Director and co-writer Anthony Powell is one of the few hardy souls who lives in Antarctica year-round. And because he has a tinkerer's knack for camera setups and a love of time-lapse photography, he is uniquely qualified to share the experience with you — though from a certain distance. The sun disappears for months at a time during the winter, and the resultant night skies are just as astonishing as the residents say they are. But alas, that happy union of showing and telling is something of the exception here: way too much screen time is given over to folks describing what it's like to live in such a place, as opposed to, you know, actually living there. It's understandable — Powell lives there too, and poking around with a camera could easily raise tensions in such a contained community. (Hey, now there's an idea for a movie, one that could feature the best establishing and mid-range shots in recent memory before going in for the claustrophobic kill.) But it's also regrettable. The end result is gorgeous and a bit draggy. (2014) — Matthew Lickona