Synopsis

A tender rumination on the tenuous bonds of family, the changing Icelandic landscape, and the passage of time itself, The Love That Remains chronicles a year in the life of a family of five as the parents navigate their separation. Anna, an artist who works with natural materials to create large canvases, is frustrated with her professional life and hoping to land an exhibition. Her husband, Magnus, is often away working on a fishing trawler, and his extended absences put a strain on the family. As the love between Anna and Magnus fades, the couple and their three children are forced to redefine their relationships to one another.

Infusing the narrative with surreal flourishes, a dreamy piano score, stunning landscape photography, and a winning performance from Panda the dog, director Hlynur Pálmason (2022’s Godland) offers a meditative, tragicomic portrait of a family in crisis.

Synopsis

Curious about what life has in store, 22-year-old Luisa moves out of her parents’ home and into a residential facility for people with disabilities on the outskirts of a small German town. Taking a job in a laundry, the outgoing young woman is excited for new adventures. But when an unexpected pregnancy leads to suspicions of sexual abuse, an ensuing investigation tests Luisa, her family, and the staff at the group home, threatening to upend the residents’ sense of security and stability.

This deeply affecting and empowered drama is based on extensive research into true crimes of sexual abuse and features an incredible inclusive cast. As the resolute Luisa, actress Celina Scharff deftly captures her character’s vulnerability and defiance; intimate close-ups convey the tumult and upheaval Luisa experiences as she faces a very difficult decision. Even as the film grapples with the weight of personal trauma, it strikes a hopeful note, suggesting that Luisa’s inner strength, her strong sense of autonomy, and the support of loved ones will help her regain equilibrium.

Synopsis

In the 16th century, after convincing Spanish royalty to fund his expedition, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan (played with harrowing intensity by Gael García Bernal) sets his sights on Southeast Asia. Charting a course for the Malay Archipelago, he embarks on a brutal campaign of religious conversion and colonial conquest, but obsession and madness begin to take hold.

Filipino auteur and “slow cinema” practitioner Lav Diaz helms this starkly beautiful biopic, an unconventional epic centering violence against a series of stunning, languid landscapes. Deliberately paced and endlessly absorbing, Diaz subverts the genre’s conventions at every turn, rejecting traditional mythmaking in favor of a more exacting, critical eye. The result is an awe-inspiring history that examines the sinister cruelty fueling the Age of Discovery.

Synopsis

A deeply moving gothic revenge film set in the mid-1800s, Mārama follows Mary Stevens on a lengthy journey from Aotearoa, New Zealand to North Yorkshire, England, as she searches for answers about her long-lost Māori birth family.

Under the sinister shadow of the British Empire, Mary arrives at the estate of wealthy whaler and Māori culture dilettante Sir Nathaniel Cole (Toby Stephens), only to discover that the man who promised her information about her parents has died. Stranded after her arduous journey in an unwelcoming manor, Mary begrudgingly accepts Nathaniel’s uncomfortably solicitous invitation to stay on as a governess to his daughter. Trying to find her footing in the dark corridors of a new home that treats precious Māori items as little more than set dressing and status symbols, Mary starts experiencing strange visions and unfamiliar memories that guide her toward the horrific truth of her ancestral past. Soon, she embarks on a blood-soaked path of righteous retribution.

A striking debut feature that breaks bold new ground for gothic horror, this searing colonial critique is bolstered by lush period costumes and stifling interiors, broody cinematography, and the unwavering strength of Ariāna Osborne’s performance as Mary.

Synopsis

In a sedate corner of Massachusetts circa 1970, James Blaine Mooney (Josh O’Connor) is an unemployed carpenter who has yet to live up to the expectations of his middle-class upbringing. With his eyes on easy money, Mooney plots his first big theft with a ragtag group of local buddies to steal a series of abstract paintings from a small regional museum. But things don’t go exactly as planned, and Mooney finds himself in one mishap after another, as both his personal and professional life unravel.

Like director Kelly Reichardt’s previous films Night Moves and Meek’s Cutoff, The Mastermind reinvents genre yet again, here reshaping the heist movie into a study of the unforeseen consequences of one man’s bad decisions and lack of self-awareness. Enhanced by a percussive ‘70s-inspired jazzy score, as well as O’Connor’s skillful performance as the vain and blundering so-called “mastermind,” this amusing low-key drama is also one of Reichardt’s wittiest films. Beneath its dry humor lies a biting and timely satire about class, privilege, and the denial of responsibility.