FREEZE FRAMES

A weekly update of film releases

DADDY NOSTALGIA - A woman and her father come to a new and deeper relationship while coping with his impending death. Dirk Bogarde and Jane Birkin give sensitive performances in this good-looking French drama, but Bertrand Tavernier has directed it with the lack of energy that often mars his films. (Rated PG)

MARIA'S STORY - Documentary portrait of a woman guerrilla fighting in El Salvador's civil war. She emerges as a resourceful and courageous individual. Unfortunately, the film itself is extremely shallow, cheerleading for its cause but revealing little of value about the conflict or the issues that underlie it. Directed by Monona Wali and Pamela Cohen. (Not rated)

MORTAL THOUGHTS - A grisly tragedy unfolds in flashbacks as a working-class woman tells the police about the violent death of her best friend's husband. Although the thriller is imaginatively filmed and acted, its story is ultimately as predictable as it is superficial. Directed by Alan Rudolph without the sense of deep-rooted conviction conveyed in his more personal films, such as "Made in Heaven" and "Remember My Name." (Rated R)

WATER AND POWER - Images of the new and old West mingle in this visually dazzling film-poem about the lives and landscapes of Southern California, directed with nonstop ingenuity by Pat O'Neill. (Not rated)