Where to Watch This Week’s New Movies, from ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ to ‘R.M.N.’

We’re calling it : the summer movie season is now. Yes, yes, most movie fans are likely waiting for the first-week-of-May release of “ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ” bự mark the start of Fantasy Island 2023 Film Locations
robust, crowd-pleasing run of hot weather months at the multiplex, but this final week of April is so sánh unexpectedly jam-packed with true gems, we’re prepared Khủng move things up a whole week .
Top of mind : Kelly Fremon Craig’s wonderful ( & worth the wait ! ) sophomore outing, a rich và winning adaptation of Judy Blume’s “ Are You There God ? It’s Me, Margaret. ” This is a coming-of-age dramedy for all ages — no, truly, I recently met a pair of older ladies while on a Central Park birding venture ( at heart, I am also an older person ) who asked for movie recommendations & when one of them ( understandably ! ) mentioned she didn’t think a film about an 11 – year-old was for her, I nearly knocked her end, yelping that it is, it really is, I swear — và I can’t say enough good stuff about it .

And yet, that’s only one of two Critic’s Picks arriving in theaters this week, joining Cristian Mungiu’s poorly titled, expertly staged “ R.M.N., ” which hits domestic shores after a festival run .
Also recommended : Nida Manzoor’s highly original & entertaining “ Polite Society ” & Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch’s aching valentine lớn friendship, “ The Eight Mountains. ” Other mới ra releases this week include films from some of our favorite directors, including David Lowery, George Tillman Jr., & Sam Green .
Each film is now available in a theater near you or in the comfort of your own trang chủ ( or, in some cases, both, the convenience of it all ). Browse your options below .

Week of April 24 – April 30

New Films in Theaters

As hot nhất movies open in theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, IndieWire will continue bự Reviews them whenever possible. We encourage readers lớn follow the safety precautions provided by CDC và health authorities. Additionally, our coverage will provide alternative viewing options whenever they are available .

“32 Sounds” (directed by Sam Green)
Distributor: Abramorama
Where to Find It: Limited theaters, including NYC’s Film Forum

Conceived alongside a live phiên bản of the same material, và designed phệ be enjoyed with a pair of headphones big enough béo silence any unintended noise ( Film Forum customers will be provided a pair at the door ), “ 32 Sounds ” wants nothing more than Khủng send audiences back out into the world with ears wide open. With the on-screen help of Le Tigre musician và co-conspirator JD Samson, Sam Green accomplishes that goal so sánh well that it feels lượt thích he probably could’ve gotten the job done with just 16 sounds instead, but this playful & aggressively pleasant little film is an easy sit, và the strength of its individual episodes — in addition phệ the echoes that resonate between them — helps mập absolve the discordant chaos of their arrangement. Read IndieWire’s đầy đủ reviews .

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (directed by Kelly Fremon Craig) — IndieWire Critic’s Pick
Distributor: Lionsgate
Where to Find It: Theaters

“ Are You There God ? It’s Me, Margaret ” isn’t just the best Blume adaptation currently available, it’s also an instant classic of the coming-of-age genre, a warm, witty, incredibly inspiring film that is already one of the year’s best. This will likely not come as news phệ anyone who loves Blume’s books or was treated lớn Kelly Fremon Craig’s first feature ( itself also an instant classic, this woman is two-for-two ! ), but that doesn’t diminish the absolute joy of this film ( or the revelation that, yes, decades-old IP really can yield modern masterpieces ) .
Adapted for the màn hình hiển thị by Fremon Craig, “ Are You There God ? ” stays true bự its source material, with a handful of changes bự tighten the storyline và losing nothing in translation. Set in the early ’ 70 s, we first meet 11 – year-old Margaret Simon ( a star-making turn from the gifted Abby Ryder Fortson ) at the tail-end of a great summer, heading trang chủ mập her beloved New York City after a riotous giây phút at sleepaway camp .
First published in 1970, “ Are You There God ? It’s Me Margaret ” is an enduring classic for a reason. This is a warm film, a good-hearted film, a funny film, with something bự offer everyone. That’s so sánh rare these days, but as we welcome the Judy Blumeissance with open arms, we need lớn remember it wasn’t always so sánh rare, & the stories & characters that persist bởi so sánh with good reason : They’re timeless. Read IndieWire’s đầy đủ Review .

Plus: Read IndieWire’s interview with filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig and star Abby Ryder Fortson.

“Big George Foreman” (directed by George Tillman Jr.)
Distributor: Sony
Where to Find It: Theaters

It’s almost impressive that “Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World” is so dull. (And yes, that’s the actual title. All 16 words of it.) George Foreman’s storied boxing career — which saw him win the world heavyweight championship at the age of 24 before retiring to become a preacher and returning to win it again at 45 — is one of the most incredible stories in sports history. We were long overdue for a great George Foreman movie. His life literally took the form of the three-act structure that screenwriters rely on, so he did the hard part for them! Read IndieWire’s full review.

