Three Netflix Tips for Dark December Evenings

Stranger things

For nearly ten years, the immensely popular science fiction series Stranger Things has battled against monsters – but soon it will reach its conclusion. Netflix has now released the first four episodes, and on Christmas Day, the final parts will arrive. 

The friends Dustin Henderson, Mike Wheeler, Lucas Sinclair, and Eleven/El – along with their other companions – put Hawkins, Indiana on the map with mullets, stone-washed jeans, and 80s nostalgia, forming bonds of friendship that many of us would have loved to be a part of.

While the gang continues their monster hunt, we enjoy safely from the other side of the TV screen, wrapped in the warm blanket of Christmas love in the form of twinkling lights and cracked walnuts. The series will thus compete for Christmas Day viewing time alongside Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Braveheart, and other holiday classics.

Train dreams

We shift our focus 80 years back in time: from the 1980s Indiana to early 20th century Idaho. Train Dreams is based on Denis Johnson's beloved novella and is a poignant portrayal of Robert Grainier, a lumberjack and railroad worker, living a seemingly simple life in a rapidly changing and exploited America.

A film that evokes a longing for the forest and nature, while simultaneously offering a glimpse into the decline of the pines and the transition brought by urbanization.

Frankenstein

Last summer we recommended Mary Shelley's classic Frankenstein, but for those of you who can't or don't have the time to read the book: don't despair – it is now also available to stream in moving format.

Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the brilliant scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment. This leads to doom for both the creator and his tragic creation. Here, we present a somewhat modernized version compared to the novel, navigating the border between human reality and the AI-generated reality we are in the process of creating.