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The last weekend of August usually doesn't bring greatness to the movie theaters — but there are some highlights.

The best of the week is "The Diary of a Teenage Girl," a raw and powerful coming-of-age story. The teen is Minnie (played by newcomer Bel Powley), living in San Francisco in 1976. She loses her virginity to Monroe (Alexander SkarsgÄrd), the 34-year-old boyfriend of her self-absorbed mom (Kristin Wiig). This encounter sets off a stream of events, as Minnie spirals into drugs and other nasty events. Writer-director Marielle Heller, adapting Phoebe Gloeckner's novel, taps into the undiluted power of Minnie's roiling emotions. (It's playing at the Broadway Centre Cinemas, the Cinemark 24 at Jordan Landing, and Provo's Wynnsong 12.)

Also worth checking out is "Meru," a stunning documentary that follows three mountain climbers on their quest to conquer one of the Himalayas' most treacherous ascents. The directors — Jimmy Chin (an outdoor photographer and one of the three climbers) and his wife, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi — capture the spectacle of the Himalayas, and the mindset of these people who risk their lives to see it. (The movie plays at the Broadway and the Megaplex Jordan Commons. Chin will appear in person after the Broadway's 4:10 and 7 p.m. screenings tonight only.)

The most interesting studio entry this weekend is "We Are Your Friends," an energetic take on the old rise-to-stardom theme. The setting is the electronic-dance music scene, focusing on an aspiring club DJ (Zac Efron) who impresses a veteran producer (Wes Bentley) while also growing attracted to the producer's girlfriend (Emily Ratajkowski). The plot points are familiar, but director Max Joseph's exuberant throw-everything-at-the-screen approach is stylish and sexy.

Less successful is "Mistress America" (playing at the Broadway, Jordan Commons and the Century 16 in South Salt Lake), the latest collaboration between director-writer Noah Baumbach and writer-actress-muse Greta Gerwig. This time, a lonely college student (Lola Kirke) meets her almost-sister Brooke (played by Gerwig), a fast-talking Brooklyn hipster brimming with creative ideas and hyper energy. The movie aims to be screwball, but trips over its own intellectual pretense.

The bloody and uneven thriller "No Escape" opened on Wednesday. It follows an American family, led by Owen Wilson and Lake Bell, who are caught in an unnamed Asian country just as a coup breaks out. The action scenes are intense, but the plot is poorly paced and the depiction of the Asian rebels and their country betrays a casual racism that's discomforting.

Lastly, the faith-based family drama "War Room" opens at Jordan Landing and Orem's Cinemark University Mall. It was not screened for Utah critics.