New year, new movies. While pictures released around this time can occasionally, unjustly, get lost in the shuffle—see Justin LaLiberty’s latest Journal article disputing January’s reputation as “dumping month”—there’s plenty of variety here for your watchlists.

For those experiencing a chilly winter in the Northern Hemisphere, warm up with a lovely documentary about the hummingbirds of the Hollywood Hills, and a 16mm-shot character study of a showgirl in Las Vegas. Southern Hemisphere folks can cool their summers down with a chilling first-person ghost story from Steven Soderbergh (and hello, Lucy Liu!), as well as two crime dramas that each delve into the specific rot at the roots of violent systems—one about the cartels of Mexico, one about the femicide epidemic in India.

This month’s picks come from Robert Daniels, Marya E. Gates, Mia Lee Vicino and Mitchell Beaupre. Happy watchlisting!

Every Little Thing

Directed by Sally Aitken.
Now playing in select US theaters.
Kino Lorber

Up in the sun-drenched Hollywood Hills, a woman named Terry Masear has dedicated her life and her land to creating a sanctuary and rehab facility for wounded hummingbirds. In Every Little Thing, documentarian Sally Aitken tells her story as viewers follow the rehabilitation journeys of several birds. This film will uplift your heart as often as it will break it (spoiler alert: some of the birds do not make it), but more than anything it will reignite your belief in the power of small acts of kindness and grace.

Beautifully photographed by a trio of DPs (Nathan Barlow, Dan Freene and Ann Johnson Prum), many Letterboxd have noted its gorgeous imagery, like Chesney, who calls it “visually stunning with fantastic audio design that makes you want to reach out and touch the birds.” DirectorFranco agrees, noting, “For the first time in a while, I found myself glued to the screen, eyes wide open, fully immersed, and a couple tears in the end. The meticulous attention to detail is incredible. The film’s captivating and magical essence serves as a soothing balm for the soul.”

Aitken deftly weaves Masear’s personal story with that of the birds she works with, including fan favorite Cactus. Lacey says the “film is a true treasure. A story of hope, resilience, bravery and a celebration of the triumphant and anything but tiny victories of healing. A tribute to the boundless beauties in nature. A gift of enduring empathy.” Be prepared to weep openly, like Janessa, who writes, “I just cried like the whole way through, if you’re a hummingbird girlie, this is for you.” MEG

The Canadian-American actress plays Shelly, a 57-year-old showgirl whose long-running revue, Le Razzle Dazzle, is closing. She takes the opportunity to try to reconnect with her daughter (Billie Lourd), as she and her younger co-workers (Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka) grapple with finding new meaning and careers; meanwhile, a jaded cocktail waitress (Jamie Lee Curtis, garnering praise for her improvised casino floor dance to ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’) represents Shelly’s potential future. “You know me, give me an 85-minute movie shot on Kodak with a comeback performance about the feminine pain of aging and we’re in business,” writes Lillian.

Other Letterboxd are praising Anderson’s performance: Aurora says that she “dazzles as Shelly,” and that “her Las Vegas is a glittering rhinestone fairy-tale; a neon-lit Neverland for dreamers where the show goes on and on and on—until the fairy dust runs out, and the last showgirl has to hang up her shimmering butterfly wings.” Gh agrees, affirming that “Pam shined supernova bright; this role feels tailor-made specifically and only for her—the immersed infusion between character and real life, suspending the disbelief of fiction transparently.” Finally, Lizzie is correct in stating that Shelly “would’ve loved ‘Pink Pony Club’ by Chappell Roan.” MLV

Santosh (संतोष)

Written and directed by Sandhya Suri.
Now playing in select US theaters.
Metrograph Pictures

In Santosh, writer-director Sandhya Suri explores the femicide epidemic in India and the cruelty embedded in its caste system. Shahana Goswami shines as the newly widowed Santosh living in rural Northern India who inherits her husband’s job as a police constable and finds herself drawn into the case of a Dalit named Devika (Nandini Tharu), who has been found raped and murdered. As she works on the investigation with seasoned feminist inspector Sharma (Sunita Rajwar), she discovers the limits of justice and feminism within rotten systems like the police.

Writing out of its premiere at Cannes, Emma calls the film “a powerful story delicately told, through deft direction and a reserved and forceful lead performance! Beautiful, brutal, comionate and complex!” The strength of Suri’s film comes from rooting the viewer’s journey in Santosh’s experiences. As she observes the horrible violence of both the villagers and the police, and uncovers bitter truths about the society in which she lives, so too does the audience. YouveGotWings agrees, writing, “By showing us all that through her heroine’s eyes, the director makes us witnesses to everything that happens and it is so incredibly uncomfortable. Which is the point.” Of Goswami’s tremendous performance, FinnWritesDall says that she is “mesmerizing as the titular Santosh. The minimal dialogue really afforded her the opportunity to express through looks alone.”

Although the film is the United Kingdom’s submission for the Best International Film at the Oscars this year, Sudhir writes that “if you are looking for a film that truly, truly represents India, Santosh is it.” MEG

As the four chapters that comprise Sujo progress, the film does envision a comionate escape for its promising but unlucky protagonist by demonstrating that people like Sujo aren’t inherently violent or irredeemable. They’re caught in a life with few discernable alternatives. Gambino echoes the film’s balming optimism, writing, “Crude, realistic, but with a touch of hope. Hope in a real way, not Hollywood style. You can change your life, it might be hard, but you can do it. The film immerses you in the reality of many people in Mexico and makes you feel so many emotions.” RD