THE CLUB (EL CLUB) World Cinema

One of the most exciting contemporary voices in world cinema, Chilean iconoclast Pablo Larraín turns his provocative gaze toward the sins of the Catholic Church in this tightly wound, tonally subversive tragicomic parable. A tight-knit group of aging priests live, work and pray together in a small cottage in a seaside town. They spend their days engaged in relaxation, looked after by a nun. When a new member joins the house, his arrival immediately courts controversy and accusations are made. The ensuing investigation threatens to bring to light the long-buried church secret that brought this group together to and expose a tradition of religious atrocity. Larraín’s skillful hand brings a deeply nuanced script to life with crackling energy and emotional complexity, while his tactical assault on sacred institutions cements him as a filmmaker like no other. — Landon Zakheim