What to stream this weekend: First They Killed My Father

Not sure what to binge this weekend? We're here to help: Each Friday, the EW staff reveals which TV shows and movies, new and old, they'll be streaming once work's over. Below, check out our picks for the weekend ahead.

First They Killed My Father (Netflix)

As an acclaimed, Oscar-winning actress, Angelina Jolie has thwarted international conspiracies in Salt and traversed ancient ruins as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, but with First They Killed My Father, her fourth directorial piece and her most accomplished work as a filmmaker to date, she scales the emotional peaks of the heart with a firm, fully focused grasp on a difficult subject. Based on the real-life story of Jolie's co-screenwriter Loung Ung's endurance throughout the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in 1970s Cambodia, the film is told through the eyes of a child, who matures — yet doesn't harden — as the world crumbles around her. It's an empathetic examination of undying innocence that doesn't pity its subjects, with Anthony Dod Mantle's Truffaut-esque, intoxicating camera mimicking the resilient, free-flowing gaze of a youngster untainted by the harsh realities of war. Across a brief period, Jolie has shown remarkable range and drastic evolution on each of her filmmaking efforts. Her perspective defines By the Sea (a better film than it gets credit for), but First They Killed My Father is a far more accessible, universal work that marks a uniformly great achievement because of the delicacy with which she services her script. The film's voice is purely character-driven and free of frills, its visual style precise, focused, and contained without a wasted shot in sight — all tied together by lead actress Sareum Srey Moch, profound in her first role, giving one of the towering child performances of all time in the most emotionally moving film of the year so far. —Joey Nolfi (@joeynolfi)

Vice Principals (HBO)

This pitch-black HBO comedy quietly emerged as the most potent pop culture Trump allegory of 2016. Danny McBride and Walton Goggins star as middle-aged vice principals of a local high school whose resentments boil over when Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Hébert Gregory) — notably, an accomplished woman of color — is chosen over them to serve as principal after the incumbent abruptly resigns. The show is often more disturbing than funny in its caustic exploration of white male grievance, and despite the great performances of McBride and especially Goggins, it evolves into a rather fatalistic viewing experience when the two men turn to more desperate and violent methods of revenge. But there's a power to its bleakness — as clear-eyed a foray into contemporary crises of masculinity as TV is offering right now, sprinkled with necessary doses of broad screwball comedy. Season 2 premieres across HBO platforms on Sunday, and I intend to slink back into the show's diabolical rhythms before starting the second half. —David Canfield (@davidcanfield97)

Great News (Hulu)

I'll admit that when I started watching this sitcom, I was more than a little annoyed at how thin it seemed. Like, oh, here's a story about a woman who has to work alongside her equally ambitious mom-turned-intern? Is that it? Turns out it's not, and over the course of its 10-episode, easy-to-binge first season, Great News transforms into an assured workplace comedy with a cast of quirky characters and a sweet mother-daughter bond — played to perfection by Briga Heelan and the iconic Andrea Martin — at its core. Episode 4, "War is Hell," is a brilliantly crafted send-up to old-fashioned journalism and the male ego; episode 5, "Snowmageddon of the Century," is a boozy bottle episode with a surreal third act; and the final crop of episodes even manage to tell a full-fledged mini-mystery. Plus, now's a good time to catch up before the second season guest-starring EP Tina Fey (!) arrives on Sept. 28. —Shirley Li (@shirklesxp)

30 Rock (Netflix)

Speaking of Tina Fey: Man, this feels like the end of an era. Netflix became so popular because it offered you the chance to watch almost every TV show you could want, regardless of channel — and, more importantly, offered you the chance to watch them over and over again. But now that Netflix's energies are focused more on generating their own unique content, they're letting go of some of their old standbys. I'm honestly not sure what I'll do in a world where 30 Rock isn't on Netflix, but for the sake of Jacky Jorp-Jomp, Dr. Leo Spaceman, Devon Banks, Grizz & Dotcom, the immortal angel Kenneth Parcell, and so many more, we can at least give it one last watch before it leaves at the end of the month. (Need help deciding which episodes to revisit? We can help.) —Christian Holub (@cmholub)

Defending Your Life (HBO)

If you've enjoyed The Good Place (and if you've watched, you've most certainly enjoyed), this 1991 rom-com hidden treasure should be required viewing, as it has almost the exact same opening premise as the Kristen Bell TV show: a newly dead protagonist who finds himself in a new place that very much resembles earth, with a few rather vital differences. In Defending Your Life's case, each person must review his or her life in a courtroom setting to decide how bravely they lived, and thanks to winning performances from director Albert Brooks and a radiant Meryl Streep, the movie is both bitingly funny and irresistibly charming. Instead of unlimited fro-yo as seen in The Good Place, here in Judgment City, you can eat whatever you want and not gain a pound. Doesn't that sound like heaven? —Dan Heching (@MoodyHeching)