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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘A Trip to Infinity’ on Netflix, a Mind-Boggling Documentary About Everything We Don’t Know About Everything

Where to stream:.

• A Trip to Infinity

• documentaries

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Netflix documentary A Trip to Infinity is gonna BLOW your MIND, dude. Directors Jonathan Halperin and Drew Takahashi solicit experts to help them tackle the most maximal topic in the history of everything from a few different angles – and when you think about it for a sec, the only possible conclusion one can arrive at is a sublime and confounding realization that, on a cosmic scale, humans are naught but grand ignoramuses. Good luck finding meaning and purpose for your existence after watching this one!

A TRIP TO INFINITY : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: It “doesn’t behave like we’re used to.” It’s “a monster that needs to be tamed.” It “creates and destroys mathematicians.” It’s infinity! You know, the thing that goes on and on and on and never ends, like your father-in-law’s political tirades or The Snyder Cut rimshot! Here we have theoretical physicists, mathematicians, philosophers, theoretical cosmologists and the like talking about infinity – what it is, how it works, where we can find it (I bet Amazon has the best price and quickest free delivery), etc., and their concepts and explanations are illustrated by a variety of nifty animations in a variety of visual styles ranging from literal to metaphorical. And I can’t help but wonder, what does a theoretical cosmologist think about when their mind wanders? The Great British Baking Show , probably.

The doc is divided into linear chapters identified by recognizable numbers such as 1, 6, 3 and the like. I feel like it should have been more spherical in structure to fit the subject matter, but it still works pretty well. We learn that infinity can equal 0, and it can also make 1 equal 0. We learn about circles and how they keep going and going and going. We learn about how gigantic infinity is, and how tiny it is. There’s some stuff about black holes and wormholes. There’s this great bit about how an apple in a box will decay into mush and then dust and then microscopic particles and then it kind of becomes one with the universe and, if you give it enough time, significantly longer than you’ll wait for a table at IHOP on a Sunday morning, it’ll become an apple again. And when it all comes down to brass tacks, or something much much smaller than brass tacks, like quarks or something, we really don’t know shit about infinity. It pretty much exists to remind us of the uncertainty of everything. Pro tip: hit the dispensary before pressing play on this mofo.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The Black Hole , Interstellar , the last 30 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey , Avengers: Infinity War , Infinite starring Mark Wahlberg as a man who “discovers that his hallucinations are actually visions from past lives,” and both the Carl Sagan and Neil deGrasse Tyson versions of the Cosmos TV show.

Performance Worth Watching: Mathematician Steven Strogatz gives off some serious lovable-high-school-physics-teacher vibes: He speaks in an upbeat tone that infects you with his sense of awe and wonder for the natural world.

Memorable Dialogue: The ultimate brain-pretzeling line: “In fact, there’s an infinite number of ways to make the universe finite. And there’s really only a couple ways to make it infinite.”

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: A Trip to Infinity is slickly crafted and executed. It presents complex ideas in a terrifically entertaining manner, and doesn’t dumb anything down too much. The talking heads are knowledgeable and engaging, their presence functioning as the stitching holding together a patchwork of creatively conceptualized animations. Movies about heady, weighty subjects aren’t usually so much fun.

Thematically, the core message here addresses the futility of wrestling with paradoxes. You’re better off embracing the idea that all of the human race’s advanced logic and calculations will likely never explain or comprehend the greater existential realities of the universe. And that’s why some of the scientists and thinkers in this film look so bemused as they attempt to elucidate, since it’s ultimately a futile task. One says humans are like cats: They, and we, are only capable of understanding reality within the limitations of their intelligence. It’s Aristotle’s old idea – the more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. This isn’t to say we’re better off being cats, because they don’t have the capacity to realize that we’re just specks on a speck in an incomprehensibly vast universe; we’re smart enough to know we don’t know, and once you accept that, it makes infinity feel a little bit lighter.

Will you stream or skip the mind-boggling documentary #ATripToInfinity on @netflix ? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) September 27, 2022

Our Call: A Trip to Infinity is the greatest, most significant movie ever made, and also the most inconsequential. For that reason, it’s noteworthy. STREAM IT.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Read more of his work at johnserbaatlarge.com .

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A Trip to Infinity

Can we experience the infinite? The world''s most modern scientists and mathematicians embark on a search for the infinite and its amazing effects on the universe. Can we experience the infinite? The world''s most modern scientists and mathematicians embark on a search for the infinite and its amazing effects on the universe. Can we experience the infinite? The world''s most modern scientists and mathematicians embark on a search for the infinite and its amazing effects on the universe.

• Jonathan Halperin
• Drew Takahashi
• Alex Ricciardi
• Alan Lightman
• Delilah Gates
• Stephon Alexander
• 55 User reviews
• 8 Critic reviews

• Self - Physicist
• Self - Theoretical Physicist
• Self - Cosmologist
• Self - Mathematician
• Self - Philosopher
• (as Rebecca Goldstein)

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• Sep 28, 2022
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• September 26, 2022 (United States)
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• Runtime 1 hour 19 minutes

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A Trip to Infinity

2022, Documentary

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A trip to infinity   photos.

This documentary profiles pioneers of math and physics around the world who are trying to explain infinity -- and find it.

Genre: Documentary

Original Language: English

Director: Jonathan Halperin , Drew Takahashi

Writer: Jonathan Halperin , Alex Ricciardi

Release Date (Streaming): Sep 26, 2022

Cast & Crew

Jonathan Halperin

Drew Takahashi

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Alex Ricciardi

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The 20 best trippy movies and TV shows on Netflix right now

Choose from Oscar-winning multiverses and mind-boggling animation.

a24, Netflix (2)

Psychologist and author Timothy Leary originally coined the phrase “turn on, tune in, drop out” to describe the transformative power of psychedelics. In the age of streaming, that tagline has become more literal than ever before; when you’re on your own substance-laced voyage, a good movie or TV show hits that much harder.

