Capsule reviews for Feb. 13

By Design

It’s intentional that the most sympathetic character is an inanimate object in this surreal feminist comedy from director Amanda Kramer (Please Baby Please), a curiosity piece in which the one-joke premise becomes more tedious than amusing. Camille (Juliette Lewis) becomes enamored by and envious of an antique chair for sale. After magically swapping bodies with it, she finds her relationships actually improve, including with her snobby friends (Robin Tunney and Samantha Mathis) and with the chair’s possessive new owner (Mamoudou Athie). The deadpan approach generates some laughs as a defiantly offbeat satire of consumerism and objectification, although the result is not for all — or most — tastes. (Not rated, 92 minutes).

Cold Storage

Ultimately more silly than substantial, this retro comic thriller from screenwriter David Koepp (Jurassic Park) provides an amusing dose of nostalgia but rarely yields sufficient tension to elevate its stakes. At a self-storage facility, two misfit employees (Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell) begin investigating the escape of a parasitic fungus that was sealed off decades before, when the site was a military base. Frantically attempting to prevent the spread of the mutant virus, they enlist the help of a retired bioterrorism expert (Liam Neeson). It maintains a breezy vibe and the performances are appealing, although the derivative underlying story only occasionally sparks to life. (Rated R, 98 minutes).

Honey Bunch

Even at the very end, this throwback Canadian thriller straddles the line between romance and horror, and that ability to avoid easy categorization adds to the nuance and intrigue. It’s set in the 1970s, when Homer (Ben Petrie) enrolls Diana (Grace Glowicki) in a mysterious trauma center where a nurse (Kate Dickie) administers controversial treatment. Diana starts hallucinating, and eventually suspects the strangely ambivalent Homer might have ulterior motives. Despite some unanswered questions within its convoluted mythology and a need to tighten its pacing, the character-driven film unspools some compelling twists and creepy atmospheric visuals amid a discomforting maze of shifting loyalties and old-school paranoia. (Not rated, 113 minutes).

Hunting Jessica Brok

Along with the title character, moviegoers also deserve some credit for surviving the relentless brutality in this bloody South African revenge saga that becomes more exhausting than thrilling. Jessica (Danica Jones) is a retired special forces operative who has escaped her past by retreating to a small town to raise her daughter. However, after a betrayal by a former colleague (Clyde Berning), she’s targeted by a ruthless poacher (Richard Lukunku) seeking payback for his brother’s death years earlier. Her resilience isn’t enough to rescue this parade of cliches, risible dialogue, and stock confrontations between Jessica and screaming henchmen with lots of guns and bad attitudes. (Rated R, 134 minutes).

My Father’s Shadow

Set against a backdrop of real-life sociopolitical tension and government corruption in 1993 Nigeria, this coming-of-age drama finds a tender poignancy through its expressive performances. It explores masculinity and redemption through the two young sons of Folarin (Sope Dirisu), the estranged father who takes them from a small village to bustling Lagos to handle business. However, their adventure is interrupted by election unrest that forces Folarin to confront his past and threatens to tear the family apart. Although it lacks broader contextual details, this sharply observed debut for director Akinola Davies effectively escalates the emotional stakes while examining a painful chapter in history with clear-eyed compassion. (Not rated, 93 minutes).

Sweetness

Despite some committed performances and intriguing character dynamics, this Canadian coming-of-age thriller bogs down in contrivances while exploring celebrity fanaticism and the perils of fame. Rylee (Kate Hallet) is a bullied suburban teenager who experiences a chance encounter with her pop-music obsession (Herman Tommeraas) outside of his concert. But rather than living out her fantasy, their evening takes a dark turn with unforeseen consequences for Rylee and her best friend (Aya Furukawa). While probing contemporary adolescence on the margins through an exaggerated lens, the screenplay by rookie director Emma Higgins struggles to generate a rooting interest among this collection of morally ambivalent misfits and schemers. (Rated R, 93 minutes).