Four actresses — Diane Lane, Sophia Loren, Eva Green and Marta Nieto — deliver awards-worthy performances and dominate this week’s streaming movie picks. Here’s a look.

“Let Him Go”: Superb acting and complex characters prop up this flawed and intense thriller that loses its way with an absurdly violent third act. Still, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner make screen magic as devoted ‘60s-era Montana grandparents, both rubbed raw by grief at the loss of their beloved son killed in a freak accident. That mourning period ends when their former daughter-in-law hitches up with an abusive jerk who — in the middle of the night — skedaddles with wife and stepson to his homestead and family of misfits in North Dakota.

The first half of writer/director Thomas Bezucha’s adaptation of the Larry Watson novel is terrific. Lane and Costner are natural as wife and husband, giving lived-in performances that are blanketed in comfortable and knowing glances. And then there’s Blanche, the big, bad bleach-haired North Dakota matriarch (the wonderfully wicked Lesley Manville), who’s so cruel, even the pork chops she cooks look mean. Alas, “Let Him Go” eventually tumbles into cheesy revenge flick territory, which strips the mostly well-made film of its power. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters Nov. 6.

“The Life Ahead”: After a decade’s absence, Sophia Loren returns to the screen and is just as mesmerizing as ever as Madama Rosa, a Holocaust survivor who provides shelter for children of local prostitutes. She soon finds herself saddled with a street-tough, 12-year-old Senegalese orphan who snatched her purse. The 86-year-old Loren is a joy to watch, giving an understated but vibrant performance.

Directed with delicacy by Loren’s son Edoardo Ponti, who also co-wrote this adaptation of Romain Gary’s novel “The Life Before Us,” the Netflix drama avoids getting saccharine by offering an authentic slice of life in an Italian port city, as well as an unlikely pair who are outwardly tough but come to understand how damaged they are. Loren will probably — and justly — net another Oscar nomination, but equally deserving is Ibrahima Gueye as Momo — the pint-sized drug runner. Details: 3 stars; screens Nov. 6-8 at Smith Rafael Film Center (on Nov. 6, a pre-recorded Loren tribute shown during the Mill Valley Film Festival will also be screened); available on Netflix Nov. 13.

“Madre”: Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s gripping psychological drama is an extension of his 2017 Oscar-nominated short film. He essentially plugs in that film as the opening sequence here, in which Elena (Marta Nieto, in an unforgettable performance) gets a call from her scared son who’s lost on a beach and can’t find his father or pinpoint his location. “Madre” catapults to 10 years later with Elena living near a beach. One day, she spots a gregarious teen surfboarder Jean (Jules Porier) who she thinks might just be her son. What ensues is unpredictable, moving and shocking as Elena grows closer to the boy and apart from her lover (Alex Brendemühl). The result is a head trip in the best way imaginable. Details: 3½ stars; available as part of the Virtual Cinema series at participating Rialto Cinemas (include the Elmwood and El Cerrito).

“Proxima”:  A French astronaut (Eva Green) comes to realize her childhood dream when she’s selected for a space mission. But reality sets in as Sarah encounters widespread sexism, mostly from a hot-shot astronaut played by Matt Dillon. She must also adjust to being absent from her 7-year-old daughter Stella (Zélie Boulant-Lemesle). Alice Winocour’s inspiring drama orbits similar terrain as the overdone Hilary Swank Netflix series “Away,” but handles everything better. Details: 3½ stars; streaming on various platforms.

“Love in Dangerous Times”: Jon Garcia has come up with a winning dramedy about making a love connection during a lockdown. A bored and unproductive Portland playwright (Ian Stout) Zoom-meets the smart, funny and lonely Sorrell (Tiffany Groben) and the immediately click. Garcia’s feature makes the most of this confined-quarters relationship, and somehow fashions a Zoom sleeping date into one of the most endearing romantic scenes of 2020. If you need to lift your spirits, start here. Details: 3 stars; streaming on multiple platforms.

“His House”: A horror movie centered on the global refugee crisis sounds like it could get heavy-handed. But Remi Weekes pays equal attention to the frights and social commentary, allowing him and screenwriter Aidan Elliott to deliver a unique story. At the heart of this are South Sudanese refugees (Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu) who land in a squalid British apartment that’s pulsating with paranormal activity. Elliott’s nimble screenplay doles out surprises that are as credible as they are disturbing. Details: 3½ stars; available now on Netflix.

“Possessor”: Writer/director Brandon Cronenberg (yup, son of David) messes with your mind in this gory dystopian thriller in which a person’s body can be inhabited by the mind of another. Andrea Riseborough stars as a assassin working for a corporation that specializes in rubbing out CEOs. Christopher Abbott co-stars and continues to establish himself as one of our most underrated contemporary actors, playing a less-than-ambitious son-in-law to a powerful, gruff entrepreneur (Sean Bean), the assassin’s next target. It’s a disturbing head trip that is as savage as it is thought provoking. It’s also expertly made. Details: 3½ stars; streaming on multiple platforms.

“Blood Vessel”: Decent acting aside, Justin Nix’s Nazi-themed horror voyage is a generic look  at batch of disagreeable folks who are stuck on a lifeboat and board an apparently empty ship thinking they’ve found safety. But down below are a slew of dead bodies and caskets with something ominous itchin’ to crawl out. This one should have been mothballed. Details: 1½  stars; available Nov. 5 on Shudder.

“Kindred”: In 1998, Jessica Lange and Gwyneth Paltrow chewed up the scenery in “Hush.” Lange played a Southern mother and Paltrow her pregnant daughter in-law, as they tussled over possession of an unborn child. It was atrocious in every way. Joe Marcantonio takes a similar plot and makes it memorable, more believable and less hysterical. When Charlotte (Tamara Lawrance) loses her boyfriend (Edward Holcroft), his unhinged family — including a domineering momma (the grand Fiona Shaw) and a milquetoast brother (Jack Lowden) — hole Charlotte up in a deteriorating Scottish estate. Never played too broadly, the screenplay questions the sanity of all involved. It gets under your skin, even if it’s hardly original. Details: 3 stars; plays in select theaters and is available available to stream Nov. 6.