Spring is officially underway! While you can choose to fill your days hiking and eating delicious lunches on restaurant patios, for an indoor plan, the Hudson Valley’s indie theaters have no shortage of amazing film screenings in a variety of genres, including fantastic, new indie offerings, as well as some exciting repertory showings.
Whether you’re in the mood to laugh, be shocked, or just need an excuse to eat some delicious, buttery popcorn, here are five movies and film screening events you won’t want to miss happening in April at Hudson Valley cinemas.
Love Lies Bleeding
Writer/director Rose Glass’s second feature film has been screening on a limited run throughout the country for a few weeks now and is already receiving some of the best reviews of the year. The film is a fantastic mix of Coen Brothers-esque crime-drama combined with David Cronenberg’s signature body-horror visuals. Love Lies Bleeding is a full-on masterpiece of directing. Glass’s previous film, 2020’s Saint Maud, received a similarly positive reaction, but that film was buried in the wake of short-release distribution due to many theaters not being open around its release. Her sophomore film is available for the world to see in all its twisted and lovely glory. The movie follows a gym manager (Kristen Stewart) and bodybuilder (Katy O’Brian) who enter into a relationship in a small town with a dark underbelly, leading to an unexpected chain of events that throws their lives into turmoil.
Love Lies Bleeding starts April 12 at The Moviehouse.
Nosferatu (1922) w/ Live Score by Kris Bernard
Easily one of the most influential and terrifying films ever made, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, is director F. W. Murnau’s expressionistic nightmare of love and loneliness. The 1922 film has remained, to this day, a staple of horror history, and is perhaps one of the most recognizable titles and tales in modern folklore. If you have ever seen the film, you know these descriptions and accolades hold up, and if you have never seen it, there’s no better time to catch it than this screening, accompanied by a live score by Kris Bernard. An electronic musician, Bernard has been performing throughout the Hudson Valley for over 25 years and is expected to bring a distinctive, experimental vibe to the screening.
Nosferatu w/ Live Score screens on April 19 at Tinker Street Cinema.
Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke
While some holidays are shared with family, there’s a very special one happening every April that’s for the best of buds. The Rosendale Theatre is holding a very special 4/20 screening of the very first stoner-comedy to land in 1978, Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke. The film follows the two title characters as they meet up while trying to track down some dope for a musical gig they are attending, inadvertently and hilariously being deported to Mexico in the process. What follows is an odyssey of dazed and confused individuals interacting with the two characters as they attempt to get to the gig and have fun doing it. A surefire good night out, this is a screening you definitely want to watch with friends.
Cheech & Chong’s Up in Smoke screens April 20 at The Rosendale Theatre.
Challengers
“Romantic sports movies” used to be something of a hot item back in the ’80s and ’90s, but it seems like there’s been less and less from this genre over the past few decades. That all changes with director Luca Guadagnino’s latest flick, Challengers, starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor (The Crown), and Mike Faist (West Side Story). The film follows a tennis champion who signs up for a “challenger event” (one of the lowest levels of pro tournament) where he will compete against his former best friend (and wife/coach’s ex-boyfriend). While that description barely hints at the true dynamics of the film, it’s just enough to get you into your seat, and once you’re there, the star power of the film’s three leads combined with Guadagnino’s ability to imbue uncomfortable situations with levity and comedy will take you to cinema heaven.
Challengers starts April 26 at Upstate Films Starr Cinema and Upstate Films Orpheum Theatre.
La Chimera
It’s a big month for actor Josh O’Connor, who in addition to starring in the previously mentioned Challengers, is also headlining La Chimera from director Alice Rohrwacher. Rohrwacher received critical acclaim in 2022 for her Oscar-nominated short film, Le pupille, and her latest movie is just as exciting. At last year’s 76th Cannes Film Festival, the film was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or, the festival’s highest prize, and was also named one of the top five international films of the year by the National Board of Review. Keeping in tune with Rohrwacher’s previous work, this film mixes absurdist storytelling and genuine beauty within the frame, jumping between multiple languages and storylines. The film revolves around a British archaeologist, played by O’Connor, as he becomes entangled in a network of thieves who steal ancient artifacts from local areas in various territories of Italy. La Chimera is set to be a big topic of discussion for international nominations in this coming awards season, so definitely don’t miss seeing this one on a big screen.
La Chimera screens April 26 at Time & Space Ltd.
This article appears in March 2024.
