‘A Quiet Passion,’ ‘The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki’ and more critics’ picks, April 21
Movie recommendations from critics Kenneth Turan, Justin Chang and other reviewers.
Frantz Beautifully shot in black and white with the occasional warm burst of color, French writer-director François Ozon’s intricately layered post-World War I drama puts a feminist spin on Ernst Lubitsch’s 1932 antiwar film “Broken Lullaby.” (Justin Chang) PG-13.
Graduation A film of gripping moral suspense from the writer-director Cristian Mungiu, this tough, clear-eyed and humane movie follows a father (Adrien Titieni) who will do anything to help his daughter (Maria Dragus) escape post-Ceausescu Romania. (Justin Chang) R.
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki A lovely piece of work from Finland, a sweet, warmly observed tale about a boxer falling in love before his biggest bout overlaid with just the right amount of Scandinavian melancholy. (Kenneth Turan) NR.
I Am Not Your Negro As directed by the gifted Raoul Peck, this documentary on James Baldwin uses the entire spectrum of movie effects, not only spoken language but also sound, music, editing and all manner of visuals, to create a cinematic essay that is powerful and painfully relevant. (Kenneth Turan) NR.
La La Land Starring a well-paired Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, writer-director Damien Chazelle’s tuneful tribute to classic movie musicals is often stronger in concept than execution, but it’s lovely and transporting all the same. (Justin Chang) PG-13.
The Lost City of Z Based on David Grann’s nonfiction bestseller about the British explorer Percy Fawcett (well played by Charlie Hunnam), James Gray’s rich, meditative and deeply transporting adventure epic is the sort of classical filmmaking that feels positively radical. (Justin Chang) PG-13.
Norman: The Modern Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer Subtle, unsettling, slyly amusing, Israeli director Joseph Cedar’s first English-language film provides Richard Gere with a splendid role as a hustler forever on the make in Manhattan. (Kenneth Turan) R.
A Quiet Passion Cynthia Nixon gives a brilliant performance as Emily Dickinson in Terence Davies’ masterful biographical portrait of the great 19th century poet, which begins as a razor-sharp drawing-room comedy before edging almost imperceptibly toward tragedy. (Justin Chang) PG-13.
Their Finest Genial and engaging with a fine sense of humor, this story of making movies in World War II Britain stars Gemma Arterton and a marvelous Bill Nighy and makes blending the comic with the serious look simpler than it actually is. (Kenneth Turan) R.
Truman A great success in Spain, this life-affirming film about the last days of a life features top acting by stars Ricardo Darín and Javier Cámara. (Kenneth Turan) NR.
The Women’s Balcony An Israeli box-office hit about a Jerusalem clash of religious cultures, this is an unapologetically warmhearted comedic drama, a fine example of commercial filmmaking grounded in a persuasive knowledge of human behavior. (Kenneth Turan) NR.
Your Name. The highest-grossing anime of all time and winner of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.’s animated feature prize, Makoto Shinkai’s thrillingly beautiful film juggles an out-of-body farce, a time-traveling romance and a terrifying epic of survival. (Justin Chang) PG.
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