Capsule reviews for May 2

April

Difficult to watch yet impossible to ignore, this bleak Georgian drama offers a searing glimpse into the health challenges of women without providing an easy path to sympathy or catharsis. It centers on a small-town OB-GYN (Ia Sukhitashvili) whose work with treating pregnant women prompts a moral crisis. The mysterious death of an infant delivered by Nina moments earlier triggers an investigation and causes strain in her isolated personal life. Yet she remains committed. The deliberately paced screenplay by director Dea Kulumbegashvili (Beginning) rewards patience with a quietly powerful exploration of oppression and resistance that’s both stylish and provocative — giving fresh relevance to familiar themes. (Not rated, 134 minutes).

Bonjour Tristesse

Despite its scenic visual backdrop, this coming-of-age melodrama about forbidden love and fractured family dynamics winds up more hollow than provocative. Set in a sun-drenched seaside French town, it follows the sexual awakening of Cecile (Lily McInerny), a rebellious teenager who becomes close with a neighbor (Aliocha Schneider) during frolics at the beach. Meanwhile, Cecile’s closeness to her widowed father (Claes Bang) leads her to surreptitiously plot against his budding romance with a family friend (Chloe Sevigny). Adapted from the steamy 1954 novel by Francois Sagan, the stylish film from rookie director Durga Chew-Bose struggles to decipher characters whose chilly emotional distance carries over to moviegoers. (Rated R, 110 minutes).

Electra

A visually striking tribute to great Italian films of yesteryear, this low-key thriller doesn’t yield much suspense beneath its style. It’s set in Rome, where an American journalist (Daryl Wein) and photographer (Abigail Cowen) have ostensibly traveled to interview a flamboyant rock musician (Jack Farthing). But a weekend at an ornate palazzo with a mercurial performance artist (Maria Bakalova) reveals secrets and motives that prompt a dark psychosexual tension among the foursome. The exotic scenery is nice, although beyond its surface quirks and gimmicks, this promising debut for director Hala Matar is playfully subversive yet lacks the narrative momentum and depth to pay off its twists. (Not rated, 85 minutes).

Off the Record

Exploring empowerment for female musicians in a business overrun with toxic masculinity, this contrived relationship drama plays a familiar tune. It centers on Astor (Rainey Qualley), a crooner playing Los Angeles nightclub gigs while hoping for a breakthrough. That might come via rock star Brandyn (Ryan Hansen), after he seduces Astor into a whirlwind romance. Falling under his charming spell, she overlooks Brandyn’s possessive and manipulative behavior until it threatens her career and more. With characters who conveniently lack common sense, the screenplay by rookie director Kirsten Foe predictably probes redemption and artistic inspiration without much fresh insight. But it does have three cool cameos. (Rated R, 95 minutes).

Pavements

Defiantly offbeat in a way that seems completely appropriate, this hybrid documentary from director Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell) finds the right approach to capturing the 1990s indie rock band Pavement. On one hand, the film is a rather straightforward portrait of the California group’s heyday and sound, its artistic process, and enigmatic appeal of frontman Stephen Malkmus. But there are also detours into a fictionalized biopic with actors (including Jason Schwartzman) cast as the musicians. It results in a playful tribute in which Perry spotlights the influence and legacy of an act that perhaps never received its due. In that way, it’s indulgent yet persuasive. (Not rated, 128 minutes).

Salvable

As it chronicles a troubled boxer seeking redemption inside and outside the ring, this character-driven British drama throws some familiar narrative punches. Sal (Toby Kebbell) is trying to get his life together to spend more time with his estranged teenage daughter (Kila Lord Cassidy). In need of some quick cash, he returns to his past misdeeds alongside a dangerous criminal (Shia LeBeouf) while also considering one final fight to secure his future. A brooding performance by Kebbell (Fantastic Four) resonates with guilt and regret, yet the predictable screenplay by rookie co-director Bjorn Franklin wallows in bleakness and despair while struggling to land its emotional blows. (Rated R, 101 minutes).

Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted

An example of a documentary that benefits greatly from a charismatic subject, this affectionate if uneven portrait of genre-blending musician Swamp Dogg sufficiently captures his free-spirited essence. It traces the life and career of the Virginia native, who gained notoriety beginning in the 1970s as an eccentric performer rooted in blues and country, as well as a songwriter and mentor to emerging artists. While developing a cult following, however, behind the scenes he dealt with insecurity and mental illness. The film is a treat for fans, yet his amusing combination of swagger and self-deprecation should earn him some new admirers, too. He’s still going strong. (Not rated, 95 minutes).

Vulcanizadora

It’s not for all tastes, but those on the same offbeat wavelength will find surprising emotional depth in what starts off as a quirky and thinly sketched buddy comedy about midlife crises. Following up his equally peculiar 2014 film Buzzard, director Joel Potrykus plays Derek, who sets out on a camping trip in the Michigan woods with reluctant buddy Marty (Joshua Burge), intent on carrying out a disturbing pact they made years ago. Those plans go awry, leading to a surreal journey of self-discovery. As it confronts moral boundaries, the film digs beneath its goofy surface for a melancholy contemplation of guilt, regret, masculinity, and loneliness. (Not rated, 84 minutes).

Words of War

Considering the courage and continued relevance of its subject, you wish this workmanlike biopic of the late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya better conveyed her inspirational voice and spirit. Curiously an English-language production, the film follows Anna (Maxine Peake) as she advocates for journalistic independence during the early years of the Putin regime. After she accuses the government of genocide while being dispatched by her editor (Ciaran Hinds) to cover the conflict in Chechnya, her activism makes her a target as she tries to expose the truth. Peake (Dance First) captures Anna’s resilience and tenacity, although the well-intentioned film winds up more didactic than provocative. (Rated R, 117 minutes).