Here are some films to keep on your radar as the winter melts into spring:

“MANHOOD”
Director: Daniel Lombroso

Does size really matter? For the men at the center of Daniel Lombroso’s (“White Noise,” “Nina & Irena”), newest documentary, the answer is…maybe. However, the problems they brought with them to the operating table are sure to remain, even after their genitals get a boost in length and/or girth.

One of the many fascinating characters who guides us on a most unusual journey is a Texas doctor named Bill, a former band geek who didn’t play sports as a kid—and who realized early on that he was gay. Flash-forward to middle-aged Bill in top physical shape and running a Dallas anti-aging clinic. “There’s nothing that I’ve done in the aesthetics field that has given me so much personal satisfaction as penile growth enhancement,” he says. However, as he himself acknowledges, true happiness “is not something that I can provide with a scalpel.” The good doctor knows of what he speaks, having undergone several male-enhancement procedures himself.

Unsurprisingly, men with anxieties about the size of their manhoods tend to also suffer from depression and various other feelings of inadequacy. Some regretful patients of earlier penile procedures report issues with their new manhood (is “menhood” the plural?), from the grimly humorous to the absolutely horrifying (oh, there are photos). They find their way to Dr. Bill the urologist, whom they hope can fix their unhappiness. One patient shares that he had terminal brain cancer and wished to maximize what time he had left. Another relates sexual abuse in his youth, but will the procedure help him overcome such trauma? Perhaps, although he puts his family into financial peril by spending away his savings on penile enhancements. (His current partner relates that the family will go and live with “his first baby mama” when the cash runs out.)

One young man, David, from a conservative religious household, went to OnlyFans to support himself, but felt inadequate about his member in comparison to the other men with whom he worked. Dr. Bill and David go from doctor-patients to friends, and soon Dr. Bill and his partner Clint take the young man into their home—and into their bedroom.

Dr. Bill’s other clients include law enforcement and border agents, who willingly go on-camera (draw your own conclusions). One female urologist says that Viagra was a game-changer, though women’s needs were left out of the conversation entirely—and largely still are.

Lombroso even gets the notorious Dr. Richard Loria, who performed young David’s botched surgery, to sit down for an on-camera interview. He is far from sympathetic, and even boasts that he’s mob-connected.

Thankfully the culture has become more accepting when it comes to discussions of toxic masculinity and how to be more of a “man,” so “Manhood” could not be more timely. This fascinatingly sad doc asks more questions than provides answers—which may be of little comfort to other men seeking similar surgeries in their quest for a “lengthier” happiness.

“GOING FOR HOME” (SBIFF)
Director: Eric Simonson

The January 2025 Southern California fires left behind many victims, including the Central Altadena Little League. Little League coaches return to try and resume the sport a year after the Eaton Fire, with returning baseball serving as a balm, however minor, as this mountainside community—where I myself was a resident from 2001 to 2009—attempts to rise from the ashes.

Director Eric Simonson takes us on a tragic tour of paradise, as Altadena had been through much grief long before the fire. Even though Black families were able to move there in the postwar period and buy up land, “the ‘dena” was nonetheless segregated, with those on the west side of Lake Ave. (my old stomping grounds) siloed away from the White families. Unsurprisingly, much of West Altadena was issued no warning last January, and so the majority of the loss of life occurred there. Meanwhile, east of Lake—whiter and wealthier—received mandatory evacuation orders. The scourge of redlining rears its head yet again.

We learn that no less than Jackie Robinson grew up here, one of many Black families from the South who came west. When baseball in Farnsworth Park became impossible after the blazes, playing moved to Robinson Park, named after Altadena’s proud son. But lead and other pollutants from the fires linger in the park’s soil, yet another gift of the infernos.

Even with insurance payouts the rebuilding costs remain out of reach for so many—thousands in payouts against millions in redevelopment costs. One homeowner laments it will take three years at a minimum to rebuild with all of the approvals required. Vultures circle with lowball offers for the land…no doubt with plans to flip the properties over to moneyed private equity.

And yet the baseball continues, and we see many Altadenans in “Going for Home” with signs and shirts bearing a defiant motto: “Altadena Not for Sale.” May it stay ever so.

“THE LAST PUESTERO”
Director: Belle Casares

In Patagonia an Argentine rancher named Segundo “Adonai” Jara works as a “puestero,” a person who protects the valley and looks after the herd on what are often incredibly large ranches. It’s a life few ever get to see, which makes Casares’s documentary so valuable. Adonai works the land, as his ancestors did, while his wife Aurelia weaves. Their daughter seeks the wider world, while their son wants to be just like his father and stay on the ranch. Aurelia takes the children closer to town to attend school, often leaving Adonai alone for days and weeks at a time. Is he lonely? Not really. But kind of.

Adonai’s education is on the land itself, something that no degree in a fancy school can offer. But that institutional knowledge continues to be lost as the younger generations move on.

Featuring stunning cinematography of Patagonia, especially during the winter as Adonai rides his horse through gorgeous landscapes.

“I LIVE HERE NOW”
Director: Julie Pacino

A surreal adventure that will apparel to David Lynch fans finds struggling actress Rose (Lucy Fry) seeing her life upended by unexpected news. As the surreal plot unfurls, Rose is forced to confront a future she never thought possible, just as a major career opportunity with top agent Cindy Abrams (Cara Seymour) comes into view. Things spiral further when her casual boyfriend, Travis (Matt Rife) brings his overbearing mother (Sheryl Lee) into the fold, pushing Rose to the brink (featured image).

“LIVING THE LAND”
Director: Huo Meng

Visually sumptuous if a bit slow at times, this import follows 10-year-old Xu Chuang (Wang Shang), who witnesses the traditional farming practices of his family in China’s Bawangtai. It’s 1991, but in many respects, it might as well be 1891, as the province resists modernity happening elsewhere in the nation. With his male relatives seeking work elsewhere, Xu Chuang’s guides include an unhappy aunt Xiuying (Zhang Chuwen) and his great-grandma Li (Zhang Yanrong), who, despite having seen it all in her ninety-plus years, still has no desire to leave this planet behind.

Huo Meng won best director at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival.

“UNDER THE LIGHTS”
Director: Miles Levin

This teen drama stars Pearce Joza as Sam, an epileptic boy who suffers both social anxiety and the very real fear that the lights of the upcoming prom will trigger his seizures. With a friend, Molly (Tanzyn Crawford), he plans an alternate prom night, but several hurdles, including family issues, await them both. And keep your eyes peeled for Nick Offerman in a small part as an acting teacher.

Filmed in and around Sonoma, “Under the Lights” is set to be the closing-night film at this month’s Sonoma International Film Festival.