Capsule reviews for March 2

Foxtrot

What starts as a familiar glimpse into a grieving military family broadens into a multilayered commentary on the contemporary Middle Eastern conflict in this searing drama from Israeli director Samuel Maoz (Lebanon). The fractured narrative is told in three segments, tracking the past, present and future of a couple whose son was killed during an Israeli army mission. For the most part, Maoz favors extreme close-ups as part of a distinct visual approach that generates some powerful imagery, even if it frustrates those seeking context or traditional continuity. Instead, the filmmaker invites viewers to draw their own conclusions in what adds up to a haunting experience. (Rated R, 113 minutes).

Midnighters

You might think twice about New Year’s party hopping after watching this taut low-budget thriller that marks the feature debut of director Julius Ramsay (“The Walking Dead”). It chronicles Jeff (Dylan McTee) and Lindsey (Alex Essoe), a couple whose car accident while driving home late at night results in a tragic death, an attempted cover-up, and various secrets involving Lindsey’s younger sister (Perla Haney-Jardine) and an alleged detective (Ward Horton) who arrives to dish out justice. Although it requires a buy-in to its coincidental premise, the awkwardly titled film effectively weaves horror elements into its crime saga while providing some solid twists along the way. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Souvenir

French icon Isabelle Huppert elevates this otherwise mundane drama about redemption and romance, in which she plays Liliane, an employee at a factory that makes pate. Her solitary routine gets a recharge thanks to a much younger co-worker (Kevin Azais), who recognizes Liliane through archival footage from decades earlier, when she flirted with fame as a pop star. So the two begin a partnership, platonic only at first, aimed at launching a musical comeback for Liliane. Huppert’s charismatic portrayal hits many of the right notes, although the lightweight screenplay doesn’t provide much substance for her to work with. Overall, it’s as forgettable as a pop ditty. (Not rated, 90 minutes).

They Remain

A creepy atmosphere can’t compensate for a lack of dramatic urgency in this low-key thriller that might have worked better as a short subject. It features two research biologists (Rebecca Henderson and William Jackson Harper) sequestered inside a remote tent, assigned to study the remnants of an apparent tragedy at the site. A combination of isolation, boredom and hallucinations precipitates a downward spiral that threatens their sanity more than any outside threat. The ambiguous screenplay by director Philip Gelatt (The Bleeding House) manages some intermittent tension, bolstered by a pair of strong performances, yet there are too many sequences where nothing of consequence happens. (Not rated, 102 minutes).

The Vanishing of Sidney Hall

There’s a hint of J.D. Salinger in this coming-of-age melodrama about a tormented young author, except without the literary talent. Sidney (Logan Lerman) is an angst-ridden suburban teenager who takes out his frustrations over relationships and bullying years later in a controversial book that becomes a bestseller before inspiring a tragedy that prompts Sidney’s sudden disappearance. Through its jumbled narrative, the film feels emotionally miscalculated as it ponderously ruminates on familiar themes without providing a reason to care. When a publicist tells Sidney, “You’re being drunk and pretentious and I’m gonna punch you in the face,” it’s as if she’s reading the minds of moviegoers. (Rated R, 117 minutes).