Capsule reviews for Feb. 5

Dara of Jasenovac

Difficult to watch but harder to dismiss, this harrowing World War II drama provides eye-opening insight into how the Holocaust overlapped with an ongoing conflict between Croatia and Serbia. Specifically, it takes place mostly at the Jasenovac extermination camp inside Nazi-occupied Yugoslavia, where Serbs are rounded up and tortured by sadistic Croat officers. One of the prisoners is Dara (Biljana Cekic), a resourceful 10-year-old girl who wants to protect her younger brother at all costs. With epic aspirations, the film is narratively uneven yet emotionally powerful. Although the haunting imagery and brutal violence can feel relentless, it eventually provides a glimmer of hope amid the heartbreak. (Rated R, 130 minutes).

Falling

Exploring fractured family dynamics with heartfelt intimacy, the directorial debut of Oscar-nominated actor Viggo Mortensen struggles to find an emotionally satisfying payoff. Mortensen stars as an ex-Air Force pilot looking to move his estranged father (Lance Henriksen) from the snowy family farm closer to his California home. But during their weekend reunion, lingering resentment and unresolved hostility cause nonstop bickering and embarrassment, especially considering dad’s senility and mean-spirited outbursts. The committed performances yield moments of genuine poignancy, although the film too often feels like a calculated compilation of quirks and affectations. Trying to generate sympathy for its characters, Mortensen’s screenplay winds up wallowing in their misery. (Rated R, 112 minutes).

Little Fish

Although the dystopian concept carries an eerie resonance, this downbeat romance otherwise struggles to emotionally connect. It’s set in the near future, when an epidemic is causing rapid memory loss. When a photographer (Jack O’Connell) joins the afflicted, his girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) fears he might slip away. Will the condition break their relationship apart or draw them closer together? As the most mainstream effort yet for director Chad Hartigan (Morris From America), the film dials down his usual offbeat eccentricities in favor of introspective brooding. The intriguing premise winds up feeling like a gimmick, while the film’s jumbled narrative structure hinders a deeper rooting interest. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

M.C. Escher: Journey to Infinity

It’s appropriate that a documentary about a most unusual artist — Escher preferred to be labeled a mathematician — would be most successful in its offbeat flourishes. With humorist Stephen Fry providing the narration via the subject’s own writings, the film traces how the Dutch graphic artist’s upbringing fueled his experimentation in woodcuts and lithographs, his affinity for landscapes, and eventually the symmetrical eye candy for which he’s best known. Although the presentation turns dry when examining his personal life, director Robin Lutz effectively breaks down the artistic process while using animation to illuminate the precise nature of Escher’s mind-bending, transfixing work for devotees and newcomers alike. (Not rated, 81 minutes).

Rams

Remaking a 2015 Icelandic film, this drama of redemption and reconciliation pales in comparison yet still charms with its crowd-pleasing quirks. It shifts the story to Australia, where Colin (Sam Neill) and Les (Michael Caton) are neighboring sheep farmers. They’re also feuding brothers who haven’t spoken in decades. So when a disease threatens to wipe out both of their flocks, a veterinarian (Miranda Richardson) urges them to put aside their differences and save their livelihood. Despite some broad gags and third-act contrivances, the film is both amusing and touching as it explores a struggling industry through endearing characters of both the two-legged and four-legged variety. (Rated PG-13, 119 minutes).

The Reckoning

Style surpasses substance in this British horror saga from director Neil Marshall (The Descent), in which a 350-year-old tale of female empowerment lacks a deeper contemporary resonance. Set during the Great Plague of 1665, it follows Evelyn (Charlotte Kirk), a recent widow forced to defend her property from her landlord (Sean Pertwee), a sadistic judge who accuses her of witchcraft after she rejects his advances. As Evelyn’s downward spiral spurs a feisty resilience, the film mostly avoids visual effects and supernatural nonsense, staying true to its true-life historical backdrop. However, the deliberately paced story winds up more tedious than thrilling before a predictable final showdown. (Not rated, 111 minutes).

The Right One

“You’re mistaking crazy for interesting,” explains a literary agent (Iliza Schelsinger) in this romantic comedy, although she might as well be critiquing the film itself. Sara (Cleopatra Coleman) is a lovelorn Seattle writer fixated on an eccentric salesman and street performer (Nick Thune) who seems to be adopting different characters each time she sees him. It turns out he’s fumbling to cope with trauma from his past, which Sara’s advances inadvertently worsen. This parade of quirky and detached artistic types generates some scattered laughs, but the screenplay by rookie director Ken Mok stumbles when transitioning into a more serious examination of depression and grief. (Rated R, 95 minutes).

Son of the South

While its intentions are pure, like its protagonist, this historical drama is too didactic and heavy-handed to provide much meaningful insight into its true-life subject matter. It tracks civil-rights unrest in Alabama in 1962 through the story of Bob Zellner (Lucas Till), a white college student whose thesis paper prompted him to join Black leaders in their nonviolent fight for equality, even if it came at great personal risk. Directed by Spike Lee’s longtime editor, Barry Alexander Brown, the film carries a powerful contemporary resonance. Yet despite some spirited exchanges and a strong cast, it tends to embellish the details and oversimplify the broader sociopolitical context. (Rated PG-13,  104 minutes).

Two of Us

From a quietly powerful examination of aging and unrequited love, this character-driven French drama seamlessly transitions into a low-key thriller about obsession and regret. It chronicles the hidden romance between Madeleine (Martine Chevallier) and Nina (Barbara Sukowa), who have lived in neighboring apartments for years while keeping their secret from those around them. When Madeleine suffers a health crisis, however, it sends Nina into a tailspin, as she wonders whether their unfulfilled relationship is lost forever. Rookie director Filippo Meneghetti smartly enables his stars to command the spotlight, while the multilayered film — exploring familiar themes in fresh ways — builds an emotional intensity alongside its bittersweet tenderness. (Not rated, 95 minutes).

The Wanting Mare

The stylish directorial debut of visual effects artist Nicholas Bateman has a vision that remains elusive in this melancholy dystopian fable. A haunting dream is passed between generations of cursed women from the same small village in some faraway land, although its exact contents — and more importantly, its meaning — are never clearly defined. But it leaves its victims in a cycle of tragic detachment. Filled with angst-ridden brooding and introspective malaise, the downbeat and deliberately paced film maintains a frustrating emotional distance. Showing promise from a visual perspective, the unsettling mood doesn’t translate to consistent suspense, with the abstruse result more pretentious than profound. (Not rated, 88 minutes).