“The Pod Generation” (Roadside Attractions) is a good example of a high-concept movie that runs out of juice just as it’s about to say something profound. It wants to be edgy but it’s dull. It also can’t decide if it’s meant to be funny or serious and ends up being neither.

Trans filmmaker D. Smith has done something incredible with her first film, the documentary “Kokomo City” (Magnolia). She has given voice to black, trans sex workers, a segment of the population that has something to say after remaining silent for too long. Focusing on four individuals – Liyah Mitchell, Dominique Silver, Daniella Carter, and the late Koko Da Doll (who was murdered in April 2023) – Smith offers us insight into both the trans and sex worker communities in equal measure.

Based on the autobiographical novel by Makoto Takayama, director and co-screenwriter Daishi Matsunaga’s “Egoist” (Strand) is one of the most original and moving gay movies of the year. Slightly reminiscent of Hong Khaou’s 2014 “Lilting” (starring out actor Ben Whishaw), in which a mother and her son’s lover bond following a calamity, “Egoist” finds the perfect balance between eroticism and emotion.

As a writer and director, Greta Gerwig (whose best work is done behind the camera) has a history of making movies with strong messages of female empowerment, including the Oscar-nominated features “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.”