Tonatiuh and Diego Luna star in Bill Condon’s musical feature “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
By Lucy Spicer
As half the world settles into harvest season this October, lovers of indie film too can enjoy cinematic bounty as 11 titles that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival reach movie theaters and streaming services this month. Five documentaries, five narrative features, and one episodic series are on offer this October, covering a wide variety of topics and genres.
On the nonfiction side, discover the world of Chinese dating coaches, librarians’ fight against censorship, an Israeli comedian’s one-person show about coexistence, a sobering investigation into a residential Florida shooting, and the shocking realities of prison conditions in Alabama. Fans of fiction can choose between a new adaptation of a musical set during Argentina’s Dirty War, a portrait of grief’s frightening manifestations, a memoir of childhood in 1970s San Francisco, a biopic of an ill-fated missionary, an unflinching meeting of parental and professional stress, and a series about two 20-something siblings revisiting their emotional hang-ups.
The Librarians — When schools become political battlegrounds over issues of censorship, librarians have stepped up to advocate for First Amendment rights. In director Kim A. Snyder’s new documentary, which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, librarians in states like Texas and Florida stand up to contentious school boards in an effort to stop the suppression of literature that centers marginalized communities and addresses topics such as race and sexuality. Coming to select theaters October 3.
The Alabama Solution — The participants of Andrew Jarecki and Charlotte Kaufman’s essential documentary put their own safety at risk to expose the corruption and inhumane treatment rampant in Alabama correctional facilities. Composed largely of secret cell phone footage shot inside the prisons, the film reveals the shocking realities that are hidden from the outside world, shedding light on deeply unjust — and deadly — systemic failings. The Alabama Solution premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters October 3; airing on HBO and streaming on HBO Max October 10.
The Dating Game — China’s former one-child policy has resulted in a population that includes some 30 million more men than women — a daunting figure if you’re a guy searching for a date. In director Violet Du Feng’s documentary, three clients enlist the services of dating coach Hao, who insists a cool, curated appearance is what women want. Hao’s wife, Wen — a dating coach for women — has differing philosophies. The Dating Game premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters October 10.
Fairyland — When young Alysia Abbott’s (Nessa Dougherty) mother suddenly dies, her father, Steve (Scoot McNairy), moves the family to San Francisco, where he embraces his identity and begins to date men. Based on Abbott’s 2013 memoir, Fairyland is a portrait of an evolving relationship between a father and daughter against the backdrop of San Francisco in the 1970s and ’80s. Starring Emilia Jones as adult Alysia, writer-director Andrew Durham’s feature debut premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to select theaters October 10.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You — Linda can’t seem to catch a break. Alone in taking care of her child while her husband is away on an extended business trip, she’s juggling her daughter’s mysterious illness and her stressful job as a therapist — while her own therapist (Conan O’Brien) is little help — when the ceiling of her apartment caves in. How much more can one person handle? Featuring a powerhouse performance by Rose Byrne as Linda, writer-director Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to theaters October 10.
Kiss of the Spider Woman — The cruelty of real life during the Dirty War in Argentina is in contrast to technicolor musical fantasy in writer-director Bill Condon’s film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name, based on the 1976 novel by Manuel Puig. When political prisoner Valentín (Diego Luna) gets thrown into a cell with Molina (Tonatiuh) — a man accused of indecency — the pair form an unexpected bond as Molina shares the plot of a beloved Hollywood musical starring the mesmerizing Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Kiss of the Spider Woman premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to theaters October 10.
The Perfect Neighbor — Composed primarily of police bodycam footage and recordings of 911 calls, director Geeta Gandbhir’s urgent film documents the events that led to a fatal shooting in a residential neighborhood in Ocala, Florida, in 2023. An examination of how racial discrimination, gun violence, and “stand your ground” laws intersect in the U.S., The Perfect Neighbor premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the directing Award: U.S. Documentary. Coming to select theaters October 10; streaming on Netflix October 17.
Hal & Harper — Writer-director Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth) returned to the Sundance Film Festival in 2025 with his first episodic series, Hal & Harper. Starring Raiff as Hal and Lili Reinhart as Harper, the series follows the pair of titular 20-something siblings as they reconcile the emotional hurdles that they’ve encountered in the past two decades when their father (Mark Ruffalo) announces that his partner, Kate (Betty Gilpin), is pregnant. Streaming on Mubi October 19.
Last Days — After directing high-octane installments of the Fast & Furious franchise, director Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, 2002 Sundance Film Festival) returns to the Sundance Film Festival in 2025 with Last Days, a biographical drama about the final days of missionary John Allen Chau. Believing it was his mission to bring Christianity to the Sentinelese — a tribe in voluntary isolation on North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal — Chau (Sky Yang) made an ill-fated attempt to contact the tribe in 2018. Coming to select theaters October 24.
Coexistence, My Ass! — Israeli comedian and activist Noam Shuster Eliassi takes center stage in director Amber Fares’ new documentary, which won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Raised in the Oasis of Peace community — founded by a cooperative of Israeli Jews and Arabs — former UN employee Shuster Eliassi uses humor to advocate for coexistence free from oppression as part of her one-person show, Coexistence, My Ass!. Coming to select theaters October 29.
The Thing with Feathers — Grief is a shapeshifter in writer-director Dylan Southern’s narrative feature debut. After his wife unexpectedly dies, Dad (Benedict Cumberbatch) is left alone to raise his two young sons. Desperate to cope, Dad immerses himself in his work as a graphic novelist, but soon one of his characters — a crow voiced by David Thewlis — begins talking back. Based on the novella Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter, The Thing with Feathers premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Coming to theaters October 31.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour is underway! Traveling to all corners of the United States and beyond in the following months, the 100-minute program features seven short films selected from the 2025 Festival, including two Festival Award–winning titles. Check here for dates and venues; see below for dates in October.
- Chattanooga, Tennessee, October 26, Tivoli Theatre Foundation
