What’s Cool On Hulu In May 2025
May is still Asian-American Pacific Heritage Month despite the Orange Domestic Terrorist’s efforts to wipe the celebration from public memory. While the better films and tv series on Hulu this month come from Japan and South Korea and don’t feature Asian-American talent, at least their existence shows that Asian pop culture is still welcome in America. From a neo-noir tale about a suspicious fatal fall from a mountain to an anime about a video game character trying to avoid the terrible fate awaiting her to a horror classic involving homicides caused by a demon-connected disease, don’t let subtitles get in your way of enjoying these offerings.
Even for those looking for more America-based entertainment, there are strong shows and movies this month. Nicole Kidman returns with a new season of her series about a wellness guru using sometimes questionable means to help her guests heal. A Slamdance award-winner tells the story of a man whose effort to have a relationship with a mysterious photographer depends on his finding beauty in his muscular dystrophy-affected body. And a new FX comedy series follows a group of 20-somethings who learn the hard way adulting is very tricky stuff.
Don’t forget to set aside time for a lo-fi science fiction adventure starring Pedro Pascal or one of 2024’s most powerful films, directed by now exiled Iranian director Mahmoud Rasoulof. It charts a family’s implosion after a father’s promotion translates to his regularly issuing harsh judgments against “enemies of the regime” (read: college student protesters).
May 1
The Childe-Philippines-based boxer Marco barely raises money for his Filipino mother’s crucial surgery.by fighting in illegal boxing matches. He’s also continually failed to find his wealthy estranged Korean father’s whereabouts. One day, a lawyer claiming to represent Marco’s father shows up and the duo wind up heading for South Korea. The boxer soon discovers he’s been targeted by such dangerous individuals as the assassin known as The Nobleman and wealthy heir Han Yi-sa, who wants to get his hands on the vast fortune of Marco’s father.
The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil–Cop Jung Tae-suk hunts an elusive serial killer. Crime boss Jang Dong-soo has his men searching for the same maniac after nearly getting killed by him. When the cop learns of the gangster’s condition, a bargain is reached. The two will join forces to catch the serial killer, with Dong-Soo providing manpower and expense coverage. However, the killer belongs to whoever catches him first. The crime boss wants revenge against their mutual quarry; the cop wants to tie the killer to several unsolved murder cases and get promoted. Based on a true story.
James Brown: Say It Loud–This docuseries looks at the incredible trajectory of legendary singer James Brown’s life and career. How did Brown go from being a 7th-grade dropout who got convicted of car theft at age 16 to a man whose style and music would change America’s view of Black Pride and Black masculinity? The answer is that his life path would involve facing decades of personal demons, racial injustice, and career setbacks. Interviews with such people as Mick Jagger, Questlove, Bootsy Collins, and Chuck D help illuminate Brown’s life.
Once–John Carney’s Sundance award-winning musical romance wound up eventually getting adapted into a Tony Award-winning musical. He (Glen Hansard) is a broken-hearted busker plying his trade on the streets of Dublin. She (Marketa Irglova) is a Czech immigrant who takes on odd jobs to provide for her daughter. When they meet, it turns out she’s also a songwriter like him, so they start collaborating on creating songs together. Can their working relationship lead to his becoming a full-time musician? On a personal level, what sort of relationship will they have, given that she has a husband and he has an ex-girlfriend?
Prospect–In this lo-fi science fiction tale, teenaged Cee and her father Damon (Jay Duplass) have come to a forest moon covered in poisonous spores to mine for valuable gems. When the duo encounter rival prospectors Ezra (Pedro Pascal) and his silent partner, what begins as a robbery turns into a lethal double cross which leaves Damon dead and Cee unable to take off in their lander. Cee’s forced to join forces with Ezra to enact Damon’s original plan: help a group of mercenaries unearth the valuable dig site known as The Queen’s Lair and take the gems they uncover for themselves. Or is she going to ultimately double cross Ezra?
The Villainess–After hired killer Lee Joong-sang saves forced child prostitute Sook-hee from getting raped by a client, he trains her to be an assassin like him. Years later, after Sook-hee takes out the gang that killed Joong-sang, she gets recruited by the South Korean intelligence agency to work for them. When it turns out Sook-hee is pregnant, a deal is reached where she will work for the agency for ten years before she and her child will be given their freedom. But double crosses and a few deceptions soon throw Sook-hee’s future into doubt.
