January 6th
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Crime, History | Directed by Gédéon Naudet, Jules Naudet
A new documentary from Gédéon and Jules Naudet recounts the day of the U.S. Capitol attack.
A scene from the documentary “January 6th.”
By BRANDON YU
Mars One
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Gabriel Martins
This film from Gabriel Martins follows the dreams of a Black Brazilian family living on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte.
Carlos Francisco in “Mars One.”
By AMY NICHOLSON
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Musical | Directed by Matthew Warchus
This musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel is a jolt of sour candy guaranteed to make you grin.
From left, Winter Jarrett-Glasspool, Ashton Robertson, Alisha Weir as Matilda, Rei Yamauchi Fulker and Andrei Shen in “Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.”
By AMY NICHOLSON
Broker
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
Filmed in South Korea, the new movie from Hirokazu Kore-Eda turns a potentially grim tale into a poignant road picture.
From left, Lee Ji-eun, Gang Dong-won and Song Kang Ho in “Broker,” by Hirokazu Kore-Eda.
By A.O. SCOTT
Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Documentary | Directed by Lizzie Gottlieb
This affectionate documentary about the writer Robert Caro and the editor Robert Gottlieb sets out to shed light on their 50 years of collaboration.
Robert Gottlieb, right, started as Robert Caro’s editor with “The Power Broker” (1974) and has stuck with Caro since.
By BEN KENIGSBERG
Corsage
NYT Critic’s Pick | Biography, Drama, History | Directed by Marie Kreutzer
A transfixing Vicky Krieps plays the Empress of Austria who, at 40, begins to chafe against her predictably cosseted life.
Vicky Krieps as the Empress of Austria, caught between the privileges that at once exalt and suffocate her.
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Women Talking
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Drama | Directed by Sarah Polley
Sarah Polley adapts Miriam Toews’s novel into a timely political parable with a stellar ensemble cast.
Judith Ivey as Agata and Claire Foy as Salome in “Women Talking,” | Directed by Sarah Polley.
By A.O. SCOTT
No Bears
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Jafar Panahi
The latest feature from Jafar Panahi, who is currently imprisoned in Iran, explores the subversive power and the ethical limitations of filmmaking.
The Iranian director Jafar Panahi in “No Bears,” which he filmed in secret earlier this year.
By A.O. SCOTT
— Of Possible Interest —
The Super 8 Years
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Biography, Drama | Directed by Annie Ernaux, David Ernaux-Briot
In this wistful movie, the French writer and Nobel laureate revisits her life with help from her son, who’s also the director.
he writer Annie Ernaux, left, as seen in the documentary she made with her son, “The Super 8 Years.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS
The Quiet Girl
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Colm Bairéad
This luminous drama, Ireland’s entry for best international feature, may not be holiday fare, but it does express the season’s benevolent ethos.
Catherine Clinch plays Cáit in “The Quiet Girl,” | Directed by Colm Bairéad.
By LISA KENNEDY
— Of Possible Interest —
Avatar: The Way of Water
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by James Cameron
James Cameron returns to Pandora, and to the ecological themes and visual bedazzlements of his 2009 blockbuster.
By A.O. SCOTT
The Treasure of His Youth: The Photographs of Paolo Di Paolo
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Biography | Directed by Bruce Weber
A documentary by Bruce Weber about a nonagenarian Italian photographer is sprinkled with la dolce vita, our critic writes.
A scene in “The Treasure of His Youth: The Photographs of Paolo Di Paolo.”
By GLENN KENNY
Blanquita
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Fernando Guzzoni
Based on a sex scandal that sent waves throughout Chile in the early 2000s, the film looks at the meaning of victimhood and the impotence of black-and-white systems of justice.
Laura López in “Blanquita.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA
The Eternal Daughter
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Drama, Mystery | Directed by Joanna Hogg
The actress astonishes in two roles in Joanna Hogg’s haunting film set in a creaky castle in Wales.
Ever the chameleon: Tilda Swinton as Julie, the daughter of Rosalind, whom Swinton also plays in “The Eternal Daughter.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Return to Seoul
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Davy Chou
On a whim, a Frenchwoman goes to visit South Korea, the country of her birth, in Davy Chou’s drama.
Park Ji-Min in “Return to Seoul.”