Of course, your choice of entertainment determines whether you have a good trip worthy of Cheech and Chong or a nightmare like the original Willy Wonka boat sequence . To make sure you don’t stream the digital equivalent of brown acid at Woodstock, keep reading to discover the best trippy movies and TV shows on Netflix right now.

A Trip to Infinity (2022)

courtesy netflix

A hallmark of a good trip (be it physical or pharmaceutical) is obtaining a fresh perspective. That’s the goal of this documentary, in which Jonathan Halperin and Drew Takahashi explore the abstract concept of infinity. Their approach utilizes equal parts physics and philosophy, and by the time the credits roll, you may have more questions than answers. Nonetheless, the endlessly entertaining movie is a trip worth taking.

Where to watch A Trip to Infinity : Netflix 

Director: Jonathan Halperin, Drew Takahashi

Cast: Alan Lightman, Brian Greene, Stephon Alexander, Steven Strogatz

Behind Her Eyes (2021)

Your mileage may vary, but we at EW love trippy stories that veer in unexpected directions, and Behind Her Eyes is one such show. At first, the tale of a woman (Simona Brown) who starts sleeping with her boss (Tom Bateman) while navigating a strange relationship with his wife (Eve Hewson) might sound like a lurid Lifetime drama. However, the series soon becomes a mind-boggling supernatural thriller that’s a delight to dissect. 

Where to watch Behind Her Eyes : Netflix  

Cast: Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman, Simona Brown, Robert Aramayo

Related content: Behind Her Eyes director breaks down the series' shocking twists

Black Mirror (2011–present)

Black Mirror might be the optimal trippy anthology show if (and only if) you don’t mind some occasional bad vibes. The throughline in this series is examining how technology exacerbates the worst parts of society and human nature, painting a bleak reflection of our present reality through razor-sharp sci-fi stories. Episodes run the gamut from memory implants gone awry to astronauts committing familicide from space, though EW’s writer notes that some installments have a “ dash of faithful techno-optimism ” that stoners may welcome as a change of pace.

Where to watch Black Mirror : Netflix 

EW grade: A- ( read the review )

Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Hayley Atwell, Jon Hamm, Anthony Mackie, Daniel Kaluuya, Salma Hayek

Related content: Every Black Mirror episode ranked

Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021)

To understand the taste of Brand New Cherry Flavor , imagine going up to the Hollywood soda fountain and filling your cup with equal parts David Lynch and Diablo Cody . The series is about a woman ( Rosa Salazar ) trying to get a big break directing her first film, but when a manipulative misogynist deceives her, she ends up putting a very real curse on him. The line between reality and cinema twists and turns from there, delving into a kind of #MeToo-inspired surreality. 

Where to watch Brand New Cherry Flavor : Netflix 

Cast: Rosa Salazar, Catherine Keener, Eric Lange, Manny Jacinto, Jeff Ward

Related content: The 16 best horror series on Netflix

Bullet Train (2022)

Many great trippy movies eschew tight plots in favor of colorful worlds full of equally colorful characters — which Bullet Train has in spades. Brad Pitt plays an unconventional career criminal whose quest to retrieve a briefcase of cash is sidelined by gangsters, assassins ( Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry), and fancy toilets. EW’s critic said it best , writing, “ Bullet Train doesn't have a destination, really, or a moral imperative other than mayhem. But it's got a ticket to ride.”

Where to watch Bullet Train : Netflix 

EW grade: B+ ( read the review )

Director: David Leitch

Cast: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Sandra Bullock

Related content: Bullet Train almost gifted us a Speed reunion between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock

Carol & the End of the World (2023)

It’s the end of the world, and I feel… nothing? That’s the premise of this trippy series, following Carol (Martha Kelly) as she sinks into the mundane joys of life while everyone else is partying like… well… it’s the end of the world. Another planet is about to collide with Earth, and most of humanity is living like it’s the first act of a frat comedy film. Carol on the other hand craves routine and finds it with the help of a coworker ( Laurie Metcalf ) and friend ( Gillian Jacobs ), leaving audiences to debate the meaning of their own lives.

Where to watch Carol & the End of the World: Netflix 

Cast: Martha Kelly, Beth Grant, Lawrence Pressman, Kimberly Hébert Gregory

Dark (2017–2020)

Dark is unlike anything else on television. The bleak German sci-fi series begins in the modern era with a concerned town searching for missing children, but a nearby wormhole brings in some time travel elements that make everything more complex and captivating. Though the premise is quite serious, the plot is a trippy treat, serving up a mystery that spans three generations and glimpses at the ever-changing future.

Where to watch Dark : Netflix 

Cast: Dietrich Hollinderbäumer, Maja Schöne, Angela Winkler, Florian Panzner

Related content: Dark : Get an inside look at Netflix's first German series

Entergalactic (2022)

Courtesy of Netflix

Serving up eye candy and ear candy, Entergalactic is an animated companion piece to Kid Cudi ’s album of the same name, painting an electric, eclectic world in the style of the Spiderverse movies. The plot involves a young artist (Scott Mescudi) who falls hard for the girl next door (Jessica Williams), while Kudi’s music and stunning visuals color their love in cosmic shades.

