Movie & Television Reviews

“The Father” has nothing new to say about the challenges of dementia.

Set in the 1980s, “Minari” (A24), a gentle mix of drama and comedy, explores the immigrant experience from a Korean American perspective.

Under the slightly altered title “Our Friend” (Gravitas Ventures), Teague’s award-winning piece comes to the screen as an emotionally wrenching but ultimately uplifting drama.

A steady focus on the believable characters who populate it elevates director Ric Roman Waugh’s engaging film above the status of a disaster movie. But the positive values displayed along the path of the quest for survival he and screenwriter Chris Sparling chart are offset by the disturbing nature of the mayhem they unleash.

It’s no lie to say that this “Pinocchio” is scrupulously faithful to the grotesqueries of its source material.