Capsule reviews for May 15

Driver’s Ed

Some angst-ridden contemporary teens take a road trip to a familiar destination in this throwback comedy from director Bobby Farrelly (Champions), which struggles to balance its silly hijinks with a more sincere exploration of acceptance and self-discovery. When aspiring filmmaker and high-school senior Jeremy (Sam Nivola) suspects his girlfriend might be cheating on him in college, he steals a car from his driver’s ed instructor (Kumail Nanjiani) and takes a ragtag group of classmates to surprise her. The resulting road trip includes frat parties, drug hallucinations, and bumbling cops. Despite some scattered laughs, it’s overloaded with quirks and lacks realistic grounding to generate any heartfelt resonance. (Rated R, 102 minutes).

Forge

Examining familiar themes through a unique cultural lens, this sleek low-budget crime drama, is taut and twisty enough to compensate for an uneven script. It’s set in Miami, where siblings Coco (Andie Ju) and Raymond (Brandon Soo Hoo) operate an underground art forgery ring, eventually landing an affluent client (Edmund Donovan) trying to restore his family collection with counterfeit replacements. However, that’s also when an FBI agent (Kelly Marie Tran) begins tracking their progress. The character-driven narrative approach of rookie director Jing Ai Ng yields some intrigue despite its unscrupulous protagonists. Although rough around the edges, the film also avoids contrived suspense or cheap sympathy. (Not rated, 106 minutes).

Is God Is

Although hardly subtle, this brutally powerful revenge saga is a provocative probe of sibling bonds, toxic masculinity, and violent family legacies through a richly specific spiritual and cultural lens. Twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) survived a fire intentionally set by their father (Sterling K. Brown) years earlier, which left severe scars beneath their immaculately braided hair. Prompted by a dying wish from their mother (Vivica A. Fox), they seek vengeance, relying upon their loyalty, courage, and resilience. Rookie director Aleshea Harris, adapting her own stage play, layers her thoughtful screenplay with emotional complexity to supplement the intense confrontations and meticulous visual detail. (Rated R, 99 minutes).

Magic Hour

An intimate and deeply heartfelt character study about love, loss, processing trauma, and letting go, this two-handed drama ultimately traverses a familiar path to catharsis. It follows Erin (Katie Aselton) and Charlie (Daveed Diggs), who arrive at a rental house in the California desert for a getaway evidently to heal a broken relationship. Although it’s initially unclear what happened to the previously happy couple, guilt and grief are abundant as they deconstruct how to move forward. The latest directorial effort by Aselton (The Freebie) features strong performances committed to material that is refreshingly candid, yet — after changing gears midway through — feels more slight than profound. (Not rated, 80 minutes).

Obsession

Cleverly subverting tropes across genres, this horror-infused dark romance marks is a consistently creepy and cleverly confident directorial debut for YouTube comedian Curry Barker. Bear (Michael Johnston) is a lovelorn young man with a crush on his music-store co-worker (Inde Navarrette). When he discovers a supposed wish-granting knickknack, Bear gives it a try, hoping to spark some feelings. However, sinister side effects frighteningly alter the relationship dynamics. While the narrative foundation is familiar and the film indulges in some obligatory jump scares, it mostly eschews formula with a stylish and unsettling saga rooted in real-life paranoia and despair. Plus, the actors sustain our rooting interest. (Rated R, 108 minutes).