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Up To Date

Up To Date's Indie, Foreign & Doc Critics' 'Three To See,' August 25-27

Neon

August is almost over and, as students across metro Kansas City head back to school, free time has become a luxury once again. If you're searching for an escape that's truly worth a trip to the theater, Up To Date's indie, foreign, and documentary film critics' latest set of movie recommendations is a sure bet. You'll be glad you did.

Steve Walker

The Unknown Girl, Not Rated

  • During its Arts & Crafts Film + Beer Festival, Screenland Armour spotlights this mesmerizing Belgian drama about a doctor haunted by the death of a woman whose after-hours plea to get into her clinic went unanswered. (One screening only, on Saturday, August 26, at 12:45 p.m.)

Ingrid Goes West, R

  • This sharply etched black comedy about the hunt for truth, realness, and identity among virally obsessed millennials is wonderfully acted, especially by Aubrey Plaza as a fragile outcast seeking inclusion and validation.

Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story, Not rated

  • An engaging documentary whose title characters worked more than 40 years in Hollywood as a storyboard artist and a film researcher, respectively, on seminal films like The Birds (the crow-covered jungle gym scene was from Harold's sketch), Scarface and Rainman.

Cynthia Haines

The Midwife, Not rated

  • When a woman is contacted by her father's former mistress of many years, the unlikely pair of women embark on a journey of healing and self-worth. Catherines Frot and Deneuve, two of French cinema's biggest stars, shine in this bittersweet drama.

Whose Streets?, R

  • This gripping documentary brings to light a mourning community's search for justice following the highly-publicized shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the civil unrest that erupted in its wake.

Ingrid Goes West, R

  • Unable to tell "likes" from truly meaningful relationships, a social media stalker moves to Los Angeles to meet her Instagram idol IRL. Aubrey Plaza stars in this lol-worthy satire of technology's role in modern life.
Since 1998, Steve Walker has contributed stories and interviews about theater, visual arts, and music as an arts reporter at KCUR. He's also one of Up to Date's regular trio of critics who discuss the latest in art, independent and documentary films playing on area screens.