Where to watch Entergalactic : Netflix

Director: Fletcher Moules

Cast: Scott Mescudi, Jessica Williams, Ty Dolla Sign, Timothée Chalamet

Related content: Kid Cudi brings a new meaning to 'visual album' with Entergalactic

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Winner of Best Picture (and a slew of other Oscars), Everything Everywhere All at Once weaves a multiverse that puts Marvel to shame. We follow Michelle Yeoh ’s laundromat owner as she deals with divorce (from Ke Huy Quan), a rebellious daughter (Stephanie Hsu), and an IRS agent (Jamie Lee Curtis). The genre and focus shift into a different dimension with almost every jaunt, but this trippy tale has an emotionally poignant and completely original climax that keeps the affair grounded. As EW’s critic wrote about the directors, “Their ambition is palpable and their imagination seemingly unfettered,” while the script “crackles and spins and throws off sparks like a Catherine wheel.”

Where to watch Everything Everywhere All At Once : Netflix 

Director: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

Cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis

Related content: The 'weird journey' to make Everything Everywhere All at Once

Fantastic Fungi (2019)

Who wouldn’t want to hear Captain Marvel talk about shrooms? That’s what’s in store with Fantastic Fungi , a Brie Larson -narrated documentary about all things mushrooms. Experts like Paul Stamets unpack the environmental and medicinal properties of fungi, but the trippiest aspect of the film is its use of gorgeous time-lapses. The result is awe-inspiring and enlightening, giving the viewer a new appreciation for these fungi and their many roles in our world.

Where to watch Fantastic Fungi : Netflix 

Director: Louie Schwartzberg

Cast: Brie Larson, Paul Stamets, Michael Pollan, Eugenia Bone, Andrew Weil, Giuliana Furci

Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics (2020)

It may be a little on the nose, but what makes for a better trippy film than your favorite celebs talking about tripping? Host Nick Offerman brings his usual impish warmth to this Netflix documentary, but the real draw is hearing famous people describe their own journeys (sometimes good, sometimes bad, always memorable) with psychedelic drugs. Of particular note is seeing dearly departed stars (including Anthony Bourdain and Carrie Fisher ) share their stories — and hilarious wisdom — with us once more.

Where to watch Have A Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics : Netflix 

Director: Donick Cary

Cast: Nick Offerman, Carrie Fisher, A$AP Rocky, Nick Kroll, Natasha Lyonne, Ben Stiller 

Related content: The wildest celebrity acid trip stories in Have a Good Trip

How to Change Your Mind (2022)

While some trippy shows have a more playful bent, How to Change Your Mind takes the topic of psychedelics very seriously. Sure, it focuses on things like LSD and MDMA, but rather than extol their recreational benefits, this docuseries (based on the book of the same name by Michael Pollan ) sees the author explain the history of drug use in therapeutic settings. The title is quite literal; no matter what state you’re currently in, you’ll learn how the right drugs could literally change your mind. 

Where to watch How to Change Your Mind : Netflix 

Cast: Michael Pollan

Life in Color (2021)

If you’re a nature documentary lover, then you know that anything hosted by David Attenborough is the real deal. Life in Color clocks in at only three episodes, making this miniseries more of a visual snack than an entire buffet. However, it’s a satisfying treat that explores how animals use color to navigate their daily lives and survive deadly encounters. In a world where wildlife docs are a dime a dozen, this niche focus stands out from the herd.

Where to watch Life in Color : Netflix 

Cast: David Attenborough

Related content: The 15 best nature documentaries and docuseries

Love, Death + Robots (2019–present)

This futuristic anthology series produced by David Fincher sees a revolving door of animators craft thought-provoking shorts. Love, Death + Robots was originally conceived of as a reboot of the ‘80s midnight movie Heavy Metal , and it succeeds as a successor by making dystopia look as stylish as it is sad. Robots might be a major focus of the title, but like the best sci-fi works, this series also emphasizes the vulnerable human elements embedded in each story.

Where to watch Love, Death + Robots : Netflix 

Cast: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Topher Grace, Troy Baker, Josh Brener

Related content: David Fincher, Tim Miller bringing animation anthology series to Netflix

Midnight Gospel (2020)

The concept behind Midnight Gospel is trippy in and of itself. This series takes audio from the Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast and, through animated direction by Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward, turns everything into a navel-gazing voyage from hell (or heaven, as the tone turns on a dime). It’s difficult to sum up this surreal show, but EW’s critic took a crack at it in their A-rated review , writing, “It's an action-packed cartoon about humanity's spiritual reckoning with reality, and a meditative odyssey across hallucinogenic science-fictional fantasies. There are sequences bone-dripped with hard-R freakout imagery — but the vibe is whimsical, full of freewheeling conversation.”

Where to watch Midnight Gospel : Netflix 

EW grade: A ( read the review )

Cast: Duncan Trussell, Phil Hendrie, Drew Pinsky, Damien Echols

Related content: Adventure Time creator unveils new adult Netflix animated show

Oldboy (2003)

Mary Evans/Egg Films/Show East/Ronald Grant/Everett Collection

Oldboy is a great trippy movie as long as you’re willing to wade into dark territory. Director Park Chan-wook carefully constructs the story of a kidnapped man ( Choi Min-Sik ) who is freed after 15 years in isolation and seeks bloody revenge on his mysterious captor while searching for his daughter. Equal parts transformative and gruesome, this legendary cult film isn’t for the faint of heart. Even so, EW’s critic noted , “The brio and glee that Korean bad-boy filmmaker Park Chan-wook brings to the gaudy psycho-shockeroo Oldboy is undeniable, even impressive.” 

Where to watch Oldboy : Netflix 

EW grade: N/A ( read the review )

Director: Park Chan-wook

Cast: Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jung

Related content: How the iconic Oldboy hallway fight influenced a generation of Hollywood action

Our Universe (2022)

Rather than focusing on plants or animals, this docuseries explores how Earth is connected to billions of years of cosmic history and development. With the help of host Morgan Freeman , you’ll discover the link between things like starlight and your own body. For veteran trippers with a cosmic bent, the Sagan-like wisdom that we’re all made of “star stuff” might be old news. But this series has more than a few surprises, and what trip could be complete without narration from the voice of God himself ?

