Capsule reviews for Feb. 11

Blacklight

Even by the standards of low-budget vigilante thrillers starring Liam Neeson, this threadbare potboiler is too derivative to yield any meaningful suspense. Neeson plays an FBI covert operative on the verge of retirement when he becomes wary of a political plot that might implicate his boss (Aidan Quinn) and endanger his family. So he teams up with a journalist (Emmy Raver-Lampman) in search of the truth. It takes more than Neeson’s usual charismatic array of growls and snarls to conjure a rooting interest, and the convoluted screenplay is content to rehash preposterous conspiracy tropes without finding any fresh angles amid the chases and shootouts. (Rated PG-13, 104 minutes).

Catch the Fair One

A ferocious debut portrayal by boxer Kali Reis gives a raw authenticity to this character-driven thriller that brings a fresh cultural perspective to familiar themes. Reis plays Kaylee, a waitress and part-time fighter with Native American roots who embarks on a vigilante mission to find her kidnapped younger sister, who is a human trafficking victim and whose disappearance has torn apart their family. Kaylee’s perilous mission tests her resilience and resourcefulness as the desperation increases. Without trivializing or exploiting its relevant subject matter, the gritty film from director Josef Wladyka (Dirty Hands) generates a natural rooting interest even as it suffers from some final-act revenge cliches. (Not rated, 86 minutes).

Here Before

Richly textured performances offset some third-act contrivances in this tightly wound character study about maternal instincts and unresolved grief. Laura (Andrea Riseborough) is a Northern Irish mother still mourning the death of her preteen daughter when she becomes attached to a young girl (Niamh Dornan) who moves in next door. As reality and fantasy start to blur, her downward spiral becomes an obsessive quest for closure as Laura alienates everyone around her, including her supportive husband (Jonjo O’Neill). While it transitions into a more straightforward thriller in the second half, the visually striking debut of director Stacey Gregg steadily builds suspense without sacrificing emotional depth. (Rated R, 83 minutes).

I Want You Back

Initially trying to subvert genre constraints, this spirited romantic comedy occasionally sparks to life before settling for a series of formulaic genre cliches down the stretch. Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) meet at a low point — both have just been dumped. With misery needing company, they bond over a scheme to break up their exes’ new relationships in order to win them back. But when things backfire, feelings become complicated. Day and Slate generate an amusing chemistry and the script fires off some snappy one-liners. Yet it also ignores the moral complexities of its romantic entanglements in favor of predictably unearned outcomes. (Rated R, 111 minutes).

The Pact

A sequel of sorts to Out of Africa, this handsomely mounted period melodrama from veteran Danish director Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror) benefits from solid performances and intriguing character dynamics. It picks up the true-life saga of author Karen Blixen (Birthe Neumann) in 1948, when she’s still revered publicly but behind the scenes is bitter and in declining health. When she takes young poet Thorkild Bjornvig (Simon Bennebjerg) as a protégé, Karen’s obsessive manipulations and ulterior motives take their toll. Based on Bjornvig’s memoir, the deliberately paced film lacks much meaningful insight into the literary process, although beneath the surface contrivances it spins a captivating yarn. (Not rated, 115 minutes).

Ronnie’s

You don’t need to remember the 1960s heyday of the titular London jazz club, because this documentary admirably transports you there. Combining abundant archival footage with new interviews, director Oliver Murray (The Quiet One) immerses moviegoers in the sweaty, smoky venue for intimate shows by Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Van Morrison, Nina Simone, and Jimi Hendrix — only hours before he died. But in addition to its fascinating slice of music history, the evocative film also paints a compelling portrait of club owner Ronnie Scott, a musician himself who never made it big. The result is a treat for jazz aficionados that’s both insightful and soulful. (Not rated, 103 minutes).

The Sky Is Everywhere

Exploring adolescent grief with tenderness and sensitivity, this stylish coming-of-age drama from director Josephine Decker (Shirley) is a quietly powerful variation on familiar themes. In northern California, Lennie (Grace Kaufman) is a shy teenage musician struggling to process her feelings after her older sister’s death. Reaching out both to her sister’s ex-boyfriend (Pico Alexander) and a new classmate (Jacques Colimon) turns into a journey of self-discovery that complicates her emotions. The richly textured screenplay by Jandy Nelson, based on her novel, effectively modulates tones ranging from somber to playful, while Decker employs animated visual gimmicks to probe Lennie’s conflicted headspace without turning trite or heavy-handed. (Rated PG-13, 103 minutes).

Supercool

Never living up to its title, this raunchy teen comedy has an ambitious freewheeling vibe without providing enough laughs or heart to generate a sufficient rooting interest in its nerdy protagonists. Neil (Jake Short) is a teenage artist and social outcast whose epic all-night adventure with best friend Gilbert (Miles Harvey Jr.) involves a magical transformation that enables Neil to pursue his dream girl (Madison Davenport), repeated confrontations with a loose-cannon criminal (Damon Wayans Jr.), and plenty of uncomfortable adolescent mischief. The film’s sketchy quality produces some low-brow chuckles along the way but otherwise seems reluctant to stray too far from a well-worn formula. (Not rated, 92 minutes).

The Unmaking of a College

Confronting some urgent issues in higher education, this documentary incisively encapsulates the historical efficacy of student protests and financial pressures facing small liberal-arts colleges, even if it’s less persuasive in chronicling its specific central case. That’s a 2019 protest at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, whose new president took drastic measures at the financially strapped institution after virtually no consultation with the campus community. With Hampshire suddenly on the verge of closure, students staged a 75-day sit-in to help save their beloved school. It’s easy to admire their ambition and idealism, although the film is more effective in its broader historical probe of the college experience. (Not rated, 84 minutes).