Movies

“The King of Staten Island” is one of those 10-block-radius life slices whose smallness and intimacy ought to be a virtue. But the movie seems afraid of itself.It’s the story of a 24-year-old named Scott (Pete Davidson), who lives at home until his widowed mother, Margie (Marisa Tomei), starts dating somebody and kicks him out. Scott is long, mouthy, heavily inked, insecure and managing a mental illness. He dreams of opening a restaurant that doubles as a tattoo parlor, an idea only he finds appetizing. In the opening sequences, Scott appears to be fighting an anxiety attack and flees the scene of a car accident. But none of the trouble he causes sticks. His father died 17 years ago. That, apparently, is trouble enough. So he sits around, throws a little fit every once in a while and gives people ugly tattoos — which means his trouble sticks to them.Margie coddles him and works two nursing jobs. Until an Italian place takes him on as a busboy, Scott works none. He has regular sex with a friend, Kelsey (Bel Powley), who believes he’s better than he believes he is. And a lot of time is spent denting sofas with his stoned, drug-dealing homies (Ricky Velez, Moisés Arias and Lou Wilson). His sister, Claire (Maude Apatow), just drove off to college, and his mother’s new boyfriend — Ray (Bill Burr) — makes Scott walk his two kids to school. Ray’s a firefighter like Scott’s dad, and carries himself with an affable saltiness that irritates Scott but lets Burr keep us on our toes.[embedded content]Judd Apatow directed this movie, which is available on-demand, and wrote it with Davidson and Dave Sirus. He establishes tension between Scott and everybody else, but it’s too loose to build into anything substantial or surprising over its two-plus hours. I’ve seen much stronger movies where less happens in more time. Here, the line between depth and bloat never comes close to fine. Apatow has left everything in. The scenes don’t unfold or reveal personalities. They just pile up; they’re long bits — parties and hangouts and meals. A violent robbery comes out of nowhere and leads to even less.Apatow’s strength is the management of actors through improvised chaos. The people in “Staten Island” are brassy and brightly burnt out — stereotypes maybe but more than that. Minutes into the movie, Kelsey has brought her friend, Tara (Carly Aquilino), to chill with Scott and his buddies in somebody’s basement. Aquilino is a natural. Her surprise and attentiveness are fantastic. When Claire tells her that Velez’s character has an STD, Tara practically glows. “It’s curable,” she purrs, undeterred. That’s the movie’s second scene. You hardly see her again. Folks like Lynne Koplitz, who plays Margie’s sister, and Pamela Adlon, as Ray’s ex, do great throwaway comedy with pauses and deadpanning. They have just enough to do.But it’s not in the service of much. At some point, Scott comes back home and sees what Margie’s done with the place, and Davidson and Koplitz go at it. When Margie sends him outside so they can talk, she meets him at the front door then closes it in his face. I laughed. Margie has finally freed herself from the burden of this adult child who still wants to cling. She wants her nest empty. She’s also a little drunk. And Tomei gives Margie’s resolve as much earthen soul as she can.But at this length, “Staten Island” should be a meatier Oedipal comedy — about Scott and Margie’s grief, stagnation and codependency; about Claire’s resentment of their bond — the kind of funny movie that’s a raw moment away from the tragedy just below its surface. Apatow was straining for that kind of feeling with “Funny People,” from 2009. But he hasn’t gotten his comedy near true pathos since “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” That was 15 years and five movies ago.This new film is based on Davidson’s life before he got to “Saturday Night Live.” It doesn’t delve far into what it’s like for Scott as an average person whose mental illness makes him feel as if he has no control of himself. All the sharp writing happens in the early going, when Scott and Kelsey talk about antidepressants’ effect on orgasms. It’s a moment so tender that you don’t know why most of the rest of the movie isn’t as finely etched and acted (despite Powley’s overeager New Yawk brazenness). There are other similar moments, like some late scenes involving Davidson, Burr and the firefighters at Ray’s firehouse, and Scott ruminating on what tattooing means to him.One of Davidson’s recurring “S.N.L.” sketches has him playing Chad, a vaping, all-purpose empty vessel whose vapidity only heightens people’s lust for him. The success of the bit relies on scene partners who take things way over the top while Davidson stands there and embodies and absorbs. His lankiness, pallor, sleepy eyes and broad mouth are more expressive here. He seems like a comic-strip character slouching through real life and in “Staten Island,” like a sketch-comedy star acclimating to 136-minute movies.The King of Staten IslandRated R. Sex, drugs, vaping, robbery, awful homemade tattoos. Running time: 2 hours 16 minutes. Rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV, Vudu and other platforms and pay TV operators. More

