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A film that's as much about its own gimmick as what that gimmick represents, Aaron Schimberg's A Different Man casts Sebastian Stan as Edward, a man with pronounced facial differences that he eventually sheds through a miracle cure. However, when a now traditionally handsome Edward is cast in a play about his own life, the thorny question of artistic representation is broached in discomforting and hilarious ways.

The film doesn't just draw attention to its decision to cast a pretty Hollywood face as a man with neurofibromatosis. That would be too easy an escape hatch, and too superficial a character study. Instead, it further complicates its questions of optics and politics by having a real actor with the same condition as Edward play a significant role in the film: Adam Pearson, who is known for appearing in Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin, after which he became a public advocate against "disfigurement stigma." Pearson also starred in Schimberg's 2018 film Chained For Life.

Pearson’s charismatic arrival, as a man who threatens to usurp the role of Edward from himself, sends Edward down a surreal emotional spiral. This on-screen clash of fiction and reality not only forces a strange, poignant self-reflection — for Edward, and for the film as a whole — but it also creates an fascinating meta-text that tells its own story about the actors in the film. It's as much a tale of outward appearance as it is inner anxieties, a balance Schimberg strikes in careful ways as he crafts a stunning, distinctly New York comedy-drama about seeing oneself.

What is A Different Man about? Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson star in "A Different Man." Credit: Berlinale Film Festival

As Edward mopes around his apartment building, avoiding interactions as best he can, neighbors and various handymen alternatingly stare and offer polite but forced nods, as though it takes them special effort to avoid mentioning his differences. Edward is an actor, and not an altogether terrible one, though his roles are limited — not only by his appearance, but by his utter lack of self-confidence. Edward is halfway between invisible and hyper-visible; some don't see him as fully human or as a viable romantic interest, while others stop and stare. He exists in limbo, trudging along day by day in his cramped, dilapidated New York apartment, which Schimberg and cinematographer Wyatt Garfield capture with a sense of grimy texture.

When Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), an attractive wannabe playwright from Europe, moves in next door, Edward's prospects finally seem to change. After an initial skepticism, she takes a curious interest in him, and even offers to write a play for him to star in. However, his lack of conversational skills can't help but create an awkward dynamic whenever they chat, as though he were some pet project for her to foster. Whatever the reality, Edward's hunched-over body language and mousey demeanor hint at a kind of emotional impenetrability, as though he'll read the worst in any situation because it's the treatment he's come to expect.

When a radical medical procedure verging on sci-fi body horror promises him a new life, Edward takes advantage of it in a very literal way, using his new face to start a brand new life and "killing off" the old Edward as though he were a fictional character. Time goes by, and he finds professional success in real estate — a forward-facing career — as a handsome man named Guy. But upon discovering Ingrid has written a play about his life, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he auditions with the help of a flimsy prosthetic mask.

Although Ingrid intends to cast someone with facial differences in the role, which she insists she didn't base on any real person, Guy's performance convinces her that he’s a miraculously a perfect fit, despite the fact that he doesn't have any facial differences. He embodies all of Edward's gestures and his physical and emotional  anguish, even in scenes where Ingrid imagines conversations and inner monologues that don't match what we’ve seen unfold between them in previous scenes, back when Guy was still Edward. The play, it seems, is born from Ingrid’s limited, patronizing perspective on Edward. The more this stage production goes on, the more Edward is forced to reckon with the past, and with realizations the film presents through stark, unsettling zooms into his bewildered expression. Despite having a new face, he may still be the same lonely, miserable person on the inside; perhaps now more than ever, since now he has no one with whom he can share the truth about who he once was.

Sebastian Stan delivers an impeccable performance. Credit: A24

As an actor playing two versions of a character, and subsequently playing a third, fictitious version — one he can't play too well, lest he be found out — Stan is shouldered with a monumentally complex task. The prosthetics used to craft his differences allow him to emote within reason, but posture and movement are the tools through which he constructs Edward. 

Not only does Stan perfect the ticks and eccentricities of a decidedly average actor (i.e. the real Edward pre-procedure), but when he's reborn as Guy and cast as Ingrid's conception of Edward, he crafts a sense of metamorphosis and regression. As the traditionally good-looking Guy playing this Edward, he delves deep into the vulnerable anxieties the character had begun to suppress as part of his new life, if only to try and bring some amount of honesty to a role he believes is dishonest. 

These multi-layered complexities yield fascinating scenes of rehearsal and rewriting, bringing to the fore the film's innate question of whether people far outside Edward's physical and emotional experience are capable of telling his story. Ironically, the side the movie seems to come down on is a hesitant "maybe not," at least as far as Ingrid is concerned. But Schimberg is not Ingrid, and he's under no delusions of passing off Edward as a work of pure imagination.

