This Week In Trailers: The Bouncer, The Changeover, Beats, Two For Joy, Transit

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they're seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising?

This week we catch up with JCVD, watch a story about fascism that fits in quite well with today's climate, get supernatural in New Zealand, beat up the beat in Scotland, and spend time with family.

Director Christian Petzold has made something that feels historical in nature and timely. The trailer for his latest might share elements of the past, but it's incredibly prescient when you compare it to today's political climate.

As fascism spreads, German refugee Georg (Franz Rogowski) flees to Marseille and assumes the identity of the dead writer whose transit papers he is carrying. Living among refugees from around the world, Georg falls for Marie (Paula Beer), a mysterious woman searching for her husband–the man whose identity he has stolen. Adapted from Anna Segher's 1942 novel, TRANSIT transposes the original story to the present, blurring periods to create a timeless exploration of the plight of displaced people.

When it comes to dealing with those who are trying to flee horrible situations it can be tough to illustrate that plight against a backdrop that is, literally, foreign. What this trailer does is elegantly meld the narrative around something straightforward while ballasting the rest on the critical acclaim it has received. Wonderful.

The trailer for director Tom Beard's debut feature is rough viewing. The story itself is basic, as it grapples with the loss of a family member, but the makes it a standout. Samantha Morton and Billie Piper both shape the tone of this trailer where it is not about the struggle but how these characters inhabit that struggle. There is hope, there is pain, but in this small film about loss, it manages to amplify that feeling exceptionally well.

Directors Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt might have an other-worldly tale to spin, but the talent that's channeling it is top shelf. Timothy Spall, Melanie Lynsksey, and Lucy Lawless help to make an otherwise weird concept come alive.

Sixteen year-old Laura Chant (Erana James) lives with her mother and four-year-old brother Jacko (Benji Purchase) in a poor new suburb on the edge of a partially demolished Christchurch, New Zealand. Laura is drawn into a supernatural battle with an ancient spirit who attacks Jacko and slowly drains the life out of him as the spirit becomes ever younger. Laura discovers her true identity and the supernatural ability within her, and must harness it to save her brother's life.

This feels like a flick you would put on if you were in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary. It shares some elements of YA sci-fi, so this has an audience it's aiming at, but there's enough meat on this narrative bone to make this something that could be worth looking into deeper.

Much praise to director Julien Leclercq who is keeping the JCVD legend alive. I spent way too much of my grocery store bagging cash on Jean-Claude joints that I'm sure if we adjusted for inflation, I easily spent a small fortune on rental fees. This knows what it is and it embraces it. It leans into it, and the trailer is just a super-cut of all the cheesy goodness you're going to get. Keep your expectations low, and I'm confident this one will reward you handsomely.

Director Brian Welsh, who received a BAFTA for his work on 2014's Glasgow Girls, must have done something to catch the eye of Steven Soderbergh. Soderbergh executive produced Welsh's latest effort which, even as an extended clip, plays wonderfully as a nice teaser for a movie that hopefully won't go unnoticed. It's a small story, but one that feels cozy enough to sidle up to and enjoy based on what's here.

Two best friends in a small Scottish town in the summer of '94 who head out for one last night together before life takes them in different directions. Going to an illegal rave, the boys journey into an underworld of anarchy, freedom and collision with the law as they share a night that they will never forget.

The mood, the use of black and white, the sense of the time and place, it all wonderfully mixes on the screen here in a pastiche of nostalgia and excitement.

Nota bene: If you have any suggestions of trailers for possible inclusion in this column, even have a trailer of your own to pitch, please let me know by sending me a note at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com or look me up via Twitter at @Stipp

In case you missed them, here are the other trailers we covered at /Film this week: