As spring hits us well and truly, we celebrate nuance and intricacy in film like a breath of fresh air into this season’s cinema. Here’s our pick of the best of April’s releases.
Clouds of Sils Maria
Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz form a trio of powerful performances in this tense, introspective drama by French filmmaker Olivier Assayas. An established actress (Binoche) is confronted with an unsettling reflection of herself when she agrees to take part in a revival of the play that launched her career 20 years earlier.
Hungry Hearts
Spotlighted at Tribeca Film Festival, Hungry Hearts starts off with a touching romantic encounter in New York City but quickly descends into a chilling escalation of a mother’s paranoia and obsession with her child. Adam Driver and Alba Rohrwacher deliver a haunting portrait of the complex nature of motherhood and family bonds.
Alex of Venice
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Alex, an overworked environmental attorney coming to grips with the realisation that she is not in total control of her life, when her husband takes a break from the family. Chris Messina’s directorial debut is a genuine, nuanced character study with heartwarming performances.
Montage of Heck
A raw and unflinching documentary on Kurt Cobain’s life from childhood to his early death in 1994, Montage of Heck powerfully blends video footage, soundbites and animation into a touching poignant for the man behind the myth. With unseen footage and sound, the film presents an abundance of material while restraining from any judgement.
While We’re Young
Josh and Cornelia (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) are a forty-something married couple living in Manhattan who, in a bout of middle-age crisis, gravitate to a young hipster couple (Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried) in an effort to feel younger. Funny and touching, While We’re Young manages to avoid stereotype in its delivery of a considered exploration of what it means to age.
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In photos: Black Texas life since emancipation
Kinship & Community — A new photobook and exhibition showcases the rich culture, history and community of African American folks in the Lone Star State, whose existence in the region predates colonial Britain.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Youthful joy & end-of-era poignancy at a London school prom
Leavers — For several years, Lewis Khan documented young people as they celebrated the last of their school days and the completion of their exams. The series is now collated in a new self-published photobook and short film.
Written by: Zoe Whitfield
Harry Gruyaert’s vintage, kaleidoscopic scenes of New York
A Sense of Place — For 50 years, the Belgian photographer and Magnum Photos member has been capturing NYC’s colourful chaos. A new photobook and exhibition showcase his unique, technicolour view of the city.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Inside Lower Duck Pond, the nicest town on the internet
/r/HaveWeMet — With a population of 2,500 and no fixed location, the subreddit is a space for roleplaying citizens to solve mysteries, host fictional events and ultimately connect. In an internet that’s often divided and toxic, Vicky Jessop hangs out in one of its most wholesome corners.
Written by: Vicky Jessop
A major Nan Goldin exhibition is coming to London
You Never Did Anything Wrong — Opening at the Hayward Gallery in November, the show will debut a new film from the artist and activist, alongside a slate of recent work.
Written by: Jack Dennison-Thompson
Sepia splashed memories of Britain’s ’90s squatting and free party scene
Bygones — Moving into a Hackney squat at the age of 19, Tom Hunter spent years living on London’s edges, while documenting the vibrant, creative community and culture that it enabled. Huck’s art director Sam White chats to him about the freedom that existed, the collectivism and what’s been lost over the decades since.
Written by: Samuel White
