Capsule reviews for Sept. 19

The Guest

A clever buildup without much payoff marks this throwback thriller that nevertheless represents a stylish step forward for director Adam Wingard (You’re Next). David (Dan Stevens) moves in with a rural family, claiming to be a soldier and friend of their son who was killed in battle. However, it turns out that his true identity and motives are more sinister. The film balances humor and suspense during its first hour, which is a subversive examination of blind trust with a nod to genre predecessors. Still, despite a delightfully creepy performance by Stevens (“Downton Abbey”), the script turns more conventional by sacrificing narrative coherence for generic self-aware bloodletting. (Rated R, 99 minutes).

Hector and the Search for Happiness

The title character won’t find what he’s looking for in this woefully misguided feel-good comedy about a neurotic psychiatrist (Simon Pegg) in London who has a nervous breakdown, then leaves his girlfriend (Rosamund Pike) behind as he travels the world on a quest for self-discovery, meeting some eccentric folks along the way. Pegg does his best to anchor a dull and oversimplified script that director Peter Chelsom (Serendipity) can’t wrangle into anything more than the cinematic equivalent of a self-help book. With its banal narration and earnest platitudes, the movie swings at audiences with a sledgehammer, but the result is more insulting than impactful. (Rated R, 114 minutes).

Pride

Some of the true-life details might be embellished, but this crowd-pleasing British drama is charming and heartfelt enough to compensate. It follows a closeted London college student (George Mackay) who joins a grassroots gay activist group that decides to raise funds in 1984 to support a union of striking Welsh miners in a show of political solidarity against the Thatcher regime. Naturally, with the onset of the AIDS epidemic, some are reluctant to embrace the unusual partnership. The film is evocative of its setting and conveys a message of acceptance without turning heavy-handed. The excellent cast includes Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Paddy Considine. (Rated R, 117 minutes).

Tracks

An incredible true story provides the inspiration for this adventure from director John Curran (The Painted Veil) based on the memoir of Robyn Davidson (Mia Wasikowska), a teenager who took an impulsive journey of self-discovery in 1977 through the Australian outback with four camels and her beloved dog. The 1,700 journey through desert terrain provide a test both physically and mentally, and that’s conveyed with haunting sincerity by Wasikowska’s committed performance combined with some stunning cinematography amid the arid landscapes. The result is a meditative saga that’s more exciting than it sounds, proving that sometimes life is more about the journey than the destination, indeed. (Rated PG-13, 112 minutes).

The Zero Theorem

The latest science-fiction fantasy from director Terry Gilliam (Brazil) is a visually sharp if narratively muddled satire that takes place in a colorful dystopian society where a paranoid and socially awkward computer genius (Christoph Waltz) is offered a job by a corporate bigwig (Matt Damon) that challenges him to use a complex math program to find the meaning of life. There are some moments of inspired lunacy as Gilliam examines conformity and technology run amok. Waltz is compelling as always, yet it’s unclear just what the filmmaker is trying to say, as his existential message gets lost in this uneven exercise in style over substance. (Not rated, 107 minutes).