1917

On April 6, 1917, a German army retreat on France's Western Front is actually an ambush waiting to happen. With communications disabled and no way to quickly relay the information, lance corporals William Schofield (MacKay) and Thomas Blake (Chapman) are asked to carry the message of the imminent attack to the targeted battalion. The two soldiers begin a race against time, crossing enemy territory, facing risks and scattered Germans, in an attempt to warn the regiment before 1,600 men unwittingly march right into the enemy's hands.

Director: Sam Mendes. Stars: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Mays, Adrian Scarborough, Jamie Parker. 2019. 119 mins. Drama.

The Song of Names

In a story that spans half a lifetime, Martin (Roth) searches for his adopted Polish brother, Dovidl (Owen), a violin virtuoso who disappeared as a young man before performing solo at a London concert. The two were close as children, leaving a young Martin baffled as to where and why his brother might have vanished without a trace. Decades later, as the conflict that brought them together fades and European attitudes and ethics change, Martin meets a violinist exhibiting a style too similar to Dovidl's to be a coincidence.

Director: François Girard. Stars: Clive Owen, Tim Roth, Saul Rubinek, Jonah Hauer-King, Catherine McCormack, Eddie Izzard, Gerran Howell. 2019. 113 mins. Drama.

Clemency

Prison warden Bernadine Williams (Woodard) executes death row inmates as part of her job. The morbid nature of this task elicits disapproval from everyone she knows, including lawyers and reporters -- even her own husband. She keeps her composure through it all, but when a client applying for clemency is placed on death row, she struggles to keep it together for the hardest execution of her career.

Director: Chinonye Chukwu. Stars: Alfre Woodard, Aldis Hodge, Richard Schiff, Wendell Pierce, LaMonica Garrett, Vernee Watson, Michael O'Neill, Danielle Brooks, Dennis Haskins. 2019. 112 mins. Drama.