Seen on Screen: Aaron Chen, Enid Blyton and A24

Variety is the theme this month on screens big and small, with action, comedy, fantasy and drama all in ready supply. Whether you’re in the mood to revisit a childhood classic or see one of Australia’s best comedic exports land his first Netflix special, here are our top picks for what to watch in April. 

For fresh laughs from a familiar face: Aaron Chen: Funny Garden

Aussies are well familiar with Aaron Chen, thanks to his comedy festival shows and stealing practically every scene in shows like Fisk and Guy Montgomery’s Guy-Mont Spelling Bee. But after relocating to New York a couple of years ago, the actor and stand-up is really just getting started in the US. Filmed in that city, his first-ever Netflix special should go a long way towards bolstering his international profile. Fans already know what to expect: bone-dry, intentionally awkward and often quite roundabout punchlines that sneak up on you, even when you know they’re coming. And now he’s got a whole lot of NYC-specific material to share with the world. On Netflix March 31.

For a new anthology from an indie film icon: Father, Mother, Sister, Brother

American indie icon Jim Jarmusch has now been writing and directing films for more than 45 years, and Father, Mother, Sister, Brother is his first since 2019’s The Dead Don’t Die. Like 1989’s Mystery Train and 2003’s Coffee and Cigarettes, this is an anthology that quietly interlaces several parallel stories – this time split between America, Dublin and Paris. As signalled by the title, the connective tissue is family. Jarmusch taps repeat collaborators Adam Driver and Tom Waits, along with Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling and Vicky Krieps. The movie won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival and looks to be a return to quirky yet grounded character work after Jarmusch’s more recent forays into vampires and zombies. In cinemas April 2.

For a pre-wedding spiral to cringe at: The Drama

A24 flick The Drama is a button-pushing comedy-thriller about a couple who threaten to come undone in the lead-up to their wedding day. That alone may not sound like the juiciest premise, but we’re talking about Zendaya and Robert Pattison walking a tonal tightrope after Zendaya’s character reveals a disturbing secret to her fiancé and their closest friends. This is Norwegian writer-director Kristoffer Borgli’s follow-up to Dream Scenario, a memorable Nicolas Cage movie that similarly mingled the dark and light. And in true A24 fashion, it looks knowingly unhinged in a way that should live up to its title. In cinemas March 26.

For wholesome hijinks with a childhood classic: The Magic Faraway Tree

Enid Blyton’s classic fantasy world-building comes to the big screen with this bubbly adaptation. Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield play the parents in a family who have reluctantly moved to rural England, where the three children stumble upon the titular tree and its bevy of quirky characters. But when the kids’ grandmother pressures them to move back to the city, the magical creatures decide to keep the Thompsons exactly where they are. The fun supporting cast includes Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), Jessica Gunning (Baby Reindeer) and Rebecca Ferguson (Dune, Mission: Impossible). The target audience is obviously children – who will be on school holidays not long after this hits cinemas – but considering how many of us grew up with Blyton books, the appeal could be much wider. In cinemas March 26.

For a stacked cast and a playful premise: Margo’s Got Money Troubles

Fresh off her Oscar-nominated turn in Sentimental Value, Elle Fanning leads this playful family drama series based on the hit Rufi Thorpe novel. Fanning plays the titular Margo, who becomes a single mum after sleeping with her teacher at community college. She turns to the internet to make money, creating an Onlyfans account and quickly finding her niche as a sexy green alien. TV veteran David E Kelley created the show, which surely helped to lock in an impressive cast: his wife Michelle Pfeiffer, plus Nick Offerman, Greg Kinnear and Nicole Kidman. The source material goes a long way too, promising a distinctly modern look at how a young woman might support herself in an apathetic system. On Apple TV April 15.

For an unwitting target in a secret sitcom: Jury Duty Presents Company Retreat

Jury Duty became a sleeper hit in 2023, confirming James Marsden’s comedy chops in a novel show that paired secret actors with one unwitting guy at the centre of the drama. The same set-up is firmly in place for Company Retreat, which sees temp employee Anthony Norman contending with his absurd new co-workers at an American hot sauce company – without knowing that everything happening is actually scripted. The sitcom-style comic timing evokes shows like The Office, but half the fun here is wondering when Anthony will realise that something is amiss. (The cameras are part of a documentary crew, he’s told during his job interview.) Besides, there are always laughs to be had in the tropes of team-building, from trust falls to childlike group competitions. On Amazon Prime now.

For the final season of an awards-studded dramedy: Hacks

Hacks has been a reliable Emmy magnet since it debuted in 2021, but all good things must come to an end. The dramedy’s fifth season will be its last, as Jean Smart returns to play veteran comedian and exiled talk show host Deborah Vance alongside her writer and sidekick Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). This season starts off in an enjoyable place, with the world believing Vance dead after a false report on TMZ. But even after she’s back in the public eye, she can’t perform comedy due to a pesky non-compete clause. Also beginning its final season in April is the dark superhero satire The Boys, on Amazon Prime. Both shows have strong cult followings, so expect plenty of passionate online chatter. On HBO Max April 9.

For a street-level superhero show with MCU synergy: Daredevil: Born Again

In case you haven’t been keeping track, Daredevil was originally part of Marvel’s suite of street-level series once exclusive to Netflix. The fan-favourite show returned for a second incarnation last year, with plans to gradually fold the masked New York vigilante (and lawyer by day) into the proper MCU. Details about the new season are scant so far, but the teaser promises that hero Matt Murdock’s romantic bliss with Karen Page will be short-lived. Oh, and the oversized villain Kingpin (played with simmering menace by Vincent D’Onofrio) is running for mayor. The eight episodes will drop on a weekly basis, and along the way Krysten Ritter’s superpowered character Jessica Jones will be reintroduced – plus some fun breadcrumbs for this year’s Spider-Man movie. On Disney+ now.