» Opens today at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated PG-13 for some sexuality and brief strong language; 102 minutes.

This thoughtful adaptation of Monica Ali's 2003 novel explores the divide between one woman's past and future homes. Nazneen (played by Indian actress Tannishtha Chatterjee) is a Bangladeshi girl, sent at age 17 to London for an arranged marriage to Chanu (Satish Kaushik). Sixteen years later, with Chanu struggling to make a living, Nazneen is stoic as she raises their two daughters in a tenement apartment - until she feels an attraction to a younger man (Christopher Simpson) in her predominantly Muslim neighborhood. Rookie director Sarah Gavron neatly shows the split between Nazneen's memories of Bangladesh and the harsh realities of London, both sumptuously shot by Robbie Ryan. The movie feels a bit static in places, and is heavy-handed in a plot turn in which real-life events intrude on the characters. But Chatterjee's quiet grace, as she endures her hardships the way Nazneen's mother told her to, radiates through this richly observed drama.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

» Opens today at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated R for drug and sexual content, language and some nudity; 118 minutes.

Director Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side," "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room") serves up an engrossing look at Hunter S. Thompson, the great writer, journalist and experiencer of events, drugs, women and fame. Focusing largely on his heyday from 1965 to 1975, through his "gonzo" coverage of the two presidential elections Nixon won, the movie shows how Thompson remained a political optimist in spite of all evidence to the contrary. With interviews ranging from Tom Wolfe to Jimmy Carter and readings of Thompson's work by Johnny Depp (who played Thompson's Raoul Duke in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"), Gibney tries to emulate Thompson's rage and cynicism as he illuminates the writer's work and personal failings.

The Singing Revolution

» Opens today at the Tower Theatre; not rated, but probably PG-13 for discussions of warfare and violence; 94 minutes.

Singing, as a cultural rallying point and nonviolent alternative to gunfire, is credited with sparking Estonia's drive for independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In this earnest but plodding documentary, husband-and-wife filmmakers James Tusty and Maureen Castle Tusty don't make as strong a case as they probably should. Through interviews and archival footage, the Tustys chronicle a half-century of Soviet (and briefly Nazi) domination of Estonia, with occasional moments of musically charged protest, until the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev in the mid-'80s signals an opportunity to push for greater freedom. Many in this movie testify that music - embodied by a once-every-five years Song Festival that puts 25,000 voices on one stage - is vital to the Estonian character, but it would be nice if the movie spotlighted the music rather than just recited the history.

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