Capsule reviews for July 24

Dark Was the Night

Sometimes what you can’t see is more frightening than what you can, at least according to this low-budget horror saga with a rather obvious title. It follows a small-town sheriff (Kevin Durand) with a host of personal problems who begins investigating some ominous footprints in the nearby woods that might be left by an unseen creature on a killing spree. The film tries to generate suspense from the resulting paranoia among the locals who are left to speculate on the identity of the interloper, which proves modestly effective for a while, until the narrative momentum stalls and formulaic cheap thrills take over in the final act. (Rated R, 98 minutes).

Phoenix

Once you buy into the bizarre premise, there’s plenty to admire about this morality tale mixing mystery and romance from German director Christian Petzold (Barbara). It takes place after World War II, when Nelly (Nina Hoss) is a disfigured Jewish singer who returns to Berlin after surviving the concentration camps. She finds her husband (Ronald Zehrfeld) working in a nightclub, except he doesn’t recognize her and assumes she’s dead. It takes a devious scheme out of guilt and desperation to bring them together. Both performances are terrific in support of a screenplay rich in period detail and thematic texture, leading to a haunting final twist. (Rated PG-13, 98 minutes).

Samba

Strong performances can’t overcome a woefully uneven screenplay in this heartfelt drama from French filmmakers Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache (The Intouchables). The title character (Omar Sy) is a Senegalese refugee threatened with deportation in Paris, so he befriends an immigration advocate (Charlotte Gainsbourg) whose passion for the cause doesn’t match her ability to do much about it. Nevertheless, their relationship deepens even as Samba’s hopes to stay in France dwindle. The film becomes caught between a breezy romantic comedy and a provocative drama about social justice. Through some charming moments, the two lead actors handle such awkward transitions better than the film itself. (Rated R, 118 minutes).

Unexpected

The contemporary realities of impending motherhood get a smart yet sympathetic examination in this tender low-budget drama about an inner-city science teacher (Cobie Smulders) who bonds with a promising teenage student (Gail Bain) when they both face their first pregnancies at the same time, suddenly putting career and college plans on hold. The script by Megan Mercier and director Kris Swanberg seems too idealistic with regard to its expectant protagonists, but both performances are terrific and the film has a solid handle on the socioeconomic and domestic consequences for its characters. The result feels insightful and genuinely touching without resorting to sentimental chick-flick clichés. (Rated R, 85 minutes).

The Vatican Tapes

This exorcism thriller tries some visual gimmicks to disguise its pedestrian script, but winds up as an exercise in spectacle over substance. Once a young woman (Olivia Taylor Dudley) starts freaking out her boyfriend and father (Dougray Scott) by showing symptoms of demonic possession, the film assembles the usual characters in predictable fashion to help save her, including a rebellious priest (Michael Pena) and a handful of Catholic higher-ups for good measure. The solo debut of director Mark Neveldine (Crank) emphasizes cheap thrills over consistent suspense, and it can’t squeeze anything new from a tired genre, even by incorporating would-be surveillance footage in several scenes. (Rated PG-13, 91 minutes).