A couple of themes have emerged in this month’s round-up of film and TV to watch right now, one of which is true crime. Perhaps it’s the time of year? Or maybe it’s our obsession with deep-diving into facts after we’ve binged an entire fictional series? Whatever it is, it’s a gift that keeps on feeding our curiosity long after the credits roll.

There’s also a thread of dark comedy – whether it’s in neo-noir from South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Oldboy), or in wink-to-camera British theatre caper See How They Run, which tickles our sick sense of humour. But it’s not all morbid, we promise.

Here are the eight movies and series we’re streaming or seeing in the cinema in November.

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For darkly comic noir: Decision to Leave
In his first film since The Handmaiden, Park Chan-wook plays with suspense, seduction and suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a high-flying man who likes to climb mountains. It starts out innocently enough – a detective, Hae-joon, is investigating Seo-rae, a young, beautiful Chinese woman in need of some help translating some of the information around her husband’s death. Hae-joon is happy to oblige, ordering in high-end sushi to the interrogation room for his prime suspect, and spending his nights watching over her at home. Naturally, he develops feelings. Maybe she does too. It gets a little complicated, and the story takes multiple twists and turns in a knowingly comic neo-noir romance. It’s being called his best film yet, and Park took home the Best Director Award at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. See it for a captivating chase and Kim Ji-yong’s stunning cinematography.
In select cinemas now.

For a tense psychological thriller: The Stranger
The Stranger is based on Kate Kyriacou’s book The Sting, which is a true-crime story about 13-year-old Daniel Morcombe’s murder in Queensland in 2003. Interestingly, there’s no violence in the film – and writer-director Thomas M Wright chose not to include details of the murder itself, but to focus on the relationship between undercover cop Mark (played by Joel Edgerton) and prime suspect Henry Teague (Sean Harris). The tense, uneasy relationship between the two is what defines this film. As the director puts it: “For me, this is a film defined by empathy.” At its premiere at Cannes Film Festival 2022, The Stranger received a standing ovation. Morcombe’s parents have stated they do not support the film in any way.
Stream on Netflix.

For a whirlwind 1930s screwball: Amsterdam
An all-star cast. Beautiful period costumes. Plenty of gags. David O Russell (American Hustle) has given us all the ingredients of an Oscar-winner in his latest movie, but the wormhole of a plot seems to have divided the internet. Some critics, including the New Yorker’s Richard Brody, rave about it. But audiences have left cinemas feeling dissatisfied (it has a 61 per cent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes) – and we’re in agreement. If you’re up for the gamble, Margot Robbie, Christian Bale and John David Washington make for a captivating oddball trio who are investigating the apparent murder of a respected senator. There’s a second death, and a rewind back to how the trio found themselves in Amsterdam – and a heap of famous people besides (Chris Rock, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Taylor Swift, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rami Malek and Robert De Niro, for example). It’s playful, goofy and detailed, but also tangled in its own web of intricacies. But see it for the marvellous Margot Robbie.
In cinemas now.

For Emmy-Award-winning TV: The White Lotus: Sicily
It’s goodbye Hawaii, hello Sicily for the second season of the multi-award-winning series The White Lotus, which came back on October 31 with an all-new cast except for the returning Jennifer Coolidge. This time it’s Aubrey Plaza, Will Sharpe, Meghann Fahy and Theo James serving us fascinating holidaymakers, and the show’s creator Mike White has hinted that this season has a more “operatic feel to it”, telling Entertainment Weekly the location presented more opportunities to dive into the “archetypal sexual politics and role-play” that might be associated with the location. The satirical dramedy opens with a new murder mystery, and Coolidge reprises her role as socialite Tanya McQuoid; we’ll be following the exploits of each guest and employee in the weekly episodes as they drop each Monday night on Binge.
Stream on Neon now.

For a spectacular spoof: See How They Run
Want something that doesn’t take itself too seriously? See How They Run takes all the tropes of an Agatha Christie whodunnit and speeds it up to silly, star-studded comedic effect. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan lead the way as reckless inspector and self-aware ingenue, respectively. Adrien Brody plays an unlikeable American director who is battered to death backstage at the 100th performance of The Mousetrap in London in 1953. And the charismatic Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness) plays a young Richard “Dickie” Attenborough who is one bum pinch away from utter sleazebag. It’s delightfully farcical, fast-paced and easy to watch. Plus, you don’t have to be an Agatha Christie fan, or care much for murder mysteries, to lap up every laugh in this wink-to-camera caper.
In select cinemas now.

For captivating crime: The Night of the 12th
From the moment we see the young, beautiful Clara, we know she’ll die an untimely and violent death. It seems inevitable, like the misogyny we hear from the mouths of the men she dated, who become suspects in the criminal investigation led by Captain Vivés (Bastien Bouillon) and Marceau (Bouli Lanners). It’s expected, but no less chilling. The Night of the 12th is by German-born French filmmaker Dominik Moll, which uses a true crime story as the basis for a fictional retelling about gender violence in France. French newspaper Le Figaro called it one of the best French films of the year, and it was selected for screenings at Cannes. In the film, Clara’s murder case is one of hundreds, but what makes hers particularly haunting is the long list of potential suspects – any of these men could have done it. “Something’s wrong between men and women,” says Vivés at one point in the film – an understatement, perhaps, but a succinct summary of what Clara’s murder stands for in the bigger scheme of things. It’s gripping from beginning to end.
In select cinemas now.

For Mia Farrow in pigtail plaits: The Watcher
Could this seven-part series have been a two-hour movie? Yes. But if you have the patience to sit through it, Ryan Murphy’s mystery-thriller The Watcher is very easy viewing (for a spooky story). It’s based on a true story, one that was published in a 2018 New York Magazine article called The Haunting of a Dream House by Reeves Wiedeman. Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale are a couple who’ve moved with their kids into their dream home in the ’burbs only to be pestered by mysterious threatening letters. The real-life Broaddus family never actually moved into their expensive residence, but in The Watcher we see Dean and Nora struggle to cope with the hostile “welcome” and various neighbourhood secrets are revealed. Just like the real-life story, there’s no tidy ending to this tale. But if you enjoy the playfulness of American Horror Story or Only Murders in the Building, this series has the same vibe. There’s a pet ferret, Mia Farrow as a kooky pigtailed neighbour, and Jennifer Coolidge as a real estate agent. What more could you want?
Stream on Netflix.

For gritty dystopia: Andor
It absolutely helps if you’re already a Star Wars fan, or if you’ve seen the movie Rogue One, which was a prequel to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, but if you’re not, there’s still time to enter this incredibly detailed universe and come out wanting more. After all, Andor is a prequel to a prequel – so where better than to start at the very beginning. In this 12-episode series from Lucasfilm, we’ve been catapulted back five years before the events of Rogue One to home in on Cassian Andor’s journey to becoming a rebellion hero. Diego Luna reprises his role as Andor (he played the part in Rogue One) and once you push past the slower-burn first two episodes you’re treated to a gritty, dystopian spy thriller that remains true to the world-building traditions of the Star Wars franchise. See it if you need to fill a fantasy hole left by the ending of House of the Dragon or if you felt a little let down by the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries.
Stream on Disney+.