The Kindness of Strangers

The title may sound trite, but Lone Scherfig's ensemble drama is full of pleasant surprises. Set in a bustling Big Apple, the film follows an overworked emergency room nurse (Andrea Riseborough) and a desperate young mother (Zoe Kazan) who's fleeing her abusive cop husband with two frightened kids in tow. Repeated visits to a Russian restaurant owned by a kooky Bill Nighy provide the narrative with some glue, while Caleb Landry Jones, Tahar Rahim and Jay Baruchel round out the excellent cast. What begins as a dour, albeit well-acted story of improbable coincidences eventually coheres once connections are established, and Scherfig settles on a tone that is lighter, funnier and rather charming. The film's fidgety structure can frustrate, but the dreamy score waltzes us through the various encounters and lends a sense of magic and possibility to this New York winter, even when times remain tough.