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

Decision to Leave
NYT Critic’s Pick | Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller | Directed by Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook’s latest, about a forlorn detective falling for his beautiful suspect, is an exuberant, destabilizing take on a classic film noir setup.

Park Hae-il, left, and Tang Wei in the enjoyably dizzying Korean mystery “Decision to Leave.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Till
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Drama | Directed by Chinonye Chukwu
Chinonye Chukwu’s new film reminds us that before his gruesome murder galvanized a civil rights movement, Emmett Till was a 14-year-old boy with a doting mother.

Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till and Danielle Deadwyler as his mother, Mamie, in “Till.”
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Sepa: Nuestro Señor de los milagros
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Walter Saxer
A documentary from the 1980s, now premiering in a restored version, is an eye-opening visit to a Peruvian penal colony.

A still from the documentary “Sepa, Nuestro Señor de los Milagros.”
By GLENN KENNY

— Of Possible Interest —

Sell/Buy/Date
Comedy, Drama | Directed by Sarah Jones
In Sarah Jones’s engaging film about the sex trade, everyone has a say.
By LISA KENNEDY

Tár
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, Music | Directed by Todd Field
Cate Blanchett stars as a world-famous conductor heading for a fall in Todd Field’s chilly, timely backstage drama.

Cate Blanchett as the conductor and composer Lydia Tár in “Tár,” from the director Todd Field.
By A.O. SCOTT

Piggy
NYT Critic’s Pick | Adventure, Drama, Horror, Thriller | Directed by Carlota Pereda
As violent as it is thoughtful, this Spanish movie dissects the webs of shame and secrecy that bullying breeds.

Laura Galán in “Piggy.”
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Last Flight Home
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Ondi Timoner
The director Ondi Timoner creates an account of her father’s final days.

The director Ondi Timoner with her father, Eli Timoner, in “Last Flight Home.”
By BEN KENIGSBERG

— Of Possible Interest —

The Swimmer
Unrated | Drama, Sport | Directed by Adam Kalderon
The writer-director Adam Kalderon renders his film with style and rich psychology.
By KYLE TURNER

Dead for A Dollar
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Thriller, Western | Directed by Walter Hill
Walter Hill’s lean, mean shoot-’em-up is a master class in B-movie craft.

From left, Rachel Brosnahan, Christoph Waltz and Warren Burke in Walter Hill’s new western, “Dead for a Dollar.”
By A.O. SCOTT

From left, Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in “Hocus Pocus 2.”
By CLAIRE SHAFFER

What We Leave Behind
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Iliana Sosa
At 89, Julián Moreno began building a home in Mexico for his children who had immigrated to the U.S. His granddaughter made the poignant documentary “What We Leave Behind.”

Julián Moreno in the documentary “What We Leave Behind.”
By LISA KENNEDY

Smile
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Horror | Directed by Parker Finn
A young psychiatrist believes she’s being pursued by a malevolent force in this impressive horror feature debut.

Sosie Bacon in “Smile.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

— Of Possible Interest —

Bros
R | Comedy, Romance | Directed by Nicholas Stoller
Billy Eichner plays a moody podcaster who has sworn off relationships, but just might find himself in one anyway, in this gay romantic comedy.
By AMY NICHOLSON

God’s Creatures
R | Drama | Directed by Saela Davis, Anna Rose Holmer
Emily Watson is terrific at telegraphing how a mother’s love grinds against her moral code in this atmospheric seaside drama.
By NATALIA WINKELMAN

Petrov’s Flu
NYT Critic’s Pick | Unrated | Comedy, Crime, Drama | Directed by Kirill Serebrennikov
In this fever dream of a movie by Kirill Serebrennikov, a Russian man wanders a wild urban landscape that he regularly hallucinates his way out of.

Semyon Serzin in “Petrov’s Flu,” by Kirill Serebrennikov, who has been best known abroad for his difficulties with the Russian government.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

My Imaginary Country
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Patricio Guzmán
Patricio Guzmán, Chile’s cinematic conscience, chronicles the uprising that shook the country starting in 2019.

