A film within a film and a mystery within a mystery. Those two options — one a masterful cinematic epic from a veteran filmmaker and the other a crackling good mystery series on PBS — each make for great viewing and are heartily recommended.
Here’s our rundown.
“Close Your Eyes”: Víctor Erice’s unrushed poetic epic ruminates on both the power and the limitations of cinema, the elusiveness and disquiet of memory and the searing burden of a terrible, never-forgotten loss. It is one of the best films this year, destined to become a classic, existing somewhere alongside the more sentimentalized “Cinema Paradiso” and Erice’s own “The Spirit of the Beehive,” even though the Spanish filmmaker’s latest — his first full-length feature in more than 30 years — simply can’t compare to that 1973 masterpiece. It opens with a film-within-a-film sequence, a scene from the 1947-set drama “The Farewell Gaze,” director and author Miguel Garay’s 1990 unfinished feature starring his dear friend Julio (José Coronado). Shortly thereafter, Julio vanishes without a trace. No one knows his whereabouts, including his daughter Ana (Ana Torrent, from “The Spirit of the Beehive”). The movie shifts after that first “film” scene to 2012 Madrid where director Garay (Manolo Soro, in a subtle and soulful performance) susses out where his friend has gone. He’s nudged in that direction after talking about his friend’s disappearance on an investigative TV program. His participation rekindles memories and offers time for him to reflect on his own past. To find out where Julio is now, Miguel enlists the aid of a former lover to both him and Julio, Marta (Helena Miquel), and a film editor Max (Mario Pardo). “Close Your Eyes” feels like it was born from a deeply personal place and yet Miguel’s journey turns into ours as he/we bear witness to those around us whose memories too are fading to black in a near empty, slowly deteriorating theater of our own. “Close Your Eyes” is a sad, delicate, powerful and beautiful gift to film fans. Details: 4 stars out of 4; opens Sept. 13 at Orinda Theatre and the Roxie in San Francisco, screens 3 and 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at Jarvis Conservatory, Napa.
“Moonflower Murders”: Fans of British old-school mysteries who enjoy a smattering of eyebrow raising material will want to cozy up with this second investigative romp based on author Anthony Horowitz’s engaging Agatha Christie-esque series. The Masterpiece PBS sequel mashes up, as it did with the first outing, “The Magpie Murders,” two tales of murder. The mystery is stuffed with clues involving a recent murder that late author Alan Conway created for his ace detective Atticus Pünd (Timothy McMullan) to sleuth through. The other is tied to a case yet to be solved by that snoop and former book editor Susan Ryeland (the divine Lesley Manville). True to form, both the “fictional” murder — the killing of a diva actress — and the present-day one involving a hotel worker leads Susan to leave Crete and come back to England as she tries to puzzle out how the book and her investigation interconnect. The actors enlisted to play the lengthy list of suspects are a treat. “Moonflower Murders” is pure comfort food for the mystery lover, and holds true to the Christie spirit. Details: 3 stars; first episode airs Sept. 15 on PBS.
“Look Into My Eyes”: Even the most die-hard skeptics of psychics and the services they offer will likely come away from Lana Wilson’s hypnotic documentary moved, maybe even profoundly so. The “Miss Americana” director follows seven eccentric New York City psychics as they work with clients seeking to connect with pets, communicate with dead loved ones and so on, and while they go about their daily lives in often cluttered apartments. The psychic sessions are poignant and tender yet the time Wilson spends with individual psychics, many of whom are involved or want to be involved in show business, is just as eye-opening as they often reveal a trauma that drew them to this profession. In the end, “Look Into My Eyes” might not convert any doubters, but it certainly establishes that not everything can be explained in a traditional, linear fashion. Details: 3 stars; opens Sept. 13 at AMC Bay Street 16 in Emeryville, the Roxie and the AMC Mercado in Santa Clara.
“The Way We Speak”: When his upcoming debate opponent — and best friend — abruptly dies, insensitive-to-the-moment Simon (Patrick Fabian) urges organizers to carry on with someone else rather than cancel an event that could elevate his status. Enter a last-minute replacement, popular Christian author Sarah (Kailey Rhodes). The two debate a shopworn but always provocative topic — whether God exists Their ensuing back-and-forth gets nasty and personal, reflecting quite accurately discourse in our volatile, polarized nation. Seattle filmmaker Ian Ebright’s directorial debut (he wrote the intelligent screenplay, too) shows how we become victim to our own talking points and forsake our humanity in vitriolic arguments that want to make us be right. That point is driven home in the presence of Simon’s cancer-stricken wife Claire (Diana Coconubo), a celebrated doctor who knows all too well what ails both Simon and Sarah. “The Way We Speak” sticks with you and even offers a sense of healing. Details: 3 stars; available to rent on several platforms.
“Betrayal”: Three brothers (Daniel Portman, Brian Vernel and Calum Ross) seek payback while hunting in the Scottish woods with their abusive dad (Paul Higgins). Their plan backfires, caterwauling them into paranoia and panic with each suspecting the others of malfeasance. Director and co-screenwriter Rodger Griffiths’ debut is a taut, no-fussing-about thriller that grabs you enough to make you overlook some rough patches (a character sleeping like a baby through a particularly loud ruckus). Griffiths paces his thriller well and the cast is more than up to the challenge. It’s worth the rental. Details: 2½ stars; available to rent on multiple platforms.
“Epic Bill”: For armchair athletes, it’s unfathomable why someone would elect to do what Bill Bradley does, trying to scale a fearsome Mount Aconcagua in Argentina or trying to race 135 miles on foot through ultra-freezing conditions in the northernmost tundra slab of Minnesota. But for Sonoma County’s Bradley, it’s unimaginable not to do any of that tough stuff. Director Quinnolyn Benson-Yates burrows into the endurance mindset of its inspirational subject, the former Bradley Video entrepreneur (a now-defunct chain where Wes Craven filmed a scene in 1996;s “Scream”) cashed out his 401(k) so he could partake in a continual stream of endurance events. The nearly hour-long documentary captures his resolve to tackle the most daunting tasks, whether he completes them or not, and also checks in with relatives and friends who support his endeavors even if they often wouldn’t do the same. “Epic Bill” celebrates dogged and fearless determination and the knack for never admitting defeat. Details: 3 stars; airs 8 p.m. Sept. 13 on KQED; available to view on www.kqed.org, as well on other PBS-affiliated sites, www.epicbillfilm.com/watch-the-film.
“Here After”: A desperate mom (Connie Britton) scurries about Rome trying to figure out why in the heck her daughter (Freya Hannan-Mills) – a classically trained pianist – is starting to act all “Pet Sematary” peculiar after a bike accident sends her to the great beyond for a bit until docs revive her. Uncertain of what tone it wants to land on, director Robert Salerno’s trauma-based thriller flounders and fails engage as it force fits a tearjerker of an ending that’s much too underdeveloped (a couple of flashbacks just don’t cut it here) to warrant one tear getting shed. Britton deserves better. Details: 1 star; available to rent online Sept. 13.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.