The Woman King
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Action, Drama, History | Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Viola Davis leads a strong cast into battle in an epic from Gina Prince-Bythewood, inspired by real women warriors.

In “The Woman King,” Viola Davis leads the women warriors of Dahomey, a real regiment in 19th-century Africa whose exact origins remain obscured by tribal myths and oral traditions.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Riotsville, U.S.A.
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Sierra Pettengill
A documentary delves into the responses to the 1960s protests, revealing uncomfortable truths about that time and ours.

A scene from “Riotsville, USA,” a documentary directed by Sierra Pettengill.
By GLENN KENNY

The African Desperate
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Martine Syms
Martine Syms’s whip-smart satire brings the invisible, everyday negotiations of a Black artist to startlingly visual life.

Diamond Stingily in “The African Desperate.”
By DEVIKA GIRISH

Terra Femme
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Courtney Stephens
An assemblage of travelogues shot by women from the 1920s through the 1950s, this experimental essay film can be seen with either live or prerecorded narration.

A scene from “Terra Femme,” a travelogue film directed by Courtney Stephens that includes footage going back to the 1920s.
By BEN KENIGSBERG

— Of Possible Interest —

Gameboys: The Movie
Romance | Directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal
This spinoff film from a web series deals with how a young couple handles the highs and lows of a relationship during the pandemic.
By KYLE TURNER

Drifting Home
PG | Animation, Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy | Directed by Hiroyasu Ishida
Two friends visit their old apartment building and make haunting discoveries in this animated film from Hiroyasu Ishida.
By MAYA PHILLIPS

God’s Country
R | Thriller | Directed by Julian Higgins
In this simmering thriller, Thandiwe Newton plays a professor in rural Montana who confronts two hunters who say they’re just passing through.
By MANOHLA DARGIS