The Fifth Season

An annual festival that involves burning away the sins of winter to make room for spring’s new growth goes horribly wrong in one small French village when winter’s giant pyre won’t light. Shot in beautifully gloomy blues and grays, The Fifth Season explores what happens when nature turns her back on France—cows stop lactating, sprouts won’t sprout, flies are eyed for protein, and neighbors are left to cannibalize their humanity. Following the format of all moody French films, it’s sprinkled with bits of nonsense wisdom like, “One should always try and avoid the inevitable,” but it also features a magnificent chicken named Fred who steals every scene he’s in. Ba-caw! (CIENNA MADRID)