★All of Us Strangers. 105 min. Criterion. 2023. Blu-ray UPC 715515301718. $39.95. Rated: R. DRAMA

A lonely London screenwriter, Adam (Andrew Scott), at first turns down but later initiates a relationship with his neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal) after meeting with his long-deceased parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) at his childhood home. At their imagined family reunion, Adam at last reveals that he is gay, and everybody reconciles their past differences. Writer-director Andrew Haigh (Lean on Pete) loosely adapts Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers in this achingly poignant memory piece. VERDICT Truly transcendent in its depiction of queer loneliness.

Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara. 134 min. In Italian w/English subtitles. Cohen. 2023. DVD UPC 738329266929. $19.99; Blu-ray UPC 738329266936. $29.99. DRAMA

In 1851, a Jewish infant, the sixth child of the Mortara family living in Bologna, Italy, is secretly baptized by a Christian maid who fears for his soul. Seven years later, Edgardo Mortara is forcibly taken from his parents by papal authorities and raised as a Catholic in Rome. Based on an actual incident, veteran director Marco Bellocchio’s film melodramatizes the protracted struggle between Pope Pius IX (Paolo Pierobon) and the abductee’s parents over their son’s destiny amid a political crisis in the Catholic Church. VERDICT A solid historical drama despite occasional excesses.

★The Long Good Friday. 114 min. Criterion. 1980. Blu-ray UPC 715515301916. $39.98. Rated: R. DRAMA

In an effort to become a legitimate businessman, big-shot London gangster Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) tries to entice a prospective American underworld partner to redevelop a promising local dock area. But the murders of Shand’s close associates, coupled with a wave of intimidating bombings, threaten to scare off his potential investor. Director John Mackenzie made a reputation with his stylish portrayal of the criminal underworld, boasting a breakout performance by Hoskins, along with Helen Mirren as his moll. VERDICT This top-ranked British film is a must-have.

Thelma. 98 min. Magnolia. 2024. DVD UPC 876964018296. $26.98. Rating: PG-13. COMEDY

Ninety-three-year-old June Squib (About Schmidt; Nebraska) scores big for older actors with her starring role as Thelma Post, a concerned grandmother conned out of $10,000 by a phone scammer posing as her grandson. Along with her good friend (the late Richard Roundtree, in his final role), feisty Thelma tracks down the mastermind (Malcolm McDowell) behind the scheme, encountering plenty of adventures along the way. Writer-director Josh Margolin was inspired by the real case of a now-103-year-old woman. VERDICT A charmer appealing beyond its target audience.

Victims of Sin (“Victimas del pecado”). b/w. 84 min. In Spanish w/English subtitles. Criterion. 1951. DVD UPC 715515297714. $29.99; Blu-ray UPC 715515297615. $39.99. DRAMA

The featured mambo dancer at a Mexico City nightclub, Violeta (Ninón Sevilla) is fired after rescuing a fellow dancer’s discarded newborn from a garbage can. Raising the child as her own, Violeta makes money via sex work, pitting her against the club’s conceited owner (Rodolfo Acosta), who fathered the child. Writer-director Emilio Fernández (known stateside for his role as General Mapache in The Wild Bunch) brings a lot of style to this Mexican melodrama, an exemplary tale of altruism that recalls Hollywood weepies. VERDICT A worthy genre entry.