This is largely because to anyone who's seen Pearson before — whether in a movie, a TEDx Talk, or his numerous wrestling game show appearances — it's clear that Edward, played by Stan, is distinctly modeled off Pearson, and the story practically exists so that he can show up in some capacity. The very knowledge that Pearson is involved with the film, and that Schimberg has worked with him before, colors A Different Man in a new light, and brings a wholly external context to Stan's performance. 

Of course, even without this knowledge, this context remains discomforting. Either way, Stan is playing a man he theoretically shouldn't be, the same way Guy wearing prosthetics to play Edward ought to be seen as ill-advised to those around him (due to the problematic nature of "performing" physical disability and of robbing a disabled actor of a rare opportunity). However, Guy's in-world explanation for Ingrid as to why he's able to so deeply tap into the character of Edward is illuminating too. He concocts a lie about having once been best friends with someone with facial differences, which he claims not only gives him license to tell this story but allows him to tell it intimately and empathetically.

This is likely akin to Schimberg's own reasoning too. Having become friends with Pearson after their collaboration on Chained For Life — a film that embodies similar debates — he has made an entire movie "about" him in numerous ways, treating him as both concept and human being... But who does Pearson play in the movie? Well, that's an entirely different delight.

While watching the film, one might be inclined to believe it features the best work of Stan's career; it even won him Berlin Film Festival's Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance. However, even this praise is designed to be second-guessed at the back of one's mind, since his role is one that projects a life of awkwardness and isolation onto Edward from people outside his experience — another idea the movie self-reflexively lampoons through debates between Guy and Ingrid. And just when it seems like this moral conundrum is one the film might avoid, it crafts an explosive alternative.

All of a sudden, Pearson shows up as an eccentric man named Oswald, an equally curious actor who stumbles upon Ingrid's production. From the moment he appears, he delivers a performance so radical in its conception that he fundamentally changes what A Different Man is even about.

Adam Pearson is the film's not-so-secret weapon. Credit: A24

Between films like The Elephant Man and Schimberg's Chained for Life, facial differences on screen have been tied closely to pity and moroseness, an idea with which A Different Man constantly toys via Edward's story. However, for anyone familiar with the real Pearson — as Schimberg no doubt is — he appears to be fairly upbeat and well-adjusted, despite speaking about the bullying in his past. The film's plot is about a character with the same condition as Pearson, but Edward's reality doesn't seem to match Pearson's in the slightest. So, in order to further highlight this disconnect, Schimberg writes Pearson a role that swings toward a completely different extreme that vastly reimagines the type of roles that ought to be available to actors regardless of differences, facial or otherwise.

The moment Oswald appears, he passive aggressively comments on Ingrid's casting choice with his posh enunciation — Oswald, like Pearson, hails from London— a small detail that yanks the film in an even more head-spinning direction. Oswald is everything Edward wishes he could be: a brash playboy who reads people like a book, wears ostentatious shirts, and worms his way into social and professional circles with ease.

Pearson plays the role with slick, effortless panache. Each moment he's on-screen is incredibly exciting; Oswald swallows every scene whole, practically sapping Edward's energy as he's forced to confront an uncanny reflection of himself who represents truths he might not want to face. Is this who Edward could've been all along? And, more importantly, is the lie he's living worth it?

The more these questions torture Edward, the more surreal A Different Man becomes. Its very premise starts to feel like a fever dream, buoyed by escalating interpersonal tensions as Oswald forces his way into a consulting role on the play. Slowly but surely, he begins imposing his own, supposedly more "authentic" vision of Edward’s life on Edward's own story, until the question of whether or not Oswald should simply replace Guy in the play becomes unavoidable. The concept of authenticity is so stretched and contorted by these developments that it becomes thematic taffy, with no distinct or solid form.

However, as A Different Man piles layer upon layer of confounding complication, it remains emotionally true to itself, which is to say, both to Edward's increasingly paranoid self-reflection, and to Schimberg's scrutiny of his own work (both this film, as well as Chained For Life). The film neither shies away from its innate surrealness, nor hesitates to get its hands dirty when it comes to real and vital conversations on whose stories can and should be told (and more importantly, how), even though it reflects each of its thoughts on the subject through a funhouse mirror.

By grounding its story in a character drama first and foremost, A Different Man anchors its many plot zig-zags, and its anxieties about its own existence, to a tangible emotional reality. Schimberg walks a razor-thin line between sincere self-critique and gaudy exploitation, and in the process, practically erases the boundary between them. The end result reveals uncomfortably funny new modes of on-screen representation, expressed in ways both innovative and exciting. 

A Different Man opens in limited release Sept. 20, before going nationwide on Oct. 4.

