Easy A (Netflix)

Rating: 7/10 stars

Review: This movie was so popular while I was in high school but I never really liked it. But I actually enjoyed my rewatch! I laughed a lot and overall, there was an important message on feminism even if it was disguised by a lot of nonsense sometimes. I still find the movie a little forgettable and it’s not my favourite but it was nice to relax to. Plus… Stanley Tucchi.

Trigger warnings: Sexism

9. Dangerous Lies (Netflix)

Rating: 3/10 stars

Reviews: Oh gosh, guys. Do not waste your time on this show. It’s one of the worst films I’ve watched in a long time. The acting is terrible, the storyline is SO ANNOYING, and the characters have no personality. But the worst bit was the writing. The dialogue was just so poor.

Trigger warnings: Murder, racism, death

10. The Half of It (Netflix)

Rating: 0/10 stars

Review: I can’t really remember much that happened in this film but I just remember not enjoying it. I was really bored the whole time and even skipped the whole middle section of the movie because nothing was happening.

Trigger warnings: Elements of homophobia

11. Too Hot to Handle (Netflix)

Rating: 0/10 stars

Review: I’m literally so ashamed to say that I watched this but I felt like I needed crappy reality TV to take my mind off of pandemic stuff. Bad idea. My sister, friend & I watched this via Netflix party and we all hated every minute of it pretty much. It was barely entertaining and had the most annoying cast of “contestants” in it. Contestants in quotes because the whole thing felt scripted.

Trigger warnings: Sexualising bodies

So there’s my wrap up. I recommend Normal People, This is Us and Sex Education SO MUCH. I hope you enjoy whatever you’re watching. Stay safe xo