"White Bird in a Blizzard": In her first role since "The Fault in Our Stars," Shailene Woodley dazzles yet again in this dreamy adaptation of the Laura Kasischke novel. Acting all, like, whatever, she plays Kat, a bored, sexed-up and grief-suppressing teen whose nutty mom (Eva Green) goes missing at the tail end of the Reagan era. Now in his mid-50s, director Gregg Araki ("The Doom Generation") might have mellowed a smidge, but he hasn't lost his gift for capturing YA ennui in aptly adolescent fashion. Here, his hormonally charged visuals are perfectly matched by a period soundtrack of exquisitely angsty synth pop. (Tears for Fears! Depeche Mode! The Cure!) Available on demand a full month before its theatrical bow, "White Bird" is a pointedly thin indie whose shallowness should resonate with withering Gen Xers and the cooler subset of teen "Fault" fans. "Scratch the surface," Kat says at one point, "and there's just more surface." Totally. (Sept. 25)

"Sidewalk Stories": This brilliant African-American twist on Chaplin's "The Kid" delighted a small but appreciative audience in 1989 and then disappeared. Apparently, two decades before "The Artist," the world wasn't ready for an old-school film-buff homage shot silent — befitting its homeless characters' lack of voice — and in black and white. Now, via VOD, actor-writer-director Charles Lane's bittersweet cult movie can be seen — and heard. (Oct. 7)

"Nothing Bad Can Happen": Picture an unholy cross between "The Last Temptation of Christ" and "The Last House on the Left" and you'll still be unprepared for this arguably indefensible German indie's purgatorial assault. The congregation in Cannes issued a roughly equal mix of hosannas and boos. Me, I felt literally shaken by the film's punishing depiction of a self-described "Jesus freak" (Julius Feldmeier) and his hellish mission to heal humanity — along with a weird urge to worship director Katrin Gebbe. Judge not lest ye be judged? (Oct. 14)

"A Thousand Times Goodnight": Ever since her breathtaking turn a quarter-century ago in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being," Juliette Binoche has been among the most reliably intelligent and soulful screen actors on the planet. While fans await the winter release of Olivier Assayas's stirring "Clouds of Sils Maria," in which she works miracles opposite Kristen Stewart, there's this promising Norwegian drama with Binoche as a globetrotting war photographer torn between work and family. U2's Larry Mullen Jr. steps out from behind the drum kit for a supporting role. (Oct. 24)

"Horns": With his playfully ferocious remakes of "Piranha" and "The Hills Have Eyes," French director Alexandre Aja has shown he can speak the universal language of horror. Here, he seems to have toned down the gore only a little to direct Daniel Radcliffe — wearing, yes, horns — in an R-rated adaptation of Joe Hill's bestseller about a kid whose demonic powers help him investigate the murder of his girlfriend (Juno Temple). The film's Halloween release date should allow Aja to gross big while grossing us out. (Oct. 31)

"Abuse of Weakness": A year after its stateside debut at the New York Film Festival, this latest provocation from French director Catherine Breillat ("Fat Girl") stands to show a wider audience that she hasn't gone soft despite her recent adaptation of "Sleeping Beauty." Featuring Isabelle Huppert and rapper Kool Shen in the leads, "Abuse" is based on Breillat's own disturbing experience of suffering a stroke and then getting hustled out of half a million euros by the con artist she'd hoped to cast in a movie. (Nov. 11)