Capsule reviews for Aug. 8

Descendent

Sidestepping genre tropes in favor of relatable character-driven emotions, this science-fiction drama becomes a quietly profound examination of masculinity and paternal anxiety. It follows a school security guard (Ross Marquand) who suffers a head injury during an on-the-job accident, then wakes up with newfound artistic talents and vague recollections of an alien abduction. He also grows strangely distant from his wife (Sarah Bolger) as her pregnancy becomes endangered. Richly textured performances by Marquand (“The Walking Dead”) and Bolger (End of Sentence) lend a palpable vulnerability to the relationship dynamics into the screenplay by rookie director Peter Cilella, which retains a haunting unease despite a muddled payoff. (Not rated, 92 minutes).

The Occupant

Dabbling in multiple genres, this muddled science-fiction thriller hints at some big thematic ideas without the logic or narrative coherence to tie them together. It’s set in the Georgian mountains, where a British geologist (Ella Balinska) has taken a job studying uranium to desperately raise money for her dying sister’s medical treatments. Summoned home, she’s left stranded in the wilderness after a helicopter crash, forced to survive the elements, with a mysterious voice on the radio as her only hope. Rich in foreboding atmosphere, the film benefits from a committed performance by Balinska (Run Sweetheart Run) but becomes repetitive while searching for a deeper meaning. (Not rated, 104 minutes).

An Officer and a Spy

Bolstered by strong performances, this handsomely mounted French period drama from director Roman Polanski is a sturdy true-life procedural that’s straightforward yet intriguing. It recounts the late 19th century infamy surrounding Dreyfus (Louis Garrel), a young Jewish officer in the French army wrongly convicted of treason and banished to an island prison. Meanwhile, his former mentor (Jean Dujardin) takes over the intelligence unit that persecuted Dreyfus, and discovers secrets that prompt both a moral reckoning and a greater threat. After bogging down early in exposition, the deliberately paced film gains momentum in the final hour as a more propulsive thriller with layers of sociopolitical complexity. (Not rated, 132 minutes).

Site

The ambition exceeds the grasp of this low-budget science-fiction thriller, which winds up more cheesy than suspenseful. It spins a bizarre tale linking past and present through trauma, specifically focusing on a real-estate inspector (Jake McLaughlin) who visits an abandoned government test site, then begins experiencing hallucinations involving victims of the Harbin atrocities in China during the 1930s. When his family, friends, and boss (Theo Rossi) share his affliction, they’re left searching for answers. With its convoluted twists, the screenplay by director Jason Eric Perlman (Threshold) doesn’t sufficiently justify its gimmick, nor remain grounded in reality long enough for its big ideas to become more coherent. (Not rated, 106 minutes).

Strange Harvest

The story is completely fictional, but this fake serial-killer documentary thriller is most effective in convincing us that it’s real. Staging interview with authorities alongside re-enactments, it recounts the exploits of a masked sociopath known as Mr. Shiny (Jessee Clarkson), who has returned after a 15-year absence to commit a new series of grisly crimes, taunt investigators, and leave cryptic clues. As police detectives piece together clues, they learn the new murders might be connected to a mysterious cosmic force. Cleverly tweaking the pervasive true-crime genre, the screenplay by director Stuart Ortiz is less compelling in the payoff than the setup, although it remains chilling. (Rated R, 94 minutes).

What We Hide

Well-intentioned, like its characters, this earnest coming-of-age drama strains credibility as it examines processing grief, childhood innocence, and sibling bonds. In a blue-collar Southern town ravaged by the opioid crisis, teenager Spider (McKenna Grace) is mourning the overdose of her single mother. But in order to avoid being split up from her younger sister (Jojo Regina), Spider has to keep the death a secret from the local sheriff (Jesse Williams) a drug dealer (Dacre Montgomery), and others who become suspicious. The film is tonally uneven as it balances the mechanics of the girls’ survival scheme with their deeper emotional trauma. Contrivances undermine the intended impact. (Not rated, 102 minutes).