Capsule reviews for Jan. 28
Tim Roth stars in SUNDOWN. (Photo: Bleecker Street)
Brighton 4th
Layered with rich cultural texture beneath its familiar setup, this gritty Georgian drama finds a fresh perspective on the immigrant experience and the elusiveness of the American Dream. Kakhi (Levan Tedaishvili) is an aging ex-wrestling champion struggling to make ends meet. So he travels to Brooklyn, where his son (Giorgi Tabidze) is saddled with a gambling debt he can’t repay. This leads father and son into a desperate scheme as they try to rebuild their family. While it indulges in genre cliches, the film offers a compassionate examination of tough-guy masculinity, gender politics, and how traditions transcend geography, resonating with hope amid the despair. (Not rated, 95 minutes).
Clean
Masquerading as an introspective character study of redemption and recovery, this gritty crime thriller from director Paul Solet (Bullet Head) instead squanders a committed performance by Adrien Brody in a brooding mess of vigilante tropes. Brody plays the title character, a former enforcer trying to escape a cycle of addiction and violence by scraping together a modest living. But when his estranged teenage daughter (Chandler DuPont) becomes entangled in the affairs of a ruthless crime boss (Glenn Fleshler), Clean is forced to reconcile with his past in order to save his family. There’s not enough character depth to raise the emotional stakes during the ensuing bloodbath. (Rated R, 93 minutes).
The Fallout
Navigating tricky emotional territory, this well-intentioned coming-of-age drama struggles to find a consistent tone and comes across as more contrived than provocative. It centers on Vada (Jenna Ortega), an unassuming teenager trying to process her grief after a tragedy at her school. Her erratic behavior affects her relationships with her friends and family, not to mention her own nightmares triggered by post-traumatic stress. A committed portrayal by Ortega (Yes Day) resonates with authenticity, although the periphery characters in the screenplay by rookie director Megan Park feel like stereotypes. The film achieves some powerful intimate moments, yet lacks the broader urgency suggested by the subject matter. (Rated R, 92 minutes).
Sundown
It might be impossible to sympathize with his selfish and calculating character, but Tim Roth’s performance galvanizes this searing portrait of a crumbling relationship from director Michel Franco (New Order). Roth plays a British man vacationing with his wealthy family on the beaches of Acapulco when his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) receives news of a family tragedy. That’s when a seemingly impulsive decision triggers a midlife crisis that will change their already fragile family forever. Benefiting from an evocative sun-drenched visual backdrop, the film challenges our emotions by avoiding judgment or catharsis. Instead, Franco’s tightly wound screenplay builds steady tension through some cloudy motives and clever twists. (Rated R, 83 minutes).