Loot

An extremely impressive debut, Darius Marder’s documentary follows amateur treasure hunter Lance Larson as he befriends two elderly veterans who hid loot in Austria and the Philippines, respectively, during WWII. They soon find themselves on a quest not for riches, surprisingly, but for catharsis: Unforeseen connections spring up, long-buried issues are uncovered, and confrontations lead to acceptance and, finally, forgiveness. It’s a gut-wrenching yet redemptive tale of fathers, sons and the horrors of war, which Marder allows to unfold with minimal intrusion or manipulation.