Antlers (In theaters Oct. 29)
Lucas (Jeremy T. Thomas) is the withdrawn, pubescent son of a troubled addict. Julia Meadows (Keri Russell), the lad’s middle school teacher, reads the signs of home abuse. She shares this concern with Paul (Jesse Plemons), her police chief brother, but Paul’s attention is drawn to half-eaten corpses found in the woods surrounding their mining town. Native Americans believe a “Wendigo” is preying upon the hapless. Despite an apparent killer on the loose, Julia remains determined to help Lucas, but her efforts barely make a dent. Adapted from a short story by Nick Antosca, producer Guillermo del Toro’s fingerprints are lightly scattered over the film but make a heavy impression during its final act. Director Scott Cooper faithfully juggles monsters with an examination of society’s disadvantaged. (Lisa Miller)
I Dream of a Psychopomp
Spellbound is an odd name for a town, but it might be an apt metaphor—just as its low-slung neighborhoods could be Anywhere U.S.A. The camera pans slowly and draws closer to a car with flashers on and hood up—drawing closer, we see a woman’s body on the pavement and then the driver tumbles out of the car. His wife died in the accident but he continues to hear her, see her, feel her in many agreeably low-key scenes.
Danny Villenueva Jr. is a young Hispanic filmmaker with Milwaukee ties. His feature film, I Dream of a Psychopomp, is a well-acted, photographed and edited journey at the boundary where the dead cling to the living. The metaphor? Maybe it’s in the remark by a character the grieving husband encounters at the cemetery: Spellbound is a town that “does bad things and buries its secrets.” The horror-oriented Twisted Dreams Film Festival will present the Milwaukee premiere of I Dream of a Psychopomp at its Halloween Bash, Oct. 31 at the Avalon Theater, 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. The party begins at 7:30 p.m. Showtime is at 9:30. (David Luhrssen)
Last Night in Soho (In theaters Oct. 29)
Hoping to become a designer, third-generation seamstress Ellie (Thomasin McKenzie) moves from Cornwall to London to attend fashion school. While in residence at a seedy motel, Ellie begins dreaming about one of Soho’s 1960s showgirls. Her name is Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy), and her desire to become a singer makes her vulnerable. Night after night visiting Sandie’s colorful world ignites Ellie’s sense of design, but once Ellie realizes she’s observing an actual person’s life careen toward disaster, her focus shifts away from fashion to saving Sandie. She means either to rescue the showgirl or punish those abusing her. Diana Riggs appears in one of her final roles, while Terrence Stamp portrays the current day version of a man Ellie watches ruining Sandie’s life. (Lisa Miller)
Last Night in Soho
Sweet Thing (Film Movement DVD)
Billie is 15 and largely responsible for her 11-year-old brother, Nico. The father of this multi-racial family is a jolly drunk in his best moments, working as Santa Claus and store-closing mascots while Billie and Nico pop tires and collect cans for change. Their mother is dysfunctional with an abusive boyfriend. Director Alexandre Rockwell filmed most of the Sundance favorite Sweet Thing (2021) in black and white, with playful use of silent movie opening and closing irises. It’s a sweet film but bittersweet, its hopefulness hard won as the children navigate an emotionally and materially impoverished world. In a splash of magical realism, Billie takes solace in dreams of meeting her namesake, Billie Holiday. (David Luhrssen)
