The Ten Best Films of 2014: #8

#8


Kelly Reichardt's knowing and suspenseful "Night Moves" stars Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning and Peter Sarsgaard as environmental activists who plot to blow up a hydroelectric dam in Oregon. There's no substitute for confidence, and no surer sign of confidence than quietude: allowing scenes to play out organically, without succumbing to the impulse to fill silences with unnecessary dialogue. Slowly and subtly, Reichardt and her cast reveal the permanent collateral damage from an act of youthful idealism.