The Stranger

The subtitle speaks to this dark comedy's complete rejection of aggressive action, including noticeable plot progression. But writer/director Stephane Lafleur digs deeply in this stylish stasis, tracking a half-dozen lonely French souls as they live out their quietly complicated lives, from a new widow paralyzed by liberation to a traveling salesmen so hungry for connection he'll watch you have sex, if you ask nice. Lafleur's appetite for pathos is matched by his eye for perversity, and the resulting film is a slow-burning charmer. (Pacific Place, 600 Pine St. 9:30 pm, ticket info at www.thestranger.com/siff.) by David Schmader

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