The best movies on Netflix, Amazon Prime, MUBI and more this April

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Harry Fletcher8 April 2020

If there was a silver lining for film fans at the moment, it’s that movies are moving online faster than ever before.

This month, a critically adored French movie and a fascinating biopic are among the features newly available to fans.

With the Easter weekend just around the corner, there’s also a fresh selection of family-friendly movies to discover, including a new Jacqueline Wilson adaptation. Find inspiration with our guide to the newly-launched Disney+, as well, which is packed with children’s favourites.

Below are our picks of the best films arriving online this month, as well as the new arrivals on streaming sites to look out for. Make sure to check out our guides to the most underrated films on streaming sites, classic movies on Netflix and family favourites to watch online, too.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel star as a young painter and her unruly subject, who enter into a passionate relationship while living on a remote island off the coast of Brittany in 1770. The Standard’s critic David Sexton called it “simply ravishing from start to finish, an absolute treat” in his review, and a film for "anyone who has a heart".

Streaming on Mubi from April 10

Misbehaviour

This intriguing drama tells the story of Jennifer Holsten, who became the first black winner of the Miss World competition in 1970. Keira Knightley, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Keeley Hawes and Rhys Ifans all star in the movie, which the Standard’s David Sexton called “far from upsetting… a feelgood film”. It's being made available online three months after its run in cinemas was cut short. Read the four-star review here.

Available for digital download from Amazon Prime, Sky Store and iTunes​ and others on April 15

Four Kids and It

This adaptation of Jaqueline Wilson’s novel – itself a follow-up to E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It – arrived on Sky Movies over the weekend, and it’s got all the signs of a perfect family watch over Easter weekend. Russell Brand stars in the cosy adventure, which follows a family of children on holiday in Cornwall, who encounter a creature with the power to grant them wishes. Read the Standard critic David Sexton’s four star review here.

Available now on Sky movies

What's new on Netflix?

It’s been a bumper month for Netflix users, especially if they’re into their 80s movies. Ferris Bueuller’s Day Off arrived on April 1 with Netflix also announcing that The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles would arrive on the platform at some point this month, too – dates for those two films have yet to be revealed. Kids hits like The Adventures of Tintin have also landed on there so far this month.

Over the coming weeks, there’s the remake of Child’s Play coming on April 9, as well as Sam Claifin’s wonderfully trashy-looking romcom Love. Wedding. Repeat to look out for on April 10. Check out the full guide here.

What's new on Amazon Prime Video?

Amazon released a new batch of films on Prime Video on April 1, with dozens of new titles to check out for subscribers. Friday the 13th, parts II and III, The King of Comedy and Hustlers are all available now, as well as family favourites Paddington and Horrible Histories: The Movie. Check out the full guide here.