MLife and Nothing More The tribulations of an African American family struggling to hold together are the heart of this well-directed and affecting drama, made in a way that suggests a documentary. It’s all the more impressive because the actors are nonprofessionals and the director, Antonio Méndez Esparza, is a Spanish American making his first English-language film. Regina Williams is outstanding as the struggling mother of a teenage boy on the edge of trouble. Not rated. 114 minutes.
Wildlife Actor Paul Dano goes behind the camera and delivers an impeccably scored adaptation of the Richard Ford novel of the same name, while guiding Carey Mulligan — as a dissatisfied Montana housewife in 1960 — to one of the year’s great performances. Rated PG-13. 104 minutes.