Capsule reviews for Oct. 16

Clean Hands

Although heavy-handed contrivances diminish the impact, this gritty true-life drama probes with conviction and compassion the grip of the opioid cycle on working-class communities. It’s set in Maryland, where an idealistic yet hot-tempered police sergeant (Zach Braff) tries to clean up the streets. However, his perspective changes when he must save his own teenage daughter (Esther McGregor), leading to some impulsive choices that cause him to risk everything while channeling his anger and guilt. The screenplay by director Jake Allyn (Ride) is somewhat unfocused but driven by heartfelt intentions. Plus, Braff’s portrayal balances strength and vulnerability as a beleaguered father whose emotional rollercoaster resonates. (Not rated, 108 minutes).

Crawlers

Eight legs are better than two in this aggressively silly thriller that preys upon the squirms and squeals of arachnophobes for its modest frights. It follows an aspiring musician (Matilda Lutz) who manages a rundown urban apartment building. Not long after someone dies from an infected spider bite, the entire complex is quarantined, and the infestation spreads without a means of escape for the paranoid few trapped inside with the venomous critters. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it also doesn’t generate much suspense from its repetitive series of effects-driven confrontations. Along the way, it’s difficult to care whether anyone makes it out alive. (Rated R, 81 minutes).

Dreamquil

The thematic ambitions are muddled by chilly storytelling in this stylish science-fiction cautionary thriller about technology infringing upon human connection. With her suburban marriage teetering, Carol (Elizabeth Banks) signs up for a virtual wellness retreat to mentally reset. However, when the program sends an unexpected visitor to her house in her absence, the dynamics involving her husband (John C. Reilly) and young son (Toby Larsen) are much different when she returns, forcing Carol to reclaim her identity. Leaning into body horror, rookie director Alex Prager incorporates some distinctive visual flourishes that enliven the heightened near-future setting, although the narrative foundation isn’t as provocatively fleshed out. (Rated R, 89 minutes).

Once Upon a Time in Harlem

Making historical preservation feel thrillingly present, this documentary is a remarkable time capsule that doubles as a tribute to a family legacy. It’s comprised of footage shot by the late filmmaker William Greaves during a 1972 cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s townhouse, convening artists, musicians, and intellectuals to share memories and anecdotes from the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, passionately debating cultural identity, politics, and more. Greaves’ son David, who was his cameraman on that day, has now rescued the never-completed project. The result salutes the unheralded talents of its subjects yet offers more than just nostalgic reassurance, also recognizing the value of unfinished arguments between brilliant minds. (Rated PG-13, 100 minutes).

Tenzing

Giving its true-life subject a well-deserved tribute, this crowd-pleasing biopic doesn’t reach new heights from a narrative perspective. However, as a scrappy underdog saga, it’s both thoughtful and touching. Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok) is best known as the lead sherpa for the 1953 expedition on Mount Everest, led by a demanding British mountaineer (Willem Dafoe) and also including Kiwi explorer Edmund Hillary (Tom Hiddleston). But he faces even bigger challenges off the mountain, facing oppression as an outsider between cultures and socioeconomic classes. The narrative debut of documentary filmmaker Jennifer Peedom (River) is embellished without turning heavy-handed — a well-rounded portrait of a man and his achievements. (Rated PG-13, 126 minutes).

Trust Me, I’m a Doctor

Rarely digging beneath the surface of its tabloid headlines, this biopic of controversial doctor Sandeep Kapoor is more formulaic than insightful. In the 2000s, Kapoor (Kal Penn) takes over a Los Angeles practice that included famed starlet Anna Nicole Smith (Abbie Cornish) among its clients. After becoming Smith’s personal physician, the soft-spoken Kapoor becomes swept up in her lifestyle. And after her death from a prescription drug overdose, he is intensely scrutinized during a high-profile legal battle to clear his name. Despite a fresh perspective on its true-life saga, the film bogs down in tedious first-person narration and sentimental tangents, too eager to celebrate its subject. (Rated R, 111 minutes).

You Can See Everything

The extraordinary access to disgraced Silicon Valley entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes is just the beginning of this gripping documentary that manages to innovate nonfiction filmmaking in ways we’ve never quite seen. What starts as a portrait of a defiant Holmes — interviewed about the downfall of her corrupt biotech startup Theranos just prior to her 2023 incarceration — evolves into a look public accountability, media spectacle, personal perception, affluent privilege, journalistic ethics, and ultimately, who owns the narrative. Even when turning the camera on themselves, the directing tandem of Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim (Primetime) generate suspense, humor, and discomfort from exposing manipulation amid the elusiveness of truth. (Rated R, 174 minutes).