Capsule reviews for Dec. 1

The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution

While its rapid-fire barrage of graphics and information might fit the topical subject matter, it’s also a reflection of how this documentary about the uneasy convergence of social media and high finance is more ambitious than coherent. It centers on the January 2021 manipulation of GameStop stock by retail traders via an online chatroom, then delves into the broader effort to create anarchy within an already broken economic system, and the unscrupulous risks in making the stock market resemble a video game. A sense of hopelessness and cynicism pervades this well-researched but unfocused film from director Ondi Timoner (Last Flight Home), which somehow seems appropriate. (Not rated, 102 minutes).

Pianoforte

You don’t need to be a classical music aficionado to appreciate this compelling glimpse inside the grueling mental and physical challenges of the International Chopin Piano Competition, held every five years in Poland. The film follows a handful of pianists from various countries at the 2021 event as they endure three weeks of recitals, performing the most daunting selections under pressure from coaches, judges, and audiences. Although the framework is familiar among nonfiction films, this effort finds its own unique niche thanks to the nature of the event itself, and by focusing less on the fingers of the participants and more on their heads. (Not rated, 91 minutes).

A Revolution on Canvas

Deeply personal yet broadly resonant, this galvanizing documentary salutes the power of art and activism through a specific cultural lens. This profile by director Sara Nadjoumi traces her father, Nicky, a prominent Iranian artist whose exhibition of anti-establishment paintings at a Tehran museum was scrapped amid political unrest in 1980. After fleeing his homeland, never to return, he launches a clandestine effort to recover his works more than 40 years later. Meanwhile, we learn how his fervent dedication to his craft and his cause tore apart his family. Although uneven, given the ongoing oppression and persecution of artists in Iran, the film conveys timely insight. (Not rated, 94 minutes).

The Sweet East

Combining a dreamlike visual aesthetic with a meandering narrative, this episodic coming-of-age satire is evocative if not substantial as it finds an offbeat rhythm. Lillian (Talia Ryder) is an angst-ridden teenager who flees during a class trip to Washington, D.C., in favor of a kaleidoscopic odyssey along the East Coast filled with mischief and misadventure, where she flirts with men, adopts some fictional personas, and meets eccentric oddballs. A magnetic portrayal by Ryder (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) provides an emotional anchor whenever this striking directorial debut from cinematographer Sean Price Williams veers off course. The ensemble cast includes Simon Rex, Jacob Elordi, and Ayo Edebiri. (Not rated, 104 minutes).

La Syndicaliste

A powerfully understated performance by the legendary Isabelle Huppert boosts this uneven French procedural drama, which tackles familiar themes of corporate greed and misogyny with provocative sincerity. Set around 2010, the true-life story follows Maureen (Huppert), the outspoken union representative for a major nuclear firm who turns into a whistleblower after uncovering a scandal, then experiences retaliation — including sexual assault — in an effort to discredit her and influence the legal system. The narrative approach of director Jean-Paul Salome (Mama Weed) veers toward dry and straightforward rather than edgy and dynamic, but while the script becomes muddled in stretches, Maureen’s resilience lends a quiet emotional conviction. (Not rated, 121 minutes).