Capsule reviews for Oct. 30

The Armor of Light
There aren’t any easy answers, but plenty of tough questions in this compelling documentary about the convergence of race, guns, partisan politics and organized religion. Specifically, it follows an unlikely partnership between Rob Schenck, a conservative evangelical pastor and pro-life lobbyist, and Lucy McBath, whose unarmed black teenage son was killed in Florida by a white motorist who successfully invoked the state’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law. Although the film is disjointed and watered down in spots, it explores some provocative topics, such as the relationship between Christianity and gun-rights ownership, and the ability of narrow-minded political affiliation to cloud legal judgment and common sense. (Rated PG-13, 87 minutes).

Hard Labor

Some universal socioeconomic realities lie at the heart of this engrossing Brazilian drama about a middle-class, middle-aged couple struggling to make ends meet. After Otavio (Marat Descartes) is laid off from his corporate job, his wife (Helena Albergaria) finds her new convenience store facing a host of structural and financial problems. Meanwhile, their young daughter and her nanny (Naloana Lima) are caught in the middle. Although some of the detours into thriller territory feel forced, it builds a quiet tension around its characters and their uncertain future. Along the way, moviegoers might find sympathy in a side of Brazil they don’t often see on film. (Not rated, 99 minutes).

Love

With all of its explicit sex and fragmented storytelling, the latest from French provocateur Gaspar Noe (Enter the Void) certainly isn’t for all tastes. It dissects a love triangle involving an American filmmaker (Karl Glusman) living in Paris, whose volatile relationship with an artist (Aomi Muyock) leads to him taking an interest in their neighbor (Klara Kristin), only to regret it later. Noe crafts some powerful imagery, yet while there’s an audacity to the film’s intimate exploration of the physical and psychological angles to romance and relationships (in 3D, no less), the film’s repetitive digressions and tedious self-indulgences make the result more pretentious than profound. (Not rated, 134 minutes).