Max’s flagship scripted streaming collection in April is The Sympathizer, an formidable darkish comedy starring Robert Downey Jr., overseen by Park Chan-wook, and primarily based on the award-winning novel, however the true Max-action is on the unscripted aspect. The Jinx-Half 2 completes the darkish story of Robert Durst, Conan Should Go lightens the temper with impressed unscripted journey comedy, and followers of cults will discover a feast in The Synanon Repair.
There is a ton extra, too. Simply learn on to find one of the best issues streaming on Max this month.
The Sympathizer
Legendary filmmaker Park Chan-wook (Outdated Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) groups up with actor and co-producer Robert Downey Jr. on this sweeping historic black comedy collection. Primarily based on the Pulitzer Prize profitable debut novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Sympathizer tells the story of a Vietnam-era spy with conflicting loyalties. When the conflict ends, the North Vietnamese agent, who goes by the moniker “The Captain,” is pressured to flee to America, however he isn’t completed his job, and experiences on his neighbors to the Viet Cong.
Begins streaming April 14
The Jinx – Half Two
Andrew Jarecki’s Emmy-winning collection The Jinx caught lightning in a bottle when it got here out in 2015—how usually does a man confess to a number of murders whereas mic’ed up for a real crime documentary, proper? The Jinx—Half 2 completes the story of weird-rich-dude-turned assassin Robert Durst, and guarantees surprising new revelations. Durst is lifeless, so he will not be confessing to any extra murders, nevertheless it’s a captivating story nonetheless.
Begin streaming April 21
Conan O’Brien Should Go
Conan O’Brien is the funniest particular person alive, perhaps, and this collection places him in conditions designed to attract out his supernatural potential to be spontaneously hilarious. The premise: Conan visits followers in Norway, Thailand, Argentina, and Eire, interacts with locals, and creates impressed, impromptu comedy. It is a formulation that labored nice on his late evening reveals, however HBO cash means Conan O’Brien Should Go will characteristic higher manufacturing values—they even acquired Werner Herzog to relate.
Begins streaming April 18
The Synanon Repair
Synanon is hands-down my favourite cult of all time, so I am psyched HBO is giving correct cinematic remedy to the off-the-chains loopy story of how a drug rehab heart devolved right into a closely armed, post-hippie nightmare cult. Instructed via wonderful insider movie footage and interviews with ex cult-members and others who had been there, The Synanon Repair‘s spotlight embody dead-eyed cultists with shaved heads sporting matching overalls and wielding axe-handles, attempted-murder-by-rattlesnake, and music from Synanon’s in-house band that featured jazz immortals Joe Move and Artwork Pepper amongst many others. There are usually not sufficient thumbs in existence for the variety of thumbs-up this collection deserves.
Begins streaming April 1
The Zone of Curiosity (2024)
Winner of the Greatest Worldwide Function at this yr’s Oscars, The Zone of Curiosity examines the chilling banality of evil by telling the story of focus camp commandant Rudolf Höss and his spouse Hedwig elevating their kids in a captivating little home subsequent to Auschwitz. A searing, intense masterpiece, The Zone of Curiosity will stick with you lengthy after the final body.
Begins streaming April 5
We’re Right here, Season 4
Season 4 of HBO’s Emmy-winning actuality present options some huge modifications: Authentic cohosts Bob the Drag Queen, Shangela, and Eureka have been changed with RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise winners Sasha Velour, Jaida Essence Corridor, Priyanka, and Latrice Royale. The essence of We’re Right here will stay the identical although; the quartet of drag queens will journey to small communities round Murfreesboro, Tennessee., and Tulsa, Oklahoma, to unfold the nice phrase that drag is definitely enjoyable and perhaps you need to loosen up?
Begins streaming April 26
Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Quick Trend
I do not know when you’re conscious, however there’s a darkish aspect to the style business. Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Quick Trend tells the story of a enjoyable, flashy style model that was as soon as extraordinarily well-liked with teen and tween ladies, taking viewers behind-the-scenes on the Brandy Mellville firm, which seems to be a scummy cesspit of racism and sexual exploitation. The doc then goes deeper and broader with commentary on the environmental and societal devastation that quick style factories can carry to the locations the place they’re positioned.
Begins streaming April 9
Take My Tumor
The success of reveals like Dr. Pimple Popper and Botched proves lots of people take pleasure in actuality reveals about usually grotesque medical situations. For those who’re amongst them, I wager you may like Take My Tumor, a present about excessive tumors, the individuals who have them, and the devoted medical professionals who take away them. It is from TLC, previously The Studying Channel, who appear to have cornered the market on this sort of programming.
