Iranian Autocracy, a Robot Friend, and Serial Killers | Fast Scans

Can’t-miss foreign and indie films for your queue feature a one-night stand gone wrong, the indictment of an Iranian autocratic regime, and a unique friendship between a dog and a robot.

Plenty. 124 min. Kino Lorber. 1985. Blu-ray UPC 738329268015. $24.95. DRAMA

An Englishwoman who assisted the French Resistance in World War II, Susan Traherne (Meryl Streep) finds it hard to adjust to a British postwar life lacking in idealism. She also recalls her passionate encounter with a British soldier (Sam Neill) while her marriage to a diplomat (Charles Dance) proved unfulfilling. David Hare’s lauded stage play is brought to the screen by Fred Schepisi, who directs Streep in one of her least-appreciated roles as a complex heroine who appears to lack for nothing but wants more. VERDICT Debuting in high-def, this is a must for Streep fans.

Robot Dreams. 102 min. Decal-Neon. 2023. DVD UPC 843501043059. $20.99; Blu-ray UPC 843501043066. $26.99. Rated: PG-13. ANIMATION

Living alone in Manhattan, a pooch named Dog assembles Robot, a tin man who serves as a faithful companion until they’re separated one fateful summer’s day on Coney Island Beach. Both finally find other buddies, yet still dream about getting back together. Based on the graphic novel by Sara Varon, director Pablo Berger’s Oscar-nominated animated feature offers a touching tribute to friendship. With simple graphics and expressive sounds in lieu of dialogue, this is the antithesis of the modern animation style. VERDICT Okay for teens but more apt for adults given its sophistication.

Someday We’ll Tell Each Other Everything. 129 min. In German w/English subtitles. Strand. 2023. DVD UPC 712267440122. $24.99. DRAMA

Nineteen-year-old Maria (Marlene Burow), living with her boyfriend (Cedric Eich) and his parents on a picturesque farm, whiles away the summer reading Dostoevsky until she’s caught up in an intense affair with a neighboring farmer (Felix Kramer) twice her age. Cowriter-director Emily Atef’s coming-of-age story, set shortly after the unification of Germany in 1990, doesn’t match the gravitas of its protagonist’s favorite Russian author, but it’s not lacking for heedless passion, nor is it missing tragedy. VERDICT A romantic drama for audiences that can handle its frank love scenes.

Strange Darling. 97 min. Magenta Light. 2023. DVD UPC 843501043103. $24.98; Blu-ray UPC 843501043219. $29.98. Rated: R. THRILLER

A man (Kyle Gallner) and a woman (Willa Fitzgerald) have a twisted one-night stand at a rural Oregon motel that ends with murder—the culmination of a serial killer’s murder spree. Presented in six nonlinear chapters to shrewdly confound viewers’ expectations, this relentless thriller from writer-director JT Mollner exemplifies the old phrase “nothing is what it seems.” Shot on 35mm film, the slightly grainy cinematography evokes ’70s cinema. A superb central performance along with unpredictability earn a shout-out. VERDICT For adventuresome audiences.

Terrestrial Verses. 77 min. In Persian w/English subtitles. Kimstim. 2023. DVD UPC 760137162292. $29.95. DRAMA

In a series of short vignettes, a variety of Iranians are interviewed by off-screen authority figures, mostly bureaucrats, imposing social, cultural, and religious constraints. Authoritarianism reaches the absurd. A new dad politely insists on being able to name his newborn son but is told his choice isn’t Islamic enough. And so it goes. Scripted and directed by Alireza Khatami and Ali Asgari, their indictment of an autocratic regime ends with a cryptic apocalypse. VERDICT Stylistically spare with its fixed camera and unbroken shots but still riveting.

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