UPDATE: Sep. 18, 2024, 4:12 p.m. EDT A Different Man was originally reviewed out of the Berlin International Film Festival. This review, which was first published on March 2, 2024, has been updated to reflect its theatrical release.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A spot or mark.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for September 20 Hurdle Word 1 answer

FLECK

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A disease that affects animals' coats.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for September 20 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

MANGE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Another word for mayhem.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 20 Hurdle Word 3 answer

CHAOS

Hurdle Word 4 hint

The cyber ones are expensive.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for September 20 Hurdle Word 4 answer

TRUCK

Final Hurdle hint

You'll need to clean this up if you have one.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

SPILL

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Friday, September 20, 2024:

AcrossSee who can get there the fastest

• The answer is Race.

Comic actor Sandler

• The answer is Adam.

Acronym for a pro-housing movement

• The answer is Yimby.

Fencing sword

• The answer is Epee.

Org. that certifies foods as "Organic"

• The answer is USDA.

DownBeam of sunshine

• The answer is Ray

French goodbye

• The answer is Adieu.

Places where bug juice is served and color wars are waged

• The answer is Camps.

Plant deep (within)

• The answer is Embed.

Rooms with toilets, in European shorthand

• The answer is Yea.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer hints for September 20 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for September 20 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: A way with words

These words are commonly heard in English classes.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The answers are all related to literary terms.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Poetry.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for September 20

• Diction

• Stanza

• Verse

• Poetry

• Scansion

• Rhyme

• Meter

• Syntax

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for September 20's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 20 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Assuming

• Green: A person

• Blue: Star Wars

• Purple: Phrases that could follow after "kitty"

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Presume

• Green: Somebody

• Blue: Characters in The Empire Strikes Back, Familiarly

• Purple: Words After "Kitty"

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #466 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Presume: FIGURE, IMAGINE, SUSPECT, THINK

• Somebody: CHARACTER, INDIVIDUAL, PARTY, PERSON

• Characters in The Empire Strikes Back, Familiarly: BOBA, CHEWY, EMPEROR, SOLO

• Words After "Kitty": CAT, CORNER, HAWK, LITTER

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Connections.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for September 20's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for September 20 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To gently apply force to something.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SMOKE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Wordle.

TL;DR: Through Sept. 29, the 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle has dropped in price to £30.09 (reg. £1,129.22).

Whether you’re looking to start a career in coding or just want to learn for fun, the 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle is great for beginners and experienced users alike. With 15 courses and 213 hours of content, this collection of lessons teaches you the basics of coding, game development, ChatGPT, and more while allowing you to learn at your own pace. And for a limited time, it's on sale for £30.09.

These online coding courses are taught by leading industry experts, like Jose Salvatierra (founder of Teclado and a software engineer), and give you the essential tools to get started in web development. Technology is evolving faster than ever, and you can better keep up with the competition by learning a new skill set. Create your own software, design a video game, or utilise OpenAI technologies such as ChatGPT— the creative opportunities are plentiful. 

This bundle includes the following comprehensive online coding courses:

• Learn to Code with Python 3

• C++ for Absolute Beginners 2024

• ChatGPT Series: OpenAI Fundamentals 2024

• MySQL & SQL for Beginners

• The Complete Python Course: Learn Python by Doing in 2024

• Google Assistant Automation IoT Development

• Computer Vision & Deep Learning with OpenCV and Python: Build 15 Projects

• JavaScript Complete Guide with Practical JavaScript Projects

• Web Development with Vuex (2024)

• Flutter & Dart: Complete Flutter Dart Programming Course

• Java Programming for Complete Beginners

• Salesforce Platform App Builder Certification Training

• ChatGPT for Salesforce Development

• 2024 Complete Ruby on Rails 6 Bootcamp

• Game Development and Coding for Kids

Through Sept. 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT, get the 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle on sale for just £30.09 (reg. £1,129.22), with no coupon needed.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Joseph Delgadillo The 2024 Premium Learn to Code Certification Bundle £30.09 at the Mashable Shop
£1,129.22 Save £1,099.13 Get Deal

TL;DR: Watch the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix for free on ORF, ServusTV, or RTBF. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

The action is really hotting up in F1, with Lando Norris closing the gap on Max Verstappen every week. Things are building to a dramatic climax, meaning fans will be desperate for a way to watch remaining races without spending anything. This is where we can help.

If you're interested in watching the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix for free from anywhere in the world, we've got all the information you need.

When is the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix?

The 2024 Singapore Grand Prix takes place over 62 laps of the 4.94 kilometre Marina Bay Street Circuit. The full schedule can be found here:

• Practice 1 — 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 20

• Practice 2 — 9 to 10 a.m. ET on Sept. 20

• Practice 3 — 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. ET on Sept. 21

• Qualifying — 9 to 10 a.m. ET on Sept. 21

• Race — 8 a.m. ET on Sept. 22

The good news is that it's possible to stream the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix without spending anything.

