Screens Strung

SEXLESS

D: Alex Holdridge; with Holdridge, Brian McGuire, Kelly Dealyn, Camille Chen, Michelle Fairbanks, Sara Simmonds, Scoot McNairy, Kierstin Cunnington.

Narrative Feature Competition, World Premiere

Austin transplant Alex Holdridge's first film, Wrong Numbers (which won the Austin Film Festival's Audience Award two years ago), was about two underage college kids trying to score some beer; his second, the wry romantic comedy Sexless, ups the age (midtwenties) and tweaks the object of desire (affection, connection, contact), but the gist is the same: wistful longing bookended by some very funny stuff. The look of the thing has changed dramatically, however: Shot on high-def, Sexless looks like a million bucks (as does Town Lake, lensed in the late-evening warm melt of sundown). Locals Okkervil River, Shearwater, and Daniel Johnston supply some of the (very good) tunage, and Austinites can make a game out of spotting hometown landmarks throughout. (Paramount, 3/9, 7pm; CC, 3/10, 5pm; Paramount, 3/15, 2pm) - Kimberley Jones