Volver
Monday 22, Hyperreal Film Club
This Pedro Almodóvar film has many of his filmography’s classic features: family, murder, ghosts, more murder, and Penélope Cruz. After thinking she died in a house fire, Raimunda (Cruz) is suddenly confronted with her mother’s spirit. If that wasn’t enough, a murder is being covered up by Raimunda’s daughter. It’s sort of a two-for-one mystery story that unfolds in the Spanish maestro’s trademark mix of heavy subject matter and light-hearted moments, with just a touch of autobiographical resonance. Screens as part of HFC’s Hispanic Heritage Month series co-presented by Cine Las Americas. – Laura Rivera
JK’s Just Kidding Variety Hour: Fall Equinox Edition
Monday 22, Trinity Street Playhouse
Reset your cultural watch for the fall at this variety show. Hosts Jenny Larson and khattieQ give autumn a warm welcome in their returning seasonal showcase, this time celebrating the equinox. Embrace the transition from summer with performances by improv artists Shannon Stott, musician BRUCE, dancer Aida Reyes, and a special screening from filmmaker PJ Raval. Plus, a post-performance pilgrimage to Michael Anthony Garcia’s opening artist reception of their new exhibition, “sit with it.” – James Scott
City of God
Monday 22 & Wednesday 24, AFS Cinema
Set in 1970s Rio de Janeiro, this explosive epic follows two young boys growing up in the favelas who choose different but related paths: one participating in and the other documenting the gang violence endemic to the poorest areas of the Brazilian capital city. Based on an autobiographical novel by Paulo Lins, who himself was raised in the City of God, the film was adapted by Fernando Mereilles, who established a distinctive style with handheld camerawork, interlocking storylines, and compassionate, character-driven renderings of poverty and violence. Comparisons have been drawn by the likes of Roger Ebert to Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas, but Mereilles birthed a style all his own with this 2002 classic, necessitating a big screen viewing. – Lina Fisher
HBO Quizzo: Sex and the City
Monday 22, Mohawk
Where do you go from Newark? Manhattan, of course. The second edition of Mohawk’s new HBO trivia night follows The Sopranos with the format-changing network’s other millennium-straddling tentpole series, Sex and the City. What Tweedy Bird-loving catch did Carrie fumble? Who was the doctor Miwanduh could’ve run away with if she didn’t settle for Steve? What was Smith’s given name pre-Samantha rebrand? Which special agent couldn’t consummate his relationship with Charlotte? Prepare to answer all of these stumpers and more, for free, starting at 7pm. Costumes are encouraged, so pull out your Manolos. – Carys Anderson
All That Heaven Allows
Monday 22, Alamo Village
In 1975, a year after he made Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, his homage to the magnificent 1955 melodrama, All That Heaven Allows, Rainer Werner Fassbinder told Film Comment, “This is the kind of thing Douglas Sirk makes movies about. People can’t live alone, but they can’t live together either. This is why his movies are so desperate.” Todd Haynes reinterpreted the film anew in 2002’s Far From Heaven, yet another queer filmmaker who found major inspiration in Sirk’s so-called “women’s pictures.” In Sirk’s original, a then-closeted Rock Hudson plays a sensitive, strapping gardener courting Jane Wyman’s older widow. Lots to chew on here for the Drafthouse’s ongoing Queer Film Theory 101 series. [Editor’s note: Which is NOT the stage show, but the screening series of the same name!] – Kimberley Jones
Harold and Maude
Tuesday 23, Hyperreal Film Club
One of the most touching films about love and death, this odd-couple romp is packed with nuanced renderings of character and many, many Cat Stevens hits. Harold, a misanthropic teenager obsessed with faking his own demise, strikes up an intense bond with Maude, a vivacious and energetic 79-year-old. They fall in love, but their bond transcends just romance, teaching both of them acceptance of the absurdity, pain, meaning, and meaninglessness of life. Though quite in-your-face about the facts of life (and death), its innocence will warm your heart and make you want to sing out – if you want to sing out, that is. – Lina Fisher
Castration Movie Part II
Tuesday 23 – Wednesday 24, Hyperreal Film Club
Visionary filmmaker Louise Weard tours the second installment of her “post-modern epic about gender” with former Austinite, currently New-York-based queer film programmer Elizabeth Purchell, landing them squarely at the city’s mightiest micro-cinema. The sequel continues to follow lead character Michaela “Traps” Sinclair (Weard) as she navigates the labyrinth of modern-day trans existence – the dark lows, dizzying highs, and creamy middles. Queer cinema name-brands appear throughout the cast list, including I Saw the TV Glow’s Jack Haven, Theda Hammel (Stress Positions), and Purchell herself. Haven’t seen part one? Catch it screening at AFS Cinema on Wednesday, 6pm, with Purchell and Weard once again in attendance. – James Scott