On June 26, 2015, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Supreme Court in anticipation of its decision to legalize same-sex marriage. It was a watershed moment that, in the words of former President Barack Obama, marked “a big step in our march toward equality.” But it was just the beginning. “For They Know Not What They Do,” a compelling documentary by Daniel Karslake, outlines the uneven path toward progress for L.G.B.T.Q. people in the United States by following four families navigating issues of faith in relation to the sexual orientations and gender identities of their children.[embedded content]
The families include Rob and Linda Robertson, evangelical parents who are encouraged to send their 12-year-old son Ryan to conversion therapy after he comes out; David and Sally McBride, the Presbyterian parents of Sarah McBride, the transgender activist (who is now running for Delaware State Senate); Victor Baez and Annette Febo, the Catholic parents of Vico, a survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting; and Harold and Coleen Porcher, the parents of Elliot, a nonbinary teen struggling with depression after coming out.“For They Know Not What They Do” hits the touchstones of a good documentary — absorbing testimonies, compelling narratives and effective commentary that highlight the violence faced by L.G.B.T.Q. people (especially transgender people of color). But its success comes from interrogating the cultural assumption that there is no space for a range of sexual orientations and gender identities within religious communities. Because for most of these families, faith is a tool for understanding, not exclusion.For They Know Not What They DoNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 31 minutes. Watch on virtual cinemas. More

Colonialism is a war that began hundreds of years ago and never ended. Its modern tactics and its weapons are noted with precision in the ferocious documentary, “In My Blood It Runs.”The film follows an Arrernte Aboriginal family in Alice Springs, Australia, focusing on Dujuan, a 10-year-old boy, and his mother Megan, as they navigate his education. In plain vérité style, the documentary exposes how language and school are corrupted to become bludgeons for the system built by settlers.At home, Dujuan is a gifted healer who speaks three languages, and he is a gentle comfort to his mother. But at school, his teachers are white, and they mock Aboriginal spiritual beliefs while teaching a whitewashed version of colonial history. Dujuan is disengaged and angry, and his grades, attendance and behavior suffer. Megan’s fear is that Dujuan could be taken from her and placed in juvenile detention, and as Dujuan’s aunt warns him, if he goes to detention, he’ll either leave it for jail or a coffin.The director Maya Newell gains access to both worlds that Dujuan traverses — home and school — and the trust that she seems to have built with all participants is vital to the success of this film. In both settings, her subjects rarely acknowledge the camera directly. She captures natural behavior, whether she observes care or cruelty. Voices rarely raise, but the film still vibrates with fury.In the final minutes, Dujuan is given an opportunity to express what would satisfy him, which he does in language simple enough that even his teachers should be able to understand:“Leave black kids alone.”“Stop killing Aboriginal people.”“I want to be an Aborigine.”In My Blood It RunsNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. Watch on The Future of Film Is Female. More

It’s often said that dogs are man’s best friend, but in the beautiful and original animated film “Marona’s Fantastic Tale,” human beings are fickle companions.The film begins in Europe with a dog, Marona (voiced by Lizzie Brocheré), at the end of her life. In her final moments, she reflects on the owners she loved and lost, remembering how each took her on a whirlwind of discovery, adoration, crisis and desertion. Marona has three real homes in her life, and past abandonments have taught her that heartbreak waits in every happiness. But fortunately, the film stays buoyant through its unique, boisterous animation.[embedded content]The director Anca Damian has a playful drawing style, and her kinetic frames are always creating something new for the audience to enjoy. Images appear pasted together like a collage, with elements assembled from distinct styles. Pen and ink settings — like the lonely alley where Marona takes refuge after being abandoned by Manole (Bruno Salomone), her acrobatic first owner — may be strewn with crayon boxes, which are then packed up into colored marker trucks and driven away.Characters generally stick to the same color scheme and shape, but the sense of play that infuses the entire film finds expression in the character design too. Manole has limbs that seem almost liquid, stretching and twisting and reaching all across the screen, more like a stream of water than a solid form. Istvan (Thierry Hancisse), the construction worker who picks Marona up after Manole can no longer support her, is all bold lines and stable blocks of bright color. Marona is the most plain of all, drawn as she is in inky black and white. Her simplicity in such a vibrant, eclectic frame makes her joys and sorrows all the more touching.Marona’s Fantastic TaleNot rated. In Romanian and French, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes. Watch on virtual cinemas. More

At the heart of “Aviva” is a familiar love story between a man and a woman, with a familiar arc of romance, breakup and reconciliation. Yet in its first frames, the movie, written and directed by Boaz Yakin, announces several ways that the telling will be unusual. A naked woman looks at the camera and informs us that the character she plays is a man.That’s not all. The woman, Bobbi Jene Smith, also tells us that she is a dancer and choreographer, which is true in real life. She tells us that she is acting and that the creative team — she introduces the camera operators — decided that because this fictional film includes much dance, it was better to ask dancers to pull off the acting instead of the reverse.Already, the film has established what’s fresh about it: its questioning of gender, its use of dance not as an entertaining interlude but as a primary mode of expression. Already, it has established a self-conscious tone that undermines its formal boldness and wit.[embedded content]The main characters, Aviva and Eden, are each played by two actors, one male and one female, representing the dual aspect of each self. Sometimes, they swap in and out; sometimes, three or four of them share a scene — bickering, taking sides, having sex.This device allows for novel angles on love, marriage, jealousy and friendship. It suggests a universal multiplicity of gender. At its best, it results in surrealist comedy, playing on the psychoanalytic idea that whenever two people go to bed together, many others are in the bed with them.Choreography by Smith (with contributions from her husband, Or Schraiber, who plays Aviva’s male side) enlivens the movie in a mode indebted to the Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, in whose Batsheva Dance Company Smith and Schraiber spent many years. The dancing is gutsy, sensual, uninhibited and a little too full of itself. Pride in frank eccentricity pushes at times into the unintentionally absurd. Still, it’s exciting how these dance sequences are treated like any other scene, and disappointing when the compulsion to justify them takes hold.Those strengths and faults apply to the film in general. Yakin, best known for the unsubtle, conventional “Remember the Titans” (2000), has given himself a free hand to experiment. But that hand remains heavy, as when a flashback to gender confusion in Eden’s childhood is underlined as an obvious “Rosebud” moment. The surprising choices grow less surprising. A daring film becomes less daring than it might have been.AvivaNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 56 minutes. Watch on virtual cinemas. More

The South Korean director Hong Sang-soo, who began his career completing films at a relatively swift pace, has been on a real tear lately. Because of the vicissitudes of distribution, viewers in the United States who follow his work are catching up with it out of production order. “Yourself and Yours,” reviewed last week, was made in 2016, and this week’s “Hill of Freedom” in 2014.Coincidentally, a jumbling of time is related to the content of the movies themselves. “Hill” is predicated on a particularly daring temporal arrangement.[embedded content]It opens with a young woman, Kwon (Seo Young-hwa), picking up a collection of letters at an office. She opens and begins to read them; the male voice-over is in English, presumably the only language this Korean woman shares with the writer, Mori (Ryo Kase), who is from Japan.On the way out of the building she drops the letters. She hurries and picks up the pages, reassembling them in a random order (and leaving one of the pages behind). So the remainder of the movie recounts Mori’s adventures in random order.He had come to Korea, and taken a room in a bed-and-breakfast, to find Kwon and propose marriage to her. But she’s nowhere to be found. Hanging out at a nearby coffee shop, whose name gives the movie its title, he develops a friendship with a woman there, and that evolves into a romance. He also hangs out with the blustery nephew of the woman who runs the B&B. None of these interactions keep him from growing ever more downhearted over his inability to reach Kwon.The ingenuity of the movie’s structure is stimulating and delightful, but there’s one aspect of “Hill” that some may find a trifle exasperating: Even more than any of the sad-sack men who populate the director’s other movies, Mori is kind of a stiff.While something of an intellectual — he expounds to a couple of characters on the book that he’s carrying around, one about, yes, the nature of time — he’s almost stunningly passive in his personal exchanges. It’s a testament to Kase’s talent that he sells Mori’s defining trait so convincingly.Have patience with him, though. The movie’s ostensibly mild twist ending has a lingering irony that wouldn’t register had the character been more assertive.Hill of FreedomNot rated. In Korean, Japanese and English, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 6 minutes. Watch on virtual cinemas. More

