Capsule reviews for Sept. 16

Casablanca Beats

Once you dig beneath the familiarity of its setup, this Moroccan coming-of-age drama is a powerful exploration of empowerment and artistic expression through a unique sociocultural lens. Anas (Anas Basbousi) is a troubled ex-rapper who begins teaching a class in hip-hop for wayward teens at a Casablanca arts center. After initially clashing with students and administrators, he eventually teaches them both the risks and potency of lyrics as a tool to comment on political and religious oppression. Raw around the edges, the screenplay by director Nabil Ayouch (Mektoub) lacks character depth but finds its rhythm, capturing the same feisty spirit as its progressive youngsters. (Not rated, 102 minutes).

God’s Country

Sidestepping easy cliches and stereotypes, this evocative character-driven thriller builds steady tension while exploring such diverse themes as land rights, microaggressions and subconscious bias, perceptions and victimhood, grief and spirituality, and paranoia and obsession. Sandra (Thandiwe Newton) is a Black professor at a snowy mountain college, where she’s looking for a fresh start. She lives alone in the countryside, where deer hunters begin invading her privacy, and prompting acts of revenge that finds her questioning her own motives as an outsider in the tight-knit community. Deliberately paced yet powerfully understated, the film benefits from Newton’s compassionate portrayal and a visually striking depiction of its rural landscapes. (Rated R, 102 minutes).

Goodnight Mommy

For those familiar with the Austrian original, this American remake of the 2014 psychological thriller softens some of its atmospheric edges in favor of more formulaic genre elements. Nevertheless, there’s a creepy intimacy driving the story of preteen twins (Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti) who visit their divorced mother (Naomi Watts) at her rural farmhouse. But her erratic behavior and heavily bandaged face — the result of recent cosmetic surgery, she explains — prompts the boys to suspect she’s not the caring and nurturing matriarch they remember. The resulting terror is more scattered than sustained, bolstered by a sturdy concept that made this film’s predecessor so taut and unnerving. (Rated R, 91 minutes).

Land of Dreams

The ambition surpasses the execution in this uneven political satire about the elusiveness of the American Dream, which features some provocative ideas that don’t quite come together. It’s set in the near future, when a young Iranian immigrant (Sheila Vand) works for the U.S. Census Bureau, knocking on doors and asking suspiciously intrusive questions. That includes a plot to capture dreams, which sends her on a surreal journey that critically examines patriotism and bureaucratic overreach. The film tackles some broad targets with appropriate skepticism, yet too often lacks the courage to follow through on its convictions. The cast includes Matt Dillon, Isabella Rossellini, and Anna Gunn. (Not rated, 113 minutes).

Riotsville, U.S.A.

Comprised entirely of footage from more than 50 years ago, this chilling documentary about police tactics, systemic racism, and social unrest resonates with contemporary urgency. The title comes from a fictional town constructed by the U.S. government during the 1960s to train authorities in containing the growing trend of urban protests during the height of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. The film features a broader look at bureaucratic response to racial and socioeconomic strife at the time, most notably in the militarization of police. Despite some heavy-handed narration, it’s persuasively assembled with assured tonal command by director Sierra Pettengill (The Reagan Show). (Not rated, 91 minutes).

The Silent Twins

Just like the titular protagonists, this offbeat British psychodrama, based on a bizarre true story, is slow paced yet quietly captivating. It tracks inseparable twins June (Letitia Wright) and Jennifer (Tamara Lawrance) from a working-class immigrant family who for more than 20 years remained mute and socially withdrawn except within their shared fantasy worlds, bewildering those around them. As they grow older, however, jealousies and hostilities cause their behavior to become more erratic as their bond is threatened. The film is more concerned with the ramifications rather than the reasons for their conduct, which creates a frustrating aloofness even as the actors generate hard-earned sympathy. (Rated R, 114 minutes).