Just when it seemed like the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival was just beginning.

As it turns out, 14 days goes extremely fast, as the sixth annual cinema extravaganza comes to a close Thursday night. It’s been a constantly fascinating, riveting mix of great movies, a few stinkers, some delightful company and a whole lot of Dots.

But let’s not quite start throwing dirt on the festival’s casket quite yet. There still are three days of movies, filled with plenty of great options to offer. Here are some of the best of the rest of the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival.

"In Bloom"

According to the principle of Chekhov’s gun, a pistol introduced at the beginning of a movie needs to go off by the end of it. In the Georgian coming-of-age drama "In Bloom," young teen Natia (a terrific Mariam Bokeria) is gifted a small gun by a concerned suitor. The rest of the film is a quietly dread-filled, intense wait to see when that gun will make its loud, violent and irreversible mark on the story, knocking down the dominoes cleverly assembled by director and co-writer Nana Ekvtimishvili.

Even with the weight of the gun hovering ominously over the proceedings, "In Bloom" is still tells a riveting story about two young girls growing up in a harsh climate –– that’s just as uncertain about its next steps as they are, learning when to fight and when to hold back. Bokeria and her co-star Lika Babluani are captivating young performers, making their friendship and relationships feel natural and lived in. The world of 1992 Georgia is captivatingly brought to the screen, a bleak world with muted colors but mostly shadows and blackness that seem as deep and inescapable as tar. And as for the gun, well, let’s just say the decision is powerful, both quietly and loudly.

"In Bloom" shows Thursday, Oct. 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the Fox Bay Cinema.

"Human Capital"

Paolo Virzi’s Italian financial drama "Human Capital" beat out last year’s mesmerizing and oh-so-appropriately titled "The Great Beauty" at the Italian Golden Globes, proving that no matter the language, the Golden Globes are a bit of a travashamockery.

"Human Capital" may not be that good, but Virzi’s "Rashomon"-like drama, focusing on two families from opposite sides of the tracks clashing together after somebody killed a man in a hit-and-run on a snowy Christmas Eve night, is still a strong effort. The performances across the board are strong, the direction is sharp and crisp, and the story – bounding from financial dramas to romantic dramas to legal dramas – keeps the viewer’s interest throughout.

Virzi’s biggest problem is that film doesn’t quite leave the impact that it hopes it will. Its message – humans are greedy! We only view people through their worth! – isn’t exactly going to explode anyone’s mind other than the most naïve. The script also trips up at the finish, explaining the already quite blunt subtext and copping out of its ending, taking what edge there was out of its social bite. Still, as a cool, calculated dramatic thriller, "Human Capital" more than fits the bill.

"Human Capital" shows on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 9:45 p.m. at the Times Cinema.

"Particle Fever"

Not to offend any of my scientifically inclined friends in the audience … but science isn’t exactly the most riveting of cinematic subjects. That is, unless your movie is "Particle Fever." Mark Levinson’s documentary manages to take a topic that most of us would consider boring lecture fodder – the discovery of the theoretically crucial Higgs boson in 2012 and the five-year anticipation of that groundbreaking feat – and make it riveting.

With the help of Oscar-winning editor Walter Murch, "Particle Fever" weaves together a story that’s both emotionally involving, as well as intellectually – even if you thought the phrase "Higgs boson" was some sort of confused word scramble heading into the theater. The science and ramifications are cleanly and clearly explained, and the long wait is filled with surprising drama and even more surprising humanity and humor.

The scientists note throughout "Particle Fever" that they have a hard time explaining the Higgs boson’s massive importance to investors and lay people since it really has no modern use. It’s wholly theoretical in importance. It means nothing, but at the same time everything. And somehow, the documentary could not get the audience more interested in its quest for the most important nothing of our time. 

"Particle Fever" has one more showing on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre.

"The Expedition to the End of the World"

Most nature documentaries feel pretty much the same: a little bit of preaching here, some gorgeous views of nature at its best and worst there. Toss in a little bit of humanizing the scientist or environmental crusader at the center, and you’ve probably earned yourself an Oscar nomination. "An Expedition to the End of the World," however, is an exhilaratingly far step away from those cautionary doc tales.

Daniel Dencik’s film follows a motley crew of oddball characters, all bundled together on a rickety old school rig to explore parts of Greenland undiscovered until now thanks to the melting ice (the title has a clever double meaning: It’s a trip to the furthest reaches of the world, as well as a deathly land of natural rubble). Instead of preaching about the destroyed landscape, Dencik uses the trip to let his amusing characters – one has a flying boat; another almost blasts his own head off tripping up a hill – banter philosophies back and forth, discussing man’s role with nature and vice versa.

Should we be concerned about the dangers of global warming? Or is it just another hurdle for the ever-adaptable human species to take on? None of the questions are truly answered, but all of them are fascinating – especially given Dencik’s droll Herzogian sense of humor about things (and penchant for blaring hard rock) and his gorgeous eye that captures the end of the world in all of its beautiful and ominous wonder. It’s an environment doc that feels more like enviro-tainment.

"The Expedition to the End of the World" has one more showing on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre.

"1,000 Times Good Night"

If you put me in the spot and asked me what my favorite movie of the Milwaukee Film Festival was this year, I’d probably say the breathless "Man with a Movie Camera." Then again, saying that is like saying your favorite album of the year is the "Exile on Main Street" because you finally listened to it again this year; it feels like cheating. So the actual answer to the question would be Erik Poppe’s immensely powerful "1,000 Times Good Night."

The always wonderful Juliette Binoche stars as Rebecca, a conflict photographer struggling to balance her concerned family – especially her husband, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau of "Game of Thrones" – and her addiction for the job after almost dying in a suicide bomb attack. Even though she’s a little lost at home, she wants to be there for her family, but at the same time, she craves the adrenaline of her job – and, most significantly for her, the importance of bringing the often harsh, brutal images from conflicts to the attention of the rest of the world. Her photos can make a difference in the world, but is it worth the cost of her family?

Poppe isn’t quite as brave when it comes to showing audiences the harsh reality of some of these conflicts, but he rarely pulls any punches when it comes to the hard decisions in the life of a war photographer. From a tense opening following a suicide bomber to a sequence in Kenya that goes predictably haywire, she’s always on trial. Binoche is such a good actress that the audience is with her the whole way, even when her choices are enraging – and it’s a guarantee that she will infuriate you at one point. We feel for her, attempting to juggle two massive responsibilities at the risk of destroying herself.

The script is sometimes a bit on stiff or blunt side, but "1,000 Times Good Night" is the rare movie that even when it messes up, it works in its favor. When it seems to cop out of a good ending for something a bit cuddlier, the ensuing speech is so beautifully worded and emotionally delivered that I had to forgive the movie.

In a time with harrowing headlines about murdered journalists and ISIS, Poppe’s film is a honest, moving tribute to the people who risk everything to show the world what we need to see. 

"1,000 Times Good Night" has one more showing Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 1:30 p.m. at the Fox Bay Cinema.