Anita Gates

It’s a quietly compelling story.

In between the rampant four-letter words and the occasional partial nudity are likable attempts at humor — some sweet, some saucy.

[A] thorough, powerfully straightforward documentary.

Articulate and sympathetic experts, a calmly authoritative narrator (Alfre Woodard), powerfully conversational subtitles and breathtaking scenery enliven the film’s message.

A Requiem for Syrian Refugees is as powerfully direct as it is unfortunately heavy-handed, with lingering black-and-white close-ups of barbed wire and children’s wide eyes. But the film is eloquent, too, thanks to the voices of the refugees themselves.

The film’s storytelling is straightforward, almost standard-issue, but the story itself is compelling, as is the testimony of devotees.

With enough tragic-restorative plot twists for a 12-hour mini-series, Botso is an enchanting film for two reasons: Mr. Korisheli’s humanity is magnetic, and no more beautiful case could be made for the psychological healing power of making music.

Joanna Lipper’s documentary shapes one country’s recent history into an accessible and tragic family drama.

Advanced Style is undeniably captivating, even uplifting at times. But Mr. Cohen and Lina Plioplyte, the director, present a disconcerting mixed message.

The two leads are so low-key that they almost disappear at times, but The Quitter is a textured, heartfelt drama that achieves its modest goals.

In Peter Sanders’s sassy documentary Altina... there’s plenty of interesting ground to cover.

There is no gore here, and no on-screen violence, but this is in every way a horror movie. With a devastating ending.

If the film is workmanlike at times, it is also elegantly cleareyed.

In some ways, this is just another underdogs-go-for-it sports movie. In others, it is as sensitive and observant as an Edith Wharton novel.

Beatocello’s Umbrella could have been a terrible movie. In theory and largely in execution, it is little more than a promotional video for Kantha Bopha, a group of hospitals in Cambodia, and Dr. Richner, who has run them since the early 1990s. But what a guy!

By the time the long, throbbing concert finale begins, there is no doubt that Mr. Brown’s intensity has not faded over the years and that the Stone Roses’ breakup was a serious loss.

The first half of Behind the Blue Veil makes a case for the noble cause of preserving a way of life; the second half admits its near-futility.

The film benefits from nice performances and nice work by Mr. DiFolco (making his directorial debut), even if the ending is not as psychologically complex as earlier scenes lead us to hope.

The burning question is why Mr. Hyde’s story has never been made into a feature film. You’ve got big sky, a crazy but magnetically confident old coot, a noble but seemingly hopeless quest and a triumphant ending.

A lovely small surprise of a film.

Ms. Kapoor, in her early 20s, gives a performance that seems to reinvent female confidence.

Mr. Takata deserves praise for refusing to oversimplify the situation, although his film doesn’t always bring the conflict fully to life.

An enthralling documentary.

This is a sweet adventure story for children. (Surely, American parents can deal with the bare breasts of one talking painting.) For adults it is short on narrative sophistication but visually a true objet d’art.

Makes its case with breathtaking force.

The pleasant surprise is that the film is a delight.

William Powell and Myrna Loy may not have invented star chemistry but they perfected it.

Touching, intelligent and admirably thoughtful, but more action-packed than its predecessors, thanks to escaped convicts, a local murder and a truly suspenseful finale, with lives at stake.