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.