“The Surrogate” feels like the vexed progeny of an elevator pitch and an ethics advice column. Written and directed by Jeremy Hersh, the movie begins with a scene of its heroine, Jess (Jasmine Batchelor) on a date. Her suitor is ardent, and she’s trying to make clear that what he takes for ambivalence is something different. One senses she gets this a lot, appealing as she is. There’s a hard cut to black and then Jess is rejoicing over the positive results of a pregnancy test.Has she had a change of heart? No. She’s carrying the child of her best friend, Josh (Chris Perfetti), for him and his husband, Aaron (Sullivan Jones). Jess is black, as is Aaron, and Josh is white. Anyway, everything is fine in idealistic liberal Brooklyn until the fetus tests positive for Down syndrome. The trio’s agreement did not take this possibility into account, and the development raises tough questions for them.[embedded content]Hersh then bears down on the viewer with varied weighted observations. The movie visits a community center specializing in education for children with Down syndrome. It also alights on the home of Jess’s upper-middle class parents, who have very upper-middle class aspirations for the daughter as she weighs her options. All the while, Josh and Aaron pause, and dither and pause again. Eventually Hersh drops the hammer and shows them as the glib and shallow bourgeois brats he clearly had conceived them as all along.In the hands of a deft satirist, the movie’s punchline — because that’s really all it is — might have been mordantly funny. But as it stands, the whole enterprise feels like something the classic-Hollywood problem-filmmaker Stanley Kramer might have come up with, if he were a sadist.The SurrogateNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 33 minutes. Watch through virtual cinemas. More

Here are a few of the best events happening Thursday through Wednesday and how to tune in (all times are Eastern).An Alvin Ailey GalaThursday at 7:30 p.m. on FacebookThe Alvin Ailey organization continues its monthslong effort to bring dance into our homes — this time with its first-ever “Ailey Spirit Gala” global broadcast. The event will feature Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the rising stars of Ailey II, young dancers from The Ailey School and students from AileyCamp — along with special guests including Angela Bassett, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom, Jr., Timothy Shriver, Lorraine Toussaint and Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. The D.J.s D-Nice and Ms. Nix will also be on hand. Among other things, the gala will raise funds to support scholarships to the Ailey School and AileyCamp.When: 7:30 p.m.Where: The Alvin Ailey Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo channels, as well as the “Ailey Spirit Gala” website and the Alvin Ailey website.A Tribute to John PrineThursday at 7:30 p.m. on YouTubeJohn Prine, the country-folk singer-songwriter who inspired Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and others, died in April of complications from Covid-19 at 73. On Thursday, a virtual celebration of his life — “Picture Show: A Tribute Celebrating John Prine,” featuring musicians, actors and friends — will premiere. The tribute includes memories and songs as well as never-before-shared footage of Prine. Along with other charitable organizations, the event will raise money the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Alive, whose grief center is providing free counseling sessions to anyone in Middle Tennessee who’s lost a family member to the pandemic.When: 7:30 p.m.Where: John Prine’s YouTube and Facebook channels.Explore Broadway as It Was and Could BeThursday at 7 p.m. on the New York Times Events websiteTurn down the house lights. It’s showtime. “Offstage: Opening Night,” from The New York Times, is an expansive live program with some of the stage’s biggest stars — including Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone Jeremy O. Harris and Mary-Louise Parker — who will gather virtually to perform and discuss songs, scenes and stories that defined a year like no other. Wesley Morris, a New York Times critic-at-large, will moderate a portion of the conversation. Afterward, Times critics and journalists — including Ben Brantley, Jesse Green, Aisha Harris, Amanda Hess, Nicole Herrington and Michael Paulson — will share some of their favorite moments of the season, and the moments that they wish they could have seen.When: 7 p.m.Where: The New York Times Events website. R.S.V.P. here.