Capsule reviews for May 8

Affection

An intriguing science-fiction concept falls victim to muddled execution in this low-budget thriller about grief, memory, family, and identity. After a traumatic incident, a woman (Jessica Rothe) awakens in a rural farm house she apparently shares with her husband (Joseph Cross) and young daughter (Julianna Layne). However, she has no recollection of them. He claims that’s part of the healing process, but she suspects something more sinister. Rothe (Happy Death Day) maintains a rooting interest and rookie director B.T. Meza demonstrates solid technical craftsmanship, although as his screenplay loses its logical footing in the second half, it squanders our patience in piecing together its twisty puzzle. (Not rated, 89 minutes).

An Autumn Summer

With an emphasis on setting and mood over plot, this coming-of-age romantic drama is rich in timeless emotional specificity yet struggles to translate its bittersweet nostalgia into a more compelling story. Set in beautiful northern Michigan, it follows a high-school grad (Mark McKenna) spending a final carefree summer at a lake house with his girlfriend (Lukita Maxwell) and two buddies (Jun Yu, Julian Bass) before they go their separate ways to college. The screenplay by rookie director Jared Isaac is heartfelt and sincere as it sidesteps melodrama and contrived teenage angst, although the narrative momentum falters as the conflicts remain internalized. It’s pleasant but forgettable. (Not rated, 98 minutes).

Couples Weekend

The script becomes stranded along with the characters in this dark relationship comedy that doesn’t leave much room for emotional investment amid its boozing and bickering. It’s set at a remote cabin where two friends (Josh Gad and Alexandria Daddario) have taken their respective spouses (Ashley Park and Daveed Diggs) for a cozy New Year’s celebration. But they become snowed in just as an act of infidelity is revealed, turning the mood tense and awkward within their tight confines. Maybe a bottle of mysterious alcohol will help. The screenplay by rookie director Nora Kirkpatrick might work better on stage, but it feels strained at feature length. (Rated R, 96 minutes).

Keep Quiet

Layered with rich cultural specificity, this gritty and evocative crime drama from director Vincent Grashaw (What Josiah Saw) yields authentic emotional depth beneath its formulaic procedural surface. Set on an Oklahoma tribal reservation, the story tracks a grizzled indigenous police detective (Lou Diamond Phillips) who works alongside a young trainee (Dana Namerode) to capture a fugitive (Elisha Pratt) whose return to tribal land threatens to spark a violent gang war. The case also prompts him to confront his motives and heritage. A deeply felt performance by Phillips anchors this vivid glimpse into a self-perpetuating cycle of violence and socioeconomic despair that’s relentlessly bleak yet powerfully haunting. (Rated R, 104 minutes).

The Python Hunt

Smartly embracing the absurdity of its titular competition rather than fixating on winners and losers, this documentary is compelling regardless of your predilection for buying into its slithering sincerity. In the Florida Everglades, a strange overpopulation of pythons is being blamed by conservation authorities for decimating other species. Along with the state paying hunters to find and kill them, there’s a contest that draws hundreds of, um, interesting people from all walks of life. But are they really solving the problem? The film needs a more focused perspective especially when scrutinizing the motives of everyone involved, although it’s more emotionally and ecologically complex than you might expect. (Not rated, 92 minutes).

Silent Friend

If we can communicate with our animals, why not also with our plants? This visually stunning triptych from Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi (On Body and Soul), is a cumulatively profound glimpse into the relationship between humans and nature. It toggles between three chronologically diverse stories set in the same German university garden — following a contemporary Hong Kong scientist (Tony Leung Chiu-wai), a late 1800s student (Luna Wedler), and another (Enzo Brumm) from the 1970s — each befriending a resilient Gingko biloba. Emphasizing mood over plot, the poetic film’s rhythm leads to an excessively slow pace, but such is the case when a tree is your title character. (Not rated, 147 minutes).