In Balanchine’s Classroom
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Connie Hochman
Former ballet dancers grasp at words to describe the genius of George Balanchine in this charming documentary.

George Balanchine, center, as seen in the documentary “In Balanchine’s Classroom.”
By TEO BUGBEE

Little Girl
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Sébastien Lifshitz
This sensitive documentary by the French filmmaker Sébastien Lifshitz naturalistically explores the struggles of a 7-year-old transgender girl.

Sasha is the subject of the documentary “Little Girl.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Cry Macho
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Drama, Thriller, Western | Directed by Clint Eastwood
In his latest film, Clint Eastwood drives across Mexico with a troubled young man and a combative rooster.

Good guys: Clint Eastwood and Eduardo Minett in “Cry Macho.”
By A.O. SCOTT

Wife of a Spy
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama, History, War | Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
In this latest work by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, a Japanese couple’s relationship is shaped by the forces of churning nationalism that surround it.

Yu Aoi in “Wife of a Spy,” by the Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
By GLENN KENNY

— Of Possible Interest —

Saint-Narcisse
Unrated | Comedy, Drama, Romance | Directed by Bruce La Bruce
In this Bruce LaBruce melodrama, two twins, both alike in indecency, fall in love.

Félix-Antoine Duval plays twins in the Bruce LaBruce film “Saint-Narcisse.”
By TEO BUGBEE

The Card Counter
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Action, Drama, Thriller | Directed by Paul Schrader
Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish and Willem Dafoe star in the latest head trip from Paul Schrader, a story about betting on life.

Inscribing his book of life: Oscar Isaac in Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Azor
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Andreas Fontana
In this low-key shocker set in Argentina in 1980, a Swiss banker travels through a world that he doesn’t seem to know is ablaze.

Danger is everywhere: A scene from Andreas Fontana’s “Azor.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Fire Music
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Tom Surgal
The beautiful souls that created free jazz — including Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry and Carla Bley — light up this new documentary from Tom Surgal.

Ornette Coleman as seen in the documentary “Fire Music.”
By GLENN KENNY

Wild Indian
NYT Critic’s Pick | Thriller | Directed by Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr.
This drama from Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr. captures the various wounds of individual, familial and generational trauma.

Michael Greyeyes in “Wild Indian.”
By LISA KENNEDY

Worth
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Biography, Drama, History | Directed by Sara Colangelo
This drama starring Michael Keaton is a surprisingly effective movie about a tricky subject — the creation of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

From left, Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci in “Worth.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG

Faya Dayi
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Jessica Beshir
Jessica Beshir’s debut feature settles into a trance-like flow.

A scene from the documentary “Faya Dayi.”
By NICOLAS RAPOLD

— Of Possible Interest —

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
A millennial slacker reckons with his past — and his family of warriors.

From left, Xialing (Meng’er Zhang), Shaun (Simu Liu) and Katy (Awkwafina) in Marvel’s “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”
By MAYA PHILLIPS

Zone 414
R | Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Andrew Baird
A blatant “Blade Runner” rip-off, this perfunctory techno-noir sees a brooding detective team up with an emotional android.

By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Candyman
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Horror, Thriller | Directed by Nia DaCosta
The new take on the 1990s cult horror film returns the story to its old stomping ground, this time with Jordan Peele as a producer.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in Nia DaCosta’s “Candyman.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Mosquito State
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama, Horror, Thriller | Directed by Filip Jan Rymsza
A Wall Street genius becomes the willing host to a colony of mosquitoes in this dreamily surreal horror movie.

Beau Knapp in “Mosquito State.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Isabella
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Matías Piñeiro
The Argentine filmmaker Matías Piñeiro, who riffs on Shakespeare, expands his ambition with this drama.

Agustina Muñoz and María Villar in “Isabella.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG

— Of Possible Interest —

The Colony
R | Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Tim Fehlbaum
In this science fiction film, set generations after humans have destroyed Earth, an astronaut returns to the planet to see if it is habitable.

