If you’re an Aubrey Plaza fan, this might just be the best time to be alive.

Plaza, whose role in the hit series “Parks and Recreation” catapulted her to fame, graduated to highly regarded indie film roles and into a career trajectory that includes an award-winning turn on the second season of HBO’s “White Lotus.” She’s currently placing her edgy stamp on two of the buzziest entertainment options of the season, and in each case her very specific gifts as an actor not only shine through, but add a dimension that both fits and enhances the material – and we’re a hundred percent on board for both of them.

The most high-profile of these is unquestionably a blockbuster event. It’s the anxiously awaited “Agatha All Along,” a spin-off that picks up the story of its witchy title character (Kathryn Hahn, in a virtuoso star turn) from the Marvel and Disney Plus limited series “WandaVision” after having been trapped in a “twisted spell” by Emmy-winner Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff – aka the Scarlet Witch – during that show’s finale.

In this case, it’s hard to say much about Plaza’s performance yet – she only appears in one of the two episodes released to date, and her character, while provocative, is still very much an unknown quantity within the larger structure of the show – but it’s clear from her electrifying subtext with co-star Hahn that their relationship will likely be a key to the show’s still-unfolding mysteries, and the presence of “Heartstopper” star Joe Locke (as a gay teen acolyte) only amps up the LGBTQ factor. That’s pretty groundbreaking, considering that both Marvel and Disney have long been accused of pulling their punches when it comes to queer representation in their screen content; and such considerations aside, how can anyone resist a comedically spooky fall show about a coven of questing witches that includes Patti LuPone?

Plaza’s participation in the second vehicle might end up being considerably smaller than what she eventually delivers in “Agatha,” but her two-scene performance in “My Old Ass” leaves a significant enough impression to call her the “anchor” of the film. The sophomore Sundance-lauded feature from filmmaker Megan Park (“The Fallout”), it’s a youthful-but-wise seriocomic coming-of-age tale that blends tongue-in-cheek absurdism with magical realism and a touch of sci-fi fantasy to create a “what if?” scenario with the power to make audiences both laugh out loud and “ugly cry”, and sometimes both at once.

The film stars Canadian actress and singer Maisy Stella (TV’s “Nashville”), making her feature film debut as Elliott, a proudly queer Canadian teen who lives on her family’s cranberry farm near Ontario’s scenic Muskoga Lakes. The story opens on her 18th birthday, as she and her two besties (Maddie Ziegler, Kerrice Brooks) go off for a celebratory overnight camping trip – with “magic” mushrooms on the menu to start the party off right, and we don’t mean a microdose. Each of the girls winds up having their own individual trip, but Elliott, who is weeks away from leaving for college and a new life of adult freedom she can’t wait to start, experiences something particularly mind-blowing: a visit from none other than her own future self (Plaza), a 39-year old with a still-unsettled life and a few regrets she hopes to undo by offering up some advice to 18-year-old Elliott about choices that will soon be coming her way.

No, it’s not inside info about “the next Apple”, as the film’s effortlessly witty screenplay (also by Park) puts it; rather it’s advice not to fall in love with a boy named Chad, something Young Elliott – who self-identifies as “only liking girls” – thinks will be a no-brainer. At least, she does until a day later, when a boy named Chad (Percy Hynes White) signs on as an extra summer worker at the family farm. He’s immediately taken with her, and she finds herself responding to his good-natured (and irresistibly charming) flirtation with more enthusiasm than she expects. Desperate to learn more, she attempts to re-forge the time-bending connection with her “Old Ass” before she winds up making the same mistake she’s been warned against in spite of herself.

While it sounds, in many ways, like the fodder for a fanciful-yet-predictable teenage “rom-dramedy”, Park’s approach aims higher than merely turning its premise into a framework for a love story. Instead, she leans hard into a refreshingly positive depiction of a young woman learning to see life from a wider perspective, to let go of the identifying boundaries she’s set for herself and become more connected with the ebb and flow of time and circumstance that has little regard for such limitations. In many ways, it’s the non-romance-related wisdom imparted by Older Elliott that arguably makes more of an impact on her life, such as learning to appreciate her family and the time she spends with them instead of simply being impatient to leave them behind. Ultimately, though, it’s the dilemma of Chad that sounds at the deepest level, and while spoiling it would be a crime, it’s enough to say that, when all is revealed, the bold and life-affirming message delivered by Park’s disarmingly light-hearted movie is guaranteed to resonate with almost any viewer.

