Defiance, duplicity and the indie power of streaming helped strengthen film in 2016 - Los Angeles Times
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Defiance, duplicity and the indie power of streaming helped strengthen film in 2016

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Our reviewers weigh in with lists of under-seen movies from 2016, as well as trends they’d like to see more and less of.

“Hooligan Sparrow”: Of the year’s many activism-themed documentaries, few have illustrated the potent urgency of bearing witness like Nanfu Wang’s portrait of tireless Asian women’s rights crusader Ye Haiyan, which serves as a gripping reminder of the power of a single defiant voice in this troubling era of indifference.

“Transpecos”: The parched terrain of the West Texas Chihuahuan Desert provides a palpably gritty backdrop for first-time director Greg Kwedar’s masterfully understated crime thriller about a trio of border guards who find themselves awash in duplicity and moral dilemma.

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“The Love Witch”: Anna Biller’s Technicolor-steeped sophomore effort dresses themes of female objectification and empowerment in the scantily clad guise of a ’70s sexploitation flick. Samantha Robinson conveys a frosty allure as an enchantress who reduces men to messes.

Year in review: Entertainment 2016 »

“The Ones Below”: A tautly calibrated domestic thriller about an expectant suburban London couple whose fragile relationship crumbles under the weight of pent-up guilt and paranoia activated by the arrival of their downstairs neighbors. Screenwriter David Farr’s directorial debut is anchored by terrifically modulated turns from Clémence Poésy and Laura Birn.

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“The Department Q” trilogy: While “The Keeper of Lost Causes,” “The Absent One” and “A Conspiracy of Faith” are uniformly stylish and intelligent, it’s the compelling yin-yang dynamic provided by a hardened homicide detective (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) and his more personable Muslim partner (Fares Fares) that makes these Nordic Noir imports well worth investigating.

More, please: That endangered species known as the independent film has suddenly found a viable ally in the form of streaming services such as Amazon and Netflix. Stream on!

No más: . Contrary to popular Hollywood belief, not every drug dealer, domestic, taxi driver or landscaper happens to be a person of color.

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