By AMY NICHOLSON
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Geeta Gandbhir, Sam Pollard
With arresting interviews and archival footage, this documentary looks back at a 1960s voting-rights campaign in Alabama that gave rise to a national movement for Black power.
A scene from “Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power,” a documentary directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard.
By DEVIKA GIRISH
Tantura
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Alon Schwarz
Revisiting a graduate thesis that caused controversy in Israel two decades ago, this documentary examines evidence of a possible massacre in 1948.
Teddy Katz in the documentary “Tantura.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG
Sr.
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Documentary | Directed by Chris Smith
This documentary highlights Robert Downey Sr.’s charisma and curiosity even when it shows him in decline.
Robert Downey Sr. in the documentary “Sr.”
By GLENN KENNY
Stutz
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Documentary | Directed by Jonah Hill
In his documentary, Jonah Hill gently turns the tables on the psychiatrist and author Phil Stutz.
Phil Stutz, the subject of the documentary “Stutz,” directed by Jonah Hill.
By LISA KENNEDY
She Said
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, History | Directed by Maria Schrader
Maria Schrader directs this adaptation of the book about reporters’ efforts to document sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein.
Carey Mulligan, left, and Zoe Kazan as reporters trying to persuade women to talk about sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein.
By ALEXIS SOLOSKI
There There
NYT Critic’s Pick | Comedy, Romance | Directed by Andrew Bujalski
The one-acts that make up Andrew Bujalski’s film percolate with sly humor, decency, curiosity and sheer nerve.
Lili Taylor in “There There.”
By NICOLAS RAPOLD
The Inspection
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Elegance Bratton
Elegance Bratton’s autobiographical first feature is a lyrical, wrenching look at a young Marine’s journey through basic training.
Jeremy Pope, left, and Raúl Castillo in “The Inspection,” directed by Elegance Bratton.
By A.O. SCOTT
The Menu
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy, Horror, Thriller | Directed by Mark Mylod
Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy face off in this pitch-black satire of class and high-end dining.
Ralph Fiennes, left, with Anya Taylor-Joy in “The Menu.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
EO
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski
The titular character of this fantastic adventure is no Disneyfied, cutesy creature. The director Jerzy Skolimowski emphasizes his animality and un-knowableness.
This wild, boldly expressionistic movie conveys the life of its largely silent protagonist, EO the donkey, with a bare minimum of dialogue.
By MANOHLA DARGIS
— Of Possible Interest —
Flaming Ears
Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Ursula Puerrer, A. Hans Scheirl, Dietmar Schipek
An Austrian experimental feature from the 1990s presents a post-apocalyptic world as an artist’s utopia.
By Teo Bugbee
The People We Hate at the Wedding
R | Comedy | Directed by Claire Scanlon
A star-studded cast led by Allison Janney adds luster to this breezy family comedy.
By BEANDREA JULY
Incredible But True
NYT Critic’s Pick | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery | Directed by Quentin Dupieux
A suburban couple makes a life-altering discovery in the basement of their new home in this delightfully odd comedy.
Léa Drucker in “Incredible but True.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS
The Box
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Lorenzo Vigas
This unsettlingly cryptic thriller | Directed by Lorenzo Vigas follows a teenager after he retrieves the remains of his father who was found in a mass grave.
Hatzín Navarrete in “The Box.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA
A Couple
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Frederick Wiseman
In a rare turn to dramatic work, Frederick Wiseman directs a one-woman film about the long-suffering wife of a famous author.
Nathalie Boutefeu in “A Couple.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG
The Fabelmans
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Drama | Directed by Steven Spielberg
The director’s latest movie focuses on a budding filmmaker a lot like himself. But Michelle Williams, as his mother, is the soul of this fractious family drama.
The actor Gabriel LaBelle plays an adolescent Sammy Fabelman, a stand-in for Steven Spielberg.
By MANOHLA DARGIS
— Of Possible Interest —
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Thriller | Directed by Ryan Coogler
Shadowed by Chadwick Boseman’s death, this sequel focuses King T’Challa’s mother and the women helping her to contend with a slippery new villain.
By A.O. SCOTT
Being Thunder
Documentary | Directed by Stéphanie Lamorré
A gentle documentary about a young person whose gender identity is woven through their life in a Rhode Island Indigenous community.