How to watch the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix for free

You can find free live streams of F1 on these platforms:

• Austria — ORF or ServusTV (12 races each)

• Belgium — RTBF (every race)

ORF, ServusTV, and RTBF are geo-restricted, but anyone from around the world can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to secure servers in other countries, meaning you can access free live streams of F1 from anywhere in the world.

Unblock free streaming services by following these simple steps:

1. Sign up for a VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in Austria or Belgium

4. Connect to ORF, ServusTV, or RTBF

5. Watch the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix from anywhere in the world

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading services do tend to offer free trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch F1 live streams without actually spending anything. This is clearly not a long-term solution, but it does mean you can stream the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for F1?

ExpressVPN is the top choice for live streaming F1 for free, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including Austria and Belgium

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is protected

• Fast streaming speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Watch the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix for free with ExpressVPN.

TL;DR: Live stream the 2024-25 Women's Super League for free on BBC iPlayer and YouTube. Access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

There are a lot of soccer competitions to keep tabs on, but if women's soccer is your thing, the WSL should be your priority. This league is stuffed full of star players and intriguing storylines that play out every week. And you can watch some of the biggest fixtures from the WSL without spending anything.

If you want to watch the 2024-25 Women's Super League for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

What is the Women's Super League?

The Women's Super League is the highest league of women's football in England. Established in 2010, it is run by the Football Association and features 12 professional teams.

The defending champions are Chelsea.

When is the 2024-25 Women's Super League?

The 2024-25 Women's Super League is the 14th edition of the competition. This year's WSL takes place from Sep. 20 to May 11.

How to watch the 2024-25 Women's Super League for free

BBC Sport has agreed to show 22 live matches for free on BBC iPlayer. And all non-Sky Sports/BBC broadcasted WSL fixtures will be live streamed globally for free on YouTube.

Anyone from around the world can access WSL fixtures for free on YouTube, but the same can't be said for the top games featured on BBC iPlayer. This popular service will block your access if you attempt to connect from outside the UK, so if you want to watch the WSL on BBC iPlayer from the U.S., you'll need to use a VPN.

VPNs can hide your digital location and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can access BBC iPlayer from anywhere in the world. The process is actually really simple:

1. Sign up for a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit BBC iPlayer

5. Watch the WSL on BBC iPlayer for free from the U.S.

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The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but leading VPNs do tend to offer free-trial periods or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can gain access to free live streams of the 2024-25 Women's Super League season without committing with your cash. This is obviously not a long-term solution, but it does give you time to watch select fixtures before recovering your investment.

What is the best VPN for the Women's Super League?

ExpressVPN is the best service for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries including the UK

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is always secure

• Fast connection speeds

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Live stream the Women's Super League for free with ExpressVPN.

Netflix has dropped its first teaser trailer for the highly-anticipated second season of "Squid Game". Watch.

BurnBot's RX2 delivers fast, safe controlled burns with minimal smoke, reducing wildfire risks and creating defensible spaces.

Jennifer Kent, filmmaker of 'The Babadook', opens up about creating a character that would become an LGBTQ+ icon and why she refused to make a sequel.

The State Department announced on Wednesday its entering the late 20th century and immediately making its new online passport renewal system fully available to the public.

Tweet may have been deleted

The new offering replaces the former method — printing out a paper application and mailing it with a check. The State Department declares the online renewal system "secure" and says it will save travelers time and headaches.

SEE ALSO: How to file taxes for free online

Clicking through to the online portal (Travel.State.Gov/renewonline) leads users to the seven-step process (eight-step if you choose to enroll in email updates). One of the highlights of the new process is the option to upload a digital photo (no more coughing up money at a pharmacy or post office!), but no selfies allowed.

Another important note: Renewing online can only be done if your international travel is more than eight weeks away. If a trip is planned between three and eight weeks in the future, renewal by mail is the preferred method, while in-person service is required if a passport is needed in three weeks or less.

Moving the renewal process online follows other bureaucratic overhauls at the State Department that promise more efficiency for travelers.

"Thanks to increased staffing, technological advancements, and a host of other improvements, the average routine passport is being processed today in roughly one-third the time as at the same point last summer, and well under the advertised six to eight weeks processing times," according to a statement from State.

A peculiar bug has appeared in iOS 18.

The new Apple software update, which goes live for everyone on Friday, has already become home to a weird little glitch that has potentially catastrophic consequences. According to 9to5Mac, if you reply with a threaded message when someone shares an Apple Watch face with you over Messages, you run the risk of losing your entire text history with that person.

