Film-Forward

Director Nathalie Álvarez Mesén has set herself an imposing task with her debut film: conveying the complexity of her title character without resorting to histrionics or melodrama.

A music documentary that succeeds in being quite a few things at once: a biography/appreciation and an examination of a now ubiquitous song.

Three international selections to keep an eye on.

Two European prize winners from the recent festival.

One-third sports documentary and two-thirds exploration of Colin Kaepernick’s role in the Black Lives Matter movement and its ensuing White backlash.

Though supposedly the characters are messy and flawed, the film’s second half feels like a disguised PSA for behaving nice and having functional conversations.

As an auteur filmmaker, Penélope Cruz presumably sends up the directors that she’s surely had to contend with in her career.

Top pick: Director Ramin Bahrani’s 2nd Chance.

With one large gaping eye and two feet wearing the titular pink shoes, Marcel is a stop-motion animation/live-action hybrid that could have been dreamed up by a feverish René Magritte.