So far I have seen six films at the Chicago International Film Festival and have four more to see before the festival closes on Sunday. My one disappointment is that I likely will not have an opportunity to catch “Resurrection,” a highly acclaimed Chinese film. I believe the film has been picked up by Janus Films, so it might receive a Chicago theatrical release sometime in December or January and will likely appear on the Criterion Channel shortly thereafter. Because China did not submit it as their official Best International Film nominee at the Oscars this year, it will not be part of what’s shaping up to be an all-time competitive contest in that category.

Of the six films I’ve seen, I would only rate the Italian film “La Gracia” a disappointment. It’s an unsually slow, contemplative film by Paolo Sorrentino, who is known for in-your-face, fast paced movies, very often with quite a bit of sex. This one, about an about-to-retire Italian President facing some moral choices, could have been an email. There’s not much to the story, no great insights about politics within it, and while it features some nice performances, I’m not likely to revisit it.

I’m more supportive of Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi’s eco epic “Silent Friend,” even if it doesn’t quite come together as well as her brilliant romantic film “On Body and Soul.” It’s a complex movie, with three main story lines in the 1900s, the 1970s and 2020. It’s also filled with quite a bit of research on neuroscience and plant communication, uses three different film styles for the eras, incorporates actors speaking German, English and Cantonese … it’s a lot to take in, and probably worth at least one more viewing to see if some of my theories about the personal relations hold up.

That takes me to the four outstanding films I’ve seen at the festival — so good that it’s impossible for me to definitively claim that one stands above the rest, so I’ll mention them in the order I’ve seen them.

Cannes Palme d’Or winner “It Was Just an Accident” is a surprisingly funny and nimble look at a harrowing subject. A family car breaks down. The father takes the car to get repaired — and while at the shop, it’s owner believes he recognizes him … is it the man who tortured him and other political dissidents in Iran? A kidnapping ensues, followed by an amusing cast of characters joining the “is this the guy?” process of discovering the identity and figuring out what they should do with him. Ultimately, it’s a movie about coming to terms with the past and reconciliation, but it ends with a chilling, inconclusive final scene.

Speaking of unusual endings, the brilliant Brazilian thriller “The Secret Agent” is just as funny and intense as the Iranian film — they both seem inspired by “Fargo,” in a sense. I had never seen a film by Kieber Medonca Filho before this one, but he’s made a bunch, including the highly acclaimed “Aquarius” and “Bacurau,” so I have some catching up to do. The movie is very intricate and takes its time weaving its various threads together. Overhearing some fellow festival goers talk about it, some believed that the movie is too long and the ending too open ended … I don’t believe this is the case at all, I think every subplot is essential and the movie’s last scene isn’t nearly as inconclusive as it might appear to be to an inattentive viewer.

Of all the international films released this year, Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” the runner-up at Cannes, is considered the most likely to be in the Best Picture race. It’s hard to describe this movie by just telling plot. I think of it this way — imagine Chekhov’s plays as a basketball, one that Strindberg picks up … eventually, that ball finds its way to Ingmar Bergman … Woody Allen steals it for his “serious” movies like “interiors” or “Hannah and Her Sisters,” Wes Anderson puts his own spin on it all with “The Royal Tennenbaums.” Through all this motion, the bones of the story remain and more humor drops in, but the emotion of Chekhov has been lost. Well, with this movie, Trier picks up the ball and somehow rediscovers Chekhov’s heart while retaining the humor.

Finally, there’s “Left-Handed Girl” the first feature film by Shih-Ching Tsau, a longtime collaborator of Sean Baker. In many respects, this feels like a Baker film and he did co-write and edit the film. It has his signature focus on working class families, except here they are in Taipei, not the U.S. It’s a story mostly about the women in a family, the hard work they have to perform just to stay afloat, their relationships, generational challenges … but it’s also just really funny, warm, surprising. In many ways, I think this movie is superior to Baker’s “Anora,” which won him four Oscars last year. This movie is unlikely to repeat that feat, but over time, I think it will be appreciated for its subtle insights on human resiliency.

So, there are only three days left in the festival, but I have four films to go. Tomorrow, there’s “No Other Choice,” the latest film by Korean master Park Chan-wook that won the audience choice award at the Toronto Film Festival. And on Sunday, I close it out with a triple feature: “Sirat” a Spanish film that has already won the grand prize at this festival (many of the most acclaimed films were not in this competition, including all six I mentioned earlier), “The Voice of Hinj Rajab,” a Tunisian film that won the Venice Film Festival, and Richard Linklater’s filmed-in-French tribute to Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave “Nouvelle Vague.”

Should be a fun weekend.