Pawo Choyning Dorji’s “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
Charming parable of a young Bhutanese man faced with the choice of pursuing his dreams or staying where he’s needed is sentimental though tempered by an ending which leaves just enough unresolved to dull the edge of preachiness
James Gray’s “Armageddon Time”
Unsentimental autobiography of Gray’s childhood in 1980s Queens is a low key but engaging story of prejudice, injustice and growing up that somehow feels on the cusp of greatness it never quite reaches
Domee Shi’s “Turning Red”
A solid, entertaining and smart addition to the Pixar canon; if this upset you, you probably deserve to be upset
Owen Kline’s “Funny Pages”
Anti-coming of age that is grotesque, funny, uncomfortable and compelling in equal measure; it disturbingly mixes the grease of middleage with the ignorant sweat of youth, focusing on a young aspiring comic artist’s journey