Everybody knows that “April showers bring May flowers,” but it turns out that crappy April movies at the multiplex bring New Englanders the chance to see some amazing flicks well before folks in the rest of the country. That’s right – now that Patriots’ Day is past and graduation looms, it’s once again time to celebrate the magic of cinema before every square inch of the greater Boston area’s roads are littered with puke-stained caps and gowns at the Independent Film Festival Boston (or IFFBoston for short), which will run from May 1 through 8 at the Somerville Theatre, Brattle, and recently-renovated Coolidge Corner Theatre.
This year’s line-up is dope, and it was hard to pick just five films to recommend. Still, we think the ones we’ve settled on are the select few most likely to make you the most interesting person at your Emerson/MassArt post-final rager or at the water cooler if those days are, sadly, far behind you.
You can check out the entire program and buy tickets at IFFBoston’s website, but without further ado, here are five movies to look forward to at this year’s festival.
I Saw the TV Glow
Jane Schoenbrun’s latest “emo horror” outing is, quite frankly, a masterpiece. It’s a tale centered around an awkward kid named Owen (played to perfection by Justice Smith), who strikes up a friendship with a mysterious teen (Bridget Lundy-Paine) over a teen TV show called The Pink Opaque. When she appears in Owen’s life again after vanishing, she confronts him with an astonishing revelation – that the world they’d fantasized about as teens might be their reality. It’s deeply felt, audacious and richly imagined, the kind of leveling-up that few filmmakers can do while staying true to themselves, and it’s one of the year’s best films. Trust us, we’ve seen it, and we loved it. Don’t miss this one.
‘I SAW THE TV GLOW’ :: Thursday, May 2 at 7 p.m. at The Brattle Theatre, 40 Brattle St. in Cambridge, MA
My Old Ass
Here’s one for all of you soon-to-be graduates out there. Megan Park’s coming-of-age Sundance hit follows an 18-year-old kid’s life-altering shroom trip. And no, this isn’t a Ben Wheatley-style descent into psilocybin-induced madness. Rather, it leads Elliott (Maisy Stella) to a mystical encounter with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), who, predictably, has a lot of advice to hand out. Will this hypothetical future come to pass? Or will Elliott make choices that will make things even weirder? All you know is that you should sit your ass, young or old, in one of those comfy chairs at the Somerville for this one because you’ll have to wait until August to check this one out in theaters if you miss out.
‘MY OLD ASS’ :: Friday, May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square in Somerville, MA
Secret Mall Apartment
And, you know, if you don’t take all the advice that My Old Ass might impart to you, you can always find new ways to get free room and board, just like the protagonists of this wild SXSW doc did down in Providence. Yes, that’s right: eight Rhode Islanders lived out the slacker dream of the ‘90s and lived in the Providence Place Mall, having found a section of it that nobody went to in one of the corridors where you might expect the T-800 to be popping caps into Robert Patrick. They siphoned electricity, furnished the place, and even built a wall to disguise their hangout better. Sure, there’s a greater point to be made about gentrification and gaudy malls, but we’re big fans of simple pleasures here. And what’s a simpler pleasure than sticking it to Paul Blart and Sephora?
‘SECRET MALL APARTMENT’ :: Sunday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. at The Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square in Somerville, MA
Sing Sing
And when you inevitably get caught and face the music for your secret apartment misdeeds, a movie like Greg Kwedar’s powerful new drama might give you some hope. Seriously, this drama, based on the work done within the Sing Sing Correctional Facility’s Rehabilitation Through the Arts program, is one-of-a-kind, documenting the six-month schedule in which the group members – all incarcerated within the facility – plan and stage a bi-annual theatrical production. Though terrific actors like Colman Domingo and Paul Raci work wonders here, the real delight comes from seeing the actual former members of the RTA program steal the spotlight away from them. It’s an incredibly deep and empathetic work, a film whose very existence proves the RTA’s central thesis: that doing art can help transform and change one for the better.
‘SING SING’ :: Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St. in Brookline, MA
Thelma
Somewhere, Estelle Getty is shaking her fist at the sky, wondering why a movie like Josh Margolin’s Sundance hit wasn’t around in her day – at least without Sly Stallone sharing top billing. Based on the experiences of Margolin’s real-life grandmother, Thelma follows, well, Thelma (June Squibb), a 93-year-old retiree who becomes an unlikely thriller hero when she’s scammed by a caller pretending to be her grandson. Using wit, guile, and a Rascal, she finds herself in a cross-town trek to reclaim what’s hers – John Wick, but with an AARP card. Well, it’s not really anything like that – Mission: Impossible seems to be the frame of reference here – but the thought was too funny to resist. Anyway, it’s always nice when a fest ends on a solid comedy, a kind of spiritual palette cleanser for a lot of the really serious stuff you might have witnessed throughout the course of the program, and we’re really looking forward to seeing Squibb kick ass and take names.
‘THELMA’ :: Wednesday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St. in Brookline, MA