A THOUSAND BLOWS
DISNEY+ DRAMA
Steven Knight’s Victorian boxing saga has been hugely praised as a captivating historical drama. Inspired by the real stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of 1880s London.
The Guardian called it “a ripping yarn with a bold narrative sweep full of audacious dialogue” and applauded Knight’s “energetic abundance rather than chaos” in storytelling. Stephen Graham is “terrifying as Henry ‘Sugar’ Goodson” while Erin Doherty is lauded for a “truly mesmerising performance” as gang queen Mary Carr.
The show was praised for its atmosphere and aesthetics with “irresistible, Dickensian-yarn quality”, a testament to its meticulous period design and cinematic craft. Critics agree ‘A Thousand Blows’ delivered a knockout blend of style and substance – its striking visuals, tight editing, and compelling performances marked it as one of 2025’s most exciting new series.
90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 78/100 on Metacritic.
HARLOTS
HULU DRAMA
The provocatively feminist reimagining of London’s 18th-century brothel wars, created by Moira Buffini and Alison Newman for Monumental Television. Harlots upended historical drama conventions by centring sex workers’ agency, labour, and camaraderie.
Variety dubbed it “a brash, brilliant antidote to male-dominated prestige TV,” while The Guardian celebrated its “filthy, funny, and fiercely political” ethos. Sight & Sound praised its “unapologetic feminist historiography,” highlighting how the series “reclaims marginalized voices with visceral urgency." Critics lauded its intersectional lens, noting its “rare engagement with race, class, and gender politics in period storytelling.”
With a majority female writers’ room and standout performances by Samantha Morton, Lesley Manville and Jessica Brown Findlay, Harlots fused bawdy humour with radical empathy, earning acclaim as “a milestone in feminist television”.
97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 73/100 on Metacritic.
KajAKI / KILO TWO BRAVO
FEATURE FILM
A harrowing and unflinching portrayal of British soldiers trapped in a minefield during the Afghanistan War.
Based on the real 2006 incident, Kajaki was hailed as “one of the most authentic war movies ever made” (The Guardian), lauded for its visceral commitment to truth over spectacle. The film’s verité tension and refusal to glamorize combat earned praise as “a masterpiece of minimalism” (Sight & Sound). The Telegraph called it “a moral and cinematic triumph,” noting its focus on camaraderie and survival under unimaginable pressure, with Variety applauding its “brave, bone-deep realism,” and its’ “uniformly expert... economical and affectation-free editing.”
Critics highlighted its groundbreaking avoidance of jingoism, instead foregrounding the “banal horror” of modern warfare. Kajaki remains a landmark in British war cinema—raw, unsentimental, and devastatingly human.
BAFTA nominated & BIFA winner.
100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 77/100 on Metacritic.
Balaban
FEATURE film
This poignant coming-of-age drama set in 1990s Kazakhstan, traces the forbidden love between two teenage girls who are bonded by trauma. Based on the real-life health crises in post-Soviet hospitals where poor medical practices led to HIV infected blood transfusions being given to children.
Called “a visceral indictment of systemic neglect and a tender ode to queer resilience.” Critics highlighted its groundbreaking portrayal of “double marginalization—queerness and disability—in a society steeped in stigma.” Balaban merges stark realism with poetic lyricism, earning recognition as “a vital act of cinematic solidarity” (Filmkrant).
Premiering at Amsterdam’s Roze Filmdagen Festival (2023), it won the Best Debut Feature and Audience Award and was hailed as “a landmark in Central Asian queer cinema” (Cineuropa) and praised for its “unflinching humanity and political courage” (Screen International).
