MEET ME IN THE BATHROOM: Although curiously inserted in this year’s Sundance midnight section, Dylan Southern’s “Meet Me in the Bathroom” is a vibrantly original music doc about the springing New York City indie rock scene of the early Aughts. Bands such as The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, TV on the Radio and Ryan Adams are shown in full-blossom mode. [B] CAUSEWAY: Lila Neugebauer’s film is all about trauma. Jennifer Lawrence’s Afghanistan vet returns home with psychological wounds. She once was a springing young woman but is now quietly isolating herself. Back in her small-town, she meets Brian Tyree Henry’s mechanic and they start hanging out. Familiar narrative beats, ever heard of “Coming Home,” strain Neugebauer’s feature-length debut, but it’s worth watching just for the chemistry between Lawrence and Henry — their camaraderie springs small little moments of truthful realism. [B-/C+] THE STRANGER: After impressing critics at Cannes, Thomas M. Wright’s true-life drama skipped theatrical release stateside and went straight to Netflix. It’s worth a look. Mark (Joel Edgerton), an undercover cop, forms an intense, intimate relationship with Henry (Sean Harris), a murder suspect, in an attempt to earn his trust and to get a confession. Based on a well-known Australian murder investigation, Wright artfully directs his film with the kind of precision that’ll keep you hanging on to every shot. The climax is a letdown but Wright knows how to build tension with carefully constructed filmmaking. [B] Contribute Hire me
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