Capsule reviews for Sept. 24

Apache Junction

The cliches fly almost as fast as the bullets in this assembly-line western that takes itself way too seriously. Lawmen and renegades converge on a frontier outpost in Arizona, where a big-city reporter (Scout Taylor-Compton) quickly turns into a damsel in distress. For protection, she aligns with a gunslinger (Stuart Townsend) with an unsavory reputation while the local sheriff (Trace Adkins) sends his men in pursuit. The acting is wooden to the point of becoming a distraction, the direction is pedestrian even by genre standards from decades ago, and the dialogue rings hollow at almost every turn. The result is considerably more tedious than thrilling. (Rated R, 94 minutes).

The Auschwitz Report

While we’ve seen countless inspirational stories of freedom fighters during World War II, this gut-wrenching Slovakian drama shows there’s room for at least one more. It chronicles Freddy (Noel Czuczor) and Walter (Peter Ondrejicka), who partner to escape from Auschwitz in 1944, and embark on a perilous mission to reach the border and give outsiders a firsthand account of the abuse by Nazi officers at concentration camps, which is harder to prove than you might imagine. The relentless despair can be grueling both visually and emotionally, yet the film conveys an urgent rooting interest in their mission rather than wallowing in what they left behind. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Birds of Paradise

Lacking the narrative audacity to match its artistic ambition, this backstage melodrama about ballet prodigies settles for predictability whenever it’s not showcasing stylish plies and arabesques. Kate (Diana Silvers) and Marine (Kristine Froseth) are two rival ballerinas at a cutthroat Parisian academy run by a demanding instructor (Jacqueline Bisset). They bond over their sacrifices, tragic backgrounds, and sexual awakenings, only to find their futures threatened by betrayal and sabotage. The bilingual screenplay by director Sarah Adina Smith (Buster’s Mal Heart) is too circumspect to generate the intended heat, and it doesn’t offer any sympathetic characters to provoke an emotional investment in its climactic competition. (Rated R, 113 minutes).

East of the Mountains

Although it travels a familiar path, this low-key character study about mortality and making amends finds some genuine poignancy along the way. It’s set in the mountains of eastern Washington, where a retired heart surgeon (Tom Skerritt) with a terminal diagnosis retreats with his beloved dog to take stock of his life and consider ending it on his own terms. When his truck breaks down, he relies on the kindness of strangers while his daughter (Mira Sorvino) worries at home. In a rare leading role, Skerritt (Top Gun) elevates the otherwise meandering film by offering a quietly powerful performance with his weathered face and contemplative gaze. (Not rated, 84 minutes).

I’m Your Man

The intelligence isn’t only artificial in this German romantic comedy with a science-fiction twist, which thoughtfully elevates the now familiar conceit of intimacy between humans and androids. Alma (Maren Eggert) is an unmarried anthropological researcher chosen for a three-week trial relationship with a highly sophisticated robot named Tom (Dan Stevens) — basically Alexa programmed specifically to match her interest and needs. While Tom is designed to make her happy, at first he does exactly the opposite, until Alma decides to open her mind to new possibilities. By dialing down the broad gags and infusing a layer of thought-provoking introspection, the film is a charming diversion. (Rated R, 108 minutes).

The Lost Sons

“It’s like a Twilight Zone,” says musician Paul Fronczak about his 50-year journey of trying to construct a family tree from nothing but a stump. That’s the subject of this riveting documentary about enduring family bonds and one man’s obsession for truth about his identity. Paul was born in 1964, then went missing from the hospital as a baby, and that’s where the story begins a series of twists and turns almost too incredible to be true. The pluralized title only scratches the surface. Through interviews, archival footage, and a few re-enactments, this sharply crafted effort from director Ursula Macfarlane (Untouchable) is suspenseful and poignant. (Not rated, 98 minutes).

The Most Beautiful Boy in the World

Powerfully illustrating the effects of the exploitation of child actors in the film industry, this Swedish documentary also is an intimate portrait of a broken and lonely man still searching for his identity in his sixties. When he was cast by Italian auteur Luchino Visconti as the teenage lead in Death in Venice in 1970, Bjorn Andresen was given the titular nickname by the director. Once his stardom waned, however, Andresen was forced to carry that burden throughout a troubled personal life. The film is persistently downbeat yet sympathetic as it confronts some uncomfortable truths. If nothing else, it provides a cautionary tale for showbiz parents. (Not rated, 93 minutes).

Surge

A deeply committed performance by Ben Whishaw (Mary Poppins Returns) galvanizes this otherwise muddled character study about a man enduring a mental breakdown. Whishaw plays Joseph, a mild-mannered London airport security agent who lives with his overbearing parents. One day, the stress overwhelms him, triggering an impetuous spree of reckless and lawless behavior that doubles as a defiant act of self-liberation. The film generates a propulsive and unsettling energy during Joseph’s unhinged rampage, although it never culminates in anything of substance or yields any deeper psychological insight. Some might find catharsis in this depiction of disenfranchised working-class rebellion, but it lacks a method to the madness. (Not rated, 99 minutes).

This Is the Year

Finding the slightest of loopholes in romantic comedy formula, this mildly amusing trifle subverts genre cliches past and present, but remains predictably derivative. It follows Josh (Lorenzo Henrie), a high school senior and devotee of cheesy 1980s rom-coms who is running out of time to declare his feelings to his longtime crush (Kate Katzman). After lying about securing tickets to the concert of her dreams, Josh ropes her into a road trip with some of his friends in a dilapidated food truck before the wheels come off his plan. The ensemble cast is charming enough, yet despite some scattered laughs, it fizzles out quickly. (Not rated, 97 minutes).