Indie Film Release Guide: May 8th [An ONTD Original]

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As the weeks progress, it’s clear that studios are becoming more and more receptive to sending their new releases directly to digital release: this week’s post is entirely new releases, many of which are premiering in virtual cinemas. Virtual cinemas are great because they are rentals helping to support both independent films and independent theaters, so please look for your local indie theater in the listings if you decide to check one of those films out!

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. Some releases are streaming on popular services like Netflix and Hulu, some are rentals in cooperation with location theaters, and some are VOD - that is, available to rent or buy on digital services like Apple, Amazon and Google Play. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have already come to VOD: May 1st, April 24th, and April 17th.

How to Build a Girl

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Stars: Beanie Feldstein, Alfie Allen, Paddy Considine, Chris O’Dowd
Writer: Caitlin Moran
Director: Coky Giedroyc
Genre: Comedy
Plot: A bright, quirky, 16-year-old who uses her colorful imagination to regularly escape her humdrum life in Wolverhampton and live out her creative fantasies clamors to the top of the '90s rock music scene by reinventing herself as Dolly Wilde - a venerable, impossible-to-please music critic with an insatiable lust for fame, fortune, and men.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Caitlin Moran.
Streams on: Available VOD



All Day and a Night

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Stars: Ashton Sanders, Jeffrey Wright, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Isaiah John
Writer/Director: Joe Robert Cole
Genre: Drama
Plot: While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
What you should know: This is Joe Robert Cole’s second feature as a director, following 2011’s Amber Lake.
Streams on: Netflix

Spaceship Earth

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Director: Matt Wolf
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A look at the group of people who built the Biosphere 2, a giant replica of the earth's ecosystem, in 1991.
What you should know: Nominated for the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2020.
Streams on: Your local virtual cinema

Clementine

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Stars: Otmara Marrero, Sydney Sweeney, Will Brittain, Sonya Walger
Writer/Director: Lara Gallagher
Genre: Drama
Plot: Reeling from a one-sided breakup, heartbroken Karen breaks into her ex's lake house. There, she strikes up a complicated relationship with provocative younger woman Lana.
What you should know: This is director Lara Gallagher’s first feature film.
Streams on: Your local virtual cinema

Driveways

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Stars: Hong Chau, Lucas Jaye, Brian Dennehy, Christine Ebersole
Writer: Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen
Director: Andrew Ahn
Genre: Drama
Plot: A lonesome boy accompanies his mother on a trip to clean out his late aunt's house, and ends up forming an unexpected friendship with the retiree who lives next door.
What you should know: Star Brian Dennehy died on April 15, 2020.
Streams on: Virtual cinemas, and available on demand

On a Magical Night

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Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Benjamin Biolay, Vincent Lacoste, Camille Cottin
Writer/Director: Christophe Honoré
Genre: Comedy
Plot: After 20 years of marriage, Maria decides to leave. She moves to the room 212 of the hotel opposite her marital home. From there, Maria can scrutinize her apartment, her husband, her wedding. She wonders if she has made the right decision.
What you should know: It’s in French.
Streams on: Your local virtual cinema

CRSHD

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Stars: Isabelle Barbier, Sadie Scott, Deeksha Ketkar, Abdul Seidu
Writer/Director: Emily Cohn
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: On the last night of her college freshman year, Izzy tries to lose her virginity with the help of her two best friends--but their only hope is getting into an exclusive, invite-only "Crush Party."
What you should know: Debuted at Tribeca Film Festival 2019.
Streams on: Laemmle Virtual Cinema

Mossville: When Great Trees Fall

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Director: Alexander Glustrom
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: As a centuries-old black community, contaminated and uprooted by petrochemical plants, comes to terms with the loss of its ancestral home, one man standing in the way of a plant's expansion refuses to give up.
What you should know: “When Great Trees Fall” is taken from a poem of the same name by Maya Angelou.
Streams on: Maysles Virtual Cinema

A Good Woman is Hard to Find

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Stars: Sarah Bolger, Edward Hogg, Andrew Simpson, Jane Brennan
Writer: Ronan Blaney
Director: Abner Pastoll
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Plot: A recently widowed young mother will go to any lengths to protect her children as she seeks the truth behind her husband's murder.
What you should know: Won awards at Frightfest and Screamfest in 2019.
Streams on: Virtual cinema, or available VOD

Becoming

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Director: Nadia Hallgren
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: An intimate look into the life of former First Lady Michelle Obama during a moment of profound change, not only for her personally but for the country she and her husband served over eight impactful years in the White House. The film offers a rare and up-close look at her life, taking viewers behind the scenes as she embarks on a 34-city tour.
What you should know: Michelle Obama also wrote a memoir of the same name.
Streams on: Netflix

Valley Girl

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Stars: Jessica Rothe, Josh Whitehouse, Chloe Bennett, Jessie Ennis
Writer: Amy Talkington
Director: Rachel Lee Goldenberg
Genre: Comedy, Musical, Romance
Plot: Set to a new wave '80s soundtrack, a pair of young lovers from different backgrounds defy their parents and friends to stay together.
What you should know: This is a musical adaptation of the 1983 film.
Streams on: Available VOD

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?