Sirāt (Mubi) – I had no idea how intense this movie was going to be. Had I known what I was in for, I may well have avoided it altogether. I’m glad this didn’t happen, however, as I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.  The synopsis—a father searches for his missing daughter in the Moroccan rave scene—does little to encapsulate what this movie actually is. It’s been described as Mad Max via Werner Herzog, and, yeah, I can definitely see that. It’s also got some strong Sorcerer vibes, as well as some similarities to Until the End of the World. Ultimately, though, it’s wholly its own thing—strikingly, brutally original and entirely unforgettable.

This is a Gardening Show (Netflix) – Each of these 15-20 minute, Zach Galifianakis-hosted episodes serves as a delightfully hilarious sorbet to cleanse your TV palette in between whatever grim, ultra-serious drama/murder show you may be watching.

Bosch Legacy/Ballard (Amazon Prime) – I took my time working through the Bosch-verse. But now, having watched all 70 episodes of Bosch, 30 episodes of Bosch Legacy (finished season three not too long ago) and, most recently, 10 episodes of the Ballard spin-off that stars Maggie Q as a homicide detective relegated to a cold case squad, I’m all caught up and left twiddling my thumbs until Ballard season 2 drops. I loved every one of these series. I particularly appreciate how the Michael Mannian/The Wire-esque sensibility and aesthetic employed in Bosch and (to a slightly lesser extent) Bosch Legacy was totally switched up for Ballard.

The Vaster Wilds (Lauren Groff) – This novel about a poor servant girl who escapes from a settlement of starving English settlers and ventures into the harsh, unforgiving wilderness is both a terrific adventure/survival story and a beautiful/poetic rumination on what it means to be alive and to be a part of nature.