Lurker (Alex Russell, 2025). Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) is a lost, lonely young man whose life is given a jolt when a rising pop star (Archie Madekwe) comes into the clothing store where he works. Given the tiniest of openings, Matthew insinuates himself into the celeb’s social cadre. Lurker plays like a thriller, and writer-director Alex Russell works hard to instill a queasy feeling in the viewer. At any moment this parasocial relationship turned into real, if fabricated, connection seems poised to take a turn into devastating darkness. Russell’s command of tone is impressive, and the film’s themes and ideas are interesting. The endeavor is ultimately undone by shaky plotting that makes too much of what’s happening onscreen ring false. As a result, the film grows more synthetic and empty as it progresses. The acting is generally solid; Madekwe gives an especially strong performance.

Familiar Touch (Sarah Friedland, 2025). This drama is kind and respectful in its approach to depicting an elderly woman’s transition into assisted living as dementia takes over. The approach is understandable but maybe makes the film a shade too soft. Kathleen Chalfant gives a lovely, quietly heartrending performance as Ruth, whose time living independently comes to an end when her son (H. Jon Benjamin, effectively conveying the conflicted anguish of the character) helps her move into a care home. Ruth adjusts fitfully her new surroundings. Sometimes she’s accepting, sometimes she’s irritable, and sometimes her ailing perception prevents her from realizing what’s happening. Writer-director Sarah Friedland depicts every one of these moments with tender care. Familiar Touch is filled with small, insightful details; I’m especially fond of the glimpses of code-switching among the facility’s staff.

Night Moves (Kelly Reichardt, 2013). I’m all for Kelly Reichardt’s deliberate manner as a cinematic storyteller. That should be abundantly clear by now. Even so, Night Moves occasionally skewed a little dull for me. The film spends most of its time with three characters: Josh (Jesse Eisenberg), Dena (Dakota Fanning), and Harmon (Peter Sarsgaard). Residents of the Pacific Northwest, they decide to take radical measures in protest of a dam they feel is representative of the wanton environmental damage done by corporations. The plan leads to unexpected casualties, which in turn causes the individual members of trio to all experience their own unique unraveling. The film becomes another generally satisfying expression of Reichardt’s longstanding fascination with how small, questionable decisions accumulate into dismal results. Josh lives and works at a communal farm, giving Reichardt the chance to craft a subtle and insightful depiction of also contains one of a contained social systems, one her other great strengths as a filmmaker.