Posted at 12:00 p.m.
The safe bet: Conversations with Friends
If this Irish-British series reminds you Normal People, this is understandable, since it is the adaptation of another novel by Sally Rooney, author behind the unforgettable love story between Marianne and Connell. This time, we dive into the world of Frances (Alison Oliver), a rather reserved literature student who, with her friend and ex-girlfriend Bobbi (Sasha Lane), forges ties with Jemima (Melissa Baines) and Nick (Joe Alwyn), an older couple. Then things get complicated… As Normal People, Conversations with Friends never shrinks from silence or potential discomfort. We also like the finesse of the acting and the authenticity of the dialogues.
Prime Video (the series is offered in French version and with French subtitles)
The novelty : Butterfly Effect
PHOTO PROVIDED BY UNIS TV
Butterfly Effect
In this fun documentary series, three young twenty-somethings – Samuel, his girlfriend Anne-Marie and his best friend Arjuna – travel across Canada to fulfill a list of 39 dreams and challenges. Their epic begins in Quebec with a high-flying diving event, which they perform with the help of extreme sports athlete Lysanne Richard. In the second part of the episode, the trio must transform Anne-Marie’s brother, who suffers from autism spectrum disorder, into a rock star. To accomplish this task, Samuel, Anne-Marie and Arjuna use the services of the Half Moon Run group. Of note, they immortalize each challenge by taking a selfie using a Polaroid camera. We love the ritual.
Unis TV, Monday at 6:30 p.m. (episodes will also be available online at TV5Unis.ca)
Specialty channels: Victorious at two
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TVA GROUP
Victorious at two
After meeting families living in poverty in Month-end and having studied homelessness in Facing the streetJean-Marie Lapointe animates Victorious at two, a documentary series focusing on high-level disabled athletes and, above all, the people around them. Directed by Pierre-Antoine Fournier (As if by magic), the first episode paints the portrait of Mathieu St-Pierre, a paracanoe athlete from Shawinigan who went to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, six years after a serious forest accident that paralyzed both legs. A frankly inspiring half hour, especially when you see the tireless warrior training by doing pull-ups (chin up) in a wheelchair.
ME AND CIE, Monday at 9 p.m.
In catch-up: Black beast
PHOTO LOU SCAMBLE, PROVIDED BY SERIES PLUS
Black beast
You haven’t seen yet Black beast because you have not subscribed to Séries Plus? It’s your lucky day. Until July 31, the excellent thriller directed by Sophie Deraspe (Antigone) is freely available on the Internet. Written by Patrick Lowe (Premonitions, The Whole Truth) and Annabelle Fish (Runaway, The Escape), it relates the quest of a grieving mother (formidable Isabelle Blais, crowned best actress at the last Gemini awards) who seeks to understand why her 16-year-old son committed a mass murder in a secondary school. We bet it will be impossible to watch these six episodes without thinking about the recent massacre in Uvalde, Texas. Black beast also stars Stéphane Gagnon, Marine Johnson, Sophie Cadieux and Martin Dubreuil.