The Wailing–Officer Jong-goo has arrived in the small South Korean mountain village of Gokseong thanks to a family emergency. His daughter Hyo-jin has fallen victim to a mysterious illness which causes infected people to become deranged and violently kill their families. Could a mysterious Japanese stranger who came to Gokseong before the illness broke out be responsible? Or is this the work of a demon hidden among the villagers? Before the answer is discovered, Jong-goo will have to contend with reanimated corpses, a mounted dead goat, and a mysterious person with glowing red eyes eating a deer carcass.
May 2
Decision To Leave–This neo-noir from director Park Chan-wook (“The Handmaiden”) begins with homicide Detective Inspector Hae-joon grousing about not having enough murders to work on. Then a man’s body turns up at the base of a nearby mountain. Did he fall or was he pushed? The man’s widow Seo-rae (Tang Wei) seems utterly unconcerned about her husband’s death. Hae-joon’s curiosity about Seo-rae will lead him to cross various social and ethical boundaries, but is this obsessive love or manipulation?
Harbin–In 1909, anti-Japanese resistance fighter Ahn Jung-geun had earned his comrades’ enmity after his refusal to commit war crimes led to the men under his command getting killed by cannon fire. To redeem himself, he plans to assassinate Japanese Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi, who’s traveling by train to Harbin to discuss the future of Japan-controlled Korea. However, mishaps including a betrayal or two might very well doom Ahn’s mission.
May 9
Summer Of 69–Actress Jillian Bell makes her feature directorial debut with this high school sex comedy. Awkward Catholic school student Abby Flores finally has an opportunity to go beyond the crush stage with Max, who’s just broken up with his girlfriend. Flores has not so much as kissed a boy before, but she wants to learn how to 69. Supposedly, skill with this sexual technique is the way to Max’s heart. Accomplishing this task seems impossible until she sees Diamond Dolls stripper Santa Monica (Chloe Fineman, “SNL”) in action. The high school girl scams her way into hiring Santa Monica to give her intimate at-home make-me-sexy lessons. But are those the sort of lessons Flores truly needs?
The Thin Red Line–Director Terrence Malick marked his return to filmmaking after a 20-year absence with this adaptation of James Jones’ fictionalization of a battle in World War II’s Guadalcanal Campaign. As punishment for going AWOL from his unit, Private Witt is given stretcher bearer duty during the attack on Guadalcanal. The attack aims to: secure Henderson Field, remove the Japanese presence from the island, and prevent any Japanese attacks on Australia. Key to the mission’s success is capturing Hill 210, but the hill is defended by a Japanese machine-gun laden bunker. Yes, this film has battle action but it also has philosophical moments (it’s Malick, after all).
May 10
How It’s Made Season 21–This long-running documentary series shows viewers how everyday objects both familiar and unusual get manufactured. This season’s subjects include external hard drives, wooden stave bowls, gel caps, and motorcycle brake locks.
Trust—David Schwimmer directs this tale of 14-year-old suburban teen Annie Cameron, a nice kid whose first boyfriend might be chat room acquaintance and seemingly nice kid Charlie. But she discovers in her real-life encounter that Charlie’s twice her age, yet is the same smooth talker she knows from their many conversations. Annie’s getting raped by Charlie is not the worst part of her coming ordeal. That comes from the psychic raping she receives from such sources as an intrusive FBI investigation and the repeated public humiliations she endures.
May 12
My Next Life As A Villainess: All Roads Lead To Doom!–When young noblewoman Caterina Claes gets hit on the head by a rock, she recovers memories of her past life. In her previous existence, she was an otaku girl who played such games as Fortune Lover. However, getting reincarnated as Caterina in Fortune Lover is not the boon it appears to be. The noblewoman is fated in the game to either die or be sent into exile. Caterina’s extensive knowledge of the game makes her determined to change her cursed destiny. But can she change her relationships to the game’s other characters without hastening her own doom?
May 13
Good Bad Things–In this Slamdance 2024 Audience and Grand Jury Award winner, Danny has had it with failed relationships. So he decides to step out of his comfort zone and into the world of online dating. His having muscular dystrophy might be an unwanted deal breaker. But he unexpectedly winds up connecting with enigmatic photographer Madi. Now he faces the challenges of being emotionally vulnerable and finding self-acceptance and beauty in his unique body.
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation—Christopher McQuarrie’s sequel to “Ghost Protocol” (also returning to Hulu this month) finds IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) trying to stop The Syndicate, a consortium of rogue intelligence operatives from various nations. However, his efforts are hampered by CIA efforts to put the IMF under their supervisory leash and the questionable assistance of MI6 undercover agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson).
