Review: 12 films to see at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

Think of the 44th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival as like a tapas menu: “One of those, please, and one of those, and one of those. ... ”

In this case, instead of patatas bravas, you’re ordering up an international film, followed by a documentary, followed by a scrappy Minnesota-made independent movie. All are on offer, with highlights including a tribute to two-time Oscar winner Ang Lee, who will speak Sunday afternoon at DeLaSalle High School and whose “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “Brokeback Mountain” will be screened at the Main.

Other high-profile titles include Naomi Watts and Bill Murray in “The Friend” and Jacob Elordi in “On Swift Horses.” It’s always hard to summarize the vast fest lineup, with more than 100 titles from around the world. But I can say that I’ve seen a dozen offerings and there’s not a loser in the bunch. The following screenings are all at the Main, unless noted.

“Acts of Reparation”: I am a huge fan of (white) co-director Macky Alston’s “Family Name,” in which he wondered what it meant that so many Black people in his Alabama hometown shared his last name. “Acts” follows up on that film, in which he discovered his ancestors had enslaved the ancestors of those Black people. In “Acts,” he and Selina Lewis Davidson, a Black filmmaker, are making separate documentaries, both having to do with family secrets and both prominently featuring gravestones. Increasingly, though, the films seem to be in conversation with each other. Davidson’s genealogical digging is fascinating but it’s Alston’s discovery of a secret cemetery that gives the film suspense and emotional resonance. (7 p.m. April 3, Capri, 11:05 a.m. April 5)

“Anxiety Club”: Your mileage will vary on whether you find the comedians in this documentary funny (I mostly didn’t). But the comics — including Marc Maron, Aparna Nancherla and Baron Vaughn — are compelling as they discuss how mental illness may be related to their work. We also meet a couple of therapists who offer strategies that could be helpful, even for people who don’t get up onstage in front of strangers to tell jokes. (7:05 p.m. April 3, 4:20 p.m. April 4)

“By the Stream”: Hong Sang-soo’s latest feels like a classic film festival selection, directed in the mode of the light comedies of a fellow master, France’s Eric Rohmer. Set in autumn in Seoul, with stunning nature often in the background, it’s a wry romance that threatens to spin off in several directions. A 40ish teacher asks her uncle, a once-famous actor, to direct a short play at her school. She introduces him to her boss, who instantly begins hardcore flirting with him. There’s a little drama about the director the uncle is replacing — who left under a cloud of suspicion — but “Stream” mostly hinges on deftly observed behaviors that subtly recalibrate its relationships. (11:30 a.m. April 4, 4:40 p.m. April 8)

“The Flamingo”: This documentary is not about pretty pink birds. It’s not a nature documentary at all, in fact. The subject is Mary Phillips and you could easily picture the 60-something woman serving funeral potatoes in a Lutheran church basement or sorting her blood pressure medication into a days-of-the-week organizer (we actually see her do the latter). But “Flamingo” is about her late-in-life sexual awakening and, specifically, her interest in sadomasochism. Phillips literally lets it all hang out as she shows director Adam Sekuler that she knows her way around a whip. The film is quite frank but also oddly sweet in its insistence that there’s more than one way to conquer loneliness. (9:30 p.m. April 10, 4:45 p.m. April 11)

“The Fun-Raiser”: The Duluth-set comedy goes for a “Schitt’s Creek” vibe with the tale of a low-rent arts high school whose administrators attempt to hold together a fundraising gala that’s constantly on the brink of collapse. Many Twin Cities theater vets, including Jane Froiland and Toussaint Morrison, appear in the beautifully acted, sharply paced comedy of errors. Created by the Minneapolis/Los Angeles-based team of Wyatt McDill and Megan Huber (whose “Hollywood Fringe” was at the 2021 festival), it’s packed with recognizable Duluth not-hotspots and includes this gem of a non sequitur: “She’s only coming to this party on speakerphone.” (7:35 p.m. April 6, 4:30 p.m. April 10)

“Good Sport:” Minneapolis actor Sam Landman’s compassionate performance is the key to this second film from a trio of Henry Sibley High School graduates: director/writer/producer Andrew Zuckerman, writer/producer Dillon Orth and producer John Cronin. Filmed in east metro locations, it’s like “Bad News Bears” if it focused more on the Walter Matthau character than the kids. Landman plays the Matthau-ish role who, in the opening scene, wakes up in bed with a prostitute, and is late for coaching his son’s basketball game. Most of the profane comedy is set during the game, with interruptions from loudmouth parents, the coach’s ex-wife and her perfect fiancé and the sex worker’s pimps, who want her money. More polished than the trio’s debut, “Undergrads,” “Good Sport” takes familiar material and puts a fresh, humane spin on it. (7:15 p.m. April 5, 4:30 p.m. April 7)

