Charm Circle

First-time feature filmmaker Nira Burstein’s brave, wryly amusing documentary is a tender, unpredictable portrait of an eccentric Jewish family that’s earned comparisons to Grey Gardens. Oscillating between the present day and decades-old home videos, Burstein returns to her childhood home - now crumbling from the inside out - in suburban New York to explore the circumstances in which her parents live. Music and creativity punctuate an otherwise dysfunctional environment. With the announcement of Nira’s younger sister’s polyamorous wedding, tensions are reignited that threaten to sever what’s left of the family bond. Going beneath the surface of its subjects’ struggles, Charm Circle approaches them with honesty and a steely sense of humor. (Criterion)