Not Others—When Kim Eun-Mi was a high school student, she became a single mother and raised her daughter Jin-Hee by herself. Now Eun-Mi is a physical therapist while Jin-Hee is a police officer. Despite their frequent bickering, their family ties are strong. Both women’s lives get upended by the appearances of two men: a mysterious doctor named Park Jin-Hong and an irascible demoted cop named Eun Jae-Won.
May 16
Welcome To Wrexham Season 4–It’s the return of this Emmy-winning docuseries about the fortunes of a Welsh soccer team owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. This season will definitely see Wrexham players Steven Feltcher, Mark Howard, Elliot Lee, and Lewis Brunt enjoy an outing to a Cheshire golf course. But other developments are up in the air. Will Wrexham get promoted to the EFL Championship? How much Wrexham hate will viewers see directed towards Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady? Will Reynolds have divided loyalties over the Wrexham match against his hometown team the Vancouver Whitecaps? Will McElhenney be seen cheering on Wrexham in its match against Bristol City? Only one way to find out!
May 21
Nine Perfect Strangers Season 2–It’s the return of this drama series about a healing guru named Masha Dmitrichenko (Nicole Kidman) who uses her wellness retreats to heal the folks who take part in it, even if she sometimes resorts to questionable methods. This season, the setting is a weeklong retreat in the Austrian Alps. The guests are played by such actors as Henry Golding, Christine Baranski, Dolly De Leon, and Lena Olin. Whether anybody in this cast emerges healed by week’s end is an open question.
Nine Puzzles—Yi-Na is a highly skilled criminal profiler who works for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Criminal Analysis Team. Ten years ago, she was the sole witness to the brutal murder of her beloved uncle, yet was treated by lead investigator Han-Saem as the prime suspect. Now fate brings the two together to work on a new case. It’s a tense working relationship thanks to the resurfacing of old suspicions, but circumstances will force the duo to revisit the murder of Yi-Na’s uncle…where they will discover something unexpected.
May 23
The Last Showgirl–Shelley (Pamela Anderson) has been a showgirl in a Las Vegas traditional floor show for over 30 years. Now the word comes down that this show, the last of its kind, is permanently closing in a couple of weeks. Shelley and her sister dancers have to figure out their futures, but Shelley has it particularly hard since she’s 50 and her sole job skill is dancing. Reconnecting with the daughter she barely knows proves just as difficult as dealing with her impending job loss. So what place can she make for herself in the world?
May 24
Bizarre Foods Season 3–Chef and food writer Andrew Zimmerman travels the world to try unusual regional delicacies and weird native “delights” on the local food menu. This season, Zimmerman tries dried octopus bile sac in Hawaii, yak meat soup in NYC’s Queens borough, and conch roti in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
May 27
The Seed Of The Sacred Fig–Mohammad Rasoulof was forced to flee his native Iran after having made this Cannes Jury Prize-winning critique of the Iranian regime. When government lawyer Iman gets promoted to Revolutionary Court Inspector, the new position carries with it a bigger living space for his family and the responsibility of carrying a revolver. The price of Iman’s being an inspector is handing out evidence-free judgments (including the death penalty) against people the Iranian regime wants to punish. Iman’s college-age daughters Sana and Rezvan start questioning the worth of the regime’s policies after their classmates start getting arrested in police crackdowns on protesters. When Iman’s revolver mysteriously disappears, it sparks a crisis of trust within the family. Your Must-See film of the month.
May 29
Adults—This new FX comedy series follows a group of twenty-somethings trying to become adults in New York City. Samir, Paul, Billie, Issa, and Anton crash together at Samir’s childhood home and navigate such headaches as hosting a dinner party, dealing with the healthcare system, and even getting ahead at work. They may have the best intentions, but they find nothing about the real world is ever simple.
Howdy! My name is Katy Atchison and I'm an Associate Editor for Broke-Ass Stuart.
I want to take the time to say thank you for supporting independent news media by reading BrokeAssstuart.com. Supporting independent news sources like Broke-Ass Stuart is vital to supporting our community because it amplifies the voices of a wide variety of diverse opinions. You also help support small businesses and local artists by sharing stories from Broke-Ass Stuart.
Because you're one of our supporters, I wanted to send over a pro-tip.
Our bi-weekly newsletter is a great way to get round ups of Broke-Ass Stuart stories, learn about new businesses in The Bay Area, find out about fun local events and be first in line for giveaways.
If you’d like to get our newsletter, signup right here, it takes 5 seconds.