“If You See Something:” Unpredictability is a big asset in this well-intentioned, sometimes repetitive romantic drama. Ali, a doctor with Iraqi heritage, and Katie, a gallerist, are in love but outside forces seem to be working against them. A friend of Ali’s is kidnapped back home, his attempt to seek asylum in the U.S. keeps hitting snags, Katie’s family is wary of quiet Ali and there’s that whole thing about wondering if you ever really know another person. It’s well-acted (especially by veteran character actor Reed Birney, as Katie’s concerned father) and compelling, even if the pace occasionally lags. (4:30 p.m. April 5, 1:45 p.m. April 6)

“Magic & Monsters”: Chilling footage of Minneapolis’ Children’s Theatre Company founder John Clark Donahue and moving interviews with survivors of his (and others’) abuse at the theater make this documentary both poignant and infuriating. The archival footage of Donahue is packed with red flags, even if you don’t know about his subsequently revealed behavior — I’m thinking, in particular, of a scene in which he tells an interviewer that young actors don’t always know what they’re capable of, so they must be forced to do things they don’t want to do. The real focus is four survivors, who speak candidly about the cognitive dissonance of a place they loved turning into a place they feared. Says Annie Enneking, who’s still active in Twin Cities theater and music, “Children were being sacrificed for the art and nobody did anything.” Director Norah Shapiro’s film (full disclosure: I’m friends with one of its producers, Elizabeth Foy Larsen) tracks lawsuits and efforts at healing all the way up to the present, although a title card notes that CTC did not cooperate with the making of “Monsters.” (7 p.m. April 7, 4:15 p.m. April 9)

“Mistura”: It’s easy to imagine Eva Longoria purchasing the rights to star in and direct a remake of this crowd-pleaser from Peru. Barbara Mori plays Norma, a Lima woman whose life collapses when her husband dumps her and she loses her social standing (it doesn’t help that she’s obnoxious). With the help of her oddly faithful chauffeur, she opens a restaurant that helps her become a better person. “Mistura” is lots of fun and, as a bonus, it’s one of those food movies, like “Babette’s Feast” or “Big Night,” which revels in the sensuality of delicious dishes (there’s a scene of Norma eating an aguaymanto, a kind of groundcherry, that’s so erotic you may need a cigarette afterward). (4:40 p.m. April 6, 4:30 p.m. April 7, 1:45 p.m. April 10)

“Odd Fish”: Know who would have been a better transsexual performer to nominate for the best actress Oscar this year? Arna Magnea Danks, who plays Björn, then Birna, in this gentle comedy about two 60-ish friends who operate a small restaurant in rural Iceland, one of whom comes out to the other as trans. It’s much more sensitive to trans issues than the movie that did produce an Oscar nominee, “Emilia Perez,” and Danks is wonderful as an empathetic person who notes quietly, “I’m quite familiar with people having opinions about who I am or what I am.” “Odd Fish” is predictable but there’s something revolutionary in that predictability and in the film’s insistence that trans folks are pretty much like everyone else. (7:15 p.m. April 5, 4:10 p.m. April 10, 5 p.m. April 12)

“Quisling: The Final Days”: Two remarkable, and remarkably different performances, power this absorbing historical drama. The title character, Vidkun Quisling (whose last name has become a synonym for “traitor”), was the minister president of Norway who collaborated with Hitler, sending hundreds of Norwegian Jews to Auschwitz. Gard B. Eidsvold’s fiery performance as Quisling, who’s still justifying his actions up until the moment he’s executed by firing squad, is contrasted with Norwegian superstar Anders Danielsen Lie’s quiet work as the priest enlisted to be Quisling’s final confidant. The priest, whose personal connection to the Holocaust isn’t revealed until the film is nearly over, undergoes a crisis of faith during his time with mercurial Quisling. Although the film largely consists of the two main characters conversing, director Erik Poppe and his team make it visually arresting and honor the complexity of the emotions involved. (4:30 p.m. April 4, noon April 5)

“Unholy Communion”: The latest from Minneapolis writer/director Patrick Coyle (“The Public Domain”) is based on a book by Scandia resident Thomas Rumreich, a survivor of clergy abuse. That’s one of the themes in “Unholy” — there’s a lot going on, including a rushed spousal abuse subplot — but the main plot involves a detective (quietly authoritative Adam Bartley) investigating a serial killer who preys on priests. Twin Cities theater actor Laura Esping is terrific as the detective’s tough-talking colleague and Vincent Kartheiser, who got his start at CTC back when he was known as Vinnie Kartheiser, plays the detective’s buddy. (2:30 p.m. April 5, 1:45 p.m. April 8)

Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival

When: Through April 15.

Where: Main Cinema, 115 SE. Main St., Mpls. Also at Edina Theatre, Capri Theater in Minneapolis and Landmark Center in St. Paul.

Tickets: $17 (multi-film passes available), mspfilm.org.