SEE ALSO: Apple iOS 18 release date today: When you can download it

9to5Mac went a little deeper into what exactly happens when you reply to an Apple Watch face. Apparently, once it happens, the Messages app will repeatedly crash if you try to open the conversation. Harrowingly, this affects both users in the conversation, not just the person who replied in the first place. As far as anyone can tell, the quickest solution is to delete the chat history between you and the other person.

Obviously, that's not great. The simple act of replying to a watch face shouldn't run the risk of losing years of chats with a loved one. Do not be surprised if Apple fixes this with haste.

Your favorite third-party apps and devices may soon become more integrated with Apple's iOS mobile operating system then ever before – at least if you're in the EU.

On Thursday, the European Commission began its first proceedings in order "to assist Apple in complying with its interoperability obligations" that are enforced under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The first proceedings are actually two specific proceedings. One proceeding is in regard to how iOS devices work alongside other connected devices such as wearables. The other addresses interoperability with iOS devices and third-party developers' products.

"​​Today is the first time we use specification proceedings under the DMA to guide Apple towards effective compliance with its interoperability obligations through constructive dialogue," said European Commission Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy Margrethe Vestager in a statement. "We are focused on ensuring fair and open digital markets. Effective interoperability, for example with smartphones and their operating systems, plays an important role in this." 

SEE ALSO: Apple's iPadOS 18 is causing big problems for some iPad owners

"This process will provide clarity for developers, third parties and Apple" Vestager continued. "We will continue our dialogue with Apple and consult third parties to ensure that the proposed measures work in practice and meet the needs of businesses."

Apple has to open up iOS

The DMA is an EU regulation meant to ensure that Big Tech companies are providing open and fair platforms in order to spur competition within the marketplace.

According to the Commission's latest proceedings, Apple is failing to abide by the DMA in two major ways.

The first proceeding addresses "iOS connectivity features and functionalities, predominantly used for and by connected devices." These devices are described as essentially wearables such as smartwatches, headphones, and virtual reality headsets. It appears that the EU wants Apple to be more open with the interoperability between iOS devices such as iPhone and non-Apple wearables. The Commissions specifically mentions that iOS functionalities like notifications, device pairing, and connectivity with these third-party devices need to be improved upon by Apple.

SEE ALSO: Is Apple Intelligence only on iPhone 16? We have the answers

The second proceeding takes aim at Apple over interoperability requests from third-party developers on iOS and iPadOS. According to the Commission, the request process needs to be "transparent, timely, and fair." It appears that the EU wants Apple to provide more developer access to app makers looking to integrate iOS features like Siri and Apple Pay into their software. Today, third-party developer access to some of these features is either severely limited or completely restricted.

Under the DMA, Apple will have six months to address these issues from the European Commission. If the company does not comply, the EU can fine Apple a whopping 10 percent of its annual global turnover.

These fairly new tech regulations in the EU have already impacted Apple in a number of major ways. Most notably, Apple was forced to allow third-party app stores on its iOS devices, like iPhone, which would compete with its own official App Store. 

Will these DMA-spurred changes affect Apple users in the United States? In the case of alternative app stores, Apple only makes those available in the EU. However, EU regulations have had broader effects on the company outside of the territory. For example, EU regulation is what spurred Apple's move from lightning cables to USB-C for its charging cables.

SAVE $50.01: As of Sept. 19, get the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra at Amazon on sale for $599.98. That's 8% off its normal price of $649.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra $599.98 at Amazon
$649.99 Save $50.01 Get Deal

Though Apple just debuted the new Apple Watch Series 10, not everyone is going to be on board with it as their daily driver smartwatch. It may feel like Apple has a hold on just about everyone when it comes to wearables, but the Android crowd flocks to Samsung for their favorite smartwatches. And Samsung has devotees covered with its own premium Galaxy watch that's meant as a direct competitor to the Apple Watch Ultra — and both are on sale today.

As of Sept. 19, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra for $599.98. That's $50.01 off its regular price of $649.99 and a discount of 8%. This price applies to the Silver, Titanium Grey, and Titanium Silver colorways, but the other options are currently sold out.

SEE ALSO: The best smartwatch for every wrist

This rugged watch looks a lot like Apple's Ultra device, and it also shares many of the same features. It can track a wide variety of workouts, from runs to swimming and everything in between. Using Galaxy AI, it can help you compare performances and offers personalized insights as well as an Energy Score, which uses your sleep, heart rate, and day's steps to calculate your readiness for the day. It also offers precision heart rate tracking, offers wellness tips based on your daily performance, and much more.

With up to 100 hours of battery life as well as a customizable Quick Button to help you start and stop workout tracking to your liking, the Galaxy Watch Ultra is a great buy for Android device owners — or if you just want a great smartwatch.

