VOD critics’ picks, January 12–18, 2012

1. Tuesday, After Christmas
Dir. Radu Muntean. 2010. N/R. 99mins. In Romanian with subtitles. Dragos Bucur, Maria Popistasu, Mirela Oprisor.
This Romanian drama addresses the inherent paradox of adultery: The philandering husband is conscious of the damage he’s inflicting on his family, yet he continues. Every cut feels precisely judged. Available on fandor.com and Netflix Watch Instantly.

2. Contagion
Dir. Steven Soderbergh. 2011. PG-13. 105mins. Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Jennifer Ehle.
Soderbergh’s thriller is the most plausible epidemic movie ever made, largely because the director, catering to compulsives and germaphobes, lets the crisis play out at levels of bureaucracy few filmmakers would feel confident putting onscreen. Available on demand widely.

3. Higher Ground
Dir. Vera Farmiga. 2011. R. 109mins. Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Dagmara Dominczyk, Donna Murphy, John Hawkes, Nina Arianda, Taissa Farmiga.
For her directorial debut, Farmiga hands herself the plum part of a born-again Christian weathering a crisis of faith. The film is an unusually candid and sensitive depiction of religious struggle. Available on demand widely.