Three in a row

Day Three (cont.): It’s not often that you get to see three movies in a row that impress you, intrigue you, push your emotional limits, thrill you. That’s true, maybe even especially, at Sundance. Today was such a day.

It began with “ The United States of Leland .” The story of a young man who, unaccountably, murders a young boy born with a developmental disability. It’s a story of actions and responsibility and, ultimately, consequences. And it’s terrific. Chances of seeing it in your local multiplex: Dream on.

Then we stick around for a film titled “ The Station Agent .” It’s a curious little tale about a dwarf named Finn McBride (Peter Dinklage) who inherits an abandoned train station and, gradually, comes out of his self-imposed alienation with the help of a troubled woman and a gregarious hot dog vendor. Chances of seeing it in your local multiplex: The same as your chances of growing a third leg.

And the good stuff continued with “ Pieces of April ,” a study of a dysfunctional family trying to get together for a Thanksgiving dinner. Katie Holmes stars as the black-sheep daughter, but the film is owned by Patricia Clarkson as a cancer patient with the blackest sense of humor ever. Chances of seeing it in your local multiplex: Better than any chance you’ll ever have of duplicating your mother’s cranberry sauce recipe.

But, hey, one can always hope — not to mention calling your favorite theater and complaining.