By TEO BUGBEE
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
NYT Critic’s Pick | Biography, Comedy, Music | Directed by Eric Appel
The parody musician makes a joke of his own life, with the help of Daniel Radcliffe, in this uproarious sham biopic.
Daniel Radcliffe with Quinta Brunson in “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.”
By AMY NICHOLSON
Good Night Oppy
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Documentary | Directed by Ryan White
NASA’s Opportunity and Spirit rovers didn’t shoot cinematic-quality footage of Mars, but this documentary offers the next-best thing.
The documentary “Good Night Oppy” looks at rovers NASA created to survey and photograph Mars.
By BEN KENIGSBERG
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Documentary, Biography | Directed by Alek Keshishian
Sincere and soul-baring, the documentary, directed by Alek Keshishian, captures Gomez’s challenges with mental illness, lupus and fame.
In “Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me,” the singer is in the trustworthy hands of the veteran director Alek Keshishian.
By CHRIS AZZOPARDI
— Of Possible Interest —
Utama
Drama | Directed by Alejandro Loayza Grisi
In Bolivia’s official submission to the next Oscars, an old Quechua couple struggle to find water to sustain them, their crops and llamas.
By MANOHLA DARGIS
Enola Holmes 2
PG-13 | Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery | Directed by Harry Bradbeer
Millie Bobby Brown delivers an understated, playful performance in this young-adult mystery sequel.
By BEANDREA JULY
Armageddon Time
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by James Gray
New York in 1980 is the setting for James Gray’s brooding, bittersweet story of family conflict and interracial friendship.
Jaylin Webb, left, as Johnny and Banks Repeta as Paul in “Armageddon Time,” from the director James Gray.
By A.O. SCOTT
The Novelist’s Film
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Hong Sang-soo
In Hong Sang-soo’s latest study in small moments and chance encounters, a visit to an old friend prompts a writer in crisis to try something new.
Kim Min-hee in “The Novelist’s Film.”
By AUSTIN CONSIDINE
Descendant
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG | Documentary, History | Directed by Margaret Brown
This documentary recounts the salvaging of the Clotilda, the last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to America, and tracks down their progeny.
Veda Tunstall, one of the interview subjects in Margaret Brown’s documentary “Descendant.”
By LISA KENNEDY
All That Breathes
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Shaunak Sen
Shaunak Sen’s poetic documentary chronicles the efforts of three New Delhi men to help the city’s birds of prey.
A scene from “All That Breathes,” a documentary | Directed by Shaunak Sen.
By A.O. SCOTT
Aftersun
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama | Directed by Charlotte Wells
A daughter’s memory of a vacation in Turkey is at the heart of Charlotte Wells’s astonishing and devastating debut feature.
Frankie Corio and Paul Mescal in “Aftersun,” from the Scottish director Charlotte Wells.
By A.O. SCOTT
— Of Possible Interest —
Mama’s Boy: A Story from Our Americas
TV-14 | Documentary, Biography | Directed by Laurent Bouzereau
In this documentary, the Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black looks at how his relationship with his mother motivated his L.G.B.T.Q. activism.
By KYLE TURNER
Black Adam
PG-13 | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Dwayne Johnson stars in this overstuffed superhero film about an ancient figure granted god powers.
By MAYA PHILLIPS
The Pez Outlaw
Documentary, Comedy, Family, Romance | Directed by Amy Bandlien Storkel, Bryan Storkel
A purveyor of candy contraband becomes a black market hero in this blithe, lighthearted documentary.
By CALUM MARSH
My Policeman
R | Drama, Romance | Directed by Michael Grandage
A schoolteacher, her police officer husband and his lover deny each other romantic satisfaction in this dismal melodrama.
By TEO BUGBEE
Voodoo Macbeth
Drama | Directed by Dagmawi Abebe, Victor Alonso-Berbel, Roy Arwas, Hannah Bang, Christopher Beaton, Agazi Desta, Tiffany K. Guillen, Zoe Salnave, Ernesto Sandoval, Sabina Vajraca
A historical look back at Orson Welles’s production of “Macbeth” with an all-Black cast in Harlem in the 1930s.
By BEANDREA JULY