Where to watch Our Universe : Netflix 

Cast: Morgan Freeman

Pineapple Express (2008)

Like the perfect hybrid of indica and sativa, Pineapple Express is what happens when a buddy comedy is rolled inside a stoner movie. It’s the tale of a white-collar guy ( Seth Rogen ) and his weed dealer ( James Franco ) who are on the run after witnessing a thug and crooked cop commit a murder. EW’s critic was especially keen on Franco’s Saul, describing him as “ an amusing hipster-autodidact — he knows just how to hit a five-dollar word like trifecta. And the more weed Dale smokes, the more Rogen gives him a demented clarity.”

Where to watch Pineapple Express : Netflix

EW grade: B ( read the review )

Director: David Gordon Green

Cast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny McBride

Related content: Best stoner movies: 20 high-rated faves

Synchronic (2019)

No matter how much you love party drugs, the threat of ingesting something dangerous is always there. That’s the driving force behind Synchronic , a movie in which a paramedic ( Anthony Mackie ) gets enmeshed in a mystery surrounding several people dying or being driven insane by an exotic new designer drug. With his partner ( Jamie Dornan ), he discovers the substance is the ultimate form of nostalgia, making users feel like they were transported to the past. While the message isn’t overly preachy, audiences will keenly understand the dangers of becoming unstuck in time by the final credits.

Where to watch Synchronic : Netflix  

Director: Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead

Cast: Anthony Mackie, Jamie Dornan

Related content: Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie would totally try the trippy killer drug in Synchronic

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Parrish Lewis/Netflix

Good trips and conspiracy theories go hand in hand, but what if surreal comedy was added to the mix? That’s the vibe in They Cloned Tyrone , a film that brings together powerhouse talents Jamie Foxx and John Boyega . When Boyega’s character is fatally shot and then shows up healthy (albeit slightly amnesiac), it kicks off an investigation into a government cloning project targeting Black people. The movie has some real things to say about race and government exploitation, but it never loses its comic appeal amid the weighty messages.

Where to watch They Cloned Tyrone : Netflix 

Director: Juel Taylor

Cast: John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, Jamie Foxx, David Alan Grier, Kiefer Sutherland

Related content: Jamie Foxx and John Boyega put a stylish spin on government conspiracies in They Cloned Tyrone

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A familiar American goes to Italy to live his best life in the bloody Netflix series ‘Ripley’

Over the years, the iconic criminal character of Tom Ripley has been played by Matt Damon, John Malkovich, Ian Hart and Dennis Hopper. Now, Irish actor Andrew Scott gets a turn in the Netflix limited-series “Ripley,” opposite Dakota Fanning and Johnny Flynn. (April 3)

Johnny Flynn, from left, Andrew Scott, and Dakota Fanning pose for a portrait to promote the television miniseries “Ripley” on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

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This image released by Netflix shows Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley in a scene from “Ripley.” (Netflix via AP)

Andrew Scott poses for a portrait to promote the television miniseries “Ripley” on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Dakota Fanning in a scene from “Ripley.” (Netflix via AP)

This image released by Netflix shows Johnny Flynn in a scene from “Ripley.” (Netflix via AP)

Johnny Flynn poses for a portrait to promote the television miniseries “Ripley” on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

Dakota Fanning poses for a portrait to promote the television miniseries “Ripley” on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s time to take another trip to Italy, to the charming, cobblestoned streets of the Amalfi Coast, sipping coffee at cafes and looking for the la dolce vita. And it just wouldn’t be fun without our favorite serial killer, right?

Tom Ripley is back for another turn at wearing dressing gowns and having Champagne on the terrace in “Ripley,” a thrilling new Netflix series based on the enduring character created by novelist Patricia Highsmith in “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” It premieres April 4.

“The idea that we know we’re not supposed to like him, but we do want to see him get away with it is very interesting. What’s it say about us?” asks Steven Zaillian, who created, directed and wrote the eight-episode adaptation.

Andrew Scott steps up to play Ripley, a scrappy check fraudster in grimy New York who is hired to locate a rich dilettante in Italy, but kills him and then impersonates him, leading to more murders and scams.

“Like with any sort of iconic literary character like that, people have very strong opinions — he’s a psychopath, he’s a serial killer,” says Scott. “Part of the challenge was how do you make an audience feel like what it’s like to be Tom Ripley, rather than what is usually done, which is to want to feel like to be a victim of Tom Ripley.”

The eight-hour canvas allows viewers time to watch him figure out how to get out of jams in real time, like a murder he commits in his apartment in the fifth episode. He needs to find the victim’s car, clean up the crime scene, move the body and make it all seem like an alcohol-induced accident.

“I think because we sort of see every little step of how he figures things out and does things that we take part in them,” says Zaillian. “He often doesn’t know what he should do next, and neither do we. And so we become part of the process in that way.”

Scott, known for his stage work, the Emmy-winning “Fleabag” and recent film “All of Us Strangers,” says it may take some viewers raised on TikTok a little while to adjust to a more sedate, deliberate storytelling pace — one in which characters climb staircases, look at waves and make small talk. There is time to watch where an ashtray is bought before it’s later used to bludgeon someone to death.

“You have to teach the audience how to watch it to a certain degree,” he says. “There’s certain times the pacing is really quite fast and there’s certain times where you think this would take time and you have to stay with the agony and the thrill and the tension when things aren’t going right. That’s the way life is.”

Zaillian, an Oscar winner for the screenplay of “Schindler’s List,” refused a suggestion to update Highsmith’s book series and is careful to keep everything very early 1960s, even filming it all in black and white, like “Schindler’s List.”

