Greg Russell is back with a new set of movies and TV series to review on this week’s Reel Talk. This time he took a look at a new Apple TV Plus series, The Mosquito Coast, and a quirky comedy with an important message, Limbo.
First Russell took a look at The Mosquito Coast. The 7 part series stars Justin Theroux and Melissa George as a seemingly regular couple, bringing their two kids across the country. It’s quickly revealed that there’s much more at play when the family suddenly goes on the run from the government across Mexico and South America.
Theroux said that the book the story is based of off was actually written by his uncle. “It just timed out,” Theroux said. “It was just one of those happy accidents.”
George said she likes to think of the story as like Bonnie and Clyde, but this time they’ve got a couple of teenagers along for the ride. And it was as much of a ride for the actors as it was for the characters. George said that they were really were dropped in the desert with their camera crew and left to walk.
Next up Russell takes a look at a new independent film, Limbo. He describes it as a quirky comedy, saying the characters have the same off-beat humor as in Napoleon Dynamite. The plot, however, is all serious. It follows a Syrian refugee who finds himself in limbo after arriving in Scotland.
Lead actor Kais Nashif says that the film is about a refugee, but deals with themes that are universal. Though a comedic lens, it looks at issues of identify loss and feeling lost in a new environment. He says that the balance of comedy and drama is what will draw viewers into the world of the characters.
“I think we laugh because we relate,” says Vikash Bhai, who plays Farhad in the film. He hopes to use comedy to open people’s eyes to things going on in the world.
To see Russell’s full reviews and the full interviews, watch the video above.