Dear Watchers,Yes, it is the week leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony, which airs on Sunday. But no, on this Genre Movie Wednesday, we will not be talking about the Oscars’ new casting category or Timothée Chalamet’s ballet and opera opinions. Instead, we’re diving into a near-future science fiction drama that offers a hot take on parenting. And we’re pairing that with a time-loop romance that upends expectations. Our sci-fi expert Elisabeth Vincentelli describes the appeal and intrigue of both selections below. Read her thoughts on each, then head here to check out a few more of her skewed-reality picks. Happy Watching. ‘The Assessment’
Where to watch: Stream “The Assessment” on Hulu. The scientists Mia (Elizabeth Olsen) and Aaryan (Himesh Patel) live a life of luxury in an isolated seaside compound, where they have the time and resources to conduct their research. The one thing missing to complete their picture-perfect life is a child, but in the future earth of this movie by the director Fleur Fortuné, you can’t just go and make one: The only way is to be evaluated for adoption. The cryptic, totalitarian-sounding authorities send Virginia (Alicia Vikander) for a weeklong evaluation that involves role-playing and practical tasks. (Any couple that has found itself on the brink of divorce after trying to assemble an IKEA wardrobe will sympathize.) It may be one of the darkest films ever made about parenting. It quickly becomes hard to determine when Virginia is acting out as part of the test and when she is having a genuine reaction. (Admittedly, it is also hard to feel for Mia and Aaryan when they fall into obvious traps.) Still, “The Assessment” gets better and better as the story becomes increasingly perverse, and as we get to know Virginia. The film ends on a smartly equivocal note that may determine whether viewers see a glass as half-empty or half-full. ‘Spark’
Where to watch: Stream “Spark” on Tubi, The Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video. Out on a birthday scavenger hunt, Aaron (Theo Germaine, “The Politician”) is paired with the brooding Trevor (Danell Leyva), a man of few words and sexy eyebrows. They hook up, but in the middle of sex Aaron wakes up at home, back at the start of the day. Yes, this is a time-loop story. Aaron, who has fallen for the enigmatic stranger, uses the do-overs to fine-tune the date — changing his hair style, grilling Trevor about his taste in music so he can pretend to enjoy the same bands. Soon Aaron realizes that one way to prevent the clock from resetting is to avoid sex and actually get to know Trevor — not easy for someone with intimacy issues. About half of Nicholas Giuricich’s “Spark” explores familiar terrain, albeit with matter-of-fact queer representation. But then the movie veers off into less predictable territory. Let’s just say that Aaron’s roommate, Dani (Vico Ortiz, from “Our Flag Means Death”), has a role to play and that we eventually get Trevor’s perspective. This last development is a departure from the usual time-loop template, leaving the lead character’s point of view and giving agency to someone who appeared to be a bystander.
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