“It puts us in that time period effortlessly and immediately. But more than that, I did not want what I would call a color postcard sort of Italy for this story, with sunny blue skies and lots of colorful outfits. That was not something I saw in my mind when I read the book and not something that I wanted to do in the show,” he says.

If other TV shows are dialogue-driven, “Ripley” is more interested in the spaces between dialogue. It’s all about suspicious looks, wary interactions and putting on a brave face with police inspectors and hotel clerks.

“I was so excited by getting to communicate so much with micro-movements in the face and a look — that thing where you can read someone’s thoughts through their eyes,” says Dakota Fanning, who plays the suspicious girlfriend of the rich dilettante Dickie Greenleaf.

Zaillian is faithful to Highsmith’s novels but adds some of himself into the series, like making Ripley a fan of Italian painter Caravaggio, who worked with intense and unsettling realism and was also a killer.

“I found as I was writing it there’s actually a connection between him and Caravaggio. They were both these sort of rascals and both ended up killing somebody. So it sort of grew from a personal moment that I had into a motif and then kind of into an aspect of his character,” he says.

Like Caravaggio, the series is grounded in realism, from the rusty showerheads and the gritty, screeching subways of New York to the crumbling walls and pigeon poop-streaked statues in Italy. Cleaning up blood takes what seems like hours.

Ripley, who over the years has been portrayed by, among others, Matt Damon, John Malkovich, Ian Hart and Dennis Hopper, is played understated by Scott as a killer who makes mistakes, improvises and must double back to correct errors.

Zaillian thought of Scott for the role very early in the casting process, aware of his work in “Fleabag” and as Moriarty on the BBC series “Sherlock.” He was smitten.

“I just found him really sort of watchable,” Zaillian says. “I knew that since we spend so much time with somebody alone — there’s a lot of scenes where it’s just us and him — that he has to be watchable. We have to be able to see him think and express himself in a way that lets us know what he’s thinking. And I found that Andrew was able to do that.”

Johnny Flynn, who plays the golden boy Greenleaf, says filming in Italy took him to some of the most beautiful places on the planet but ones that got darker as the summer tourists left and the sun got lower, perfect for a noirish vibe. He and the cast were also reminded that many small Italian towns built on cliffs have many, many steps.

“We were just out of breath all the time,” he says, laughing.

Which is what can be said for lots of people who meet Ripley.

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

A familiar American goes to Italy to live his best life in the bloody Netflix series 'Ripley'

NEW YORK — It’s time to take another trip to Italy, to the charming, cobblestoned streets of the Amalfi Coast, sipping coffee at cafes and looking for the la dolce vita. And it just wouldn’t be fun without our favorite serial killer, right?

Tom Ripley is back for another turn at wearing dressing gowns and having Champagne on the terrace in “Ripley,” a thrilling new Netflix series based on the enduring character created by novelist Patricia Highsmith in “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” It premieres April 4.

“The idea that we know we’re not supposed to like him, but we do want to see him get away with it is very interesting. What’s it say about us?” asks Steven Zaillian, who created, directed and wrote the eight-episode adaptation.

Andrew Scott steps up to play Ripley, a scrappy check fraudster in grimy New York who is hired to locate a rich dilettante in Italy, but kills him and then impersonates him, leading to more murders and scams.

“Like with any sort of iconic literary character like that, people have very strong opinions — he’s a psychopath, he’s a serial killer,” says Scott. “Part of the challenge was how do you make an audience feel like what it’s like to be Tom Ripley, rather than what is usually done, which is to want to feel like to be a victim of Tom Ripley.”

The eight-hour canvas allows viewers time to watch him figure out how to get out of jams in real time, like a murder he commits in his apartment in the fifth episode. He needs to find the victim’s car, clean up the crime scene, move the body and make it all seem like an alcohol-induced accident.

“I think because we sort of see every little step of how he figures things out and does things that we take part in them,” says Zaillian. “He often doesn’t know what he should do next, and neither do we. And so we become part of the process in that way.”

Scott, known for his stage work, the Emmy-winning “Fleabag” and recent film “All of Us Strangers,” says it may take some viewers raised on TikTok a little while to adjust to a more sedate, deliberate storytelling pace — one in which characters climb staircases, look at waves and make small talk. There is time to watch where an ashtray is bought before it’s later used to bludgeon someone to death.

“You have to teach the audience how to watch it to a certain degree,” he says. “There’s certain times the pacing is really quite fast and there’s certain times where you think this would take time and you have to stay with the agony and the thrill and the tension when things aren’t going right. That’s the way life is.”

Zaillian, an Oscar winner for the screenplay of “Schindler’s List,” refused a suggestion to update Highsmith’s book series and is careful to keep everything very early 1960s, even filming it all in black and white, like “Schindler’s List.”

“It puts us in that time period effortlessly and immediately. But more than that, I did not want what I would call a color postcard sort of Italy for this story, with sunny blue skies and lots of colorful outfits. That was not something I saw in my mind when I read the book and not something that I wanted to do in the show,” he says.

If other TV shows are dialogue-driven, “Ripley” is more interested in the spaces between dialogue. It’s all about suspicious looks, wary interactions and putting on a brave face with police inspectors and hotel clerks.

“I was so excited by getting to communicate so much with micro-movements in the face and a look — that thing where you can read someone’s thoughts through their eyes,” says Dakota Fanning, who plays the suspicious girlfriend of the rich dilettante Dickie Greenleaf.

Zaillian is faithful to Highsmith’s novels but adds some of himself into the series, like making Ripley a fan of Italian painter Caravaggio, who worked with intense and unsettling realism and was also a killer.

