Best films in April 2022: from True Things to Downton Abbey
From the fraught relationship drama True Things with Ruth Wilson and Tom Burke to the new Downton Abbey movie with Maggie Smith, here are the best films coming in April
True Things, dir. Harry Wootlif
Ruth Wilson often plays authoritative and terrifying characters, like Mrs Coulter in His Dark Materials and Alice Morgan in Luther, but Harry Wootliff’s second film True Things sees her with more vulnerability.
Wilson plays Kate, a benefits worker in Ramsgate, who’s suddenly swept off her feet by the flirty and dubious Blond (Tom Burke). She doesn’t know his history, where he goes, not even his real name, but he injects a thrill into her life that she hasn’t known before – promising a more exciting existence. But the rest of Kate’s family aren’t nearly as thrilled by her new partner. Hayley Squires also stars.
Photo: Picturehouse Entertainment
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, dir. David Yates
Considering everything that’s happening in the world, it’s no surprise that the 1930s are being reflected more in film and TV (think of the recent season of Peaky Blinders). Even the new Fantastic Beasts movie The Secrets of Dumbledore tackles that period, but from the more magical perspectives of witches and wizards.
This third film in the franchise takes place as the villainous Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen, formerly Johnny Depp) rises to power, with the series' fantastical dream team aiming to stop him. A younger and svelter Albus Dumbledore, here played by Jude Law, leads the party with our favourite magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne).
Photo: Warner Bros.
Operation Mincemeat, dir. John Madden
WWII movies often encourage starry ensembles, and Operation Mincemeat is no different: gathering such eclectic talents together. Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Johnny Flynn, and Jason Isaacs star – serving as intelligence operatives in 1943, intent on tricking the Nazis.
Wanting to invade occupied Sicily, the lead officer Ewen Montagu (Firth) wants to deceive the Nazis into thinking the British are attacking Greece instead. This plan is facilitated using a corpse carrying fake papers, outlining battle plans and a detailed backstory concocted by the team. Oh, and that team also includes the James Bond author Ian Fleming.
Photo: Warner Bros.
The Northman, dir. Robert Eggers
Filmmaker Robert Eggers loves to dig into the past and scavage the horrors buried there – whether it’s a pious family in 17th-century America (The Witch) or lighthouse-keepers in the 1890s (The Lighthouse). Eggers ventures even further back for his latest film The Northman, visiting the Vikings.
Alexander Skarsgård plays a Viking prince, Amleth, who seeks revenge after his father King Horvendill (Ethan Hawke) is suddenly murdered. Strangely, Nicole Kidman plays Amleth’s mother Queen Gudrun – a few years after starring alongside Skarsgård as his long-suffering wife in Big Little Lies. Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen's Gambit) stars, this being her second collaboration with Eggers since her film acting debut in The Witch. Willem Dafoe and Björk also make appearances.
Photo: EPK/Focus Features.
Benedetta, dir. Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven is no stranger to erotic thrillers. He did direct Basic Instinct after all, which contains that Sharon Stone scene. Now, he sets his sexy sights on medieval nuns.
His new film Benedetta finds carnal desires in a 15th-century monastery, following the nun Benedetta Carlini (Virginie Efira), who performs miracles. She takes in a younger nun, Bartolomea (Daphne Patakia) and embarks on a passionate, sacrilegious affair with her. Charlotte Rampling stars.
Photo: MUBI
Happening, dir. Audrey Diwan
Winner of the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival, Happening examines the perils and prejudices of womanhood in 1960s France.
The Bafta-nominated Audrey Diwan writes and directs this film about Annie (Anamaria Vartolomei), a French Literature student living in 1963. During this period, women can have careers of their own, but they're pressured to become housewives if they fall pregnant. Such a fate torments Annie (Anamaria Vartolomei), who’s desperate to find a way out of her pregnancy via abortion – but the illegality of the practice makes it nearly impossible to fulfil.
Photo: Picturehouse Entertainment
Downton Abbey: A New Era, dir. Simon Curtis
Farewells are hard, which is probably why Julian Fellowes can’t say a final goodbye to his much-loved period drama Downton Abbey. And we wouldn’t want him to, either. Despite The Gilded Age, Fellowes' lavish new series based in 19th-century America, we still want to see how the upper-class Crawleys are doing.
A New Era approaches the 1930s, a time of global change. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) allows a film crew to shoot at Downton and the endlessly enjoyable Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) has inherited a beautiful villa in the south of France. Dominic West, Laura Haddock and Imelda Staunton also star.
Photo: EPK/Focus Features