Pulp Ranked: 10 Binge-worthy International TV Shows on Netflix

By Melanie Conlon

Do you have a lot of free time on your hands during self-isolation? Check out these foreign language TV shows on Netflix to enrich your mid-semester entertainment!

Kingdom (킹덤)

Love historical K-dramas, zombies and horror? Are you always wanting to combine the three but are never able to find the perfect show? Finding yourself watching the movie Rampant for the millionth time for that exact reason. Well consider yourself lucky with Netflix’s 2019 release of the K-drama Kingdom with a political struggle for power, a king gone missing and a mysterious disease that is turning people into zombies. Set during the Joseon Period in Korea, Crown Prince Lee Chang (Ju Ji-hoon) who is chased away from his home, embarks to investigate the spread of the disease, accompanied by the physician Seo-Bi (Bae Doo-na), Yeong-Shin (Kim Sung-kyu), and his bodyguard Mu-Yeong (Kim Sang-jo), all while aiming to reclaim his right to the throne.

Language: Korean
Ratings: MA 15+
Content warnings: violence, death, muder, zombies, horror, gore, assault, disturbing imagery

Marianne

If a childhood friend you hadn’t seen in many years showed up at your book launch with severe scars and sacks of human flesh bearing a direct resemblance to the witch in your bestselling horror novels, what would you do? Emma Larsimon (Victoire du Bois) decides to return to the small village she grew up in and is quickly drawn into a nightmare that is all too real. The series features a standout performance from Mireille Herbstmeyer as Madame Daugeron and was recommended by Stephen King.

Language: French
Rating: MA 15+
Content warnings: violence, gore, horror, suicide, murder, self-harm, childbirth, sex/nudity, explicit language, death

Tabula Rasa

Imagine repeatedly waking up in a psychiatric hospital, not knowing how you got there as it happens over and over again. Tabula rasa, Latin for blank slate, is the theory that the human mind is empty when an individual is born and that their senses and reactions are only developed through experiences. The show explores this theory through Mie (Veerle Bae), who has recurring amnesia and has to rebuild herself from her limited surroundings and distorted memories each time, leaving the audience to put the puzzle pieces together as the story unravels.

Language: Flemish
Ratings: MA 15+
Content warnings: violence, death, sex/nudity, drugs and alcohol, mental illness, psychiatric hospital

Dark

Let’s say that you just finished Stranger Things and don't know what else to watch. You want something similar, yet something a little bit mature and darker. Dark spins a long tale set over various timelines in a small, quiet and otherwise ordinary German town where children go missing out of the blue. As the town’s grimy secrets start to be uncovered, will they find more than the bodies of children?

Language: German
Ratings: MA 15+
Content warnings: Murder, violence, nudity and sexual themes, abduction, suicide, disturbing imagery

3%

In a futuristic version of Brazil, 97% of people live in poverty and squalor on the mainland (called the Inland) while the elite 3% live on a luxurious island called the Offshore. The only way to gain a place in the Offshore is to make it through the Process; an annual sequence of rigorous tests available for 20-year-olds. Amidst a growing rebellion, loyalties are tested and sacrifices must be made for the dream of a better future. Bianca Comparato stars as Michele Santana in this popular dystopian drama.

Language: Portuguese
Rating: M
Content warnings: violence, discrimination, ableism, death, sex/nudity, references towards sexual assault, explicit language, alcohol

Black Spot (Zone Blanche)

Villefranche, an isolated French-town located in the middle of nowhere, is recorded to have a murder rate six times higher than the national average. Prosecutor Franck Siriani (Laurent Capellutos) is sent out to investigate the abnormal statistics, accompanying the local police captain Laurène Weiss (Suliane Brahim) and her team. Along the way they run into abnormalities within the town. Is the town’s history all what it seems or is there really something lurking in the forest?

Language: French
Rating: MA 15+
Content warnings: death, murder, gore, violence, horror, explicit language, suicide, self-harm, substance abuse, disturbing imagery

High Seas (Alta Mar)

Set in the 1940s, sisters Eva (Ivana Baquero) and Carolina (Alejandra Onieva) embark on a long voyage from Spain to Brazil, unaware that helping a stowaway and witnessing a passenger fall overboard is only the beginning of a dramatic series of events that will threaten their lives and test their relationships. Terrified by the thought of a murderer hiding amongst them in the middle of the ocean, will they unravel the truth of the ship and their family before it’s too late?

Language: Spanish
Rating: MA 15+ and M
Content warnings: violence, murder, suicide, sexual assault, death, sex/nudity, drugs and alcohol

La Mante

25 years ago, a series of crimes committed by French serial killer la Mante results in a life sentence, ending a sinister case. Or did it? After 25 years, a copycat crime appearing to be the work of la Mante, the criminal alias of Jeanne Deber (Carole Bouquet) resurfaces. Left with no clues, police are desperate to catch the killer when Jeanne comes calling for a favour. Jeanne offers to track down the killer but only to work through her estranged son (who is assigned on the case). Not knowing whether or not this is all an elaborate scheme, the police roll their dice and take the chance in hopes of catching the new killer.

Language: French
Ratings: MA 15+
Content warnings: murder, violence, sexual assault, transphobia, abduction

Aggretsuko (アグレッシブ烈子)

This light-hearted anime features a host of cute animal characters who work together at a large trading company. Retsuko (voiced by Kaolip) is a red panda who begins her first accounting job at the firm, bright eyed and hopeful for adult working life. She soon realises that the nine-to-five is not as idyllic as it seems when she is confronted by aggressive bosses, snarky coworkers and a seemingly constant stream of bad luck. Retusko’s only outlet for frustration is her love for death metal screaming; a talent she hides behind the image of a quiet and hardworking employee. The musical comedy touches on many issues including workplace bullying and overwork culture.

Language: Japanese
Ratings: G and M
Content warnings: bullying, sexism, mild body image references, alcohol

Cable Girls (Las Chicas del Cable)

Set in late 1920s Madrid, Cable Girls follows Alba Romero (Blanca Suárez)as she struggles with a past that haunts and controls her, whilst trying to navigate dramatic events centred around her new coworkers at a telephone company. The show explores topics relevant in both 20th century Spain and the present day such as women’s rights, gender and sexuality, relationships, domestic violence, mental health, war and social class.

Language: Spanish
Rating: M and MA 15+
Content warnings: violence, misogyny, references towards sexual assault, domestic abuse, death, sex/nudity, transphobia and homophobia, suicide/self-harm, pregnancy

Pulp EditorsApril 23, 2020