Bike Story Night
Wednesday 24, Hold Out Brewing
Telling a story while on a bike, that’s hard. Telling a story about biking, now that’s easy! Luckily, that’s what Bike Story Night is all about. Whether you’re a commute rider or a long distance climber, you can’t cycle without pedaling through a tale or two. Tag along in the group ride to Hold Out Brewing and then shift gears into gathering mode to listen, share, and connect with fellow cyclists over true and personal, bike-centered stories. – Caroline Drew
DAC Nights: That’s Knot Art
Wednesday 24, Dougherty Arts Center
Do you know the difference between a clove hitch and a timber hitch? Ever tried your hand at a Turk’s head, or sailor’s knot? If you answered “I have knot,” sail over to DAC for an evening of artsy exploration. Gummy fish and Capri-Sun will be on the menu, and DAC staff will lead guests on a journey through decorative and basic knots while listening to rip-roaring sea shanties. Registration encouraged. – Kat McNevins
Normal Gossip Live
Wednesday 24, Paramount Theatre
Born out of a desire to overhear gossip again during the pandemic, podcast Normal Gossip takes a listener-submitted story, anonymizes it, and narrates it to the delight of an audience thirsty for tea. Host Rachelle Hampton and producer Se’era Spragley Ricks will reportedly be joined by former host and co-creator Kelsey McKinney, who since leaving the pod wrote a book about gossip (You Didn’t Hear This From Me). Bring your best secrets to share and be ready to gasp at the wild decisions of people you don’t know and will never meet. – Kat McNevins
Castration Movie Part I
Wednesday 24, AFS Cinema
Movies about trans people made by trans people are in short supply if you only browse the multiplex movie menu. Dig into the indie scene, though, and you’ll find the real deal meals – such as director Louise Weard’s ultra outsider project Castration Movie. Anthology i. The Fear of Having No One to Hold at the End of the World dropped in June 2024, but if you didn’t catch the tale of trans sex worker Michaela “Traps” Sinclair during the Kickstarter campaign, you’re in luck this week. AFS hosts Weard and programmer Elizabeth Purchell for a screening of the film, which Weard says she made to “deliver a trans story by us, for us, and about us.” Double up your HRT dose by catching Part II, screening Sept. 22-23 at Hyperreal Film Club with Purchell and Weard in attendance. – James Scott
“The Lemon Project”
Through October 29, The Ruby Hotel, Round Rock
When life gives you lemons, create oil paintings of those lemons. That was the case for visual artist Linda Chido, who, after taking a paper-making class with her son, decided to paint one of those sour, yellow guys on the first piece. And so the aptly titled “Lemon Project” expanded into a book including cocktail recipes from local distilleries. Raise a glass at happy hour to celebrate the opening of the exhibition at The Ruby Hotel. – Felicity Guajardo
An Evening with Elizabeth Gilbert
Thursday 25, Paramount Theatre
Elizabeth Gilbert is one of those writers that sticks around in the cultural consciousness. Whether you love her or hate her, her polarizing flair has put her at the center of ever-shifting debates around such thorny topics as feminism, self-love, tourism, new age spirituality, and autobiography. On the occasion of her new memoir about her late partner Rayya’s death, All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation, the bestselling author of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic will be speaking at the Paramount. This time, judging by the reviews, her self-help framework involves much darker themes than could be a Julia Roberts-vehicle movie: addiction, the pitfalls of extravagant wealth, and ultimately, death. – Lina Fisher
Second Chance Job Fair
Thursday 25, Carver Branch Library
Dust off your dressiest duds, update your résumé, and start fresh at the Second Chance Job Fair. Hosted by Travis County Justice Planning Reentry Services to help people facing barriers to employment, this event showcases community resources to help get back in the job market. Be prepared for on-the-site interviews with open-minded employers, and maybe walk out with a new gig. – Riley Walsh
Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what’s happening now or in the coming week.
This article appears in September 19 • 2025.