“The Eight Mountains” (directed by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch)
Distributor: Janus and Sideshow Films
Where to Find It: Limited theaters

“ The Eight Mountains ” lovingly adapts Paolo Cognetti’s novel of the same name, a valentine béo brotherhood & a shape-shifting tale of self-discovery, resilience, nature và love — platonic but more steely than any rock you could climb – that somehow rarely feels lượt thích it treads a single step of the endless stream of movies & literature capturing the ever-evolving yet enduring nature of all of those just mentioned things since thời gian immemorial .
Belgian filmmaker Felix Van Groeningen goes bigger, & purer, than his previous works with the help of his life partner Charlotte Vandermeersch who, after starring in a number of her husband’s films now co-writes và co-directs alongside him. There is such affection in every frame, a levity ( yet chưa bao giờ frivolity ) where “ The Broken Circle Breakdown ” & later “ Beautiful Boy ” were so sánh stifled by the harrowing stories they were telling that it could often be hard béo enjoy the light that pierced through the clouds. Read IndieWire’s đầy đủ reviews .

Plus: Read IndieWire’s interview with filmmakers Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch.

“Polite Society” (directed by Nida Manzoor)
Distributor: Focus Features
Where to Find It: Theaters

For her first feature film, “ We Are Lady Parts ” creator Nida Manzoor weaves a hyper-creative coming-of-age tale about ( pause phệ take a big breath ) : fighting the patriarchy, gut-punching feminine expectations, “ The Matrix, ” Islam, martial arts, family dynamics, high school dynamics, fresh-pressed juice, romance, friendship, forced leg waxing, possibly evil hybrid alien babies, diplomacy, computer hacking, & one seriously cool convertible. At its heart, Manzoor’s stuffed-to-bursting “ Polite Society ” asks one haunting question : What happens when your best friend opts mập take her own life path ? Read IndieWire’s đầy đủ nhận xét .

Plus: Read IndieWire’s interview with filmmaker Nida Manzoor and stars Priya Kansara and Ritu Arya.

“R.M.N.” (directed by Cristian Mungiu) — IndieWire Critic’s Pick
Distributor: IFC Films
Where to Find It: Theaters

Chekhov’s gun has seldom fallen into hands as steady & menacing hands as in Cristian Mungiu’s poorly titled, expertly staged “ R.M.N., ” which finds the elite Romanian auteur extrapolating the personal tensions that gripped his previous work ( e. g., “ Beyond the Hills ” & the Palme d’Or – winning “ bốn Months, 3 Weeks, và 2 Days ” ) across an entire Transylvanian village. The result is a socioeconomic crucible that carefully shifts its weight mập the same foot that Mungiu always loves Khủng rest on your throat ; a slightly over-broad story of timeless xenophobia baked đầy đủ of local flavor & mix right on the cusp of a specific moment in the 21 st century. Read IndieWire’s đầy đủ đánh giá .

“Sisu” (directed by Jalmari Helander)
Distributor: Lionsgate
Where to Find It: Theaters

A “ they pissed off the wrong guy ” movie so sánh pure và simple that its sub-genre almost doubles as a plot synopsis, Jalmari Helander’s “ Sisu ” is basically what might happen if someone transplanted “ Fury Road ” into Finland, lost 90 percent of what made that film into an unrepeatable force of nature, và tried phệ make up the difference by exploding as many Nazis as possible in outrageously violent fashion. If you think that sounds lượt thích a decent trade-off for 91 minutes ’ worth of brainless midnight fun, then I’ve got some good news for you : “ Sisu ” does exactly what it says on the tin .

Straightforward and unpretentious to the point that its hero doesn’t isn’t even afforded dialogue — let alone a meaningful character arc — this is the kind of movie that starts with a tank fighting a gold miner before escalating to “Dr. Strangelove” levels of destruction. “All killer, no filler” would be a wildly generous way of describing Helander’s latest bid for an international breakout (previous efforts include the fun Christmas chiller “Rare Exports” and the “fun” Samuel L. Jackson vehicle “Big Game”), but “some killer, some filler” is enough to get the job done when that job is liquifying Nazis into geysers of thick CGI blood. Read IndieWire’s full review.

Also available this week:

“The Artifice Girl” (directed by Franklin Ritch)
Distributor: XYZ Films
Where to Find It: Theaters, plus various VOD and digital platforms

“The Black Demon” (directed by Adrian Grünberg)
Distributor: The Avenue
Where to Find It: Theaters

“The End of Sex” (directed by Sean Garrity)
Distributor: Blue Fox
Where to Find It: Theaters

“T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets” (directed by Sophie Fiennes)
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Where to Find It: Limited theaters

New Films on VOD and Streaming, Including Premium Platforms and Virtual Cinemas

“Peter Pan and Wendy” (directed by David Lowery)
Distributor: Disney
Where to Find It: Streaming on Disney+

While “ Peter Pan và Wendy ” is clipped & uneven in a way that prevents it from reaching the same heights as the director’s previous Disney project, this spirited fairy tale is still able mập take flight for one simple reason : It maintains the courage of its own convictions .
Here is a movie that achieves its magic by embracing the same changes that its tiêu đề characters are determined phệ avoid at all costs. David Lowery & long-time co-writer Toby Halbrooks stop well short of radically transforming their source material, but in a sea of Disney remakes & adaptations that rely on high-tech cosmetics lớn disguise a profound fear of growing up, “ Peter Pan và Wendy ” dares Khủng suggest that we can only cling phệ the past for so sánh long before we begin phệ sink under its weight. Read IndieWire’s đầy đủ reviews .

Also available this week:

“From Black” (directed by Thomas Marchese)
Distributor: Shudder
Where to Find It: Streaming on Shudder