A scene from “My Imaginary Country,” a documentary by Patricio Guzmán about protests in Chile.
By A.O. SCOTT

Carmen
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Valerie Buhagiar
After her priest brother dies, a woman masquerades as a village’s irreverent new spiritual leader in this delightful drama.

Natascha McElhone, right, with Steven Love in “Carmen.”
By TEO BUGBEE

Catherine Called Birdy
NYT Critic’s Pick | PG-13 | Adventure | Directed by Lena Dunham
Bella Ramsey plays a 13th century adolescent in Lena Dunham’s winning film.

Bella Ramsey in “Catherine Called Birdy.”
By AMY NICHOLSON

— Of Possible Interest —

Nothing Compares
Documentary, Music | Directed by Kathryn Ferguson
This new documentary shows many faces of Sinead O’Connor and highlights her genuinely incomparable voice.
By GLENN KENNY

The Greatest Beer Run Ever
R | Adventure, Comedy, Drama, War | Directed by Peter Farrelly
Zac Efron plays a man trying to deliver brewskis to his Vietnam War buddies in Peter Farrelly’s film.
By AMY NICHOLSON

Sidney
PG-13 | Documentary, Biography | Directed by Reginald Hudlin
Sidney Poitier is memorialized in this thorough, and thoroughly conventional, documentary.
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

A Jazzman’s Blues
R | Drama | Directed by Tyler Perry
The writer-director returns to his first screenplay — a dark melodrama with soulful musical numbers — after two decades.
By LISA KENNEDY

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

Dos estaciones
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Juan Pablo González
A woman tries to keep her family business running in this film that employs dreamlike rhythms and documentary-style realism.

Teresa Sánchez in “Dos Estaciones.” She plays María, the owner of a failing tequila factory in Jalisco, Mexico.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Barbarian
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Horror, Thriller | Directed by Zach Cregger
Two strangers explore the basement of their Detroit rental home in this gleefully twisty horror movie by Zach Cregger.

Georgina Campbell in “Barbarian.”
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

True Things
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Harry Wootliff
This character study from Harry Wootliff bottles the lightning of a torrid fling.

Ruth Wilson with Tom Burke in “True Things.”
By NICOLAS RAPOLD

Speak No Evil
NYT Critic’s Pick | Not Rated | Horror, Thriller | Directed by Christian Tafdrup
A weekend visit turns nightmarish for an innocent Danish couple in this coldblooded satirical thriller.

Fedja van Huet, left, with Morten Burian in “Speak No Evil.”
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy | Directed by Adamma Ebo
Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown star in this satire about a fallen megachurch pastor and his first lady praying and angling for a comeback.

Regina Hall and Sterling K. Brown play a couple desperate to revive their megachurch after a scandal.
By LISA KENNEDY

The Cathedral
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Ricky D’Ambrose
In this striking, formally rigorous drama, the director Ricky D’Ambrose revisits his Long Island childhood with restraint and tenderness.

In “The Cathedral,” Brian d’Arcy James, center, and Monica Barbaro, far right, play the protagonist’s parents, here at their wedding on Long Island in the 1980s.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Funny Pages
NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Comedy | Directed by Owen Kline
Owen Kline’s wonderful feature debut about an aspiring comic-book creator delves into a buzzingly alive, if anxious, world of cartooning.

In “Funny Pages,” Daniel Zolghadri plays a young cartoonist, who, though desperate for validation, seems to despise almost everyone.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Alienoid
NYT Critic’s Pick | Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi | Directed by Dong-hoon Choi
This bonkers Korean movie could not pick just one cinematic genre, so it went for half a dozen of them at once.

Kim Woo-bin in “Alienoid.”
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

— Of Possible Interest —

Private Desert
Unrated | Drama | Directed by Aly Muritiba
This L.G.B.T.Q. drama from Brazil follows a distraught police academy instructor with a history of violence as he searches for his mysterious online girlfriend.
By BEATRICE LOAYZA

Three Thousand Years of Longing
R | Drama, Fantasy, Romance | Directed by George Miller
George Miller directs a visually sumptuous, grown-up fairy tale with Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba. It jumps across time but too often just stumbles.
By MANOHLA DARGIS