“I found as I was writing it there’s actually a connection between him and Caravaggio. They were both these sort of rascals and both ended up killing somebody. So it sort of grew from a personal moment that I had into a motif and then kind of into an aspect of his character,” he says.

Like Caravaggio, the series is grounded in realism, from the rusty showerheads and the gritty, screeching subways of New York to the crumbling walls and pigeon poop-streaked statues in Italy. Cleaning up blood takes what seems like hours.

Ripley, who over the years has been portrayed by, among others, Matt Damon, John Malkovich, Ian Hart and Dennis Hopper, is played understated by Scott as a killer who makes mistakes, improvises and must double back to correct errors.

Zaillian thought of Scott for the role very early in the casting process, aware of his work in “Fleabag” and as Moriarty on the BBC series “Sherlock.” He was smitten.

“I just found him really sort of watchable,” Zaillian says. “I knew that since we spend so much time with somebody alone — there’s a lot of scenes where it’s just us and him — that he has to be watchable. We have to be able to see him think and express himself in a way that lets us know what he’s thinking. And I found that Andrew was able to do that.”

Johnny Flynn, who plays the golden boy Greenleaf, says filming in Italy took him to some of the most beautiful places on the planet but ones that got darker as the summer tourists left and the sun got lower, perfect for a noirish vibe. He and the cast were also reminded that many small Italian towns built on cliffs have many, many steps.

“We were just out of breath all the time,” he says, laughing.

Which is what can be said for lots of people who meet Ripley.

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

You Can Stay at the Grand Villa in Netflix's 'Ripley'

I n Ripley, Italy isn’t the colorful, postcard-perfect vision most people are used to seeing. Set during winter in the 1960s—and based on author Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling Tom Ripley novels—the Netflix series is a foreboding tale imagined in black and white. It follows New York-based grifter (Andrew Scott) who is hired to convince a wealthy industrialist’s son, Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn), to leave Italy and return home to the States. While the story is injected with an underlying sense of danger, it’s full of beauty thanks to the many quaint towns and picturesque cities where it unfolds.

Filming took place at more than 200 locations and sets across Italy (with a few scenes shot in New York City ), and eager travelers can visit many of them. Whether you want to live a waking dream in Atrani, settle into a Capri villa, or admire a Venetian palazzo , you can devise a delightful Italian getaway based on Ripley alone. Dive into the details below from the show’s production designer David Gropman.

Where Was Netflix’s Ripley Filmed?

Filming for Ripley took place in Atrani , Capri , Anzio , Rome , Palermo , Naples , and Venice . Generally, each city portrays itself on screen. But a few places—including Dickie’s grand villa in Atrani—exist in different cities. Many interiors were shot on location, while others were built on soundstages at the Rome-based studio Cinecittà .

When scouting a town for Dickie to settle in, Gropman—along with writer-director Steven Zaillian and the locations team—had a few requirements. Gropman tells House Beautiful : “One was a beach that felt period correct, that didn't have too much on either side of it that would've made it problematic. Two was a good piazza that was able to take Tom from point A to point B to point C, and three, stairs and passages and alleyways to traverse to get up to Dickie's house.”

They landed on Atrani, a small town with a population of about 800. Roughly an hour from Positano, where the novel is set, the town’s main square, beach, and maze of corridors made ideal backdrops. The tiny village is vibrant and charming in real life, making it an excellent place for a relaxing visit.

While Dickie’s villa isn’t located in Atrani, Marge’s home is portrayed as a residence in the town. “We had to do a bit with the exterior of the house to get it period, but not a lot,” Gropman says. “And I just loved it—this perfect little square sitting at the top of Atrani.”

Dickie’s villa is portrayed by Villa Torricella on the island of Capri—and yes, it's bookable on Airbnb . Both the interiors and exteriors were tapped to depict the aspiring painter’s Italian retreat. Overlooking the sea, the property is separated into three residences that boast vaulted ceilings, interior columns, and an array of patterned tiles. On the property, a loggia and wisteria-wrapped pergola cover multiple dining setups for enjoying meals al fresco. A white-columned gazebo adds to the villa’s grandeur.

Villa Torricella is located right in front of the Hotel Excelsior Parco , which can also be spotted in the series. Gropman stayed at the hotel during filming and notes it's an easy walk to get from one to the other. Built in 1906 on the ruins of an ancient Roman villa, the luxury hotel comprises 11 rooms that are outfitted with Art Nouveau-style furnishings and decor.

Dickie and Tom venture to Sanremo, where they go to the beach and rent a boat. Those scenes were shot in Anzio, a seaside town located roughly an hour outside Rome. The fishing port is famous for its role in World War II history, Roman ruins, and seafood.

In Rome, filming took place at Cinecittà Studios . Tom’s apartment interiors were built on soundstages there. Some of the furnishings were custom-made and inspired by real pieces the production team spotted while in the city, including a sofa they saw in a villa and a leather chair they spotted in a shoe store. The Italian capital’s streets and landmarks also make onscreen appearances, from the Spanish Steps to the Victor Emmanuel II Monument .

Tom's obsession with the work of Caravaggio—an Italian painter and notorious criminal who became famous for his unsettling, realistic work—is heightened in Palermo when he visits the Oratory of San Lorenzo . Filming took place in the small chapel, where Caravaggio's "Nativity" altarpiece once hung before it was stolen in the '60s . A high-quality copy is currently in its place.

Select landmarks and historic spots further establish the Sicilian setting. Among them are the Cathedral of Palermo ; Quattro Canti (also known as Piazza Vigliena), a Baroque square in the city's historic quarters; and Santuario di Santa Rosalia , a church and cave shrine.

