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As theaters begin showing signs of life and streaming and VOD options stay hefty, there are more movies (and platforms to watch them on) than ever to sift through, and IndieWire is here to help you do just that each week.

The summer movie season starts, well, right about now, thanks to the release of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, the Sam Raimi-directed “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” But while most moviegoers are likely tickled by a new film in the continually expanding series, there are plenty of gems to be found beyond the multiplex.

Those include Audrey Diwan’s Venice winner “Happening” (an abortion drama that arrives at an crazy juncture in applicable legislation), a new actioner from returning “Fast and Furious” director Louis Letterier, Netflix’s latest attempt to kick off a YA romance renaissance, and the second new Gaspar Noé joint in as many weeks.

Each film is now available in a theater near you or in the comfort of your own home (or, in some cases, both, the convenience of it all). Browse your options below.

Week of May 2 – May 8

New Films in Theaters

As new movies open in theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, IndieWire will continue to review them whenever possible. We encourage readers to follow the safety precautions provided by CDC and health authorities. Additionally, our coverage will provide alternative viewing options whenever they are available.

“Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (directed by Sam Raimi)
Distributor: Disney
Where to Find It: Theaters

Sam Raimi is the ideal person to offer Marvel the gentle gut-check it’s needed for so long, the ideal person to tell a story about what happens after you open Pandora’s box, and to do so in a way that allows the MCU and its fans to find a measure of peace in the idea that they have to move forward — no matter how much it hurts.

That’s not enough to make “Multiverse of Madness” a great movie, but it is enough to make it a real Sam Raimi movie. Slowly, gradually, and then with great enthusiasm, what begins as a staid tale of people hurling CGI at larger pieces of CGI while yammering on about whatever new thing is threatening all existence evolves into something less familiar: A violent, wacky, drag-me-to-several-different-hells at once funhouse of a film that makes good on the reckoning Chiwetel Ejiofor promised at the end of the original by cutting away the safety net that previous installments of the MCU have tried to pretend wasn’t there. Read IndieWire’s full review.

“Happening”

Courtesy of IFC Films

“Happening” (directed by Audrey Diwan) — IndieWire Critic’s Pick
Distributor: IFC Films
Where to Find It: Theaters

At many points in “Happening,” a weighty, naturalistic drama, Annie (Anamaria Vartolomei) opens her eyes wide. Her pupils shrink into tiny pinpoints. If she were a Marvel character, these would be the moments she transforms into her heroic alter-ego. But for Annie, a French literature student in 1963, power comes not from superhuman brawn but strength of will: She’s several weeks into an unwanted pregnancy, and though abortions are illegal — punishable with prison time — she’s determined to find a way to terminate it.

Not even a decade ago, a film this clear-eyed about abortion might have seemed groundbreaking, and in certain circles, controversial. But “Happening” arrives after “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Unpregnant,” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (the magnificent Luàna Bajrami, who plays Sophie in that film, also appears in “Happening”), and even the first season of “Yellowjackets.” At this point, the jarring discomfort of watching young women punch their stomachs, bleed out on mattresses, or sterilize long, sharp utensils to insert into themselves has been somewhat blunted by its familiarity. Distress lingers, but we’ve been numbed to the shock. Read IndieWire’s full review.

“Lux Æterna” (directed by Gaspar Noé)
Distributor: Yellow Veil Pictures
Where to Find It: Theaters

It’s hard to imagine that Gaspar Noé could serve any master other than himself, and it comes as no great surprise that his recent assignment to make a 15-minute commercial for Yves Saint Laurent went awry when Noé turned it into his own weird thing: “Lux Æterna,” a 50-minute psychedelic mockumentary about a film shoot gone wrong, distills Noé’s talents to a more palatable serving size. Anyone who appreciated the craft of “Enter the Void” but found the running time unwieldy will be grateful for this much tighter dose. Read IndieWire’s full review.

Also available this week:

“The Ravine” (directed by Keoni Waxman)
Distributor: Cinedigm
Where to Find It: Select theaters, plus various VOD and digital platforms

“The Sanctity of Space” (directed by Renan Ozturk and Freddie Wilkinson)
Distributor: Greenwich Entertainment
Where to Find It: Select theaters, plus various VOD and digital platforms

“Shepherd” (directed by Russell Owen)
Distributor: Saban Films
Where to Find It: Select theaters, plus various VOD and digital platforms on May 10

New Films on VOD and Streaming, Including Premium Platforms and Virtual Cinema

“Along for the Ride” (directed by Sofia Alvarez)
Distributor: Netflix
Where to Find It: Streaming on Netflix

Bolstered by the dreamy, music-heavy direction of “To All the Boys” screenwriter Sofia Alvarez, here making her directorial debut, and a collection of adorable performances from its young leads, “Along for the Ride” doesn’t hit the giddy highs of Alvarez’s previous trilogy. Still, its genuine, gentle charm holds far more appeal than the icky “Kissing Booth” series. Has Netflix saved the YA romance? Not quite, but the streamer’s choices have surely made a strong case for its viability as low-key entertainment for teenage audiences and beyond. Read IndieWire’s full review.

“Inbetween Girl”

screenshot/Utopia

“Inbetween Girl” (directed by Mei Makino)
Distributor: Utopia
Where to Find It: Various VOD and digital platforms

Independent cinema has long been enamored with the coming-of-age story. Especially for early career filmmakers, the rough road from adolescence to some semblance of adulthood offers the ultimate hero’s journey — mired in unexpected obstacles both external and within. There’s another reason so many first-time filmmakers choose this narrative path: they’re usually quite close to it themselves.

In her scrappy feature debut “Inbetween Girl,” writer/director Mei Makino shows small town America through the experience of a biracial Chinese American teenager as she navigates first love, sexuality, family upheaval, and artistic ambitions. With so many irons in the fire, “Inbetween Girl” bites off more than it can chew, and the amateur cast does it no favors, but it is bursting with heart and vision. Read IndieWire’s full review.

“The Takedown” (directed by Louis Leterrier)
Distributor: Netflix
Where to Find It: Streaming on Netflix

Despite reuniting the two main characters from 2012’s “On the Other Side of the Tracks,” “The Takedown” requires absolutely zero awareness of the previous film (I can personally attest to the fact that it’s possible to watch and enjoy this thing without even knowing that it’s a sequel). To that end, it helps that Stéphane Kazandijan’s script is a topical but straightforward “Lethal Weapon” rip-off that reskins Riggs and Murtaugh as a mismatched pair of Paris cops, sends them off to solve a murder in an extra-racist pocket of Marine Le Pen’s France, and then makes virtually zero additional changes to the classic Shane Black formula. I’ve seen Geico commercials with more complicated plots. Read IndieWire’s full review.

Also available this week:

“All My Puny Sorrows” (directed by Michael McGowan)
Distributor: Momentum Pictures
Where to Find It: Various VOD and digital platforms

“Amira” (directed by Mohamed Diab)
Where to Find It: Laemmle Virtual Cinema

“Spring Awakening: Those You’ve Known” (directed by Michael John Warren)
Distributor: HBO Max
Where to Find It: Streaming on HBO Max

“The Twin” (directed by Taneli Mustonen)
Distributor: Shudder
Where to Find It: Streaming on Shudder

Check out more films to watch on the next page.

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