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Robert Abele
Posts
For her first documentary, ‘Our Land,’ Argentina’s Lucrecia Martel chases down a murder
A fiction filmmaker known for obliquely powerful explorations of class, race and colonialism turns her eye to a local crime that exposes a deeper rift…
A painful, provocative reunion demands your empathy in the daring ‘Blue Film’
Starring Tony-winner Reed Birney and 'Boots' star Kieron Moore, wrier-director Elliot Tuttle's sex-work drama explores subjects that rarely make it to screen.
An oppressively dumbed-down ‘Animal Farm’ has little use for George Orwell’s ideas
Originally a kid-friendly entry point into political allegory, the novella has been reduced to a cloud of animated fizz, with little nuance remaining.
In ‘Omaha,’ a father and his girls hit the road, with tensions along for the ride
John Magaro, an actor who excels in tricky parts (he played the third wheel in "Past Lives"), tunnels inward for a portrayal of a father…
In the wake of war, a German boy finds a way forward in the arresting ‘Amrum’
As World War II comes to a close, a Nazi-associated family eases into a brave new world in this unusual, empathetic drama, originated by late…
Passion spills over in the loose-limbed ‘Erupcja,’ starring Charli XCX
When two old pals reconnect, volcanoes spew and current romantic partners fear the worst in Pete Ohs' transporting tale of female friendship and release.
Never too deep, ‘Lorne’ approaches the myth of a comedy sphinx known for inscrutability
Even though Lorne Michaels is the subject of Morgan Neville's dutiful profile, he remains something of an elusive mystery, burnished by famous friends.
A new take on Camus’ ‘The Stranger’ by a veteran French stylist digs unto the unspoken
Director François Ozon, better known for lighter soufflés, takes on a demanding piece of literature and serves it well, with absorbing pools of isolation and…
‘Exit 8’ traps moviegoers in a video game’s puzzle — for good and ill
It's not impossible to translate a video game to the big screen, but Genki Kawamura's film version of a Japanese puzzle achieves a monotony that…
‘Fantasy Life’ is a dream come true for fans of bracingly adult relationship comedies
The deft directorial debut of actor-writer Matthew Shear foregrounds a sensitive portrayal of aging neurosis by a revelatory Amanda Peet, never better.