“Women He’s Undressed.” Documentary look at the improbable life of Orry-Kelly, a gay man from a tiny town in Australia who became one of Hollywood’s celebrated costume designers. Gillian Armstrong’s flamboyant film leans too heavily on Kelly’s ambiguous friendship with Cary Grant, but brings a glitzy chapter of movie history to light. May 27, 1:30 p.m., Pacific Place; June 6, 7 p.m., Egyptian.
“Ma Ma.” A strong performance by Penelope Cruz keeps this Spanish cancer drama rooted in a believable human reality, even as director Julio Medem flirts with magical realism — or a lot of odd coincidences, anyway — around the edges. Don’t be surprised if Cruz gets an Oscar push. May 27, 4 p.m., Egyptian.
“Paths of the Soul.” Villagers from a Tibetan town take a 1200-kilometer pilgrimage to the holy city of Lhasa. The film is not a documentary, but a stunningly-photographed road movie like no other — and a spellbinding experience overall. Director Zhang Yang is scheduled to attend. May 27, 4 p.m., Uptown.
“The Lure.” Your typical Polish musical comedy about mermaids who come to life in a Warsaw burlesque club. The film’s so zany it doesn’t really hold together, but there’s something somber at its core that makes the whole thing work. Director Agnieszka Smoczynska is scheduled to attend. May 27, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian; May 28, 4 p.m., Egyptian; May 29, 9:15 p.m., Shoreline Community College.
“Tag.” Required viewing for fans of off-the-charts Japanese cult cinema: A schoolgirl witnesses the sudden, gory destruction of her classmates (by a killer wind, apparently), then stumbles into a possible alternate reality in which the kids are alive again but very, very much in danger. Later she turns into a different girl who is about to be married to a hybrid man-pig. From the director of “Why Don’t You Play in Hell?” May 27, 11:59 p.m., Egyptian; June 2, 9:30 p.m., Egyptian; June 7, 9:30 p.m., Uptown.
“Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell.” The classic 1983 filmed-in-Seattle documentary “Streetwise” is revisited in this unbelievably sobering look at one of the adolescents from that film. Don’t expect life wisdom or redemption; the subject is now in her mid-40s, with ten children in various stages of struggle; the whole thing is like a cruel parable about the loss of innocence. Director Martin Bell is scheduled to attend. May 29, 4 p.m., Pacific Place; May 30, 11 a.m., Pacific Place.
— Robert Horton
Herald movie critic
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