Two prestige projects “drop” on Netflix this month. The Australian Limited Series “Stateless” debuts on July 8, and Charlize Theron’s “The Old Guard” can be streamed starting July 10.
One is a compelling six-episode drama series bursting with social and political commentary; while the other is a comic-based, modern-day, action tale of immortals.
‘Stateless’
Imagine, if you will, a Caucasian woman running in a desolate terrain, the Australian outback. She seems to be completely alone, and when she stumbles in exhaustion, a red balloon floats across our screen, in her background. That’s the enigmatic manner in which “Stateless” opens.
At one level, it’s a searing expose of Australia’s immigration policy, and how they treated asylum seekers and refugees who would wash up on their shores, only to be processed in detention centers that were situated in the middle of nowhere. And on another more personal, humanistic level, it’s a study of the people who would “endure” under this system.
Aussie actress Cate Blanchett is one of the co-creators of this series, and she takes on a minor role. The multi-strand narrative is evenly split across four main characters - the white woman in the opening scene, who turns out to be an Australian citizen who slipped into the detention system while escaping from a modern-day cult and suffering a psychological breakdown; and there’s a detention center guard, who continuously questions the policies, and what he’s doing there. The third narrative has to do with the father of a family of four, escaping from persecution in Afghanistan, and dreaming of Australia as their safe haven. The fourth is the Australian woman sent to run the center.
There’s terrific ensemble acting here, biting commentary, and real life tragedy. Don’t be surprised if this series gains accolades come awards season.
‘The Old Guard’
If you’re looking for an action-packed, superhero fix, “The Old Guard” is the ticket.
It stars Charlize Theron as the oldest, and leader of a band of immortals, who have lived for centuries. They go on special missions that seek to right wrong, and keep humanity on the right track. Naturally, with a mission like that, there’s so much frustration; and at times, they can’t help but yearn for their immortality to end. One twist in the narrative has to do with the discovery of a new recruit; a young African-American female soldier named Nile (Kiki Layne); and what this portends for the Old Guard team of four.
Interestingly, for a comic book- based story, not only is the composition of the protagonists racially diverse, there’s even gender sensitivity, as two men on the immortal team are in a relationship. Smartly though, there isn’t much made of this, and it’s just a “that’s how things are” scenario.
The conflict arises as a young tech/pharma billionaire decides that experimenting with the Old Guard, and their DNA and blood chemistry, would be one way of cornering the market for life-enhancing drugs. There are compelling arcs for Andy (Charlize), Nile (Kiki), and Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts); and in true comic-book film adaptation fashion, there’s a beguiling end credits sequence that speaks of how hopeful the producers are that this turns into a franchise. It starts off a bit slow, but picks up steam, and I know I’d be happy to watch a second installment.