Capsule reviews for July 19

Bottom of the Ninth

It shows an affinity for baseball and a love for New York’s cultural melting pot, but this heartfelt working-class redemption drama from director Raymond De Felitta (Two Family House) mostly swings and misses. When hot-tempered Sonny (Joe Manganiello) is released from prison after almost two decades, he aims to make amends with an ex-flame (Sofia Vergara) and repair his public image, and also tries to rekindle a once-promising baseball career as a slugger on a Yankees minor-league team. The film gradually builds sympathy as Sonny learns how difficult it is to escape your past, although as a melodramatic portrait of ex-con rehabilitation, it lacks meaningful insight. (Rated R, 111 minutes).

A Faithful Man

As a filmmaker, French actor Louis Garrel (Two Friends) isn’t aiming for profound explorations of the complexities of contemporary relationships. Instead, his latest lighthearted trifle scores modestly as a character study about infidelity, jealousy and obsession. Garrel plays a Parisian journalist whose live-in girlfriend (Laetitia Casta) reveals she’s pregnant by another man, and leaving him to start a family. When their paths cross again a decade later, things are complicated by her nosy son (Joseph Engel) and a younger woman (Lily-Rose Depp) harboring a secret. This breezy New Wave throwback benefits from strong performances and intriguing character dynamics, which help to offset some inconsequential twists. (Not rated, 72 minutes).

Into the Ashes

Cliches overwhelm any character-driven intrigue in this derivative low-budget crime thriller about betrayal, revenge, and dishonor among thieves. It takes place in rural Alabama, where an ex-con (Luke Grimes) tries to settle down but can’t escape his past. A violent gang leader (Frank Grillo) tracks him down and kidnaps his wife (Marguerite Moreau) as retribution for some stolen money. The screenplay by director Aaron Harvey (The Neighbor) is compelling enough while examining how crime and corruption tear apart the fabric of a small town. Yet in a strained attempt to be provocative, it too often replaces depth and complexity with brooding and macho posturing. (Rated R, 98 minutes).

Luz

More concerned with atmosphere than plot, this unsettling German horror exercise gets under the skin of patient viewers. Luz (Luana Velis) is a Chilean cabdriver who stumbles into a police station trying to escape something. A detective (Nadja Stubiger) and a police psychiatrist (Jan Bluthardt) probe her troubled mind, discovering a link to demonic possession that hits close to home. Genre fans looking for more conventional frights might become frustrated with the slow pace and elliptical narrative structure. However, rookie director Tilman Singer confidently employs gritty retro visuals while effectively using sound and shadows to maximize the discomfort. It’s difficult to comprehend, yet impossible to dismiss. (Not rated, 70 minutes).

Rosie

The characters and setting are specific, yet they carry a universal resonance in this gritty and vivid portrait of blue-collar homelessness from director Paddy Breathnach (I Went Down). After a recent eviction, Rosie (Sarah Greene) is a Dublin mother with bad credit trying to feed and find lodging for her four young children and her husband (Moe Dunford), who works as a dishwasher. As their daily struggles endure, she bottles up feelings of guilt, shame, resentment, and dwindling optimism. Greene’s committed performance bolsters a sharply observed screenplay that never passes judgment or resorts to cheap sentimentality, while maintaining a glimmer of hope amid the heartbreak. (Rated PG-13, 82 minutes).