Director: Julie Forrest Wyman

Filmmaker Julie Forrest Wyman explores her family’s challenges with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, in this enchanting documentary that asks for understanding for Wyman, her family and her community. Wyman, who always knew that she was different but wasn’t formally diagnosed for decades, recounts being bullied horribly, with such insults as “Oompa Loompah” thrown her way. During adolescence, an awkward time for anyone, Wyman was told by her father that “corrections,” including growth hormone, were out there; however, such information didn’t precisely boost her self-esteem.

Crucial to acceptance is spending time with others who understand. And so Wyman documents performance art undertaken by the dwarf community, in which participants are able to experience beauty in a way that the outside world might not be able to understand. “If you’re going to laugh, I’d rather it’s for a line I said than just seeing me walking down the street,” a working actor says of his profession.

A fine exercise in filmmaking empathy from Wyman, which recently premiered on PBS’s “Independent Lens.”

Director: Ian Nathan

Following his four-hour-plus love letter to “ALIENS” in 2024, English filmmaker Ian Nathan is back for the fan’s ultimate return trip to U.S. Outpost 31 following its unfortunate visit from a shape-shifting extraterrestrial. Kurt Russell and John Carpenter headline the five-hour deep dive into the now-revered sci-fi/horror classic that was dismissed by audiences and critics alike when it came out in 1982. Time has rendered a far different verdict, of course, and so “THE THING EXPANDED” peeks into every nook and cranny of the film’s gestation—as well as those numerous fan theories about who is or isn’t a Thing—but also probes the reasons for its enduring popularity 44 years later.

The living “Thing” cast shows up for interviews, as does the extensive creature effects team—with the notable exception of Rob Bottin, whom Nathan told me earlier this year is notoriously camera-shy. Other famous devotees of the film whom Nathan interviews include “TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY” showrunner Issa López, the very recently unemployed Stephen Colbert and, in a unique addition to the doc, directors Frank Darabont and Guillermo Del Toro in conversation with one another. We’re even treated to some storyboards from Darabont’s never-realized “Thing” sequel project for the Sci-Fi Channel.

“Expanded” likely holds little appeal beyond either Thing-heads and/or serious cinephiles, but fortunately that still makes for a rather large segment of devoted fans—many of whom donated funds to Nathan’s project (and whom he graciously thanks individually during the closing credits).

Director: Arnaud Desplechin

In this intriguingly sad drama, wunderkind pianist Mathias (François Civil) returns to Lyon after a stint playing and living in Tokyo. One day, Mathias thinks he spies a younger version of himself at a city park. Could this be a trick of the space-time continuum…or something far more simple? Director Arnaud Desplechin deftly teases us with several possibilities before the answer to this mystery comes sharply into focus. The intriguing and beautiful Nadia Tereszkiewicz is Claude, Mathias’s ex, who has been harboring a rather open secret from both Mathias and her husband, Pierre (Jeremy Lewin).

Desplechin and co-writers Kamen Velkovsky, Ondine Lauriot dit Prévost and Anne Berest even have time for an intriguing secondary plot involving Elena (the always dependable Charlotte Rampling), a fellow pianist who confides to Mathias that she is losing her memories—and thus her ability to play.

“TWO PIANOS” isn’t a movie to be “solved” in the traditional sense; rather, it is about how the characters react to their situations as people in their shoes would. The acting is top notch from Civil, Rampling, Tereszkiewicz and Alba Gaïa Bellugi, Claude’s friend of somewhat questionable motivations. The wonderful music of Chopin and other classical greats provides amazing counterpoint to the story.

Director: Aaron Davidman

This unusual tale about the power of veterans to look after their brothers in arms stars Joshua Close (“KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON”) as Slinger, a man dealing with the trauma of combat while reintegrating into civilian life. When tragedy strikes a fellow veteran, Slinger takes it upon himself to be a guide for the man’s teenage nephew, Emmett (Jamir Vega). While the story doesn’t take too many risks, it offers up a fine acting duo in Close and Vega—and demonstrates that family means far more than those with whom we share blood.

Director: Paul Levatino

The musical group Bastards of Soul never quite broke through that ceiling into fame. This intimate documentary from Paul Levatino provides a you-are-there peek as the group records their final sessions with Chadwick Murray prior to his untimely death. Now available on Apple TV and Amazon.

Director: Bryan Singer

Bryan Singer, known for “X-MEN” films and “THE USUAL SUSPECTS,” directs this drama set during Israel’s conflict with Lebanon. Jon Voight stars alongside Joe Mazzello, with a plot revolving around a “neutral” bit of territory where Jews, Muslims and others can coexist and called “the Monument,” meant to stand as both memorial to the past as well as beacon for the future. The film incorporates historical footage and modern-day acting to shine a light on a largely unknown piece of history, while delivering a message of hope.

FEATURED IMAGE: “TWO PIANOS”