In his follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Squid and the Whale, writer/director Noah Baumbach stays close to home, focusing on the sometimes disturbing, sometimes darkly funny foibles of a highly dysfunctional family. Nicole Kidman is Margo, a writer who heads to the Hamptons with her teenage son (Zane Pais) to attend the marriage of her sister Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Baumbach’s wife) to unemployed Malcolm (Jack Black). The trip turns out to be anything but pleasurable for all concerned, as skeletons from the closet are revealed, weird neighbors threaten the wedding party, and the two men in Margot’s life (John Turturro and Ciaran Hinds) arrive on the scene. Even darker than Baumbach’s previous film, Margot is a genuine curio, an often unpleasant experience that remains troubling yet fascinating throughout.

Shelf Talk: Margot barely got out of the arthouse arena during its theatrical run, but the presence of a dark-haired Kidman and Black (in a mostly serious role) will alert DVD audiences of the title, as will Black’s star turn in the new film Be Kind, Rewind. Margot did have a fairly high profile upon release, playing at prominent festivals, and Baumbach has been developing a growing following for years.