New movies to stream
‘Us Kids,’ ‘Los Hermanos/ The Brothers’ among stellar films
Part portrait of a political movement and part coming-of-age story, the documentary “Us Kids” follows several survivors of the 2018 Parkland school shooting — particularly Emma González, David Hogg, Cameron Kasky, Jaclyn Corin and Samantha Fuentes — as they evolve from what one calls “normal a — kids doing normal a — things” to leaders of a national gun reform youthquake. It’s not just Parkland either. As the March for Our Lives movement grows, it’s clear that reform can’t happen if it remains a local thing — or merely a periodic response to sporadic episodes of violence. Bria Smith, a teenager from Milwaukee concerned about kids of color who are being shot “every day,” as she puts it, is also featured. Among the most powerful scenes are ones in which the young activists engage, face to face, with gun rights protesters who show up at March for Our Lives events. Hogg is nothing like he’s “depicted on television,” one of the protesters tells him, almost admiringly. But change is incremental in this film (except as manifested in the burnout experienced by some of its subjects). “Us Kids” makes clear that gun reform, like growing up, will take time, patience and one other thing that may be the hardest of all to make happen: participation in democracy by more young people. As Hogg has tweeted, “If we vote we win.” Unrated. Contains crude language and mature thematic elements. Available at afisilver.afi.com and virtualavalon.org. 98 minutes.
ALSO STREAMING:
‘THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS’
Volatile David (Clayne Crawford) and his estranged wife, Niki (Sepideh Moafi), agree to see other people during a trial separation — an arrangement that’s better in theory than practice — in the Utah-set domestic drama “The Killing of Two Lovers.” Variety says: “Crawford’s dominating performance makes David no hick but a sensitive and accommodating man a bit intimidated by his admittedly ‘much smarter’ wife, flailing in his efforts to hold together a family unit he can’t go on without.” R. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains strong language. 92 minutes.
‘LONG WEEKEND’
A man who’s hit rock-bottom (Finn Wittrock) meets and falls hard for a beautiful stranger (Zoë Chao) who may or may not be an NSA agent from the future in “Long Weekend.” IndieWire calls it a “sweet and glossy riff on the surprisingly robust subgenre of movie romances about sad people who fall in love with time travelers (they feel like the ones who got away before they’ve even left!).” R. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains strong language throughout. 94 minutes.
‘LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS’
The documentary “Los Hermanos/The Brothers” tells the story of Cuban-born musicians Ilmar López-Gavilán, based in New York, and his brother Aldo López-Gavilán, who returned to live in Havana after studying in England. The film, directed by Marcia Jarmel and Ken Schneider, includes plentiful music, culminating in a reunion concert. According to Film Threat, “The soundtrack alone makes ‘Los Hermanos/The Brothers’ worth watching, but Jarmel and Schneider also show us how American exceptionalism and isolation are denying us the gifts of art that come from being an engaged participant in the world. Listening to Aldo and Ilmar LópezGavilán play may help us understand how much more important the blending of cultures is than any benefit of clinging to an outdated political ideology.” Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. In English and Spanish with subtitles. 84 minutes.
‘PUNK THE CAPITAL: BUILDING A SOUND MOVEMENT’
More than 15 years in the making, the documentary “Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement” premiered in 2019 to a warm reception from D.C. music fans happy to have the story of punk rock in D.C. — or at least a chapter of it — told by those who were there in the heyday. The Washington Post’s Hau Chu wrote of the film: “Dating from the 1970s, the film’s footage captures the raucous spirit of the communion of limbs (and spittle) that once rattled around cramped houses and makeshift stages. That spirit is one of the hallmarks of Washington’s punk landscape that carries through to today: a D.I.Y. spirit of music-making that exists not because it’s fun or easy, but because doing it under anyone else’s rules would betray your principles.” Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi. com, virtualavalon.org and themiracletheater.com. 88 minutes.
‘THERE IS NO EVIL’
“There Is No Evil” is a drama by Mohammad Rasoulof, a dissident Iranian filmmaker who managed to make the movie despite a lifetime ban on directing, imposed by the Iranian government. The Hollywood Reporter writes: “His staunch opposition to the death penalty and to killing in general are urgently repeated in four unrelated stories, which broadcast the message that Iran’s authoritarian regime can be opposed and resisted, in spite of the powerful influence it exerts on people’s lives. Though the message comes across loud and clear, the four tales suffer from being narratively uneven, making the film’s 2½-hour running time seem long indeed.” Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi. com. In Farsi and German with subtitles. 150 minutes.