The legendary Japanese actor Kōji Yakusho invigorates Miwa Nishikawa’s Under the Open Sky, a sturdy but meandering adaptation of crime writer Ryūzō Saki’s novel “Mibuncho”.
Captains of Zaatari is a sympathetic portrait of Syrian refugees, but it leaves the thorniest details of its subject on the sidelines.
In Athanor – The Alchemical Furnace, czech animator Jan Švankmajer makes for a fascinating subject in an otherwise routine about-the-artist documentary.
In Caterpillars, documentarian Elvis Sabin Ngaïbino tells a slight but powerful story in the seldom-filmed Central African Republic.
Bay area director Peter Hsieh’s debut Drive All Night nails its neon noir aesthetic but suffers from an underdeveloped script.
The Funeral Home, the debut feature from Argentinian director Mauro Iván Ojeda, is well-tuned in fits, but remains somewhat indistinct.
Agniezska Holland ’s crime thriller Spoor uses its pulp trappings to locate uncomfortable and compelling truths about its wonderfully drawn characters.
Imperial Blue’s detailed character work and sense of place is rewarding, if occasionally let down by its attempt at low-stakes fantasy.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is an energetic anime whose vibrance cuts against the gloom of quarantine.