As the multiplexes march out one expensive sensory assault after another, the Little appears to be taking the "If you can't beat ‘em, ignore ‘em" approach. The venerable downtown institution recently kicked off an ambitious initiative known as "Arthouse Summer," which takes the Little beyond mere film exhibition to include author readings, a picnic, and even a drag night in the café. But of course the Little's main concern has always been movies; one of their more interesting programs this summer, "From Britain with Love," assembles some of the mother country's brightest talents for our colonial viewing pleasure. Read on for a peek at a few of them...

Someday governments will figure out a way to solve differences without insisting that their otherwise peaceful citizens kill each other to determine who's right. Until then, those fortunate enough to get back home must try to resume normalcy with their minds still clouded by the fog of war. That's the basis of Brian Welch's flawed but tense drama "In Our Name" (June 23), in which Suzy (Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey") returns from her tour in Iraq to family life in Middlesbrough. Her young daughter won't speak to her, while her insensitive husband, Mark (Mel Raido), himself a former soldier, pesters her for sex. An incident with an Iraqi child causes Suzy to slowly unravel, her guilt manifesting in the manic overprotection of her daughter. "In Our Name" is almost derailed by the pivotal character of Mark, written without nuance or any helpful insight. It's the brave Froggatt who makes this worthwhile, conveying the pain and loneliness of her all-too-common situation.

Only a complete jerk would slam a charmingly resonant film like "Africa United" (June 30), which nonetheless uses a very heavy hand to cram nearly every horror facing African life - the ravages of AIDS, children in combat, genocide, young sex workers, big cats - into a lighthearted narrative about three Rwandan kids determined to get to the World Cup in South Africa. Spurred on by the encouragement of a FIFA scout, the fast-talking Dudu (a charismatic Eriya Ndayambaje) convinces his best friend and soccer prodigy Fabrice (Roger Nsengiyumva) to make the trip, along with Dudu's bookish little sister Beatrice (the sweetly serene Sanyu Joanita Kintu). With echoes of "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Wizard of Oz," the trio journeys more than 3000 miles and across seven countries, scooping up other kids hoping to rise above their current lots. Director Debs Gardner-Paterson even finds a way to incorporate some wonderful stop-motion animation, as Dudu entertains his followers with a colorful folk tale that mirrors their adventure.

A sort of English "Big Chill" where the guest of honor is still fighting for his life, Hattie Dalton's "Third Star" (July 7) features the very Britishly named Benedict Cumberbatch, a/k/a the small screen's most recent Sherlock Holmes, as 29-year-old James, who wishes to visit Barafundle Bay in Wales one last time, before his end-stage cancer prevails. So he and his three closest mates take off, and before long we've learned the particulars about the various interrelationships within the group, especially the rifts and resentments that bubble up again thanks to a blend of fatigue, beer, and drugs, prescribed and otherwise. JJ Feild enjoys a juicy turn as the selfish Miles, James' estranged best friend, while Cumberbatch's startling blue eyes help to give him a preliminarily angelic presence. But what sets this apart from the other dramas that use terminal illness as an excuse for maudlin catharsis (which this does) is the gutsy, unexpected ending.

If you've seen any of Peter Mullan's intense performances in films like "My Name is Joe," "The Claim," or the recent (and excellent) "Red Riding" trilogy, then it shouldn't be any surprise that behind the camera he packs a similarly vicious punch. His third feature as writer-director is the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age drama "NEDS" (July 21), or "Non-Educated Delinquents," though that doesn't seem to be where the bright John McGill (Connor McCarron, in a formidable debut) is headed when the film opens. But through a perfect storm of circumstance, including his alcoholic father, his psychopathic brother, and his rough-and-tumble Glasgow neighborhood of the early 70's, John adopts a violent new thug-life attitude and embraces the respect that comes with it. The porridge-thick accents warrant the phonetically authentic subtitles, but the reading should in no way distract from the powerful images on the screen, their unflinching impact putting Mullan in a league with the best UK miserablists like Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, and Shane Meadows.

From Britain with Love Series

Through July 28, at Little Theatre