Tye Sheridan plays a young man whose father dies. Then he encounters the man responsible for his mother’s lobotomy (Jeff Goldblum) and they travel from asylum to asylum with the doc performing surgeries, while the son becomes his photographer/assistant. The doctor (based on a real person) is played by Jeff Goldblum, who manages to subdue much of his idiosyncratic delivery style for a more subdued manner. Sheridan takes introversion to an extreme with his downtrodden hangdog demeanor. While both performances are compelling, it’s really director Rick Alverson’s movie. His style is reminiscent of the minimal stillness of Yorgos Lanthimos (my review of The Lobster & The Killing of a Sacred Deer). The traditional screen ratio (it’s set in the ’50s), combined with a muted palate and static formal compositions creates a visual style that echoes the minimal dialogue and deliberate pacing of the film (with some artsy elements, including random flights of fantasy). This isn’t a story about lobotomies, but a very quiet, dark character study.

Hulu link (also available on other streamers)