What's new in digital

Artificial intelligence now claims to know what we will watch better than we do. Netflix has begun testing a new AI-powered search interface developed with OpenAI technology. This feature, which is currently only available to some iOS users in Australia and New Zealand, goes beyond traditional “genre,” “director,” or “actor” filters to suggest content based on users’ moods. In other words, the system can suggest a Wong Kar-wai to a viewer who says, “I’m a little lonely today,” or a Jim Carrey to a viewer who says, “Life is ridiculous, I want to laugh too.” But wait, the real question we need to ask at this point is; How reliable is the algorithm’s ability to recognize our mood? This new technology aims to penetrate the viewer’s inner world with an artificial mind. The options presented to us by a system that knows what we want to watch before we do may not be the result of free will, but of directed desire. This is exactly why “mood-based recommendations” can be read as a sophisticated manipulation technique rather than a liberating one. As critic David Ehrlich puts it: "Algorithms are designed to be 'one more of you.' When they understand you before you understand yourself, they can manipulate you." For content creators, Netflix's new game also means a transformation of the creative connection they establish with their audience. In an age where artificial intelligence answers the question of what to watch, there is a kind of romantic resistance to believing that we are still the decision-makers. But perhaps it is precisely because of this resistance that we can still choose what not to watch. So let's take a look at what's on digital platforms this week.

THIS WEEK ON NETFLIX

Love, death, loss and the mafia… Netflix’s menu is once again a kind of “emotion puzzle”. Adapted from Judy Blume’s cult youth novel, Forever, which will be released on May 8th, offers a first love story set in 2018 Los Angeles. Emotional, nostalgic yet current. Especially for those looking for a more introspective alternative to “post-Euphoria youth” narratives. Released on the same day, Tomorrow Was Beautiful is a documentary about Karol G’s musical rise. A thought-provoking study on the loneliness of pop stars and the unseen labor behind the scenes. May 9th is a bombardment of content. Netflix’s new Indian series The Royals has already attracted attention. The series promises a fresh breath in the romantic comedy genre by bringing together the traditional royal structure and the world of modern entrepreneurship. A Deadly American Marriage for true crime lovers. Nonnas, a warm drama kneaded with Italian restaurant dreams. Lady Di, a domestic mafia-comedy mix. The popular box office sequel Dances with Jackals 7. And Mala Influencia, an ex-convict-lover themed Latin American aesthetic. On May 13, Untold: The Liver King, the latest installment of Netflix’s Untold documentary series, will be released on the platform. The documentary examines the meteoric rise of Brian Johnson, known by his nickname “Liver King,” and the scandal that followed. The social media phenomenon, who represents the cult of raw meat bodybuilding, offers a cultural critique that navigates between “honesty” and “performance.”

THIS WEEK ON MUBI

As always, MUBI manages to win our hearts with its curatorial intelligence. Leos Carax’s experimental self-portrait C’est pas moi, in which he questions his own cinema, will be released on May 9. This film , in which Carax pours his inner world onto the screen, is like a small mine for anyone thinking about cinema. Quatre nuits d’un rêveur (Dreamcatcher) is an elegant work that blends Bresson’s romantic idealism with Parisian night walks. The film, fresh from the Istanbul Film Festival, is like a meditation on the “possibility of love.” Other works featured on MUBI this week include the Safdie Brothers’ masterpiece Good Time and the short film A Moment of Inattention. Portuguese director Daniel Soares, who won a special mention at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, satirically tackles the superficial gloss of modern urban life and the social injustices beneath.

THIS WEEK ON MAX

Instead of cinematic weight, in Max, which stands right in the middle of popular culture, Joker: Folie à Deux is finally on the air. A sequel that everyone is talking about, that will cause everyone to have different opinions. Visually stunning, but the question of “is it too ambitious?” in terms of content is still on the table. Conan, who pushes the boundaries of the talk show format with comedy, is back with the new season of Conan O'Brien Must Go, which is also in the middle of cultural conflicts. The beloved series Prince continues its third season with a much richer cast. The new series from Latin America, Scars of Beauty, combines the telenovela aesthetic with a revenge story.

THIS WEEK ON PRIME VIDEO

The most striking production of the week, Mukadderat, is a provincial drama that stands out with the strong performances of Nur Sürer and Aslıhan Gürbüz in the leading roles. The film, which reignited the “new melodrama” debate in Turkish cinema, sometimes falls short in terms of content while trying to play with the traditional language of cinema. Nevertheless, with this attempt, it makes the transformation in the aesthetic and narrative paradigm of Turkish cinema visible. Tin Soldier, where Jamie Foxx and Robert De Niro come together, is a dystopia in which the state begins to fear the monsters it has created. Cliché but fast-paced…