Last month, African streamer Showmax delivered locals True Detective: Night Country in complete bingeable form as the biggest highlight (well, at least to us). This month, for those who missed the phenomenon on the big screen, the new Showmax is bringing Barbenheimer to home viewers. Yup, you’ll be able to watch both Oppenheimer and Barbie from the comfort of your couch, along with other hit films, popular series and some very intriguing documentaries.
Below are our top picks for May on Showmax, while a comprehensive schedule can be found here.
Films
We’re leading with movies this month because Showmax’s feature offering is especially strong.
Winner of seven Oscars this year, including the biggie, Best Picture, Oppenheimer is an electrifying effort from The Dark Knight, Inception and Dunkirk filmmaker Christopher Nolan. It tells the true story of “the father of the atomic bomb”, scientist J Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), and how he risked destroying the world in his attempt to save it. The all-star cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett and many more.
Watch Oppenheimer from Monday, 6 May. You can also read our ultra-rare 10/10 review here.
Barbie is far more than you may think it is. This colourful comedy has a lot to say about gender roles, expectations and the crippling drive for perfection. Its couched, though, in a fish-out-of-water tale, where Barbie (Margot Robbie), who is having a full-on existential crisis, and Ken (Ryan Gosling) leave Barbie Land and end up in the real world. Filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was up for several Academy Awards this year, and won for Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s original song What Was I Made For?
Stream Barbie from Wednesday, 22 May. Read our review here.
For powerful, character-driven dramas, look no further than A Good Person, directed by Scrubs star Zach Braff – who also made the acclaimed Garden State. In A Good Person, Morgan Freeman and Florence Pugh co-star as Daniel and Allison, whose lives are shattered by a car accident that takes Daniel’s daughter’s life. Initially grieving and out of their depth, together the pair discover that friendship, forgiveness, and hope can flourish in unlikely places.
Watch A Good Person from Thursday, 9 May.
Trolls Band Together is the third film in this animated musical series which makes for colourful and upbeat family entertainment. As the movie kicks off Poppy and Branch (voiced by Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake) are, finally, officially a couple. Then Poppy discovers that Branch and his estranged brothers were once her favourite boy band, BroZone. While still digesting this information, Branch’s brother Floyd (Troye Sivan), is kidnapped, forcing a rescue mission that will reunite the family.
Stream Trolls Band Together from Thursday, 16 May.
On the arthouse side, there’s Inside. Willem Dafoe stars as an ambitious art thief who becomes trapped in an airtight luxury New York penthouse when the heist goes wrong. Locked inside with nothing but priceless works of art, he must use all his cunning and invention to survive as he starts to lose his grip on reality. A mix of survival and psychological thriller.
Watch Inside from Thursday, 23 May.
Series
May is more about returning shows than debuts on Showmax as Chucky (1 May), The Gilded Age (20 May), Alex Rider (6 May) and Pretty Little Liars: Summer School (10 May) are all back. That said, there are two new series we’re keen to check out – though they may not be easy watches.
Fires is a 2021 Australian series that adopts an anthology format in tackling the devastating 2019-20 Australian megafires. Fires brings to life tales of those who lived through the Black Summer – stories of heartbreak, loss and survival but also of heroism, humanity, and community amid unimaginable terror. The cast includes recognisable faces like Richard Roxburgh, Miranda Otto, Anna Torv and Sam Worthington.
Watch all six episodes of Fires from Friday, 17 May.
If you love The Bear, and have a stomach for witnessing high-stress work environments on the screen, Boiling Point is a massively acclaimed British miniseries set months after the 2021 film of the same name, starring Stephen Graham (who also appears here). The BBC miniseries follows head chef Carly (Vinette Robinson) and her team as the stresses of keeping a fine dining restaurant running bear down on them.
Binge all four episodes of Boiling Point from Tuesday, 21 May.
Documentaries
A follow-up to the original award-winning documentary series, Chasing the Sun 2 – A Story for South Africa offers fans front-row seats to the Springbok’s awe-inspiring journey to their fourth Rugby World Cup victory. The five-part documentary series features never-before-seen footage, interviews with more than 30 players and coaches, and all the highlights from the Springboks’ nail-biting journey to the final, which was to end in a historic world first.
Watch Chasing the Sun 2 in its entirety from 19 May.
Conspiracy theories and misinformation take centre stage in Shadowland, a six-part documentary series heralded for its hard-hitting journalism. Documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger sends teams across America to embed with subjects who have rejected mainstream narratives around political power, COVID-19, and more, leading to a dangerously divided nation.
Binge all of Shadowland from Monday, 20 May.