Aarcflick

Fatih Akin took over the direction of *Amrum* when his friend, the German cult director Hark Bohm, fell ill and was unable to direct it himself. Fatih Akin’s latest film is not, in fact, a typical Fatih Akin film at all. Rather, it is "a Hark Bohm film made by Fatih Akin." By presenting *Amrum* in this way, the opening credits prepare the viewer for a type of story very different from what one might expect if already familiar with Akin’s work. But it also presupposes prior knowledge of Bohm—the cult German author, screenwriter, and film director who originally wrote the screenplay for this film, drawing inspiration from his childhood memories on that small island. Director: Fatih Akin Writers: Fatih Akin, Hark Bohm Stars: Jasper Billerbeck, Laura Tonke, Lisa Hagmeister When Bohm fell ill, Akin stepped in to help co-write the story, before finally agreeing to take on the directing duties as well. The result is a film that the director’s longtime fans might not even recognize a...

 Written and directed by Kevin Interdonato, the action-crime film *Dirty Hands* kicks off in the Chicago underworld when a routine drug deal goes awry for the Denton brothers: Richie and Danny. Sheila, Richie’s girlfriend, finds herself torn between her loyalty to Richie and her loyalty to his boss, while rival leader Rodney and his bloodthirsty gang come hunting for them. With the son of a crime boss dead, the brothers must fight for their lives if they hope to survive the night. The film stars Patrick Muldoon as Richie Denton, Kevin Interdonato as Danny Denton, and Guy Nardulli as Rodney; it also features Denise Richards as Sheila and Michael Beach as Dally. Director: Kevin Interdonato Writer: Kevin Interdonato Stars: Patrick Muldoon, Kevin Interdonato, Denise Richards *Dirty Hands* opens in the Chicago underworld when a routine drug exchange goes wrong for the Denton brothers: Richie (Muldoon) and Danny (Interdonato). Sheila (Richards), Richie’s girlfriend, is caught between her...

A portrait of John Davidson—who campaigned to raise awareness about this condition—forms the basis of a true story that is at times humorous and at others deeply moving; the kind of film the UK used to produce with regularity in the past. Based on the real life of John Davidson—a Tourette syndrome awareness activist who serves here as an executive producer—*I Swear* is a biopic about a man who came of age in 1980s Scotland, during an era when Tourette syndrome was widely misunderstood and barely recognized. This led him to experience a wide range of situations: from difficulties in dating to acts of horrific physical violence. Director: Kirk Jones Writer: Kirk Jones Stars: Robert Aramayo, Maxine Peake, Somerled Campbell The "I" in the title *I Swear* is portrayed by *The Rings of Power* star Robert Aramayo; meanwhile, the second part of the title constitutes a play on words, alluding both to the involuntary outbursts triggered by his character's condition and to an oath w...

 Stephan James delivers a brilliant performance as the protagonist—a 30-year-old who has spent half his life in prison—in a drama that possesses a profound understanding of the pathways of both injustice and self-sabotage. A dozen years ago, at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, I sat in the Eccles Theater and watched *Fruitvale* (later retitled *Fruitvale Station*), Ryan Coogler’s fact-based drama about Oscar Grant, a young man shot and killed by Bay Area police despite having committed no crime. When the film ended, everyone in the room knew we had witnessed something truly extraordinary—and that Coogler was a natural-born filmmaker. When he took the stage, he was exultant; grateful for the audience’s response, yet one could also sense—as his words flowed unchecked—that he was already brimming with stories he was eager to tell. For a viewer (or a critic), this constitutes the Sundance dream: walking into a film knowing absolutely nothing about it, and two hours later, having witnes...

Given that this true-crime thriller, set in Belfast, is based on real-life events that occurred in 2004, it sounds like material that could have yielded a top-tier feature film—gripping and high-impact. However, the result feels lackluster and strikes an almost apologetic tone; it has been clumsily assembled and blandly directed by Colin McIvor, whose filmography—comprising TV work and low-budget comedies—reveals no particular aptitude for this genre. The two male leads, Eddie Marsan and Éanna Hardwicke, acquit themselves well, though one has to wonder why Marsan—undoubtedly a character actor of high repute—was chosen over a local actor. Was everyone else perhaps busy filming *Game of Thrones* spin-offs? Marsan does a pretty good job nailing the Belfast accent; nevertheless, his presence feels somewhat understated, making him an odd choice for the role of Richard Murray—a buttoned-up bank manager forced to cooperate with the robbers when his wife, Celine (Eva Birthistle), is kidnapped....

 Cole Webley’s feature directorial debut follows a family in the wake of one tragedy, as they head inexorably toward another. Greenwich Entertainment releases *Omaha* in New York on Friday, April 24, and in theaters nationwide this May. Director: Cole Webley Writer: Robert Machoian Stars: John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis For a good portion of Cole Webley’s feature directorial debut, *Omaha*, we remain just as in the dark about what is happening as the intrepid pair of child protagonists (Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis—both wonderful in their roles), who make up two-thirds of the close-knit family trio at the story’s center. This is not a flaw, but a virtue; while Robert Machoian’s screenplay is measured in how it doles out information and shrewd in what it chooses to withhold, these decisions place the audience on equal emotional footing with the very heart of this heartbreaking family drama. It is the dead of night when we meet them: the father (John Magaro), Ella ...