From a queer perspective, it’s important to note that some audiences have taken exception to the film’s depiction of a same-sex attracted person being tempted by an opposite-sex romance, seeing it as a throwback to an old-school Hollywood formula under which she just needs to “find the right man” to be redeemed from her “deviant” sexuality; yet while such objections might be understandable, “My Old Ass” has also been widely praised for its authentic portrayal of bisexuality – something sorely lacking in a film industry that doesn’t know how to handle it – and its strongly asserted message about the limitations imposed by the labels society wants us to claim for ourselves.

In any case, what makes “My Old Ass” into a truly special film is not the sexuality of its characters – though that’s definitely an important theme – but the open-hearted perspective that informs it. Park makes a point of stressing that life has its own ideas for us, regardless of what we may have planned, and further that true joy might only come from letting go of all our fears and simply embracing the experience of being. There are a great many larger, more “prestigious” movies that have tried to do the same, but few have succeeded with as much raw and unmanufactured certainty as this relatively humble gem – and while it’s definitely Stella’s movie, capturing our empathetic engagement with her from its earliest moments and showcasing her unvarnished naturalism throughout, Plaza is the presence that gives the film its necessary weight, using her two scenes to cement her stature as a talent whose unequivocal stardom is long overdue.

You can catch “Agatha All Along” on Disney Plus, with a new episode dropping each week. “My Old Ass,” given a limited theatrical rollout earlier this month, may still be in some theaters but will likely be available soon via distributor Amazon Prime’s streaming platform.

It’s no surprise that the fall movie landscape finds an unusually large number of films – most of them documentaries – about trans people and the challenges they face in trying to achieve an identity that matches their own sense of self. 

Transgender rights or even acceptance have never been in such a precarious place within the American political landscape since queer rights were acknowledged at all in the mainstream conversation. After eight years of ramped-up efforts by anti-trans activists to essentially legislate them out of legal existence, trans people find themselves facing a divisive and uncomfortably close election that will likely have an existential impact on their future, accompanied by persistent and vocal efforts by the conservative right-wing crowd to ostracize and stigmatize them within public perception. They’re not the only target, but they are the most vulnerable one – especially within the evangelical strongholds that might swing the election one way or the other – and that means a lot of conservative crosshairs are trained directly on them.

It’s a position they’re used to, unfortunately, which is precisely why there are so many erudite and artistic voices within the trans community emerging, prepared by years of experience and education gained from dealing with persistent transphobic dogma in American culture, to illuminate the trans experience and push back against the efforts of political opportunists by letting their stories speak for themselves. Surely there is no weapon against hatred more potent than empathy – once we recognize our own reflection in those we demonize, it’s hard to keep ourselves from recognizing our shared humanity, too – and perhaps no more potent way of conveying it than through the most visceral artistic medium of all: filmmaking

Particularly timely, in the wake of an Olympics marked by controversy over the participation of Algeria’s Imane Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting in the women’s competition, is “Unfightable,” from producer/director Marc J. Perez. Offering up a harrowing, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring portrait of Alana McLaughlin – a U.S. Army Special Forces sergeant who, following gender transition, turned female MMA fighter only to face resistance and transphobic prejudice within the rarified cultural microcosm of professional sports – while also taking a deep dive into the world of  Mixed Martial Arts and the starkly divided attitudes of those who work within it, it aims to turn one person’s trans experience into a metaphor for the struggle of an entire community to be recognized and accepted on its own terms. For the most part, it succeeds.

Unlike many such biography-heavy documentaries, “Unfightable” allows its subject – the charismatic and outspoken McLaughlin, whose presence rightly dominates the film and leaves the most lingering impression – to narrate her own story, without interpretation or commentary from “talking head” experts. From the grim-but-all-too-familiar story of her upbringing in a deeply religious family (and yes, conversion “therapy” was involved) through her struggle to define her identity via a grueling military career, her eventual transition, and her emergence as only the second transfeminine competitor in the professional MMA arena and beyond, Perez treats most of the movie’s narrative thrust like an extended one-on-one interview, in which McLaughlin delivers the story as she experienced it. This one-on-one honest expression is effectively counterpointed by the rhetoric of other MMA personalities who participated in the film, some of which is shockingly transphobic despite protestations of having “nothing against” trans people.

At the same time, the film acknowledges and amplifies supportive voices within the MMA, whose efforts to bring McLaughlin into the fold were not only successful, but ultimately led to her victorious 2021 match against French fighter Celine Provost. It’s a tale that hits all the touchstone marks of queer/trans experience for those whose lives can’t really begin until they break free of their oppressive origins, and whose fight to claim an authentic life for themself is frequently waged against both the families who ostensibly love them and the prejudices of a society eager to condemn anything that deviates from the perceived “norm”. Naturally, as a story of individual determination, self-acceptance, and success against the odds, its main agenda is to draw you in and lift you up; but it does so while still driving home the point about how far the road still stretches ahead before trans athletes – and by extension, trans people in general – are afforded the same legitimacy as everyone else.

