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Romance, adventure, and horror collide in April's film lineup

April hits the big screen like a voltage surge: romance sharpened to a blade, a biographical drama that digs under the skin, an animated cosmic voyage that refuses gravity, a mythic monster roaring out of the deep, and a charged human drama humming with consequence. Five tonal frequencies, one month built to jolt audiences awake.
Image supplied
Image supplied

3 April

From rising comedic auteur Kristoffer Borgli comes The Drama, a sexy, contemporary romantic comedy about a pair of young Boston professionals who find their relationship and pending nuptials put to the ultimate test after a sudden revelation throws their happily ever after into spectacular turmoil.

British expat Charlie Thompson (Robert Pattinson) is a museum curator who meets literary editor Emma Harwood (Zendaya) in a Cambridge café; after a whirlwind courtship, they settle into blissful domesticity and start planning their wedding. But one explosive confession during a drunken game of What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done? sends the seemingly perfect couple spiralling into doubt and chaos as they try to make it to “I do.” Read more.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an animated cosmic adventure set in the world of Super Mario Bros., serving as the highly anticipated follow‑up to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in 2023 and earned more than $1.3bn worldwide.

When Bowser uncovers the ancient Star Core and uses its power to tear the Mushroom Kingdom from its orbit, Mario (voiced by Chris Pratt) is launched into deep space.

Rescued by the mysterious Rosalina (Cate Blanchett) aboard the Comet Observatory, he learns that the galaxy is fracturing under Bowser’s growing cosmic influence. Joined by Luigi (Charlie Day) and Princess Peach (Anya Taylor‑Joy), Mario travels across dazzling galaxies, restoring fragments of the Star Core while uncovering Rosalina’s hidden past.

As Bowser’s ambitions threaten the universe itself, Mario must rise to a challenge unlike any he has faced before—one that will test his courage, his loyalty, and his place among the stars. Read more.

10 April

Producer Will Packer is always on the lookout for a joyful romantic comedy, and he found it in perhaps the most unlikely place: an original script from Ryan Engle, a delicious romantic comedy about one little lie, one large Italian villa, and two people getting lost in the sauce of love.

“I’ve always believed, and have built my entire career on the idea, that Black joy is powerful,” Will Packer says. “Black love is powerful. And when you see yourself on screen, fully realized, laughing, falling in love, living… that does something incredible to your spirit.”

In You & Me & Tuscany, Halle Bailey stars as Anna, a young woman who has abandoned her dreams of becoming a chef and is now drifting through her twenties with a series of bad choices. When Anna loses her house-sitting job (and housing) in one fell swoop, a chance encounter with Matteo (Lorenzo De Moor), a handsome Italian who happens to have a villa sitting empty in Tuscany, will inspire her to jet off for Italy. Read more.

17 April

Lee Cronin’s The Mummy reimagines one of cinema’s most enduring monsters through the lens of a filmmaker known for atmospheric dread, emotional violence, and mythic horror.

Conceived as a bold new chapter in Universal’s ongoing effort to resurrect its classic monster universe, the film draws inspiration from both the 1932 original and the ancient‑curse mythology that has haunted popular culture for nearly a century.

When a long‑sealed burial chamber is uncovered beneath the shifting sands of Saqqara, archaeologist Dr. Mara Ellison (played by Lupita Nyong’o) and her estranged colleague Daniel Mercer (Oscar Isaac) inadvertently awaken an ancient priestess, Amunet (Sofia Boutella), whose death was the result of a forbidden ritual erased from history. As Amunet’s spirit begins to reclaim her fragmented body, the desert erupts with supernatural phenomena—sandstorms that whisper, shadows that move against the light, and hieroglyphs that bleed. Read more.

24 April

Mother Mary is conceived as an ambitious, emotionally charged drama that blends the intensity of artistic creation with the complexities of modern celebrity, faith, and devotion.

Written and directed by David Lowery, the film bears the unmistakable imprint of his lyrical, atmospheric storytelling. Lowery’s fascination with myth, memory, and the passage of time—seen in films like A Ghost Story and The Green Knight shapes Mother Mary into something more than a conventional drama.

Mother Mary follows the intense, evolving relationship between global pop superstar Mary (played by Anne Hathaway) and visionary fashion designer Sam (played by Michaela Coel). When Sam is commissioned to design Mary’s next tour wardrobe, the two women form an immediate creative bond—one that quickly deepens into a complex emotional entanglement. As Mary navigates the pressures of fame, public scrutiny, and the relentless demands of her career, Sam becomes both her anchor and her mirror, reflecting the vulnerabilities Mary tries to hide from the world. Read more.

Michael is envisioned as a sweeping, emotionally charged biographical drama that chronicles the life, artistry, and cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most influential performers in the history of popular music. It follows the life of Michael Jackson from his early days as the electrifying lead singer of the Jackson 5 to his meteoric rise as a solo artist whose innovations reshaped the global music landscape.

The film stars Jaafar Jackson, Michael’s real‑life nephew, whose uncanny physicality and vocal presence bring authenticity to the role. As the story unfolds, audiences witness the creation of iconic albums, groundbreaking music videos, and legendary performances, while also exploring the personal challenges that shadowed Jackson’s ascent—family pressures, creative obsessions, and the isolating glare of worldwide fame. Read more.

Cats in the Museum 2: Treasures of Egypt continues the whimsical, visually rich world introduced in the original animated film, expanding its universe with a grander sense of adventure, cultural discovery, and mythic intrigue.

When the Hermitage Museum’s beloved feline guardians are invited to Egypt to assist with a major international exhibition, they expect a routine assignment — until a priceless artifact, the Eye of Bastet, mysteriously disappears. The brave and quick‑witted cat Vincent, alongside his loyal companions Cleopatra and Maurice, soon discovers that the theft is tied to an ancient prophecy capable of awakening a long‑dormant power beneath the sands. Guided by a spirited local street cat named Nefra, the team ventures deep into hidden tombs, labyrinthine temples, and bustling marketplaces to uncover the truth. Read more.

Read more about the latest and upcoming films.

About Daniel Dercksen

Daniel Dercksen has been a contributor for Lifestyle since 2012. As the driving force behind the successful independent training initiative The Writing Studio and a published film and theatre journalist of 40 years, teaching workshops in creative writing, playwriting and screenwriting throughout South Africa and internationally the past 22 years. Visit www.writingstudio.co.za
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