‘Black and Queer in America’Thursday at 6 p.m. on Instagram LiveThe actor and dancer Dyllón Burnside (“Pose”) is bringing together friends and influential members of the L.G.B.T.Q. and black communities during Pride month with a new conversation series called “Black and Queer in America,” which premieres Thursday. First up: the Emmy Award-winning actor Billy Porter (“Pose”); Alphonso David, the president of the Human Rights Campaign; the writer, director and activist Janet Mock; and Mayor Steven Reed of Montgomery, Ala. (You can also watch Burnside’s new PBS docuseries “Prideland,” which explores personal stories across the American South, on the PBS Voices YouTube channel.)When: 6 p.m.Where: Dyllón Burnside’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.Stacey Abrams Talks With Sen. Kirsten GillibrandThursday at 6 p.m. on 92Y OnlineStacey Abrams, a Georgia Democrat who vied to be the nation’s first black woman governor in 2018, and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, will come together to talk about Abrams’s work to advance voting rights, the 2020 election and Abrams’s new book, “Our Time Is Now.” The live event is hosted by the 92nd Street Y. Tickets are $20.When: 6 p.m., and ticket holders can access the discussion in the future.Where: 92Y Online.Dive Deep With Ocean WeekThursday starting at 3 p.m. on the EarthX websiteEarthX and National Geographic’s Ocean Week celebration wraps up Thursday night with a several online events, including talks, film screenings and reality experiences — drop in on conversations with experts and scientists about Australia’s ridges, reefs and sharks; and catch the virtual-reality film “Virtual Diving with Underwater Earth.” See the full calender here.When: Events start at 3 p.m. and run until 11 p.m.Where: The EarthX website.‘We’re Still Here’Friday at 3 p.m. on EventbriteEventbrite has teamed up with New York City Pride, San Francisco Pride and other L.G.B.T.Q. organizations for a 12-hour digital Pride celebration, “We’re Still Here: Celebrating Pride in Solidarity,” to honor the roots of Pride and the current fight for civil rights and to showcase ways to lift up the black communities. Events include “A Mental Wellness Moment” with Laqwanda Roberts-Buckley; a rare full- length screening of a Fathers Project web-series that imagines the world if the AIDS crisis never happened; and “Drag Alive Drag Happy Hour.”When: 3 p.m. through 3 a.m.Where: The Eventbrite website. See the full calender, and find out how to sign up, here.James Ijames’ ‘Kill Move Paradise’Now on the Wilma Theater websiteTo support the Justice for George Floyd and Black Lives Matter movements, The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia will stream its 2018 production of James Ijames’ “Kill Move Paradise,” directed by Blanka Zizka and featuring members of the Wilma HotHouse Company. The play — a New York Times Critic’s Pick and a winner of the Whiting Award and the Kesselring Prize — is inspired by the fatal shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice by a Cleveland police officer in 2014. To stream the production, audience members will be asked to make a contribution of any size to Black Lives Matter Philly. All proceeds will benefit that chapter.When: Now through June 21Where: The Wilma Theater website. Make a contribution here to get a link to the performance.Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Finishing The Hat’Friday at 3 p.m. on FacebookAs part of a celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday, “Poetry in America Live” — a new series from the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in partnership with PBS’s “Poetry in America” series — will focus on his song “Finishing the Hat” from the musical “Sunday in the Park with George.” This live event will include a performance of Sondheim songs and a discussion of the lyrics to this particular song. Elisa New, host of PBS’s “Poetry in America,” will be joined by the Tony Award nominee Melissa Errico, the New Yorker staff writer and author Adam Gopnik and the musical director Tedd Firth.When: 3 p.m.Where: The Sheen Center website, as well as its Facebook and YouTube channels.A Star-Studded Pride SummitSaturday at 12:30 p.m. on the Billboard websiteBillboard and The Hollywood Reporter are holding their second annual Pride Summit virtually to celebrate the influence of the L.G.B.T.Q. community across music, media and entertainment. Participating stars including Billy Porter, Lena Waithe, Carson Kressley, Cyndi Lauper, Erika Jayne, Hayley Kiyoko, Indigo Girls, Mary Lambert, Noah Cyrus, Todrick Hall, Wilson Cruz, Jennifer Beals, Katherine Moennig and Leisha Hailey. The daylong event will feature discussions about being out in entertainment and the importance of representation in music, television, film and more — as well as a virtual Pride Prom, with performances, an interactive D.J. set and a drag contest.When: 12:30 p.m.Where: The Billboard Events website.