Capsule reviews for Feb. 23

Are We Not Cats

You want to give the benefit of the doubt to oddities like this promising debut for rookie director Xander Robin, even if the overall impact is more forgettable than fascinating. Robin’s clever visual touches and original storytelling quirks bolster this offbeat romance about a New York slacker (Michael Patrick Nicholson) working various delivery jobs, one of which leads him to a waiflike young woman (Chelsea Lopez) whose reclusiveness stems from her trichophagia — or compulsive eating of hair. Edgy yet elliptical, the film manages to be both creepy and charming, even though the characters aren’t conventionally sympathetic. Like the film, the committed performances feel raw and authentic. (Not rated, 78 minutes).

Beast of Burden

Listening to the Rolling Stones song on a continuous 90-minute loop is preferable to experiencing this ill-conceived airborne thriller that never takes flight. Daniel Radcliffe tries to inject some life into a clichéd screenplay with his portrayal of a former Air Force pilot who has turned to drug smuggling to pay for the medical bills of his wife (Grace Gummer). But she thinks he’s on a Peace Corps mission when he runs afoul with cartels and federal agents during a particularly perilous flight. The thin concept generates some brief tension before falling apart amid the murky visuals, plus a series of arbitrary and increasingly far-fetched twists. (Rated R, 89 minutes).

The Cured

Although it could have become just another exercise in post-apocalyptic zombie horror, this Irish thriller instead provides a suspenseful and morally complex examination of sociopolitical division and public paranoia. It takes place in Dublin, where a virus turned most of the population into flesh-eaters before a cure was found for only some of them, leaving others quarantined. Specifically, it tracks the relationship between a single mother (Ellen Page) and a cured man (Sam Keeley) who is still being ostracized as a health risk. As they navigate the chaos, the film mostly sidesteps genre clichés, managing some genuine emotional resonance amid the inevitable blood and gore. (Rated R, 95 minutes).

Curvature

An ambitious concept is compromised by lackluster execution in this low-budget science-fiction saga about an engineering nerd (Lyndsy Fonseca) who comes unraveled after the apparent suicide of her husband (Noah Been), who had been working on a top-secret project that involved time travel. A series of hallucinations and creepy happenings cause her to suspect foul play, and begin a quest for the truth with the only co-worker (Zach Avery) who believes her. The film becomes caught between a cerebral drama about scientific discovery and a more generic cat-and-mouse potboiler, ultimately leaning toward the latter. Much of the intrigue and suspense becomes lost along the way. (Not rated, 88 minutes).

Every Day

There’s a potentially provocative what-if lying within the premise of this innocuous teen romantic fantasy from director Michael Sucsy (The Vow), even if it’s more about cute contrivances than meaningful explanations. Indeed, youngsters might have difficulty identifying with Rhiannon (Angourie Rice), a suburban high schooler whose insouciant boyfriend (Justice Smith) becomes inhabited by a spirit that spends every 24 hours in a different body. Eventually, Rhiannon becomes enamored more with the shapeshifting phenomenon than the bodies it occupies. There are mildly progressive messages about diversity and appreciating inner beauty, in the unlikely event you buy into all of this nonsense in the first place. (Rated PG-13, 91 minutes).

Half Magic

The latest ribald comedy in the burgeoning girl-power subgenre is a mildly subversive but mostly clichéd directorial debut from actress Heather Graham. She also stars as one of a trio of BFFs who bond over their shared desire to take control of their traditionally male-dominated jobs and relationships. Specifically, Candy (Graham) is sleeping with her boss (Chris D’Elia), a chauvinist movie mogul, when she instead finds companionship with a new-age slacker (Luke Arnold) who encourages her to find herself. The resulting journey yields little motivation for emotional investment, although some amusing sitcom-style scenarios and scattered big laughs come from the periphery characters and cameos. (Rated R, 99 minutes).

The Lodgers

Style outweighs substance in this Irish gothic horror yarn, which takes place circa 1920 in a ramshackle rural mansion occupied by orphaned fraternal twins Rachel (Charlotte Vega) and Edward (Bill Milner), who are confined there by a family curse with three rules — don’t allow strangers inside, be in bed by midnight, and never become separated from one another. Naturally, things unravel when she tests those boundaries against his warnings. Although the atmospheric film generally sidesteps genre clichés, some lush period imagery and expressive performances by the young leads can’t compensate for a gloomy and pretentious screenplay that lacks sufficient narrative momentum to generate emotional investment. (Rated R, 92 minutes).

November

Even if you can’t always follow what’s going on, this genre-mixing oddity from Estonia remains visually entrancing throughout. It blends supernatural and fantastical elements into the simple story of a woman (Rea Lest) from a pagan village caught in a love triangle involving a neighbor (Jogen Liik), a German baroness (Jette Loona Hermanis) and some werewolves. The screenplay by director Rainer Sarnet is adapted by an obscure novel and steeped in Estonian folklore, yet behind some of the head-scratching narrative details are more accessibly universal themes of isolation, obsession and unrequited romance. Plus, the evocative black-and-white cinematography yields images that are both haunting and charming. (Not rated, 114 minutes).

The Young Karl Marx

The Communist thinker’s rise to prominence is provocatively explored in this uneven biopic from director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro). It chronicles Marx (August Diehl) as a German newlywed in the mid-1800s, when he meets the son (Stefan Konarske) of a Parisian factory owner who shares his thoughts on the bourgeoisie oppressing the proletariat. The pair’s writings and rallies spur a European revolution for workers’ rights. The film navigates tricky territory, leaning toward supporting Marx’s politics without slipping into propaganda. And although it bogs down in philosophy, the script balances its intellectual and emotional components reasonably well, thanks in part to Diehl’s charismatic performance. (Not rated, 118 minutes).