Capsule reviews for June 17

Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story

As shallow and confused as the characters it depicts, this French coming-of-age drama follows a handful of affluent suburban teenagers whose sexual desires and capitalist instincts combine during one summer of drugs and debauchery. Specifically, two friends hatch an idea to host a series of orgies for their classmates, hoping for personal pleasure and financial gain when videos are posted online. Eventually, the consequences catch up to them. Framed as a cautionary tale, the script by rookie director Eva Husson is neither shocking nor insightful as it scrutinizes the recklessness of contemporary teens with appropriate cynicism. The angst-ridden characters are unsympathetic and the overall impact is muddled. (Not rated, 98 minutes).

Clown

The folks with an irrational fear of clowns won’t have their views dissuaded by this low-budget horror film, which follows a mild-mannered suburban realtor (Andy Powers) who dons an old clown suit for his son’s birthday party. Then the rainbow wig, the fake nose, and the suit won’t come off. Turns out it’s cursed, causing him to descend into madness and a bloody rampage. The screenplay by director Jon Watts (Cop Car), based on his short film, features an intriguing premise and some unsettling weirdness, yet many of the plot twists feel arbitrary and the suspense seems dialed back in favor of obligatory gore. (Rated R, 99 minutes).

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble

There have been plenty of documentaries about the artistic process and the cultural influence of musicians, but few are as impactful as this glimpse into the healing and the uniting power of music from director Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet From Stardom). It follows famed American cellist and humanitarian Yo-Yo Ma and his talented group of diverse instrumentalists from several different countries, some of them torn apart by war and terrorism. As they merge musical styles, politics and xenophobia around the world threaten to tear them apart, individually and collectively. Even if the delivery is somewhat heavy-handed, the message is uplifting and the performance sequences are delightful. (Rated PG-13, 96 minutes).

Therapy for a Vampire

This attempted subversion of the vampire mythology from Austrian director David Ruhm deserves more credit for its ambition than its execution. Its screwball story follows a depressed 1930s Viennese count (Tobias Moretti) who’s tired of the undead life, and specifically his marriage to his overbearing wife (Jeanette Hain). So he pays a visit to Sigmund Freud (Karl Fischer), setting off a romantic roundelay that could reincarnate everyone’s thirst for love. Despite some scattered big laughs and stylish visual touches, the uneven farce struggles to find a consistent tone. Moretti gives an amusing performance, but overall this attempt to playfully lampoon vampire lore lacks bite. (Not rated, 87 minutes).

Tickled

The sport of “competitive endurance tickling” is no laughing matter in this documentary expose about online fetish videos related to male tickling. Specifically, the film follows a pair of New Zealand journalists who try to investigate an American company that posts such videos, but they’re met with egregious intimidation and threats of litigation at every turn. Perhaps it’s not exactly a revelation that such an industry is creepy and unscrupulous, and some of the details are no doubt embellished, but directors David Farrier and Dylan Reeve whip the material into an entertaining piece of investigative journalism about the media, the justice system and underground fetishists. (Rated R, 91 minutes).