By: Al B.
STILL THE WATER
Film Movement
Available on DVD/Digital now
Japanese island of Amami 16-yearl-old Kaito discovers a young woman’s body floating in the sea. His girlfriend Kyoko attempts to help him make sense of this mystery while also coming to terms with her shaman mother’s terminal illness. Together they broach adulthood by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life, death and love.
MOKO JUMBIE
IndiePix Classics
Available on DVD now
Amidst the ruins of a coconut plantation in rural Trinidad, Asha, a young British woman of Indian descent, returns to her ancestral home, where she finds herself inescapably drawn to Roger, a local Afro-Caribbean fisherman. The taboo attraction between the two continues to grow despite family disapproval, political turmoil, and mysterious visitations from stilt-walking supernatural spirits.
SECRET DEFENSE
Cohen Media Group
Available on Blu-ray & Digital Now
When a brilliant scientist discovers that her father did not die accidentally but was murdered by a family friend, she swears vengeance. However, she soon finds herself deeply embroiled in a mystery of lust and intrigue. And when she discovers the truth about her father, it threatens to shake her very foundations in this fascinating thriller.
CRACKED
Film Movement
Available on DVD/Digital Now
Ruja returns to Thailand from New York with her young daughter Rachel to settle her late father’s estate. Included in her inheritance are two mysterious portraits of a bewitching woman that she is told are worth a fortune, if only they weren’t damaged. Desperate to sell the paintings, Ruja hires Tim, an art restorer, to prepare the canvases for sale. But the cracks in the paint have begun to reveal long-hidden secrets, and as strange phenomena begin to emerge around them, Ruja and Rachel quickly realize their lives are in grave danger
ARE YOU LONSESOME TONIGHT?
Film Movement
Available on DVD/Digital Now
On a dark night, Xueming hits a pedestrian with his car and flees the scene. Desperate to escape his feelings of guilt, he decides to approach the dead man’s with, Mrs. Liang. Meanwhile, the body is discovered riddled with bullets. Chen, the detective in charge of the investigation, becomes obsessed with case. Years later, all three remain caught in a tangled web of memories and lies, desperately searching for a truth that refuses to be revealed.
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Film Movement
Available on DVD/Digital now
After working for EcoClean — an industrial cleaning supplies company — for nearly 17 years, model-employee Inès believes it’s time for a raise. Despite daily jibes from her incompetent and misogynistic co-workers, she remains professional and dedicated to the company’s brand. When Inès confronts Patrick about her salary, he not only disparages her request but makes a lecherous pass at her. New intern Mélody witnesses this and jumps in to help, but in the process both women accidentally find themselves with blood on their hands. Spiraling more out of control by the minute, Inès and Mélody must conjure up increasingly maniacal solutions to cover their tracks — and clean up their mess.
IN THE ARMS OF MORPHIEUS
IndiePix Films
Available on DVD?Figital now
Sleep: simple in its basic description, elusive in its attempts at a comprehensive understanding of all its manifestations. What happens behind closed eyes when we lose consciousness and give ourselves over to dreams? And how is our perception of reality changed when the line between waking and sleeping is blurred?
SLAVA UKRAINI
Cohen Media Group
Available on DVD/Digital Now
One year after the beginning of the war in Ukraine, philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy takes us to the heart of the conflict through a war diary made during the second half of 2022. From Kharkiv, in the Donbass, to Kherson, in the aftermath of the city’s liberation, this documentary bears witness to the ravages of war through the testimonies of soldiers, chronicles of the front and portraits of civilians, and shares with us the struggle of the Ukrainian people.”
HIDDEN BLADE
Well Go USA
Available on Digital now
During World War II, at the height of China’s war of resistance against Japan, a group of courageous citizens develops a top-secret underground espionage network right under the nose of the newly established puppet regime. At increasingly great peril to their own lives, the double-agents masterfully extract classified information from deep behind enemy lines, an effort that gives rise to the united front that will help turn the tide of the conflict.
UP, DOWN, FRAGILE
Cohen Media Group
Available on Blu-ray now
Inspired by the backstage Hollywood musicals of the 1930s, this later period Rivette recounts the adventures of three young women (Nathalie Richard, Marianne Denicourt, and Laurence Côte) in Paris, each at a turning point in her life – and with a musical number (or two)!