July Cultural Highlights Films, TV, Books and Podcasts reviewed

August 11, 2025

Film

Untouchable Netflix

★★★★★

What  would make your list of Top 10 films? Is it a moveable feast driven by new releases? For me there is one ever present – Untouchable – a charming French drama drawn from real-life released in 2012.

It’s an irreverent, humorous take on disability. It focuses on a superficially mismatched friendship between a wealthy quadriplegic and his ex-con carer – brilliantly played by François Cluzet and Omar Sy. Each has his own disadvantage – one, physical, following a paragliding accident, the other socioeconomic.

Like all good relationships, it’s mutually beneficial and all the more enjoyable and uplifting because it’s based on fact.

Why is it being included this month? Because I’ve watched it yet again and enjoyed almost as much as the first time.

We Live in Time  Netflix

★★★★☆

There are no surprises in this film  and hence why it received mixed reviews. Boy meets girl in unusual circumstances that are scarcely believable, and a romance duly unfolds.

So why bother with yet another romantic drama? It’s worth it for the two central performances from Florence Puch and Andrew Garfield. Pugh delivers a strong and impactful performance in each scene, demonstrating a commanding presence on screen. Garfield portrays his character with a softer approach; in his closeups, his expressions shift subtly among a smile, a frown, laughter, or tears.  

As Autumn draws near, and you want something warm and comfy, this will do.

The Ballad of Wallis Island General Release

★★★★☆

One of the surprise hits of the summer and in the opinion of Richard Curtis no less, one of the best British films of many a year.

It has an interesting construct, Charles (Tim Key), a reclusive lottery winner, persuades his favourite folk band, long since disbanded, to reunite for a concert with an audience of one.

Tom Basden, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Key, and Carey Mulligan play the duo who were once a couple. The performances are excellent and whilst Charles comes perilously close to being an obsessed superfan, he does care genuinely about the couple. Carey Mulligan doesn’t feature as much as Tom Basden who is trying to move on professionally, but you know he’s still wedded to the past. Whilst we wouldn’t be quite as wholehearted as Richard Curtis in our praise, it’s definitely worth going to the cinema to watch this as there will be a warm sense of appreciation from your fellow movie goers.

Television

7/7 Sky & Netflix

★★★★☆

There are two documentary series chronicling events of 20 years ago when suicide bombers targeted the London Transport system killing 57 and injuring hundreds more. We watched the Sky three parter, but the Netflix series has had equally good reviews. They tell how the bombers were identified, the fear that further attacks were planned which happened two weeks later and the effect on survivors and those who lost loved ones.

What is illuminating is hearing the testimony of one of the suicide bombers fathers (Sky) as when his son was identified, he went into denial as he couldn’t believe what had happened to his son who had been raised by a loving family. Whilst events such as these should be commemorated, it is just as important that we understand why they occurred and how displaced individuals can be radicalised to such an extent that they are unrecognisable to friends and family. Thoughtful and well-constructed, these are timely reminders as the conditions of then, still exist today.

Live Aid at 40. BBC iPlayer

★★★★☆

There are events that we will always remember where we were and what we were doing when they occurred. Live Aid was one of those events when simultaneous concerts were held in London and Philadelphia to raise money for the famine in Ethiopia. In a three-part series, all the  major players tell how it came to pass after Sir Bob Geldorf was horrified by a BBC report from Michael Buerk on the devastating famine occurring in Ethiopia. That spawned Band Aid and the fasting selling single of all time which led to the concerts that raised 40 million.

 More significantly, 20years later, Geldorf and Bono targeted the G8 summit hosted by Tony Blair to erase Third World debt as they realised that for every million raised for Africa, the most severely affected were paying nine million in interest. How they did it is a remarkable story and achievement. The number of lives saved is incalculable and best illustrated by the woman who as a child had 10 minutes to live before being saved by Band Aid and who appeared on stage at Live Aid 8 twenty years ago.

The Assassin  Prime Video

★★★☆☆

Keeley Hawes plays a retired assassin, living quietly in Greece  but is enticed out of retirement by her handler for one last assignment. This coincides with a rare visit from her son Edward ( Freddie Highmore whom some may know from The Good Doctor) who has no knowledge of this mother’s lifestyle choices.

