Swan Song: This is a sci-fi film set in the future, but more than anything it is about Mahershala Ali’s performances — both of them. ***3/4
A Hero: Every couple years now, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi puts out another great film. The man is asking questions and taking you with him. ****
Strawberry Mansion: If the title didn’t suggest, this is a bright and bubbly trip of a movie packed with a bunch of absurd sequences exploring dreams, capitalism, and the future. ***1/2
The Pink Cloud: This Portuguese film is about a government-imposed lockdown to respond to a crisis, though it opens with these words: “This film was written in 2017 and shot in 2019. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental.” That’s a heck of a start and the director goes some interesting places, though it’s probably going to be a while now before anyone can really, truly, effectively reflect on the complexities of human beings stuck in place. ***
The Bubble: 2020’s The King of Staten Island felt like a small step back for usually reliable comedy director Judd Apatow, but 2022’s The Bubble — about actors filming a movie during the COVID-19 pandemic — would be a career killer if anyone was talking about it. TikTok, Judd? Really? DUD
