Mammal

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, Mammal is available in the UK on Amazon Prime Video right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 48 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Rachel Griffiths anchors it with a performance that rewards close attention. Put it on tonight on Amazon Prime Video and see for yourself.

There is a reason Mammal keeps coming up in conversation. The writing in Mammal treats its characters as people first, plot devices second. After Margaret, a divorcée living in Dublin, loses her teenage son, she develops an unorthodox relationship with Joe, a homeless youth. Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband's grieving rage. Rachel Griffiths and Barry Keoghan lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2016. The performances in Mammal do a lot of work in the silences between the dialogue. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Mammal. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Rachel Griffiths carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.