LAFF: the Best of the Fest

ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT "Flora is an example of all that can go wrong, with the best of intentions," says one talking head, speaking of the titular elephant. Captured as a baby after her mother was slaughtered, the elephant Flora was adopted by David Balding, who runs a small circus in St. Louis. The two developed a parent-child relationship, their mutual love becoming the source of great pain as the elderly man tries to find a new home for his increasingly angry "daughter." The film raises all sorts of questions about the moral and ethical issues around humans and our relationships to wild animals, but director Lisa Leeman demonizes no one in this smart, layered and unexpectedly moving documentary. (Regal; Sat., June 19, 6:30 p.m., Fri., June 25, 5 p.m.; Sat., June 26, 1:45 p.m.) (E.H.)

PARADE Early on in Isao Yukisada's adaptation of Yoshida Shuichi's novel, one half-expects to hear the Friends TV theme dubbed in Japanese, as we're introduced to four 20-somethings who share a cramped Tokyo apartment. Self-obsessed, regularlyhungover and prone to sitcomlike roommate disputes, these mismatched tenants (a college student, an illustrator, a film-biz type and an aspiring actress) don't know who invited the bleach-blond rent boy (effeminate heartthrob Kento Hayashi) to move in, just as a string of serial killings has blotted the area. It's a compelling watch, if only for its game-changer of an ending. When did this become an existential thriller? (Regal; Tues., June 22, 7:30 p.m., Wed., June 23, 10 p.m.) (A.H.)

Totally blogged out: Joshua Leonard in Bitter Feast

Disco and Atomic War

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More About

• Christina Kolozsvary Chrissy
• Trieste Kelly Dunn
• Grace Drummond-Hay
• Pat Tillman
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS The most damning thing in The People vs. George Lucas turns out to be the title. While Alexandre O. Philippe's documentary comes on like it's going to present a strong, reasoned case that the creator of the Star Wars universe is above all else more bottom-line businessman than mythmaking artiste, the power of the franchise's fandom is simply too strong. The film transforms into more of a reconciliation and apologia than an indictment. Philippe tries to make the anti-Lucas case — with plenty of the rhetorically ridiculous "raped my childhood" thing — but what the film uncovers most of all is that fans' conflict is not so much with Lucas and the twin trilogies but within themselves, pulled between the objects of their own affection and derision. (Ford Amphitheatre; Wed., June 23, 8:30 p.m.) (M.O.)

THE RED CHAPEL Director Mads Brügger sets up a cultural exchange through which he and two young Danish-Korean comedians, Simon and Jacob, are allowed to visit North Korea to mount a performance in collaboration with the state. Brügger has convinced the North Koreans that the trio are a Kim Jong Il–sympathetic theater troupe called The Red Chapel; in actuality, Simon and Jacob (who is developmentally disabled and refers to himself as "spastic") have no real act — just some wigs, a whoopie cushion and a suspiciously sincere acoustic cover of "Wonderwall." Brügger is no theater producer but a journalist determined to prove that "comedy is the soft spot of all dictatorships." At its core: A staged hidden-camera stunt, comparisons between Chapel and the work of Sacha Baron Cohen may be inevitable. If the smoking guns found in this invaded world are less over-the-top than the revelations of racism and homophobia that prop up Borat and Bruno, the hilarious Chapel also feels less manufactured. (Downtown Independent; Sat., June 19, 7:30 p.m., Regal; Thurs., June 24, 7:45 p.m.) (K.L.)

THUNDER SOUL A danceable doc about the Kashmere High School Stage Band of the 1970s, whose theme song, "Kashmere," was resurrected from obscurity by DJ Shadow for his "Holy Calamity" single. The band members of the early '70s come back home to play for band director Prof, now 92 and frail as a whisper. The players are older, thicker, out of tune and decades out of practice. Director Mark Landsman cuts back and forth between vibrant vintage footage and the present-day stumbles of middle-aged men and women trying to get their grooves back. The movie becomes a rush against time — a thriller with a sound track to match. (Ford Amphitheatre; Sat., June 26, 8:30 p.m.) (Robert Wilonsky)

THE TILLMAN STORY Returning from their first tour in Iraq, a platoon buddy recalls Pat Tillman saying, "This war is so fucking illegal." An atheist who told his wife he didn't want a military or religious funeral service if he died in combat, Tillman was mourned in the stadiums where he was previously a football star. As we get to know his family in this somber, affecting documentary, they speak of that awkward spectacle — grieving in public, cheerleaders prancing before them, fans wearing Tillman's No. 40 Arizona Cardinals jersey in tribute. What a way to go for such an intensely private and thoughtful young man. Director Amir Bar-Lev (My Kid Could Paint That) gains excellent access to the very sympathetic Tillman clan, who remain angry but resigned to the government and media misappropriation of their son as martyr and war hero. He adds little, unfortunately, to what's been well-reported since Tillman's 2004 death by friendly fire. It's impossible to prove a White House cover-up, no matter how many news clips he interjects of Bush, Rove and Cheney. (Regal; Sat., June 19, 9:45 p.m., Downtown Independent; Sun., June 20, 1:30 p.m.) (B.M.)