Well, well, well... another retailer is entering the October Prime Day arena. Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days runs October 8 and 9, with fellow retailers joining in. Target has announced the return of Circle Week from October 6 through 12, and Best Buy dropped an entire calendar of fall savings that runs from September 25 to October 25, and hidden in that month is a 48-hour sale spanning October 8 and 9.

The next retailer to join in on the fall sales is Walmart, which just announced its holiday plan. You'll be unsurprised to hear that these savings start on... October 8. Walmart's fall savings won't require a membership to shop the deals, but members of the Walmart+ program do get early access. Here's what we know so far about Walmart's holiday sale.

When is Walmart's holiday sale?

Walmart's holiday sale starts on October 8 at midnight ET exclusively online for Walmart+ members. All customers can begin shopping the holiday savings on October 8 at noon ET online, with in-store savings kicking off on October 9. The deals run through October 13, providing savings on toys, electronics, home goods, and more.

Additionally from October 14 through December 25, Walmart is offering discounts on holiday meals. Plus, the company is making it easy to give back during the holiday season. In collaboration with the Salvation Army, Walmart customers can donate the equivalent cost of a holiday meal for a local family.

What is Walmart's holiday sale?

Walmart is launching six days of holiday savings. Unlike Prime Day, you don't need a membership to shop the savings. Walmart+ members do get early access to the sales event and can start shopping 12 hours earlier than everyone else, but all customers can join in on the savings starting at noon ET on October 8.

The deals encompass popular gifts and Walmart-exclusive products, and the retailer has even shared the products and savings that consumers will find come October 8. While some of these products are available now, the savings won't arrive until the sale officially kicks off next month. Here are the deals to anticipate:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Pizza Fire Delivery Van — $29 $49.15 (save $20.15)

• LEGO Disney Stitch Toy Building Kit — $51.95 $64.99 (save $13.04)

• Bissell Little Green Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner — $109 $153 (save $44)

• onn. 98-inch Roku TV (Walmart exclusive) — $1,498

What is Walmart+? Walmart+ members score free delivery on orders over $35. Credit: Walmart

Walmart+ is the retailer's membership program, in the same vein as Amazon Prime. Walmart has offered members savings events in the past, but to be honest, we found Walmart+ Week to be a flop with few deals to shop. We're already anticipating Walmart's holiday savings to be better, and members score early access to the savings.

For frequent Walmart shoppers, the $98 a year (or $12.95 a month) membership may be worth it. Here are the perks you receive when joining Walmart+:

• Unlimited free delivery: All $35+ orders from Walmart stores will be delivered free of charge.

• Fast shipping: Next-day and two-day shipping is free for Walmart+ members with no minimum required.

• Easy returns: If you need to return something, Walmart will pick it up for you. You won't need to print any labels or repackage any products.

• Savings on fuel: Walmart+ members save 10 cents per gallon at participating fueling stations like Exxon, Mobil, Walmart, Sam's Club, and more.

• Auto care: Visit any Walmart Auto Care center for free flat tire repair and road hazard warranty.

• Mobile scan and go: Shopping at a physical Walmart location? Use your smartphone to scan and pay for your items to make the checkout process faster.

• Paramount+: Gain access to Paramount+ for no additional fee and enjoy the catalog of movies and TV shows.

• Early access: Members will get first dibs on special product releases and big sale events, including Black Friday.

• Walmart+ travel: Enjoy up to 5% in Walmart Cash when booking hotels, car rentals, tours, and more with Expedia, and up to 2% on flights.

• Burger King savings: Treat yourself with 25% off Burger King every day & get a free Whopper with any purchase every 3 months.

If you work from home or have a gaming set-up on your PC, you'll want to be using a high-quality monitor. If you're in need of an upgrade, you're in luck today because Amazon has some great deals on Samsung monitors. Here are some of the best deals:

Discounted Samsung monitors at Amazon Best overall deal Samsung Essential Monitor S3 (27-inch, curved, HDMI/VGA) $139.96 at Amazon (save $40.03) Get Deal Best gaming monitor deal Samsung S39C Series Gaming Monitor (32-inch) $199.99 at Amazon (save $70) Get Deal Best monitor deal under 25 inches Samsung Essential Monitor S4 (24-inch) $129.99 at Amazon (save $50) Get Deal

If you work from home or catch up on emails in the evening and you do so on a small laptop screen, you're living life in the lane ridden with potholes. Instead, switch to the smooth lane by grabbing an external monitor. Sitting next to your laptop, these monitors expand (or mirror) your computer's screen, which means you'll have way more space to get work done. Instead of switching between tabs to complete work tasks, delegate two screens to streamline the project. But be warned that once you have one monitor, you might want two.

SEE ALSO: The best monitors for your home office

If you prefer to do gaming on an external monitor, you'll also want to make sure you have a clear display that's plenty large.

