Capsule reviews for May 10

Aisha

A deeply felt performance by Letitia Wright (Black Panther) galvanizes this character-driven Irish drama that explores the immigrant experience with a potent balance of frustration and compassion. Wright plays the title role, as a young Nigerian woman seeking asylum in Dublin while fleeing trauma and violence in her homeland. With deportation looming and a facing broken system unfairly stacked against her, she develops a friendship with an ex-con security guard (Josh O’Connor). While avoiding heavy-handed sentimentality or cheap catharsis, the screenplay by director Frank Berry is modest yet in scope quietly powerful as finds universal resonance in familiar themes. The result is intimate and sincere. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

Force of Nature: The Dry 2

Inferior to its predecessor, this follow-up to the compelling 2020 crime drama is more of a standard-issue potboiler, albeit with lovely Australian visual backdrops. The only connection to the first film is the protagonist, a federal detective (Eric Bana) who becomes entangled in his latest mystery involving a whistleblower (Anna Norv) who went missing on a corporate hiking retreat, sparking suspicion of foul play. Interviews with her colleagues reveal red herrings and possible motives, especially surrounding a corporate tycoon (Richard Roxburgh) and an alleged money laundering scheme. Returning director Robert Connolly adds some intriguing twists to a story that otherwise lacks character depth and emotional complexity. (Rated R, 112 minutes).

Gasoline Rainbow

An incisive glimpse into contemporary adolescence that’s also an ode to marginalized outsiders, this gritty docudrama from sibling filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross (Tchoupitoulas) conveys a raw authenticity that feels specific yet timeless. It follows five disenfranchised teenagers yearning to escape their small Oregon town for a post-graduation road trip to the ocean. Both precocious and mischievous, the tight-knit youngsters are bonded by their troubled family lives as they navigate an uncertain future without a road map. Along their circuitous journey, they meet some oddballs who give them a fresh outlook. The endearing characters — all played by acting newcomers — give the meandering film a bittersweet poignancy. (Not rated, 110 minutes).

The Last Stop in Yuma County

Greed and morality collide in the middle of nowhere in this stylish throwback thriller with a thin premise that struggles to sustain tension from start to finish. A traveling salesman (Jim Cummings) is stranded at a rural diner while waiting to refuel his car. Passing the time with a waitress (Jocelin Donahue), they both become hostages when joined by two bank robbers on the lam. Then the arrival of more characters triggers more chaos. Despite a clever sequence midway through that significantly alters the stakes and dynamics, the screenplay by rookie director Francis Galluppi might have been ideally suited for a short film or one-act play. (Rated R, 90 minutes).

Lazareth

Relentlessly bleak rather than provocative, this low-budget dystopian thriller offers a mild twist on a familiar scenario before settling for predictable final-act tropes. In a near-future when a virus has ravaged much of humanity, a mother (Ashley Judd) shields her two orphaned nieces (Sarah Pidgeon and Katie Douglas) from the outside world in a remote cabin. But the arrival of a wounded outsider (Asher Angel) changes the dynamic and unleashes secrets that upsets the dynamic among the makeshift family. The slow-burning screenplay by director Alec Tibaldi features some intriguing concepts, although it struggles to build suspense and raise the emotional stakes, providing more questions than answers. (Not rated, 86 minutes).