The dark days of Argentina’s dictatorship return to haunt a man 30 years later in Back to Buenos Aires (Ritorno a Buenos Aires), director Marco Bechis’ brooding portrayal of the deep wounds left by a military junta that tortured and killed thousands of people during its brutal reign over the country. Powerful and well-played, if sometimes lacking in tension and plausibility, this Venice competition premiere should find additional slots in festivals and arthouses throughout Europe, as well as in Latin America. Inspired by the Chilean-Italian filmmaker’s own personal histroy as one of the rare desaparecidos (victims of forced disappearance) to survive kidnapping and imprisonment in Argentina after the military coup of 1976, the movie is bolstered by a psychological and historical verisimilitude that reflects how intimately Bechis knows his subject. Where Buenos Aires occasionally falters is in a narrative that slowly but surely moves ahead without much suspense, while losing its way in a few unnecessary plot contrivances. Back to Buenos Aires The Bottom Line A somber historical drama marred by some contrivances. Venue: Venice …

Since expanding from theater into film, writer-director Florian Zeller has specialized in examining the pressure of mental health issues on families — dealing with dementia in The Father and depression in The Son, both based on his plays. His third feature, Bunker, puts an outwardly happy marriage under the microscope as fissures start forming and it’s most rewarding when the psychological give and take between two people who love each other remains in tight focus. That’s in large part due to the galvanizing performances of real-life couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem, for whom the film was written, bringing an electric emotional charge to scenes of both intimacy and estrangement.  A characteristically incisive supporting turn from Stephen Graham lends added value to a film that is less satisfying in its commentary on wealth inequality. A hard swerve into genre territory late in the story, when it becomes a violent thriller, feels abrupt and a little forced as a catalyst for crisis resolution. But the actors keep you watching, as do the impeccably controlled visual compositions, striking use of color …