Film Picks: April 2023

Overlooked gems and legendary films in museums and world class theaters this April in the DMV. 

We’re at a weird time in the movie calendar. Awards season is officially over, summer blockbusters are on the horizon and outdoor movies begin next month. Before enjoying CGI creations explode on big screens and on big lawns, spend this April getting acquainted with some overlooked gems in world class museums and legendary films that ushered in a new era of special effects.

4.8

“The Last of England” at National Gallery of Art

This is the type of picture you want to see in a museum. The 1987 film by Derek Jarman, scored by Barry Adamson, Diamanda Galás and Andy Gill (Gang of Four) and featuring Tilda Swinton (in only her second year of film acting), is more of a personal essay than typical narrative. If you’re interested in Lars von Trier, “The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology” and/or Adam Curtis, you’re going to want to see this at the NGA. And if you’re into those three, you should just bookmark the NGA film schedule. Free. 3 p.m. 4th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, DC; nga.gov // @ngadc

4.9

“The Matrix” at Alamo Drafthouse

It’s difficult to overemphasize how much “The Matrix” altered cinema and special effects. Along with “Toy Story,” these two ’90s films have been referenced and stolen from so often, the breakthroughs seem pedestrian. Maybe a screening on the big screen in a state-of-the-art movie theater will help audiences appreciate how the Wachowskis changed the world. $11. 7 p.m. 630 Rhode Island Ave. NE, DC; drafthouse.com // @drafthouse

4.14

LEONARDISSIMO!—Leonardo da Vinci’s World and Its Waters at The Kennedy Center

This one isn’t quite exactly a film, but the multimedia presentation will include footage from Ken Burns’ upcoming film about Leonardo da Vinci, so we’re including it. The event is part of RiverRun’s “FLOW” Literary Series curated by Marie Arana. In addition to Burns’ work, this one-night-only program also features biographer Walter Isaacson, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s specialist on da Vinci Carmen Bambach, astrophysicist Mario Livio, Cuban sculptor/painter Roberto Fabelo and professor of art history at the University of Virginia Francesca Fiorani. $15+. 8 p.m. 2700 F St. NW, DC; kennedy-center.org // @kennedycenter

4.15 + 4.19

“The Hunger” at AFI Silver

Sometimes trailers can’t be improved. A minute in to “The Hunger” trailer, Bauhaus’ “Bela Legosi’s Dead” plays and the narrator says, “The timeless beauty of Catherine Deneuve, the cruel elegance of David Bowie, the open sensuality of Susan Sarandon combine to create a modern classic of perverse fear.” He got that right. $8. 9:15 p.m. on 4.15 and 9 p.m. on 4.19. 8633 Colesville Rd. Silver Spring, MD; afisilver.afi.com // @afisilvertheatre

Brandon Wetherbee