Yes, it’s largely preposterous but it’s stylish, well written and the exchanges between unnatural mother and exasperated son is a source of amusement. There are numerous plot strands which all come together and the two leads more than make up for the fact that you’ll probably have forgotten what happened a week later.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North  BBC iPlayer

★★★★★

An adaptation of a Booker prize-winning novel spanning three timelines starring Ciaran Hinds and Jacob Elardi as old and young Dorigo. It is about a group of Australian prisoners of war constructing the Burma railway at the tail end of the second world war. The four-episode series explores enduring trauma from conflict and imprisonment over fifty years. Despite a love story, it remains mostly violent and bleak.

Two of the timelines follow closely on each other, pre and during the war when as POWs they are put to work on the railway. It is hellish from the off, a vivid nightmare of torture and a tale of impossible endurance. Nearly fifty years later, in the late 1980s, Ciarán Hinds portrays Dorrigo as an accomplished and acclaimed surgeon who remains troubled by his past. Though celebrated as a war hero, he is combative and reckless in both his work and personal life.

This is not an easy watch as cruelty escalates during the wartime scenes, but it is an immensely powerful one driven by the performances and the way the story is told in an uncompromising manner.

Unforgiveable  BBC iPlayer

★★★★★

Jimmy McGovern is a master of chronicling social issues, and this is one of his toughest and most conflicting that asks the question, can you feel sympathy for a paedophile?

It tells the story of an ordinary family trying to cope with the aftermath of a terrible act; the abuse of a young teenager, Tom (Austin Haynes), by his uncle Joe (Bobby Schofield) who recognises the effect of what he did and the broken ties with his family which comes to light when he is refused permission to attend his mother’s funeral, the only person to visit him in prison.

Tom is now facing trouble at school and barely speaks, replying only with yes or no. Joe, soon to be released from a short prison sentence, reveals his self-loathing in sessions with former nun Katherine (Maxwell Martin). The narrative consistently raises difficult questions about whether Joe’s past abuse lessens his responsibility and his motivations for both seeking justice against his abuser and exposing an abused friend.

It would be a travesty if this doesn’t garner the same acclaim as Adolescence especially as Schofield’s performance is the equal of Sean Graham’s. Unforgiveable offers no answers and is the stronger for it.

Books

Drayton and Mackenzie  Alexander Starritt

★★★★☆

James Drayton has consistently found academic and professional pursuits straightforward, leaving university still searching for a challenge that aligns with his aspirations. Roland Mackenzie, by contrast, is an impulsive individual whose energy and enthusiasm are matched by his tendency to disrupt his own progress. A chance meeting in a pub brings these former acquaintances together, initiating an unpredictable journey through significant events of the 21st century and forming an unexpected partnership.

 Set against the backdrop of the financial crash and its repercussions, they work towards creating something enduring and consequential. Drayton and Mackenzie is an ambitious and thought-provoking novel that examines the pursuit of lasting impact and the significance of friendship.

No Small Thing  Orlaine McDonald

★★★★☆

Three women share a year on Blossom View Estate. Livia, who can’t escape her past, must finally confront the daughter she left behind. Mickey, hurt by her mother’s absence and her father’s passivity, finds herself relying on her estranged mother. Summer, navigating a new grandmother and her mother’s emotional turmoil, forms connections with neighbours and friends. Spanning one year, “No Small Thing” explores love, loss, hope, motherhood, class, and race through the intertwined lives of its characters. A powerful opening sets the tone for the full novel.

Podcast

Postwar BBC Sounds

★★★★☆

As Winston Churchill stood on the balcony of the Department of Health acknowledging the acclamation of the crowd as VE Day was celebrated, it would have been inconceivable that he would lose the general election 10 weeks later. Although he led a coalition government during the war, he was the most significant figure in British life. This podcast, told in bite size 14-minute episodes, tells the story of how that came to pass and the bold reforms that followed as people sought a new future. If you like your history then this is a podcast for you.

This Cultural Life BBC Sounds

★★★★☆ An interesting concept as leading artists and creatives tell host John Wilson of the influences or experiences that have framed their lives. Those of you who have read our favourite books will know that Isabel Allende is one of our favourite authors and her telling of the death of her daughter, Paula, and it’s effect is particularly moving. In many respects, this series is like Desert Island discs but without the music and luxury item and it’s just as engaging.