Samsung has long been an industry leader in producing high-quality displays and Amazon has some great sale prices on Samsung monitors during the week of Sept. 19. Here are some top choices if you're looking for an upgrade:

Best overall deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Our pick: Samsung Essential Monitor S3 (27-inch, curved, HDMI/VGA) $139.96 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $40.03 Get Deal Why we like it

With a 27-inch curved display, the Samsung Essential Monitor S3 comes with both an HDMI port and a VGA connection. The curved screen can be ideal for focus when working or for getting fully immersed in a game. Samsung also thought about eye health when designing the monitor, including advanced eye comfort which is said to reduce eye strain by minimizing blue light and reducing on-screen flickering.

You can use the Samsung Essential Monitor S3 in gaming mode which adjusts any game to fill the screen space.

Best gaming monitor deal Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Our pick: Samsung S39C Series Gaming Monitor (32-inch) $199.99 at Amazon
$269.99 Save $70.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you're in need of a gaming upgrade, the 32-inch Samsung S39C Series Gaming Monitor might be perfect. The curved display gives a more immersive feel while the advanced eye comfort aims to reduce strain by providing a flicker-free screen. You'll also get two HDMI ports and a DP triple interface to connect your devices. Plus, the monitor's built-in five-watt speakers makes gaming even better.

The AMD FreeSync gives you a seamless gaming experience combined with a smooth 75Hz refresh rate.

Best monitor deal under 25 inches Opens in a new window Credit: Samsung Our pick: Samsung Essential Monitor S4 (24-inch) $129.99 at Amazon
$179.99 Save $50.00 Get Deal Why we like it

If you're shopping for an external monitor, but don't want to go overboard with the size, consider the 24-inch Samsung Essential Monitor S4 which is on sale for just $129.99 at Amazon. With the included heigh-adjustable stand, you'll be able to set up your work station just how you like it. Samsung equipped the monitor with the brand's advanced eye care solutions which aims to reduce strain by minimizing blue light and using a flicker-free design.

The 100Hz refresh rate means you'll be getting smooth images without lag or motion blur.

More Samsung monitors on sale at Amazon

• Samsung Essentials Monitor S3 (24-inch) — $99.96 $139.99 (save $40.03)

• Samsung ViewFinity S50GC (34-inch) — $249.99 $379.99 (save $130)

• Samsung Odyssey G95C (49-inch) — $799.99 $1,299.99 (save $500)

The Yao Ming of penguins has been born and is thriving in an Australian aquarium. You've got to see Pesto the penguin, a baby King Penguin at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium.

You are not prepared for the height and girth of this absolute unit. Feast your eyes like Pesto feasts on 25 fish per day.

Pesto is legitimately huge. He's an outlier in size and already towering over the adult penguins in his enclosure. The aquarium reports he is already 21 kilograms, or nearly 50 pounds, at just nine months old. Most sources online note that fully grown, adult King Penguins typically weigh between 30-35 pounds.

The internet has fully fallen in love with big baby Pesto, because that's what the internet does.

SEE ALSO: Why we’re all in love with a little hippo named Moo Deng

Though Pesto isn't alone in his virality. He joins recently discovered and beloved baby hippo Moo Deng as the internet's current animal obsession.

Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted Tweet may have been deleted

There's no telling just how big our little king Pesto might get, but you can bet the internet will be watching the entire time.

Fans of The Sims have been creating imaginative relationship dynamics and Jerry Springer dramas on their computer screens for years. Now, making your Sims polyamorous is easier than ever as EA have added ethical non-monogamy to The Sims 4 Lovestruck Expansion Pack.

Non-monogamy in its many forms seems to be everywhere right now. Hundreds of articles have been talking about non-monogamy and polyamory. Some are calling it a fad, others are pointing out that it’s always been around. Trainwreck TV show Couple to Throuple presented an absolute masterclass in how not to do it, while other shows such as BBC mini-series Trigonometry got closer to good representation. And now, your Sims can be poly too.

The Lovestruck Expansion pack for Sims 4 includes new WooHoo (aka sex) spots, new interactions including a new kiss and dance, and most interestingly of all, new ways to adjust your Sims' boundaries and allow for multiple relationships.

SEE ALSO: What is consensual non-monogamy?

As a polyamorous person myself (I’m in a throuple, a three-person relationship) I’m all for greater representation of different relationship structures. Polyamory being more widely talked about is, on the whole, a good thing. My partners and I certainly encounter fewer shocked responses now than we did when we first formed our throuple four years ago. More people have heard of polyamory and, for polyamorous folks, that’s a positive step towards acceptance. According to dating app Feeld, which is for folks looking for alternative relationship structures including polyamory, the app has seen a 150 percent increase in sign-ups, with users specifically looking for polyamorous and ethically non-monogamous set ups.  

When it comes to polyamory in 'The Sims,' I’m sorry to say I have more bad things to say than good.

