Look in the Mirror

IZZY GETS THE FUCK ACROSS TOWN (A-minus) - Mackenzie Davis goes all-in for this classic tale of a spurned millennial on a hero's journey to win back her true love. Or something like that. Here she is the title character trying to venture across Los Angeles to crash the engagement party of her ex-boyfriend and ex-friend. Davis brings depth and nuance to this familiar role, and she is ably assisted by a strong supporting cast of actors who pop in for memorable cameos.

Lakeith Stanfield and Haley Joel Osment get mowed down by this force of nature in a blood- and wine-stained tuxedo from last night's catering gig. Davis, who was about the only good thing in this year's "Tully," can do no wrong carrying the picture on her shoulders. One of her pop-ins turns up Annie Potts as a sympathetic mother figure. And then there is the force of nature known as Alia Shawkat, who takes a throwaway role and turns it into a riveting character study. And we haven't mentioned the gravitas bequeathed on the production by Carrie Coon (HBO's "The Leftovers") as Izzy's sour sister and former bandmate.

This is a debut feature -- and a labor of love -- from Christian Papierniak, and it buzzes with sharply observed character interplay and well honed lines of dialogue. It's Davis who carries it over the finish line, though, with her determination to bring a fresh perspective to a classic millennial lament.

PERSONA (1966) (B) - I don't know what this has left to add to a conversation in 2018, but Ingmar Bergman's classic is concise and less aggravating than many European art films of the 1960s. Liv Ullmann's near-silent performance -- as a mute actress tended to by a young nurse -- is a cavalcade of expressions. Bibi Anderson does the heavy lifting as the chatty attendant. We also hear Bergman's own silent wail bookending the film in the person of a young boy longing for his absent mother.

Typical art-house philosophy is espoused. The black-and-white cinematographer is sharp and unforgiving. This two-handed morality play zips by in 83 minutes, holding up well as a curiosity piece.

BONUS TRACK
A centerpiece of "Izzy," both by Corin Tucker and by Davis and Coon in a memorable scene between the sisters, "Axemen":