One of the big hits of True/False 2012 returns. "Football doesn't build character. Football reveals character." So says Bill Courtney, a lumber salesman turned volunteer high school football coach in North Memphis. And as he inspires his rough team of inner-city teens to turn a perennially losing program into a contender, we are treated to one of the greatest sports docs of all time. Like a real-life Friday Night Lights, the Oscar-winning Undefeated tells a powerful, inspiring story that, at its root, is about what it means to care. This masterful work was co-directed by an MU grad. 

"A far greater thing than a real-life The Blind Side, it's diving deeply into knotty matters of patience and parenting, along with plenty of unfixables as well." (Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York)

From Kevin Macdonald (Touching the Void, Life in a Day) comes another beautifully crafted, insightful documentary, this time the definitive take on legendary musician Bob Marley. Featuring compelling interviews, rare footage and awe-inspiring performances, this is the first family-authorized documentary made about the Jamaican star, and the reviews are glowing. 

"A masterful doc to rival Macdonald's Touching The Void. This epic, uplifting film takes us to the colourful heart of Jamaica, through American tours and on to Bob's exile in London, revealing how Marley -- father, player, leader -- became the figurehead for the Rastafarian culture that accepted him and the 'spiritual' music that to this day remains his legacy to the world. A testament befitting a legend." (Eve Barlow, Empire) 

The Grand Jury Prize winner at last year's Cannes Film Festival, The Kid with a Bike is the latest knockout from the remarkably dependable Dardenne brothers (L'enfant, Rosetta). As in their other work, the Belgian siblings have crafted a graceful film full of gorgeous photography and moving, naturalistic performances, but this time around, there's a touch of fairy tale in the storytelling structure. Newcomer Thomas Doret stars as Cyril, an 11-year-old whose father abandons him. A kind hairdresser (Cecile de France) attempts to help Cyril, but his wild, unpredictable behavior makes it difficult to succeed.

"Magnificent. One of the most compelling spectacles you'll see this year. The Dardennes can justly be regarded as without peer." (Gavin Smith, Film Comment) 87 min.

Damsels in Distress marks the long-awaited (10+ years!) return of writer-director Whit Stillman (Metropolitan, Barcelona), whose sharp, wry studies of young WASP culture (the "urban haute bourgeoisie," as one of his characters puts it) set the stage for disciples Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). His wonderful, whimsical Damsels stars Greta Gerwig (Greenberg) as Violet Wister, a daffy young woman who sets out with two friends to help depressed students at an East Coast college. Analeigh Tipton and Adam Brody co-star. 

"Wildly ambitious (yes, there are actual musical numbers) and yet still of a piece with Stillman's now-classic filmography, Damsels is built around a tour de force performance from Greta Gerwig, whose facility with Stillman's distinct, nearly affectless patter is as impressive as her song-and-dance stylings are comically charming." (Karina Longworth, Village Voice)