The exterior of Tom's hotel in Palermo is actually a historical site called Palazzo Sanfelice in Naples. Built by architect and painter Ferdinando Sanfelice, the Baroque palace is famous for its elaborate staircases, arches, and decorative ceilings. Dickie and Tom also view work by Caravaggio during a scene that was filmed at the Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples.

Tom's incredible palazzo in Venice is a real residence in the City of Canals. “I was lucky enough, in my youth, to have designed Lasse Hallström’s Casanova , so I pretty much know every palazzo in Venice,” Gropman explains. “And when this came up, I was sure from the moment which palazzo I thought Tom should be in.”

Known as Palazzo Contarini Polignac , the early renaissance building is just as grand in real life as it is on screen. It features soaring ceilings, impressive chandeliers, pastel stucco walls, damask wallcoverings, and grand pianos. “We brought in probably all of the furniture that we used, but the wallcoverings were all original to the palazzo and the beautiful window and door details, all of that,” Gropman says.

On the ground floor of the palazzo, there's a contemporary art gallery. In the past, the palazzo has been available to book for a stay . Currently, it doesn't seem like it's available, but perhaps it will be again in the future.

Along with the palazzo, Tom spends brief moments in the Piazza San Marco. The famous public square encompasses some of the city's top attractions including St Mark’s Basilica, the Doge’s Palace, the Museo Correr, the Campanile (the Basilica’s bell tower), and the Torre dell’ Orologio.

You love filming locations. So do we. Let’s obsess over them together .

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Can Reed Hastings Disrupt Skiing?

The Netflix co-founder bought Powder Mountain, in Utah, and is turning half of it into a private club for wealthy homeowners who pay a hefty annual fee. Will the public-private model fly?

Reed Hastings is adjusting to life as a ski resort owner. “I used to snowboard about 10 times a year,” he said. “Now getting out is part of the job.” Credit... Alex Goodlett for The New York Times

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By Gordy Megroz

• March 29, 2024

On a Monday morning in early March, Reed Hastings, the billionaire co-founder and former chief executive of Netflix, clicked into the bindings on his snowboard and started off down one of the slopes at Powder Mountain, a ski area in Utah’s northeast corner. He quickly veered off the groomed trail into some well-spaced trees, and as he made turns over bumpy snow, you could hear his edges scratch against patches of ice.

“Not as good as I was hoping,” he said at the bottom. “But still not bad.”

Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, Mr. Hastings, 63, seemed to be enjoying the perks that come with his new gig: ski area owner. “I used to snowboard about 10 times a year,” he said. “Now getting out is part of the job.”

Last September, Mr. Hastings, bought a controlling interest in Powder Mountain for an undisclosed sum, inheriting more than $100 million in debt.

Not long after, he announced that he was adopting a business model never before tried in the ski industry: He would make 2,000 acres of the mountain’s terrain private, accessible only to people who owned homes in an enclave atop the mountain and who paid a membership fee expected to run between $30,000 and $100,000 per year. The rest of the ski area would remain open to the public, underwritten by the private operation.

The move, he said, was a way to compete with the multimountain passes like Ikon and Epic, without drawing the crowds that come with them. “All of the independent ski areas are looking for ways to survive,” he said. “Going boutique, higher end, private, is probably where they need to go.”

Mr. Hastings, embraces the notion that he can disrupt the ski industry the way he disrupted entertainment, though he admits he’s learning the ski business on the fly.

Will it work?

“We’ll have to wait and see,” said Rick Kahl, 71, the longtime editor of Ski Area Management, a trade publication. “But I wouldn’t bet against the guy who started Netflix.”

Rickety chairlifts and charm

With 8,464 acres of skiable terrain, Powder Mountain, which averages around 360 inches of snow each season, is one of the largest ski areas in the United States. All of that terrain is on private land; most ski areas either lease their land from the U.S. Forest Service or operate on a patchwork of public and private land. Powder has rickety chairlifts and aging day lodges that imbue the place with a certain air of nostalgia. Adding to the charm is that, upon descending some runs, getting back to the lift requires hopping on an old bus.

And, because PowMow (as it’s affectionately referred to) is a bit off the beaten path and has very limited nearby lodging, there are never any crowds.

But the ski area — like many other independently owned resorts — has never been able to make money. Summit, an event-hosting group, bought it in 2013 and had huge plans to build a village with 500 homes, restaurants, bars and possibly even a neuroscience lab and high-altitude performance center. But it failed to sell many of the homesites, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars for as little as a quarter acre of land, and the ski area continued to lose money.

Mr. Hastings, fed up with crowds at heavily developed Park City, had built a home at Powder in 2021. When Summit decided it wanted out, he swooped in.

“I felt I had to do it to preserve the experience here,” he said.

Mr. Hastings, whose net worth is $5.98 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index , immediately invested $100 million of his own money in the ski area, paying off a portion of the debt and purchasing four new chairlifts, which are set to be installed this summer.

He is also planning to build two day lodges with restaurants, private rentals and retail stores for the mountain’s private side, and a 40,000-square-foot lodge will serve as an afternoon and evening hub for members and feature a state-of-the-art spa.

Shortly after the announcement, Mr. Hastings pulled all existing lots on the mountain off the market. When he relists them, he said, the starting price will be $2 million. On Friday he announced that he had also purchased 2,400 acres of terrain adjacent to the ski area’s existing boundary, which will also only be accessible to members.

His bet is that if he can sell all the homesites, membership fees for the private portion of the ski area will pay for overhead and improvements on both the public and private sections.

The private experience

Mr. Hastings isn’t the only ski area owner with the notion that privatization might be a means toward profitability.

In 2022, the owners of Homewood Mountain Resort in Homewood, Calif., announced plans to restrict season pass and day ticket sales to certain Homewood homeowners. After public outcry, that plan was scrapped, according to a spokeswoman for the resort.