‘We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance and Hope’Sunday at 2 p.m. on the ‘We Are Here’ website“We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance and Hope,” a special concert event — presented by a network of more than 100 organizations across the world including the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene and Sing for Hope — will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the 77th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Numerous actors, musicians and civic leaders will participate, including Whoopi Goldberg, Renée Fleming, Billy Joel, Lang Lang, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Joyce DiDonato, Mayim Bialik and many others. The program will also feature the world premiere of a new work by the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Corigliano based on a text by Kitty O’Meara, to be performed by Fleming.When: 2 p.m.Where: The “We Are Here” websiteNorman Lear, Rita Moreno and RuPaulSunday at 7 p.m. on 92Y OnlineThe E.G.O.T. winner Rita Moreno and the legendary producer Norman Lear will sit down (virtually) with the Emmy Award winner RuPaul for a conversation about “One Day at a Time” and its influence on the entertainment culture — from Lear’s original vision for the sitcom’s 1970s version to its current incarnation. They’ll also discuss their shared interest in changing the status quo and the different ways each has worked to expand the margins of mainstream television. Tickets are $25.When: 7 p.m.Where: 92Y Online.The Wiggles From the Sydney Opera HouseSunday at 2 a.m. on the Sydney Opera House websiteThe Australian children’s band the Wiggles are making their Sydney Opera House debut in a new performance that will be streamed as part of the opera house’s digital season, “From Our House to Yours.” This will be the Wiggles first show on a stage since their national tour was postponed. They will perform their new single “Social Distancing,” which teaches kids how to keep safe and stay connected with friends during isolation.When: 2 a.m., and the performance will remain available on-demand globally until September 30.Where: The Sydney Opera House website.‘Criminal Queerness Festival’Sunday through June 29 on Zoom or FacebookThe National Queer Theater and Dixon Place, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and NYC Pride, are hosting the second annual “Criminal Queerness Festival” (of course, this year’s showcase is virtual). Through online performances, conversations and master classes, the “Criminal Queerness Festival” brings together queer and transgender artists from countries that criminalize or censor L.G.B.T.Q. communities. Find the calendar of events here.When: Sunday through June 29.Where: Most events will stream via Zoom or Facebook Live.Anna Deavere Smith on Confronting HateMonday at 7 p.m. on 92Y OnlineThe playwright, actor and professor Anna Deavere Smith is joining the 92nd Street Y’s “Confronting Hate” programming for a discussion that coincides with two of her most renown works becoming available: “Twilight: Los Angeles,” the filmed version of her one-woman play on the 1992 Los Angeles riots that followed the beating of Rodney King, which will air on PBS’s “Great Performances” anthology series; and “Notes from the Field,” a 2018 film based on her play of the same name that explores racial inequality in the justice system, which is available on HBO’s online platforms.When: 7 p.m.Where: 92Y Online.‘World’s Largest Lesson Live’ PremieresTuesday at 11 a.m. on YouTubeThe actors Millie Bobby Brown and Sofia Carson will join Amina Mohammed, the United Nations deputy secretary-general, and Henrietta Fore, the executive director of UNICEF, in the debut episode of “World’s Largest Lesson Live.” The 30-minute educational show puts experts and young people in conversation to reflect on the past few months and to encourage young people to reimagine the world post-Covid-19. Savannah Sellers, an NBC News and MSNBC anchor, will host.When: 11 a.m., and the episode will be available afterward on the World’s Largest Lesson website and YouTube’s Learn at Home website.Where: The Unicef YouTube channel.Lucy Dacus, for the Royal Albert HallWednesday at 3:30 p.m. on the Royal Albert Hall websiteThe indie-rock singer-songwriter Lucy Dacus will deliver an exclusive set from her home as part of the Royal Albert Hall’s “Royal Albert Home” sessions. Dacus’s sophomore album “Historian,” was called “emotionally raw and intimate” by Joe Coscarelli, a New York Times culture reporter, in 2018. At the time, she described the album as a song cycle about “living through loss and the inevitable darkness of life, and doing so hopefully and joyfully.”When: 3:30 p.m.Where: The Royal Albert Hall website.Mariel Wamsley contributed research. More