Indie Film Release Guide: April 23rd [An ONTD Original]

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This weekend has a couple of sizable new releases: Mortal Kombat, a video-gamed based film from Warner Bros, and Demon Slayer, an animated film follow-up to a series that should have a big first weekend turnout. To add to that, every weekend, more and more of the indie film offerings in this post are available exclusively in theaters. Going forward, theatrical releases will be intermixed with streaming and VOD offerings in the post (and clearly labeled), as they were in the past - nature is healing, etc etc.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. Note that some of the movies listed are in their first week or two of limited release in the USA, so it may take them a few more weeks (or months) to show up in your local arthouse theater or on VOD. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have just opened near you: April 16th, April 9th, and April 2nd.

Stowaway

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Stars: Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson
Writer: Joe Penna, Ryan Morrison
Director: Joe Penna
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi. Thriller
Plot: A stowaway on a mission to Mars sets off a series of unintended consequences.
What you should know: Filmed over the summer of 2019
Streams on: Netflix



Together Together

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Stars: Patti Harrison, Ed Helms, Rosalind Chao, Timm Sharp
Writer/Director: Nicole Beckwith
Genre: Comedy
Plot: When a young loner becomes the gestational surrogate for a single man in his 40s, the two strangers come to realize this unexpected relationship will challenge their perceptions of connection, boundaries and the particulars of love.
What you should know: Nominated for the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2021.
Opens in: Select theaters

Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train

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Stars: Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kitô, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Hiro Shimono
Writer: Koyoharu Gotouge
Director: Haruo Sotozaki
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Plot: After his family was brutally murdered and his sister turned into a demon, Tanjiro Kamado's journey as a demon slayer began. Tanjiro and his comrades embark on a new mission aboard the Mugen Train, on track to despair.
What you should know: This film follows the events of the series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba.
Opens in: Wide release

My Wonderful Wanda

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Stars: Gottfried Breitfuss, Agnieszka Grochowska, André Jung, Marthe Keller
Writer: Bettina Oberli, Cooky Ziesche
Director: Bettina Oberli
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Wanda nurses the patriarch of the wealthy Wegmeister-Gloor family. When an unexpected complication arises, family secrets come to light and arrangements are made to try and appease everyone in this biting family drama.
What you should know: It’s in German.
Opens in: Select theaters and virtual cinemas

Wet Season

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Stars: Jia Ler Koh, Christopher Ming-Shun Lee, Shi Bin Yang, Yann Yann Yeo
Writer/Director: Anthony Chen
Genre: Drama
Plot: A Chinese language teacher’s marriage and school life are fraying apart because she is unable to bear a child. But an unlikely friendship with a student helps her reaffirm her identity as a woman.
What you should know: Official submission of Singapore for the Best International Feature Film category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.
Opens in: NYC, expanding next weekend

Bloodthirsty

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Stars: Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King So, Michael Ironside
Writer: Wendy Hill-Tout, Lowell
Director: Amelia Moses
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: Grey is an indie singer who is having visions that she is a wolf. When she gets an invitation to work with notorious music producer Vaughn Daniels at his remote studio in the woods she begins to find out who she really is.
What you should know: This is director Amelia Moses’ second feature film after 2020’s Bleed With Me.
Opens in: Select theaters, and available VOD

8 Billion Angels

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Director: Victor Velle
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Do we want a world of more people with less or less people with more? Today, humanity's demand for resources vastly exceeds nature's ability to supply them.
What you should know: This is director Victor Velle’s first feature length documentary.
Opens in: Available VOD

Street Gang: How to Make it to Sesame Street

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Writer: Michael Davis
Director: Marilyn Agrelo
Genre: Documentary, History
Storyline: A look inside the minds and hearts of the Sesame Street (1969) creators, artists, writers, and educators who, together established one of the most influential programs in television history.
What you should know: Director Marilyn Agrelo also directed 2005’s Mad Hot Ballroom.
Opens in: Select theaters

The Deep Ones

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Stars: Gina La Piana, Robert Miano, Johann Urb, Silvia Spross
Writer: Chad Ferrin, based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft
Director: Chad Ferrin
Genre: Horror, Sci-fi
Plot: A married couple rents a beach side Airbnb only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. They soon discover to be in the grips of a mysterious cult and their ancient sea god.
What you should know: Gina La Piana, who plays Alex, actually owns the beach house where the bulk of the movie is shot.
Opens in: Select theaters

Beast Beast

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Stars: Shirley Chen, Will Madden, Jose Angeles, Courtney Dietz
Writer/Director: Danny Madden
Genre: Drama
Plot: A look at the lives and trauma surrounding three people living in a southern town.
What you should know: Alec Baldwin is an executive producer on the film.
Opens in: Select theaters and virtual cinemas

More New Releases

Mortal Kombat (Trailer) from Warner Bros, available on HBO Max
The Space Between (Trailer) from Paramount
Unearth (Trailer)
Trigger Point (Trailer)
Tiny Tim: King for a Day (Trailer)
Wildcat (Trailer)

New on Streaming

Wild Mountain Thyme (Trailer) on Hulu, April 25th

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?