“IDENTIFYING FEATURES” IS ONE OF THE NEW FILM RELEASES.
Here are some of the new films being released in theaters or for streaming, rental or purchase this week.
“76 Days”
This documentary, a hit at global film festivals, takes viewers into the beginnings of the pandemic in Wuhan, China. Unrated. Streams for free Jan. 23 through various art-house virtual sites throughout the country. The list of sites can be found at 76daysfilm.com/watch.
“American Skin”
Director/actor Nate Parker, whose last film (“The Birth of a Nation”) was pegged for big things until a rape allegation from his past became public, returns with this drama about a janitor whose son is killed by a policeman. The cop is released without standing trial. The father then takes matters into his own hands. Omari Hardwick stars. Rated R. Opens Jan. 22 at iPic Houston; Studio Movie Grill Memorial City, Houston; Studio Movie Grill Pearland.
“Breaking Fast”
A boy-meets-boy story with one difference: one of them, Mo, is a practicing Muslim who is also an out and proud gay man. How he negotiates his two worlds, especially after he falls for Kal, is the focus of this dramedy. Unrated. Begins streaming on various platforms Jan. 22.
“Brothers by Blood”
A Philadelphia family is ripped in two after a drunken driver kills the daughter, sending the father to seek revenge. Meanwhile, one brother wants to get out of the family’s criminal enterprises while a cousin sinks deeper into them. Matthias Schoenaerts, Joel Kinnaman, Maika Monroe and Ryan Phillippe star. Rated R. Opens Jan. 22 at iPic Houston; Studio Movie Grill Pearland; begins streaming Jan. 22 on various platforms.
“Coming Clean”
Documentarian Ondi Timoner takes a hard look at the opioid epidemic that has continued through the pandemic. Unrated. Begins streaming Jan. 22 through watch.laemmle.com.
“Heaven”
A man, stuck in the world somewhere between heaven and Earth, has to come to terms with his life. Eric Roberts and Angus Benfield star.
Rated PG. Opens Jan. 22 throughout Houston.
“Identifying Features”
One of the more acclaimed indie films of last year — it was the audience award winner at Sundance in 2020 — gets wider exposure. Fernanda Valadez’s film follows a mother from Mexico as she searches for her son in the United States. Unrated. Begins streaming Jan. 22 through mfah.org/virtualcinema.
“In and of Itself”
Film documents conceptual magician Derek DelGaudio’s live show.
Unrated. Begins streaming on Hulu Jan. 22.
“No Man’s Land”
“No Man’s Land” is the inverse of “Identifying Features.” An American named Jackson accidentally kills a Mexican boy along the border. His father takes the blame while Jackson escapes into Mexico to seek forgiveness from the dead child’s father. Frank Grillo, Jake Allyn and George Lopez star. Unrated. Opens Jan. 22 at iPic Houston; begins streaming Jan. 22 on various platforms.
“Our Friend”
Matthew Teague’s prize-winning essay, about how his best friend helped him cope with his wife’s terminal cancer, is now a film starring Casey Affleck, Jason Segel and Dakota Johnson. Rated R. Opens Jan. 22 throughout Houston; also available on video-on-demand.
“Penguin Bloom”
Australian drama about a family that takes in an injured magpie that ends up changing their lives. It’s based on the book by Cameron Bloom. Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln and Jacki Weaver star. Unrated. Begins streaming Jan. 27 on Netflix.