Lantern openings: Birds, Buddies and the Mars rover

Above : “Good Night Oppy,” a documentary about the Mars rover, opens Friday at the Magic Lantern Theatre. (Photo/Amazon Studios)

The Magic Lantern Theatre is opening a trio of films on Friday, two of which are documentaries. The lineup is as follows:

“All That Breathes” : Documentary filmmaker Shaunak Sen tells the story of two brothers who work to rescue the birds of prey, black kites, that are being victimized by the city of Delhi’s air pollution.  In Hindi with English subtitles.

A.O. Scott of the New York Times calls the film “A subtle, haunting reflection on the meaning of humanity – on the breathtaking kindness and heartbreaking cruelty that define our wounded, intrepid, predatory species.”

“Good Night Oppy” : Another documentary, directed by Ryan White, tells the story of the Mars rover Opportunity, which has been operating long beyond its expected life.

According to Tomris Laffly , the film is a “A heartwarming crowd-pleaser. It’s impossible to watch this lovely space escapade without shedding some tears.”

“The Banshees of Inisherin” : Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell play lifelong friends who have a falling out, though one of them can’t figure out why. Directed by Martin McDonagh.

Moira MacDonald of the Seattle Times wrote, “McDonagh’s tale is both a tiny story of two men, and a larger allegory of what happens when a small disagreement spins out of control.”

Sounds interesting. I’ll update as the week progresses.