MOVIE MINIS

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“God Bless the Broken Road”

D+

A widowed mom is struggling to make ends meet when she meets a hotshot race car driver who’s had his own troubles. This faith-based drama has powerful themes of doubt and redemption, but its efforts to proselytize are unlikely to bear fruit. Starring Lindsay Pulsipher, Makenzie Moss and Andrew Walker. Directed by Harold Cronk. (Pat Padua, Washington Post) Rated PG and contains mature thematic elements and some combat action. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 45 minutes.

“Nico, 1988”

B

The year of the life of influential musician Nico is dramatized. Though the story line is typical band-on-the-run, the lead actress gives a strong, unflinching performance, making it mostly compelling ground covered. Starring Trine Dyrholm, Anamaria Marinca and Fabrizio Fongione. Directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli. (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times) Rated R for drug use, language and some sexuality. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 33 minutes.

“The Nun”

C+

In a spinoff of “The Conjuring,” a priest and nun travel to Romania to investigate the suicide of a nun and find the mouth of hell guarded by terrified nuns trying to keep demons at bay. The surface is ominous, richly textured and morbidly fascinating, but storywise, it remains shallow. Starring Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga and Jonas Bloquet. Directed by Corin Hardy. (Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service) Rated R for terror, violence, and disturbing/bloody images. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 36 minutes.

“Peppermint”

Not reviewed in time for publication. A young mother wakes up from a coma after her husband and daughter are killed in a brutal attack and goes into hiding to become an unstoppable force to deliver her own justice. Starring Jennifer Garner, Richard Cabral and John Ortiz. Directed by Pierre Morel. Rated R for strong violence and language throughout. At metro theaters. 1 hour, 42 minutes.

“We the Animals”

A

This is the story of three brothers living with workingclass parents in upstate New York. It examines a collection of pivotal moments in the course of a year in the 10-year-old’s life. It’s a spirited, sobering portrait of the artist as a young man using any means at his disposal to process a confusing and contradictory world. Starring Evan Rosado, Isaiah Kristian and Raul Castillo. Directed by Jeremiah Zagar. (Ann Hornaday, Washington Post) Rated R for strong sexual material, nudity, coarse language and some underage drug and alcohol use. At Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 30 minutes.

“The Wife”

B+

A famous novelist wins a Nobel Prize and the story follows him and his wife on a trip to Sweden where she realizes she has repressed her own literary ambitions to serve his. The film is crafty as it wends its way through its own shifting dynamics and it is through Glenn Close’s performance that the story’s emotional art is made manifest. Also starring Jonathan Pryce and Christian Slater. Directed by Bjorn Runge. (Ann Hornaday, Washington Post) Rated R for strong language and some sexual material. At the Springs Cinema & Taphouse and Landmark’s Midtown Art. 1 hour, 40 minutes.