The new owners of Windham Mountain Club, in New York, announced in October that they would charge a membership fee starting at $175,000 that would give members access to special amenities and let them ski the slopes in the mornings before they open to the public.

The Yellowstone Club, which was founded in 1997, in Big Sky, Mont., is perhaps most similar to Mr. Hastings’s model. Club members have access to more than 2,700 acres of private ski and snowboard terrain, and if they have also have a pass to Big Sky Resort, which shares a border with the club, can ski directly onto Big Sky’s 5,800 acres of public slopes.

Before skiing together, Mr. Hastings and I sat on brown leather sofas in his Powder Mountain Village home — a cylindrical-shaped modern house with a concrete kitchen island, an impressive looking espresso machine and panoramic views of the Wasatch Mountains and Ogden Valley — as he explained to me why the changes at the ski area were necessary.

“I’m investing a lot of money in Powder Mountain but my plan was never to subsidize it,” he said. “My passion is the charities that I work with, but I never saw this as a charitable endeavor.”

As he looked at the mountain’s finances, he said, “it became clear that we needed to do something significant.”

In the end, that something was leveraging the mountain’s available real estate. “We decided that we needed to lure people here by offering a private experience that they can’t get anyplace else,” he said.

If his plan pans out, Harris Sondak, the former mayor of Alta, Utah, and a professor at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business , said that more ski areas might adopt a public/private model to increase revenue. “Running a ski area is expensive, and any new way to make money is often embraced,” he said.

In addition to taking part of the mountain private, Mr. Hastings is raising the price of a season pass to $1,399 from $1,259. A season pass for seniors 75 and older, which used to be free, will now cost $1,049. The number of season passes sold, which had been capped, will no longer be limited, though the number of day tickets will.

Much of the ski community, particularly locals, was upset by the changes. “I’m very concerned,” said Aaron Vexler, 48, who has owned a condominium at Powder Mountain since 2012. “They’re severely limiting the terrain, raising prices, and also selling more passes. How do you sell more passes and keep the ski area uncrowded?” Others, feeling as though Mr. Hastings is only interested in making money, gave the new owner a nickname, “Greed” Hastings.

During our conversation, Mr. Hastings pointed out that three of the new lifts he is putting in will provide access to public terrain. As part of the announcement of the new private terrain, Mr. Hastings also said that more than 1,000 acres of terrain will be added to the public side of the ski area, opening in 2025. “All the new terrain will help spread people out and help keep the ski area uncrowded,” he said.

Checking out the new terrain

After my runs with Mr. Hastings, Kevin Mitchell, Powder Mountain’s general manager, and I hopped in a small snowcat to explore some of the new private terrain in an area known as Davenport, which is currently used for guided cat skiing.

After a 15-minute ride, we got out and put on our skis to descend a steep slope, making smeary turns on untouched snow through the trees. I was impressed. But when we got back into the cat and headed around the bend, I was astonished.

Above us I saw steep, craggy pitches — terrain that’s so challenging it has garnered attention from the professional snowboarder Travis Rice, who has created a series of extreme snowboarding competitions known as Natural Selection . Mr. Mitchell said Mr. Rice was considering holding one of his events there. A lift is planned for the area, though for next season, members will ride a snowcat to the top.

Before venturing into Davenport, I’d wondered if the existing slopes that were becoming private were appealing enough to entice well-heeled skiers and snowboarders to throw down on $2 million lots and high membership fees. With Davenport, the private offering is the total package.

“The overall experience for the private community will feel integrated but elevated,” said Alex Zhang, Powder’s chief creative officer. “The homeowners have access to premium conveniences — such as ski-in ski-out housing, upscale lodges and private lifts — resulting in untracked powder that last for days.”

A few days later, we checked out the new public terrain. A large portion of it is known as “Don’t Mention It,” or DMI for short. It was named by backcountry skiers who found the descents there so good that they didn’t want anybody else to know about them. After a short hike beyond the ski area boundary, I was able to get a full view of the slopes and could see why they so coveted them.

Dozens of steep, long runs and chutes wind down the vast expanse, with huge boulders jutting out of the land like prehistoric monuments. A big open bowl makes up much of the new terrain, but extreme skiers and snowboarders will drool over the north-facing slopes, which trump the skiing in Davenport and, when they open, will likely be considered some of the best skiing in the country.

“There will be a lift back here and maybe two lifts,” Mr. Mitchell said. “We have a year’s worth of planning to do.”

Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait that long. I dropped onto a slope and skied through well-spaced trees, descending the length of nearly seven football fields. It hadn’t snowed much in about eight days, but the run still held light powder that drifted over my boot tops. At the bottom, my legs were burning and I had a frozen grin on my face.

Traditions unchanged

One day after skiing, I grabbed a stool at the Powder Keg, a bar at the mountain that’s famous for its greasy burgers and its old-school ambience. I drank a beer and listened to a local woman strum her guitar and belt out folk tunes. None of that will change.

Though Timberline Lodge, the building that houses the Powder Keg, will get an upgrade, Mr. Hastings said he is intent on keeping many of Powder Mountain’s sacred spots and traditions unchanged. When finishing runs in the area known as Powder Country, for example, you’ll still get on a bus back to the lifts.

“You can’t just tear down a building, put up a new one, call it the same thing, and expect people to feel the same way about it,” Mr. Hastings said.

Mr. Hastings said it’s that old-school vibe that makes Powder Mountain special. “We’re building a luxury experience on the private side of the mountain,” he said. “But many of the homeowners will still ski the public side and want to experience the parts of Powder Mountain that you won’t be able to get in the village.”

At the time of my visit, Mr. Hastings had college friends visiting.

“I sent them to the Powder Keg for lunch,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite places to eat.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

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