Scroll No More!

As streaming services continuously fine-tune their recommendation algorithms, it seems unbelievable that we still waste so much time indecisively scrolling through titles. How are we not finding a show or movie among genres as specific as “Alien Sci-Fi Featuring a Strong Female Lead” and “20th Century Period Pieces based on bestsellers”? What’s the deal? Are we being overwhelmed with choices? Is the algorithm just not precise enough?

Streaming services broke us from the restrictive chains of television: no more anxiously staying up until midnight just to watch Blade Runner! We have constant access to an insane number of shows and films. Yet, the annoying element of this new freedom is…the choosing itself! Instead of turning on the television and simply accepting whatever is on, we now constantly search for the perfect show or movie that will match our mood in an exquisite way. Having unlimited options has made us ambivalent and noncommittal.

There is, however, one genre of streaming services seems to always motivate: “Top Streamed”. Knowing what everyone else is watching the most seems to work better as a recommendation than the user-specific algorithm suggestions. Perhaps we still have a naturally tendency to trust human authority over artificial recommendations. Perhaps we simply like to have someone to blame in case we do not enjoy the content! No matter what the true reasoning may be, it is evident we still seek to understand and explore our media through the lens of other humans.

Therefore, take this small collection of recommendations as an offering! With much respect to the algorithms that are amazing, accurate, and intricate, I will offer my entirely subjective and biased suggestions. I want to focus on recommending some incredible international television shows that are often overlooked. If you do not like reading subtitles, please reconsider your preference, or dedicate some years to learning the languages of these shows. I say this because limiting yourself to content in only one language is limiting yourself to exploring and understanding so much amazing art.

Three Recommendations

If you, as well all were, a big fan of Breaking Bad, I highly recommend a Brazilian television series called Brotherhood. Both involve explorations of morality; both follow the main characters evolutions through intense injustice and societal conflict. Both use dramatic palettes and symbols to cue the viewer into hidden messages and foreshadowing. Both leave the viewer questioning their own values and decisions.

If you were a fan of Peaky Blinders, I recommend another time piece television show, Babylon Berlin. Set in 1929, you follow a newly appointed police officer as he navigates the escalating political conflicts of pre-WWII Berlin. Both shows powerfully demonstrate the ever-bending relationship between intention and consequence. Survival and fear cause moral waters to muddy.

If you loved the movie Gone Girl, you will be just as absorbed in the mysterious plot of the Turkish TV Show, The Gift. The show follows an Istanbul artist, Atiye, as she stumbles through unveiling the meanings behind her strange recurring dreams and visions. Like Gone Girl, The Gift contrasts female autonomy against societal expectations of the upper middle-class. Both lead you through the plot with small amounts of information, allowing your mind to wildly attempt to draw conclusions.