The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Megalopolis get the documentary treatment, as does the inner world of Ye, in this end-of-summer indie weekend with a sprinkling of dramas and comedies.
Dark Sky Films opens *Chain Reactions* by Alexandre O. Philippe, an acclaimed documentary examining the profound impact and lasting influence of *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*. The film features discussions with five artists: Stephen King, Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, and Karyn Kusama. It debuts today in New York (Regal Union Square), Los Angeles (Laemmle NoHo), with San Francisco’s Roxie theater screening next week. The release will expand throughout October.
Dark Sky also holds the rights to Tobe Hooper’s original 1974 shocker, and theaters are pairing the two films. *Chain Reactions* premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, winning the Venice Classics Award for Best Documentary on Cinema. It boasts a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes from 27 reviews. For more insight, see Deadline’s interview with Philippe from the Venice premiere.
Following its premieres at Venice and Telluride, Utopia is opening *Megadoc*, a documentary directed by Mike Figgis about the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s *Megalopolis*. Screening on around 40 screens, including Angelika in NYC, Landmark Sunset in LA, Roxie in San Francisco, and AFI Silver in Washington DC/Maryland, this fly-on-the-wall doc captures Coppola’s decades-long journey creating his self-financed passion project that debuted at Cannes in 2024 and saw a theatrical release that fall.
Figgis’ real-time portrait weaves together archival materials, candid cast interviews, and an intimate look at how Coppola drew from Roman history, political allegory, and his own singular vision to shape the world of *Megalopolis*.
Also opening wide, *In Whose Name?* by Nicolas Ballesteros launches on about 1,000 screens in partnership with AMC, Regal, and Cinemark. Ballesteros began filming Kanye West, now known as Ye, at age 18 just after high school. Over six years and thousands of hours of footage, the documentary follows West through a storm of music, fashion, and faith—covering his bipolar diagnosis, collapsing marriage to Kim Kardashian, sponsorship losses, and growing public backlash over his polarizing billion-dollar brand and persona. The film is produced by ASMI Entertainment, with Simran A. Singh producing and Nick Jarjour and Amy A. Singh executive producing.
Magnolia Pictures opens *Plainclothes*, the Special Jury Award winner for Ensemble Cast at its Sundance premiere, at the IFC Center in NYC. Writer-director Carmen Emmi and cast members Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey will participate in Q&As throughout the weekend.
Set in Syracuse in the 1990s, the film stars Blyth as a police officer tasked with arresting men in public bathrooms. He becomes entangled with one of his targets (Tovey) in a story that blends love, self-discovery, and nostalgia for a time before smartphones and dating apps. *Plainclothes* currently holds an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 46 reviews.
Vietnamese audiences are flocking to *Lat Mat 8: Vong Tay Nang* (“The 8th installment”), a domestic hit that has earned $8.8 million and ranks among the top five highest-grossing films in Vietnam this year, following record-breaking advance ticket sales and opening at number one at the local box office.
Set against the golden sand dunes of Ninh Thuan province, the film explores family strife when a son’s dream to follow his own path of dance conflicts with his father’s wishes. The franchise marks its 10-year anniversary with this latest entry. Director Ly Hai’s previous film, *Face Off 7: One Wish*, is Vietnam’s third highest-grossing film of all time.
Blue Fox Entertainment opens the sci-fi family adventure *Xeno* on 306 screens. Written and directed by Matthew Loren, and produced by Kevin Hart and his company Hartbeat in association with Tabooma, the film follows a teenage outsider who forms a powerful bond with a terrifying alien after a chance encounter in the desert. This adventure questions the nature of good and evil. The cast includes Lulu Wilson, Omari Hardwick, Trae Romano, Wrenn Schmidt, Paul Schneider, and Garrett van der Leun.
Film Movement releases *My Sunshine*, a coming-of-age drama written and directed by Hiroshi Okuyama, at the Quad Cinema in NYC. Premiering at Cannes 2024, the film follows young Takuya on the Japanese island of Hokkaido during winter. A self-described worst player on his ice hockey team, Takuya becomes captivated by figure skaters on the same rink, especially rising star Sakura from Tokyo.
Music Box Films opens *The Summer Book*, director Charlie McDowell’s film adaptation of Tove Jansson’s novel of the same name, starring Glenn Close, at the Angelika Film Center in NYC. The meditative portrayal of grief and intergenerational bonds between nine-year-old Sophia and her grandmother premiered last year at BFI London and continued screening at AFI Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the Miami Film Festival.
The distributor’s second release is *Code 3*, which follows Maya (Singh), a 30-year-old software engineer from a conservative Indian family. By day, she works on a teen-focused app; by night, she moonlights as a high school substitute teacher. When unexpectedly assigned to teach sex education, despite having never had sex herself, chaos and comedy ensue. The film premiered at SXSW 2024.
In genre-bending territory, a melancholic sci-fi romance directed by Messina, who previously collaborated with Paolo Sorrentino on the Oscar-winning *The Great Beauty*, premiered in competition at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival.
Level 33 debuts *Queen of Manhattan*, a biopic on legendary Latin adult film icon Vanessa Del Rio, opening at 20+ AMC theaters. Written and directed by Thomas Mignone, the film is set against the backdrop of organized crime-controlled Times Square in the 1970s and 80s. Starring Esai Morales, it explores Del Rio’s groundbreaking career spanning over 21 years and 200 films, alongside her activism advocating for sex workers’ rights. The film premiered in 2022 at the Dances With Films festival.
This weekend’s indie slate offers a diverse collection of documentaries, dramas, comedies, and genre films, providing something compelling for cinephiles as summer winds down. Stay tuned for upcoming screenings and expand your cinematic horizons with these remarkable titles.
https://deadline.com/2025/09/indie-films-opening-chain-reactions-texas-chainsaw-massacre-1236549621/