But there are a lot of misconceptions and often representation of polyamory gets things seriously wrong. And when it comes to polyamory in The Sims, I’m sorry to say I have more bad things to say than good.

One of the major changes in the expansion pack is the Romantic Boundaries system, which allows players to adjust their Sims' experience of jealousy. This was the first thing that leapt out at me when I heard about poly Sims. I rolled my eyes at just how obvious (but incorrect) this detail is. One of the first questions I get asked when I tell people I’m in a polyamorous relationship is "but don’t you get jealous?" And although it might seem like common sense that a very jealous person would struggle with polyamory, there’s something quite messed up in this way of thinking.

Jealousy is just an emotion like any other. Polyamorous people are not somehow immune to feeling jealous. The difference is how you choose to act on those feelings, as well as how you communicate them to your partners. A better way of representing polyamory might have been by ramping up communication and honesty, not by tuning down jealousy. This contributes to the misconception that polyamorous people are somehow shut off from our emotions, or that we are only able to be poly because we feel things less strongly than monogamous folks. 

In polyamory, you get different things from different partners.

To give an example from my own relationship, when I first got into a throuple, I had already been with one of my partners, Paul, for eight years. One night, I was away for work and Paul went on a dinner date with Andrea, who we had met a few months before. It was the first time they had been on a date without me, and you better believe I felt jealous. I sat in my hotel room panicking that they were having more fun without me. But rather than keeping this feeling a secret, and letting it eat away at me, I talked about it with them. They said they had a nice evening, but it would have been just as much fun if we’d all been there. I realised that my feeling of jealousy came from a place of insecurity — I was worried they were going to decide they like each other better and ditch me. But why would they, when nobody is asking them to choose? In polyamory, you get different things from different partners, a bit like how a monogamous person might get different things from different friends. A mate who’s interested in football, for example. Or a pal who’s better at giving career advice. People often assume there will always be a favourite in polyamory, but it just doesn’t work that way. Once you learn that, you think about jealousy differently, but being a non-jealous person isn’t a prerequisite of polyamory. Being willing to communicate openly is.

The EA Games blog post about the expansion pack also seems to imply that relationships between Sims will still be as couples, but that a Sim can be in multiple unconnected couples at the same time. New Relationship Dynamics, which include Wholesome, Steamy, Strained, and Unpredictable, reflect what the Sims’ relationships are like. But the blog specifies that these will only apply to the interactions between two Sims. The blog says, for example: "Wholesome refers to two Sims who genuinely love each other and show it through their actions, both friendly and romantic." There is no mention of throuples, quads, or larger groups of polyamorous people (often called polycules).

This is a very limited view of polyamory and not at all representative of what most polyamory looks like.

This is a very limited view of polyamory and not at all representative of what most polyamory looks like. In fact, there are so many different types of polyamory it can be hard to keep up with. There’s kitchen table polyamory, where a group might be friendly but not necessarily all involved, there’s hierarchical polyamory, where a person might have a partner they live with and a more casual partner they see less often, there’s relationship anarchy, which holds that all relationships (romantic and otherwise) are of equal value and importance. That’s to name just a few.

The type of polyamory portrayed in The Sims seems to be a mixture of solo polyamory and parallel polyamory. This might typically look like one person dating multiple people, but those people not being involved with one another. This is a totally valid form of polyamory that works for lots of people. But it’s certainly not the only type and suggesting otherwise reinforces the idea that the only truly valid romantic relationship is between two people.

SEE ALSO: The best dating apps for everyone

Although EA has got a lot wrong, there are a couple of things I like. The new turn-offs are relatable AF (Sims can get turned off by fishing) and there’s also a new way to measure satisfaction in relationships. Research into non-monogamy conducted by Dr. Heath Schechinger, co-founder of the Modern Family Institute and the Polyamory Legal Advocacy Coalition, found that greater satisfaction for a variety of personal needs was one of the main reasons people enjoyed being polyamorous. In this sense, polyamorous Sims are able to seek out genuine connections and that’s refreshing to see. Too often, people assume polyamory is mostly about sex. In fact, according to Schechinger’s research, this was only the 8th most mentioned reason.

In the past, The Sims has done great things for visibility around sexual and relationship diversity. In 2022, they added more sexual orientations, and in 2023 gender affirming clothing and details such as top surgery scars were added. What makes polyamory so difficult to get right is that it’s so, well, complicated. Polyamorous people sometimes compare their relationships to a "choose your own adventure". We kind of make the rules up as we go along. And no two polyamorous relationships are alike. From the perspective of a games designer, that makes for a daunting task. But as polyamory becomes more widely understood, companies should be seeking out input from people who are really experiencing these dynamics IRL, rather than going off assumptions and stereotypes.