“Picnic At Hanging Rock”
Synopsis: The “Picnic At Hanging Rock” mini-series follows three schoolgirls and their governesses after they mysteriously disappear on Valentines Day in 1900.
What You Need To Know: The series was adapted from Joan Lindsay’s 1967 novel of the same name about a group of schoolgirls who mysteriously disappeared in Australia and were never found, but it’s best known as a haunting 1975 movie by Peter Weir that’s now part of the Criterion Collection. Frankly, the movie is so good, it will have so much to live up to, but then again, we’re assuming this adaptation is going to be really different. Natalie Dormer from “Game Of Thrones” stars along with Lola Bessis and Lily Sullivan.
Release Date: May 6 on Amazon.
“Vida”
Synopsis: Two estranged Mexican-American Sisters from Los Angeles are forced to return to their old neighborhood after their mother’s death, where there are confronted by the past and the truth about their mother’s identity.
What You Need To Know: Sisters Lyn and Emma (Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada) are polar opposites who uncover some shocking revelations about their mother after her passing. Emma is especially betrayed by their mother’s hypocrisy, and things become complicated once their mother’s partner Eddy (Karen Ser Anzoategui) refuses to sell the bar they ran together, as the past and future collide in Eastside Los Angeles. “Vida” looks to be a unique, yet universal, examination of mother/daughter relationships, with all of the pain, laughter, and love that comes with them.
Release Date: May 6 on STARZ.
“Safe”
Synopsis: After his eldest daughter goes missing, a widowed father begins to uncover the dark secrets of the people closest to him.
What You Need To Know: Michael C.Hall (“Dexter”) plays well-to-do pediatrician Tom Delaney (with an odd British accent) grieving his wife’s death, while raising his two daughters Jenny and Carrie (Amy James-Kelly, Isabelle Allen). After Jenny fails to return home after a party, Tom leads the charge to retrace his daughter’s last steps and, in the process, uncovers the hidden secrets of his gated community. While the “something is rotten in suburbia” trope is nothing new, Netflix’s series created by American crime novelist Harlan Coben (“The Five”), looks to infuse the genre with a welcome hardboiled edge. It also helps that the genre is turned on its head by having a father of suburbia leading the charge to find his child. Rounding out the cast with Amanda Abbington, Audrey Fleurot, Hannah Arterton, Emmett J. Scanlan and Marc Warren, “Safe” looks to be a fun slice of melodrama to binge over the weekend.
Release Date: May 10 on Netflix.