All That's Left of You spans seven decades in the life of a Palestinian family, Hanan (Cherien Dabis), her husband, Salim (Saleh Bakri), and their son, Noor (Sanad Alkabareti and, later, Muhammed Abed Elrahman) under Israeli oppression starting in 1948. Writer/director Cherien Dabis has made a provocative and timely drama that's well-acted, unflinching and emotionally devastating. It bites off a little bit more than it could chew by the end because it tries to cover a lot of ground during the life of Hanan and her family. However, it remains complex and engrossing without being convoluted or unfocused. Be prepared for a powerful film that packs an emotional wallop with a poetic and haunting final scene which won't be spoiled here. At a lengthy running time of 2 hours and 26 minutes, All That's Left of You opens at Angelika Film Center via Watermelon Pictures. It would be an interested double feature with The Time That Remains.

 

      Lidia (Imogen Poots), a swimmer, struggles to conquer her traumatic childhood memories from her dysfunctional family in The Chronology of Water. She turns to her older sister, Claudia (Thora Birch), who's also emotionally damaged, for support. Based on the memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, the screenplay by writer/director Kristen Stewart follows a non-linear structure that reflects Lidia's fragmented memories. Prepare for a bold, unflinching, heartbreaking and exquisitely shot emotional journey that doesn't sugar-coat any of Lidia's experiences. Meanwhile, exposition is kept at a bare minimum. Kudos to Stewart for trusting the audience's emotions, patience and intelligence. She does a great job of designing a window into Lidia's heart, mind and soul while Imogen Poots, in a career-best performance, opens that window very, very widely with her brave and raw performance. Thora Birch, Tom Sturridge, Susannah Floor and Jim Belushi also get the chance to shine in their supporting roles. The mesmerizing cinematography often incorporates poetic images of nature which provide both style and substance concurrently. Poetry, after all, is often a form of protest for or against something, so The Chronology of Water can be seen as a protest against hate, emotional pain and abuse, and a protest for love, happiness and healing. Stewart, much like Lidia herself, understands the wisdom behind Pablo Neruda's poem: "They can cut all of the flowers, but they can't stop the spring from coming." At a running time of 2 hours and 8 minutes, The Chronology of Water opens nationwide via The Forge  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1




 

       Tony (Bill Skarsgård) kidnaps Richard (Dacre Montgomery), the president of Meridian Mortgage Company, and holds him hostage to avenge being wronged in a property investment by Richard's father, ML Hall (Al Pacino), in Dead Man's Wire. Director Gus Van Sant and screenwriter Austin Kolodney have made a well-acted and wickedly funny, but clunky and somewhat inert dramatic thriller with a great soundtrack. It's set in 1977 and based on a true story that sounds stranger than fiction with some scenes that veer toward absurdity because of how Tony behaves so over-the-top. He's enigmatic, volatile and somewhat cartoonish. Unfortunately, the screenplay doesn't quite do a great enough job of getting inside his head, so he is still at a cold distance from the audience by the time the end credits roll. Despite the potential of the premise, the suspense wanes after the first 30 minutes. Al Pacino has a few decent scenes that he makes the most out of, but he's wasted here and deserves more time on screen. The same can be said for Colman Domingo who plays Fred Temple, a radio dj who Tony calls to make his demands known publicly. Moreover, the cuts to documentary footage are too frequent and distracting from the narrative momentum. Dead Man's Wire pales compared to the more gripping and heartfelt Dog Day Afternoon. At a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes, Dead Man's Wire opens nationwide via Row K Entertainment.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

         In Greenland 2: Migration, John (Gerard Butler), Allison (Morena Baccarin), his wife, and son, Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis), escape Greenland because of another natural disaster that destroyed their bunker and caused there to be unsafe levels of radiation. They embark on a treacherous journey to Europe in hope of reaching the comet Clarke's crater where life, allegedly, flourishes. Director Ric Roman Waugh and screenwriters Mitchell LaFortune and Chris Sparling have made a by-the-numbers disaster movie with great visual effects, but a bland screenplay without any surprises. There are a few scenes that offer palpable thrills and suspense, though. Gerard Butler does his best to invigorate the film with his charisma, but the rest of the cast don't get much of a chance to shine. Moreover, the plot meanders and becomes unfocused during the second act when John and his family stop by a house located in Europe before they continue their journey. The dialogue often suffers from clunky exposition and redundancy, i.e. when Allison exclaims that the view she's seeing is beautiful despite the fact that the audience can clearly see it's beauty. Why spoon-feed the audience and distrust their emotions? That said, Greenland 2: Migration isn't a misfire nor does it have any bad laughs which is a blessing. It also doesn't overstay its welcome thanks to its brief running time. At 1 hour and 38 minutes, Greenland 2: Migration opens nationwide via Lionsgate.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 2




 

