Building tension and undercutting narrative expectations one gorgeously composed landscape at a time, Belgian auteur Joachim Lafosse’s (After Love; Our Children) supremely intelligent drama derives its power from a perfect trifecta encompassing excellent performances, sure-handed direction, and a near-perfect script. Fortyish Sybille (Virginie Efira), a largely absent mother to her ornery 19-year-old son Samuel (Kacey Mottet-Klein), seeks to mend fences by leading the young man on a horseback trek through the alternately lush and lunar-like steppes of Kyrgyzstan, a voyage the angry Samuel — who has already spent time in a correctional institute — sees as a waste of time. To be successful, a scenario like this relies on superior acting from its leads, and Lafosse elicits nuanced and entrancing performances from both Efira and Motte-Klein. The conflicted mother and the damaged son are complex and wholly believable. Kudos, too, to Lafosse’s regular cinematographer, Jean-François Hensgens, whose glorious images perfectly capture the stunning — and occasionally dangerous — landscapes.