Nora Arnezeder in “The Colony,” directed by Tim Fehlbaum.
By LENA WILSON

In the Same Breath
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Nanfu Wang
In her latest documentary, the director of “One Child Nation” revisits the pandemic as it unfolded in China as well as in the United States.

A scene from the documentary “In the Same Breath.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

The Night House
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Horror, Thriller | Directed by David Bruckner
A sensational Rebecca Hall plays a grieving widow besieged by potentially occult forces in this superior creepout.

Rebecca Hall in “The Night House.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

On Broadway
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, History | Directed by Oren Jacoby
The neon lights are bright, and so is the spirit of this brief but loving history of Broadway.

Ian McKellen is one of the interview subjects of the documentary “On Broadway.”
By MAYA PHILLIPS

— Of Possible Interest —

Cryptozoo
Animation | Directed by Dash Shaw
This animated film is a rapturously hallucinogenic daydream for mature audiences.

A scene from the animated film “Cryptozoo.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZAH

The Lost Leonardo
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Documentary | Directed by Andreas Koefoed
This documentary about the painting “Salvator Mundi” packs the fascination and wallop of an expertly executed fictional thriller.

Robert Simon, left, and Alexander Parish in the documentary “The Lost Leonardo.”
By GLENN KENNY

Days
NYT Critic’s Pick | Unrated | Drama | Directed by Ming-liang Tsai
Tsai Ming-liang’s latest film has little dialogue and no subtitles, but has plenty of story to tell.

Lee Kang-sheng, left, and Anong Houngheuangsy in “Days,” by Tsai Ming-liang.
By GLENN KENNY

Bring Your Own Brigade
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | DocumentaryDirected by Lucy Walker
In her new documentary, Lucy Walker looks at California’s apocalyptic fires and finds more than the usual smoke and politics.

A scene from Lucy Walker’s documentary, “Bring Your Own Brigade.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

The Macaluso Sisters
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Emma Dante
This moving drama by the filmmaker Emma Dante imagines the ripple effects of a sister’s death across generations in Sicily.

Left to right, Viola Pusateri, Eleonora De Luca, Anita Pomario, Alissa Maria Orlando and Susanna Piraino in “The Macaluso Sisters.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Annette
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, Musical, Romance | Directed by Leos Carax
Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard are star-crossed lovers in this hallucinatory musical, written by Sparks and directed by Leos Carax.

In “Annette,” Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard play a performance artist and an opera singer in and out of love.
By A.O. SCOTT

The Last Matinee
NYT Critic’s Pick | Horror | Directed by Maximiliano Contenti
Set in a movie theater, this droll splatterfest is aimed straight at the jugular.

Julieta Spinelli in “The Last Matinee.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Bix: ‘Ain’t None of Them Play Like Him Yet’
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Biography, Music | Directed by Brigitte Berman
The composer and cornet player Bix Beiderbecke changed music forever in a very short life. A restored documentary from the ’80s goes into the details.

ix Beiderbecke, center with cornet, in “Bix: ‘Ain’t None of Them Play Like Him Yet,’” a documentary directed by Brigitte Berman.
By GLENN KENNY

— Of Possible Interest —

Vivo
PGAnimation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Musical | Directed by Kirk DeMicco, Brandon Jeffords
The animated musical, about a kinkajou who goes on a journey to deliver a song, may have an uneven story, but the movie’s stellar songs, by Lin-Manuel Miranda, reflect the artist at his best.

From left, Gabi (voiced by Ynairaly Simo) and Vivo (voiced by Lin-Manuel Miranda) in “Vivo.”
By MAYA PHILLIPS

Naked Singularity
RComedy, Crime, Drama | Directed by Chase Palmer
John Boyega plays a harried public defender in this chaotic merger of sci-fi and heist thriller.

