'A Quiet Passion,' 'The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki' and more critics' picks, April 21

Frantz Beautifully shot in black and white with the occasional warm burst of color, French writer-director François Ozon's intricately layered post-World War I drama puts a feminist spin on Ernst Lubitsch's 1932 antiwar film "Broken Lullaby." Graduation A film of gripping moral suspense from the writer-director Cristian Mungiu, this tough, clear-eyed and humane movie follows a father (Adrien Titieni) who will do anything to help his daughter (Maria Dragus) escape post-Ceausescu Romania. The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki A lovely piece of work from Finland, a sweet, warmly observed tale about a boxer falling in love before his biggest bout overlaid with just the right amount of Scandinavian melancholy. I Am Not Your Negro As directed by the gifted Raoul Peck, this documentary on James Baldwin uses the entire spectrum of movie effects, not only spoken language but also sound, music, editing and all manner of visuals, to create a cinematic essay that is powerful and painfully relevant. La La Land Starring a well-paired Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, writer-director Damien Chazelle's tuneful tribute to classic movie musicals is often stronger in concept than execution, but it's lovely and transporting all the same.