Now streaming through Chico: A few noteworthy recent releases which are (so far) available on-demand only

We Need to Talk About Kevin (United Kingdom): The eponymous Kevin is an evil child, and he is central to what is in part a low-key psychological thriller. But Lynne Ramsay’s superbly crafted film is also a kind of stream-of-consciousness family portrait, with the main emphasis on Kevin’s mother (a superb Tilda Swinton). Three different actors play Kevin at three different ages, and his family’s story is told from his mother’s point of view via the narrative’s scrambled chronology (with time-shifts identified via three different hair styles for Swinton).

The tale (adapted from a Lionel Shrive novel) gradually builds to a disturbing climax, but Ramsay’s film is only secondarily a horror film. Where it really shines is in its richly fragmented portrait of a deeply troubled woman battling through a nightmare of mythic proportions.

Last Ride (Australia): A man and his small son are trekking across the Australian outback. The raggedy-looking father (Hugo Weaving in fine, funky form) is a small-time criminal fleeing after an act of violence witnessed by his otherwise innocent child, Chook (Tom Russell). While Kev (Weaving) is zealous in protection of the boy, his own erratic behavior puts both of them in jeopardy, and precocious Chook begins to shed his innocence.

Director Glendyn Ivin treats the escape tale as a ruggedly lyrical outdoor adventure. Harsh and radiant landscapes become integral to the action, even as the father-son relationship edges toward new moral awareness for both.

Take This Waltz (Canada): A quietly brilliant performance by the mercurial Michelle Williams and some richly evocative production design make this quirky mood piece from Canada surprisingly captivating. A slow-brewing romantic triangle is the main story hook, with Margot (Williams) wavering between her husband, an affable teddy bear named Lou (Seth Rogen), and a charming neighbor, an artist named Daniel (Luke Kirby), who catches her eye more or less by accident.

Writer-director Sarah Polley is better known as an actor (Dawn of the Dead, Go), but this feature-length drama (her third as director) suggests she’s becoming a first-rate auteur as well. Here she has a good cast and the atmospheric cinematography (Luc Montpellier) and production design (Matthew Davies) all working in lovely concert with her characters’ delicate drama of mixed emotions.

Polisse (France): The actress/filmmaker who goes by the name Maïwenn has framed this multi-character police story from France as an ebullient ensemble piece with a roistering cast. French star Karen Viard teams with Joey Starr, Marina Foïs, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Karole Rocher, Emmanuelle Bercot, Frédéric Pierrot and others as the tight-knit crew of the Child Protection Unit in a Parisian police precinct. The scenario (by Maïwenn and Bercot) mixes investigations (viewed in semi-documentary style) with somewhat stylized portrayals of the group’s relationships and after-hours conduct. At times it feels a little too much like a French knock-off of an American TV series, but it maintains a brisk pace of brash entertainment for its full 127 minutes. Maïwenn herself has the role of a visiting photographer who gets variously entangled in the dramas she’s there to document.

Other recent releases deserving of special mention (and ordering from Netflix or from your cable provider): We Have a Pope (Italy), Nanni Moretti’s wry comedy/drama about a newly elected Pope (the estimable Michel Piccoli) who is reluctant to accept the role; Mozart’s Sister (France), a sardonically detailed period piece with a semi-feminist/contrarian spin on musical history; Heat Wave (France), the complexly interwoven misadventures, in sultry summertime heat, of four separate characters; El Gringo (USA), a gritty action movie with the look of Savages and the baroque flair of a spaghetti western; A Burning Hot Summer (France), a suavely fatalistic romantic triangle with Louis Garrel and Monica Bellucci in key roles.