John Boyega in “Naked Singularity.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

The Suicide Squad
RAction, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi | Directed by James Gunn
The director James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) shifts from Marvel to DC Comics with some familiar faces and the usual moves.

From left, David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Idris Elba and Daniela Melchior in “The Suicide Squad,” the latest entry in the DC Comics franchise, directed by James Gunn.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Sabaya
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Hogir Hirori
This intrepid, immersive documentary follows the men and women who rescue Yazidi girls kidnapped and held by Islamic State fighters in a Syrian refugee camp.

A scene from the documentary “Sabaya,” by Hogir Hirori.
By DEVIKA GIRISH

Fauna
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Nicolás Pereda
This lean meta-drama tackles the fictions typically associated with Mexican culture with droll humor and bold conceptual play.

Lázaro Gabino Rodríguez and Luisa Pardo in “Fauna.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

The Green Knight
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy | Directed by David Lowery
Dev Patel plays a medieval hero on a mysterious quest in David Lowery’s adaptation of the 14th-century Arthurian romance.

Failson, charmer, seeker: Dev Patel stars as Gawain in David Lowery’s “The Green Knight.”
By A.O. SCOTT

Enemies of the State
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Sonia Kennebeck
This documentary on the strange case of Matt DeHart weaves uncertainty into its structure.

Leann and Paul Dehart, the parents of the documentary subject Matt DeHart, in “Enemies of the State.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG

— Of Possible Interest —

The Last Mercenary
Action, Comedy | Directed by David Charhon
In this diverting action comedy, Jean-Claude Van Damme plays a former secret agent forced back into action to save his estranged son.

Jean-Claude Van Damme in “The Last Mercenary.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Woodstock 99: Peace Love and Rage
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Music | Directed by Garret Price
An HBO documentary examines a music festival that went so far off the rails that it defined an era.

The Woodstock 99 festival, which is the subject of a documentary by Garret Price.
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Ailey
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Documentary | Directed by Jamila Wignot
Jamila Wignot explores the life of Alvin Ailey in a new documentary that brings a choreographer to life through movement and words.

The choreographer Alvin Ailey as seen in “Ailey,” a documentary about his life, directed by Jamila Wignot.
By GIA KOURLAS

Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Arie Esiri, Chuko Esiri
The film follows the lives of two individuals in Nigeria who dream of immigrating to Europe to better their prospects.

Jude Akuwudike in “Eyimofe (This Is My Desire).”
By DEVIKA GIRISH

Holy Beasts
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán
Geraldine Chaplin offers a commanding performance in this sleek tropical thriller.

Geraldine Chaplin in “Holy Beasts.”
By TEO BUGBEE

The Hidden Life of Trees
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Documentary | Directed by Jörg Adolph, Jan Haft
Jörg Adolph uses the sensorial capacities of cinema to thrillingly visualize a German forester’s contention that trees are social, sentient beings.

A scene from the documentary “The Hidden Life of Trees.”
By DEVIKA GIRISH

Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Documentary | Directed by Morgan Neville
Morgan Neville’s sharp and vividly compelling documentary tries to pin down a brilliant, troubled man.

Anthony Bourdain, the subject of the documentary “Roadrunner.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Tom Hurwitz, Rosalynde LeBlanc
A striking new documentary explores the enduring legacy of a dance piece created by Bill T. Jones at the height of the AIDS crisis.

A still from the documentary “Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters.”
By GLENN KENNY

Pig
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, Thriller | Directed by Michael Sarnoski
Nicolas Cage plays a reclusive truffle hunter in this fiercely controlled character drama.

Nicolas Cage in “Pig.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

— Of Possible Interest —

No Ordinary Man
Documentary | Directed by Aisling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt
This documentary sheds light on a prominent jazz musician whose death became a spectacle when it was discovered he was transgender.

Billy Tipton, center, in the documentary “No Ordinary Man.”
By TEO BUGBEE