Begins streaming April 3
An American Bombing: The Highway to April nineteenth
This documentary digs into the story of the 1995 Oklahoma Metropolis bombing, detailing not simply the tragic explosion on April 19, however the huge FBI investigation that adopted, and the seething underground of anti-government conspiracy theorists and hate-mongers who impressed Timothy McVeigh to commit mass homicide.
Begins streaming April 16
Males (2022)
The monster on this “elevated horror” movie is males—not a selected group of males, however males normally. From this provocative premise, director Alex Garland builds a creepy, disturbing narrative that explores the cultural and historic roots of misogyny via the victimization of the movie’s major character, Harper Marlowe (performed by Jessie Buckley). In a stroke of genius, all the lads within the film (however one) are performed by the extremely gifted Rory Kinnear, as a result of males are all principally the identical.
Begins streaming on April 18
Final month’s picks
The Regime
Kate Winslet stars on this black comedy collection that takes us contained in the palace partitions of an authoritarian regime. Winslet performs Elena Vernham, the reclusive chief of a fictional European totalitarian state. As Vernham grows extra paranoid, her makes an attempt to retain and develop her energy fracture the palace and the nation. The Regime additionally stars Matthias Schoenaerts as Elena’s “private water diviner” who turns into her closest advisor and Guillaume Gallienne as her poetry-loving husband.
Begins streaming March 3.
The Women on the Bus
Impressed by the novel Chasing Hilary by Amy Chozick, this collection tells the story of 4 feminine journalists on the marketing campaign path throughout a turbulent political season. Every represents a distinct type of reports gathering, from print journalism to TikTok—and though the “ladies” start as rivals, life within the foxholes of reporting turns the foursome right into a discovered household. The Women on the Bus stars Melissa Benoist, Carla Gugino, Natasha Behnam, and Christina Elmore.
Begins streaming March 14.
A Revolution on Canvas
Half political thriller and half arts documentary, A Revolution on Canvas examines the controversy and upheaval surrounding the portray of Iranian trendy artist Nicky Nodjoumi. After transferring to Iran to assist overthrow the Shah in 1980, Nodjoumi shortly ruffled the feathers of the brand new regime together with his solo exhibition “Report on the Revolution.” He was pressured to flee, and over 100 of his work went lacking. A Revolution on Canvas particulars the artist and his household’s try to get the work again, or a minimum of study what turned of them.
Begins streaming on March 5.
Wonka (2023)
Timothée Chalamet performs the title character on this prequel/re-imagining of Roald Dahl’s well-known chocolate maker. Pulling off the oh-how-totally-delightful tone with out changing into syrupy and mawkish is not any straightforward feat, however Wonka manages to hit the mark because of its gifted solid, nice writing, catchy songs, and lavish manufacturing design. In different phrases, in opposition to all odds, Wonka is fairly good.
Begins streaming March 8.
The Lionheart
In 2011, two-time Indy 500 champion Dan Wheldon died in a one of many worst accidents in racing historical past. The Lionheart particulars his profession and dying, but in addition his legacy, each private {and professional}. Wheldon left behind a spouse and two kids, and he or she’s serving to the sons stroll of their father’s footsteps within the racing world, regardless of his tragic dying.
Begins streaming on March 12.
Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives
Man Fieri’s infinite, Quixotic quest for bangin’ flavors continues with season 47 of this well-liked eating-things present. This season, Fieri eats barbecue in Macon, oxtail in Memphis, and rib-tips in Denver, amongst different bad-for-you-but-so-good treats. Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives is finest served in a single sitting, and Max has made all of the episodes of the brand new season accessible so that you can gorge.
Begins streaming March 1.
Justice, USA
Justice, USA takes a take a look at the felony justice system in Nashville via the eyes of inmates, attorneys, directors, and legislators. Over its six episodes, this highly effective documentary brings viewers from inside males’s, ladies’s, and juvenile jails, to the halls of energy the place the legal guidelines are made to look at how justice works in America, circa 2024.
Begins streaming March 14.
Dream State of affairs (2023)
The good Nicolas Cage stars on this surreal comedy that takes a darkly satirical take a look at fame within the always-connected age. Paul Matthews (Cage, taking part in in opposition to kind) is a boring, schlubby school professor who secretly longs for educational notoriety. He will get well-known, however as an alternative of individuals speaking about his analysis, everybody on the earth out of the blue begins dreaming about Matthews.
Begins streaming March 15.
The Inexperienced Knight (2021)
We’re all acquainted with the swords-and-wizards tropes Hollywood has hooked up to the King Arthur legends, however The Inexperienced Knight goals to inform the Arthurian story of Sir Gawain and the Inexperienced Knight because it was written within the poem within the 14th century. There isn’t any Excalibur or Merlin right here. As a substitute, The Inexperienced Knight presents a stream of dreamlike, symbolic imagery and situations that generally do not make logical sense however maintain an odd, primal energy nonetheless.
Begins streaming March 1.