       The war in Aleppo, Syria affects the lives of five people from around the world in I Was a Stranger. They include Amira (Yasmine Al Massri) who lives in Chicago, but used to work a a hospital in Aleppo, Mustafa (Yahya Mahayni), a soldier in Aleppo, Marwan (Omar Sy), a refugee smuggler, Fathi (Ziad Bakri), a poet, and Stavros (Constantine Markoulakis), a coast guard captain. Writer/director Brandt Andersen has made a mildly engaging, but undercooked collection of five different interconnected stories that suffer from the same issues that Father Mother Sister Brother also ails from: they each could've been easily expanded into lengthier narratives, but at their current length, they leave a lot to be desired in terms of character development and emotional depth. None of the actors and actresses get a chance to shine, unfortunately. The film is ultimately less than the sum of its parts. At a running time of 1 hour and 44 minutes, I Was a Stranger opens nationwide via Angel Studios.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       Marek (David Hayman), a Holocaust survivor living in the Columbian countryside, suspects that his new neighbor, Hermann (Udo Kier), might be Adolf Hitler My Neighbor Adolf. Set in 1960, the screenplay by writer/director Leon Prudovsky and co-writer Dmitry Malinsky suffers from a contrived plot, stilted dialogue and an uneven tone that makes for an underwhelming experience. Not a single scene rings true and, despite the potential of the premise, there's barely any palpable suspense. Moreover, the relationship between Marek and Hermann doesn't feel even remotely believable as it progresses. Udo Kier, in his final role on screen, is undermined by the shallow screenplay and the same goes for David Hayman who gives a mediocre performance. The third act falls flat, and there's nothing about the cinematography, editing or anything else to invigorate the film or to provide it with style to compensate for the lack of substance. It's just as disappointing, poorly executed and ultimately forgettable as Getting Away with Murder. For a much better film about someone suspecting his neighbor of being a former Nazi, see Beautiful Blue Eyes, which happens to be Roy Scheider's final role. At a running time of 1 hour and 36 minutes, My Neighbor Adolf opens at Quad Cinema via Cohen Media Group.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 4




 

       Connor (Albert Birney) must enter a mysterious video game he's playing called OBEX to search for his dog, Sandy, that disappeared into the game in OBEX. Writer/director Albert Birney and co-writer Pete Ohs have made a mildly engaging experimental sci-fi movie that's equally surreal, bizarre and unconventional. Its main flaw, though, is that it stretches its premise too thinly without going bonkers enough or offering any surprises beyond the basic concept. Even the bond between Conner and his dog isn't established much before it enters the game. The black-and-white cinematography and low-budget animation makes it feel like the kind of movie you'd expect to watch on VHS in the 1980s. That somewhat charming visual style comes with diminishing returns, though, as the film runs out of steam around the hour mark. OBEX ultimately isn't as provocative, audacious, poetic or poignant as other mindfucks like I Saw the TV Glow, so it doesn't rise enough above mediocrity to become a cult classic. At a running time of 1 hour and 31 minutes, it opens at IFC Center via Oscilloscope Laboratories.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

      A rabid chimpanzee terrorizes Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah), her younger sister, Erin (Gia Hunter) and her friends, Kate (Victoria Wyant), and Nick (Benjamin Cheng) at her tropical home while her father, Adam (Troy Kotsur), is away promoting his new book in  Primate. Writer/director Johannes Roberts and co-writer Ernest Riera have made a lean and unflinchingly gory B-movie that's too dumb, repetitive and unimaginative to become a new cult classic. The kills are shocking and disgusting, but nothing more beyond that, and the visual effects/make-up aren't very convincing. Moreover, the dialogue sounds dull and stilted, the characters are underwritten, and plausibility gets thrown out of the window very early on. Lack of logic is fine because there's nothing wrong with suspending disbelief and checking your brain at the door as long as it's fun and entertaining. Unfortunately, the entertainment value wanes after 30 minutes and the film loses steam without regaining it. Primate feels just as disappointing and lazy as Cocaine Bear. At a thankfully brief running time of 1 hour and 29 minutes, it opens nationwide via Paramount Pictures.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 3




 

       Five teenagers, Jessica (Babette Verbeek), Perla (Lucie Laruelle), Julie (Elsa Houben), Naïma (Samia Hilmi ), Ariane (Janaïna Halloy Fokan), live in a shelter for pregnant young women and must decide whether to keep and raise their baby or to give it up for adoption in Young Mothers. Co-writers/directors Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne have woven a tender, heartfelt and gently moving slice-of-life that avoids melodrama, contrivance and schmaltz. They have a knack for  grounding their films in humanism, a truly special effect, which feels authentic without any heavy-handedness. There are no villains; just flawed characters who are trying their best to make the right choices which aren't easy. The screenplay effectively gets inside each of the five girls' heart, mind and soul while showing their emotional struggles unflinchingly. The Dardenne brothers trust the audience's emotions without relying on music to boost the emotions. Everything from the performances to the cinematography and editing enhance the film's naturalism. Most importantly, the filmmakers displace empathy toward each character without judging them nor do they ask the audience to judge them either, so you'll feel emotionally invested in these girls' lives and in their well-being. At a running time of 1 hour and 46 minutes, Young Mothers opens at IFC Center via Music Box Films.  

Number of times I checked my watch: 1