Capsule reviews for March 12

Come True

More curious than provocative, this unsettling science-fiction thriller gets under your skin without getting into your head. Sarah (Julia Sarah Stone) is a teenager plagued by recurring nightmares and a history of somnambulism. She volunteers for a sleep study, but when she learns the scientists have ulterior motives, Sarah must search for answers within her own troubled subconscious. The screenplay by director Anthony Scott Burns (Our House) vividly explores some ambitious concepts regarding dreams and paranoia, although after a promising start, the film winds up a muddled exercise in style over substance that keeps its characters awake while having the opposite effect on moviegoers. (Not rated, 105 minutes).

Cosmic Sin

Science fiction on a shoestring budget is challenging enough without the hackneyed screenwriting and amateurish visual effects that plague this laughable outer-space saga. It’s arbitrarily set in the year 2524 in a distant galaxy, where a military general (Frank Grillo) leads a team of rogue soldiers to preemptively strike against an alien species to prevent war. With action sequences that resemble a cross between B-movie cosplay and an elaborate game of laser tag, the filmmakers don’t even seem to be trying. Then Bruce Willis pops in and spouts dialogue like, “Either way this works out, it’s gonna be on the wrong side of history.” Indeed. (Rated R, 88 minutes).

Kid 90

Soleil Moon Frye’s vast collection of home movies from her teenage years in the 1990s provide the foundation for this compelling documentary, which functions as a celebrity time capsule and also a broader study of Hollywood child stars. The erstwhile “Punky Brewster” star mixes her own video diaries with contemporary interviews with many of her friends and fellow child stars from that era, including Brian Austin Green, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, and Stephen Dorff. Both bittersweet and cathartic, their candid conversations stir memories about growing up in the public eye, but also about the lasting effects of fame. Frye adeptly mixes lighthearted nostalgia with deeper insight. (Not rated, 72 minutes).

Long Weekend

It hardly breaks any new ground, but this heartfelt romantic comedy manages enough laughs and emotional depth to avoid conventional genre pitfalls. Bart (Finn Wittrock) is a depressed Pittsburgh writer looking for a fresh start. So he takes an entry-level marketing gig, moves into the garage of his best friend (Damon Wayans Jr.), and falls for an enigmatic stranger (Zoe Chao) who’s new in town. As their impulsive relationship deepens, red flags about her identity further threaten Bart’s mental health. Although it stumbles at the end, the screenplay by rookie director Steve Basilone (TV’s “The Goldbergs”) maintains an offbeat charm to complement its strong performances. (Rated R, 91 minutes).

Martha: A Picture Story

Capturing both the charming eccentricities of photographer Martha Cooper and the gritty artistry of her work, this slight but endearing documentary should help provide its subject with the exposure she deserves. Through present-day interviews and plentiful archival footage, rookie director Selina Miles chronicles Cooper’s humble beginnings as a photojournalist, her fascination with outsiders, and her breakthrough as the author of a book about subway graffiti art during the 1980s. Of course, Cooper also is a risk-taker who remains a pioneer among women. While structurally unfocused in connecting past and present, the film illustrates links between the artist and her work while capturing Cooper’s infectious spirit. (Not rated, 82 minutes).

Trust

Those on the same soapy wavelength might respond to the salacious twists and manipulative schemers in this eye-rolling romantic melodrama from director Brian DeCubellis (Manhattan Night) about the fragile nature of fidelity. Brooke (Victoria Justice) is an upstart gallery owner dealing with overtures from a womanizing Irish artist (Lucien Laviscount). Her husband (Matthew Daddario) is a news anchor whose suspicions about Brooke are matched when he’s tempted by a seductive stranger (Katherine McNamara). This shallow navigation of the relationship travails of these good-looking, well-to-do millennials wouldn’t matter so much if the script provided any meaningful suspense. Instead, the surface-level sparks quickly fizzle out. (Not rated, 94 minutes).