Two souls meet on the New York City subway and communicate with each other through telepathy. Gabriel Guzman directs “Speak in My Language,” a poetic portrait of a cosmic romance that seems fated to last forever. After meeting on the train and discovering they share the same ability to read each ...
An anniversary gift leads two young lovers into a black hole of misunderstanding. “Love Machine,” directed by Michael Rees, is a squirm-inducing dark comedy about the delusions and insensitivities of a dysfunctional couple. What at first appears to be a straightforward relationship study soon dev...
Extremophiles are organisms that exist when nothing else can survive. In this environmental documentary about pollution, director Leah Shore presents a slide show of lethal hot spots in Brooklyn as a duo in matching grey suits strike ominous poses. Beginning with the infamous Gowanus Canal, which...
A retired CIA agent fakes being abducted by aliens so that he can abandon his family. Taylor Cohan directs “Vibrations,” an absurdist sci-fi comedy stuffed with ludicrous plotting, off-key performances, and a child-like silliness. The ex-government worker, Vincent, lives with his wife and son, a ...
A young man cycles through a series of personas in a manic attempt to find himself. “Yamashiro LIVE!”, directed by Blake James Reid and Max Frumkin, is a fever dream odyssey carved from pure provocation, a melting-down outsider vision of an ineffectual shape-shifter. The man floods each of his un...
A young couple retreats to a glass house for two weeks of digital detox where they are disturbed by a lost hiker. “Earth Over Earth,” directed by Owen Campbell, is an enigmatic sci-fi drama that establishes itself as a convincing relationship study before wandering into an unclassifiable realm. L...
In his first semester at an out-of-state university, Ison navigates new friendships and a romantic interest. Jinho Myung directs “Into Particles,” an unassuming yet captivating small-scale character study, endearing in its naivety and tenderness. After an overview of Ison’s upbringing in Californ...
A passionate young photographer in Berlin fixates on a series of self-portraits as her boyfriend questions her approach. A mediation on artistic process and ambition, “Spiegel,” directed by Ewan Waddell, is a stylistically assured character study that gets deep into the head of a hip but vulnerab...
On the day of her mother's wedding, fifteen-year-old, Delia, reckons with a strange incident from the night before with her soon-to-be stepfather. Emma Hall-Martin directs “Congratulations,” an edgy coming-of-age drama that’s precisely observed and beautifully visualized (color scheme, production...
A tale of sibling betrayal and revenge as told by a ranch horse. “Horse Brothers,” directed by Milos Mitrovic and Fabian Velasco, is a surreal fantasy tale and family melodrama built with inventive lo-fi visuals and a fever dream tone. After an absence, Frodo arrives back to the family farm in a ...
A man reconnects with an old friend from his days in the theater. “My Breakfast with Barf,” is an animated comedy directed by Peter Javidpour, a lighthearted send-up of the 1981 film, “My Dinner with Andre.” Leonard, a man of culture and intellect (whose head is shaped like an egg), meets up for ...
