This weekend I have … 11 minutes, and I’m lovelorn.
‘El Tiempo Que Te Doy’
When to watch: Now, on Netflix.
This Spanish two-hander (in Spanish, with subtitles or dubbed) follows Lina and Nico (Nadia de Santiago and Álvaro Cervantes) from their meet-cute at a beach club to their acrimonious split years later. The story and performances are full and grounded, so the show’s big flex is its format: The first episode is one minute in the present day and 10 minutes in the past; the second episode is two minutes in the present and nine in the past, and so on.
It sounds gimmicky, but it plays out with impressive ease, evoking the early rumination and the eventual, if reluctant, acceptance that define matters of the heart. If you like “The Last Five Years,” watch this.
… an hour, and I am jealous of historical interpreters.
‘Snowdonia 1890’
When to watch: Now, on the Roku Channel, Tubi or Freevee.
In the vein of “The 1900 House” and its various descendants comes this Welsh reality series, filmed in 2010 and narrated by Matthew Rhys, in which two families attempt to live as if it were 1890. They tend to small farms and labor in a slate quarry; the children are reprimanded for speaking Welsh in school, and everyone has to lug water from a pump well for the weekly family bath. As with other similar shows, there’s a combination of magical enchantment — we get to live in the past! — and real struggle — and the past was a huge, gross hassle! If you fantasize about Type 2 fun, try this.
… several hours, and I like endurance.
‘Tour de France: Unchained’
When to watch: Now, on Netflix.
Everyone wants what “Drive to Survive” has: excitement, glamour and most important, marketing. “Unchained” comes closer than any other series, capturing the inherent excitement of the Tour de France itself and also unraveling the juicy personal dimensions of a sport that is both a team and an individual competition. The cinematography is gorgeous, the participants clever and appealing, the crashes vicious and constant. The show emphasizes how utterly battered everyone is and the frequency with which they all fall off their bikes and get hurt. The 2023 race begins on Saturday, and these eight episodes are a fun companion piece.
Content Source: www.nytimes.com