Capsule reviews for Aug. 25

The Admirer

Masquerading as a high-tech cautionary tale, this tawdry thriller feels like a refugee from the cable television ranks that winds up more tedious than provocative. It chronicles Nancy (Roxanne McKee), a fast-climber in her advertising firm whose personal life has been messy. After her fiancé was murdered by an intruder, her next boyfriend is disloyal, and now a stalker has hacked into her phone and other devices. Fortunately, the new IT guy (Richard Fleeshman) with a man-bun could assist on multiple fronts. Red herrings abound, yet from the melodramatic plot to the wooden performances, the borderline laughable film never musters any meaningful tension or rooting interest. (Not rated, 88 minutes).

Bank of Dave

While it rarely strays from predictable formula, this British crowd-pleaser from director Chris Foggin (Fisherman’s Friends) compensates with endearing characters and abundant small-town charm. Dave (Rory Kinnear) is a self-made millionaire and the most popular guy in the downtrodden town of Burnley, where he hopes to open a community bank to spur local economic growth and improve access to healthcare. He partners with a London lawyer (Joel Fry) to help clear the massive regulatory hurdles and challenge a banking system overrun by corporate greed. The film’s feisty blue-collar spirit helps to offset the embellishments and contrivances, because you root for it all to be true. (Rated PG-13, 107 minutes).

The Elephant 6 Recording Co.

Depending on your familiarity, this offbeat documentary is either a suitable introduction or an affectionate appreciation for the obscure titular 1990s rock collective and its quirky psychedelic sound. It traces the roots — beginning with bored Louisiana high school students — of eccentric bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, The Apples in Stereo, and more, breaking down their unique creative process, artistic influences, and innovative instrumentation. It’s structurally rough around the edges, but if the resulting music isn’t for all tastes, the film conveys an appropriately playful yet reverent vibe that persuasively makes a pitch for its subjects and the significance of their legacy. (Not rated, 93 minutes).

Fremont

Deliberately paced but quietly powerful, this gritty and provocative drama examines the immigrant experience with thoughtful sincerity. Donya (Anaita Wali Zada) is an Afghan refugee and former government translator living alone in northern California. As she struggles to escape the cycle of fear and oppression even halfway around the world. But a new job presents a new opportunity, and later Donya meets a mechanic (Jeremy Allen White) who could take her life in a new direction. Bolstered by sumptuous black-and-white visuals, the latest from Iranian director Babak Jalali (Radio Dreams) is dramatically slight and rough around the edges, yet finds hope amid the heartbreak. (Not rated, 91 minutes).

The Hill

While its true-life subject was known for slugging home runs, this corny faith-based baseball biopic swings and misses. Rickey Hill (Colin Ford) grew up in a small Texas town with a spinal condition that leaves him with a childhood leg brace and a teenage limp. That disability prompts his preacher father (Dennis Quaid) to doubt his dreams of playing professional baseball, even if Rickey’s passion, resilience, and proficiency at the plate suggest otherwise. Overflowing with underdog cliches and aggressive sentimentality, the film is intended as an inspirational crowd-pleaser. But its wholesome charms are neutralized by heavy-handed platitudes and sermonizing, right down to the obligatory big-game finale. (Rated PG, 126 minutes).

Our Father, the Devil

Confronting familiar themes of grief and trauma through a fresh lens, this deeply introspective French thriller about cultural identity and the immigrant struggle is harrowing and incisive. It follows Marie (Babetida Sadjo), a chef at a nursing home in a small mountain village with a troubled past. She’s sent into a downward spiral after meeting a priest (Souleymane Sy Savane) who Marie suspects was a warlord who tore apart her family in Africa years earlier. Overflowing with raw emotion, the thoughtful screenplay by rookie director Ellie Foumbi examines faith and forgiveness without turning heavy-handed or providing cheap catharsis. Yet it also finds a glimmer of hope. (Not rated, 109 minutes).

Piaffe

As it simultaneously embraces and playfully tweaks its absurdities, this peculiar German character study winds up a uniquely progressive story of personal identity and sexual awakening. It follows a timid loner (Simone Bucio) tasked with creating equine sound effects for a commercial. But when she becomes obsessed and mysteriously sprouts a tail, it unleashes wild impulses when she meets a botanist (Sebastian Rudolph). Not for all tastes, this striking feature debut for director Ann Oren emphasizes meticulously calibrated visuals and sound design over traditional storytelling. But for those on the same offbeat wavelength, its pleasures are both sensory and sensual. It’s more than just horsing around. (Not rated, 86 minutes).

Retribution

Liam Neeson brings his usual macho intensity to this otherwise ludicrous thriller from director Nimrod Antal (Predators) that’s as generic as its title. He plays Matt, a workaholic father and staunch capitalist driving his kids who gets a call from a madman explaining a bomb has been planted under the seat of his car, and will detonate if he tries to escape. Forced to drive aimlessly around Berlin, he tries to save his family and avoid being framed himself for the deadly chaos that ensues. This remake of an obscure 2015 Spanish film provides intermittent excitement, yet as its narrative credibility dwindles, so does the suspense. (Rated R, 91 minutes).

Scrapper

A slight but affecting story of redemption and reconciliation, this gritty British coming-of-age drama has a big heart beneath its rough exterior. After her mother’s death, precocious preteen Georgie (Lola Campbell) secretly lives on her own in the family apartment, working odd jobs and engaging in petty thievery with a friend (Alin Uzun) to get by. Then a young man (Harris Dickinson) visits claiming to be Georgie’s estranged father. Will he provide stability or cause more chaos? Although it loses its edge in the final act, the screenplay by rookie director Charlotte Regan is a compelling portrait of fractured family dynamics, bolstered by Campbell’s feisty resilience. (Not rated, 84 minutes).