To ensure that reality is never forgotten or taken lightly, we are offered some pretty egregious examples; from prominent fighters who insist they “have no problem” with trans people as a preface for their transphobic beliefs about trans athletes, to McLaughlin’s long wait before finding another MMA pro who was willing to fight her we are confronted with a pattern of prejudice blocking her path forward. And though it documents her triumph, it reminds us that three years later, despite her accomplishments, she has yet to find another MMA pro willing to give her another bout.

If nothing else, though, “Unfightable” underscores a shift in attitudes that reflects the progress – however slow or maddeningly hard-won it may be – of trans people carving out space for themselves in a social environment still largely hostile to their success or even their participation. As McLaughlin’s journey illustrates, it takes dogged persistence and a not-insignificant level of righteous anger to even pierce the skin of the systemic transphobia that still opposes the involvement of people like her in sports; her experience also bears witness to the emboldened bigotry that has doubled-down on its opposition to trans acceptance since the 2016 election of a certain former president who is now seeking a second chance of his own – highlighting the dire consequences at stake for the trans community (and, let’s face it, the entire queer community alongside every other group deplored and marginalized by his followers) should his efforts toward a comeback prove successful.

Yet as grim an outlook as it may acknowledge, “Unfightable” doesn’t leave viewers with a belief in sure defeat; in the toughness of its subject – who is, as it proudly makes clear, a veteran of combat much more directly dangerous than anything she will ever encounter in the ring – and her refusal to simply give up and go away, it kindles in us the same kind of dogged resistance that fueled her own transcendence of a toxic personal history and allowed her to assert her identity –  triumphantly so, despite the transphobia that would have kept her forever from the prize.

That’s a spirit of determination that we all could use to help drive us to victory at the polls come November. Like Alana McLaughlin, we have neither the desire nor the ability to go back to the way our lives were before, and Perez’s documentary helps us believe we have the strength to keep it from happening.

“Unfightable” opened for a limited release in New York on Sept. 13 and begins another in Los Angeles on Sept. 20. It will air on ViX, the leading Spanish-language streaming service in the world, and in English on Fuse TV, following its theatrical run.

It might be too soon to get excited about the movies we know are coming later in the year – like the first installment of the big-screen adaptation of “Wicked” or Pedro Almodóvar’s first English language movie “The Room Next Door” – but that doesn’t mean there’s still not plenty to look forward to as their time draws nearer. As always, we’ve compiled a preview of the most interesting LGBTQ and related content coming to movie and TV screens over the weeks ahead, so get ready to plan out your own watchlist as you keep reading below.

“The English Teacher” (Hulu, now streaming): In its publicity blurb, we’re told that educators being forced to navigate “a lot of bullshit” as a result of the ongoing culture wars is a theme that runs “subtly” through this new workplace comedy created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez, which is putting it mildly to say the least. Centering on an Austin high school teacher who comes under fire after a student sees him making out with his boyfriend at school, it’s a giddily up-front social satire that skewers not only the hypersensitivity of our current era but the counter-productive absurdity of an education system more concerned with placating political pressures than passing on knowledge; it’s already emerged as a critical darling among the new shows of the Fall Season – which is great news for Alvarez, a talented performer (best known as Jack’s husband-to-be in the rebooted “Will and Grace” and his viral video content on Instagram and TikTok) overdue for the mainstream spotlight.

“Lover Of Men: The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln” (theaters, now playing; streaming/VOD, TBA this fall): Earnest, passionate, yet delivered with a light touch, this sure-to-be-controversial new doc addresses the much-speculated question of our iconic 16th president’s sexuality with a trove of well-documented evidence, presented by a host of respected historians and bolstered by amusingly modernistic re-enactments of the Great Emancipator’s supposed intimate liaisons with various men during key parts of his life. More than that, it ties its narrative to the way America’s attitudes and acceptance of LGBTQ people has evolved into contemporary times while also discrediting many modern assumptions about the ways the community has been treated in the past. It may not convince the die-hard doubters, but this polished and politically hopeful effort from filmmaker Shaun Peterson is as hard to dismiss as it is entertaining, and it definitely belongs on your watch list.

“Seeking Mavis Beacon” (theaters, Sept. 13): After a limited release on Sept. 6, this documentary expands nationwide this week with a “DIY detective story” about the search for the unknown and un-credited real-life model whose image was used as the face of “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing” – a widely used instructional computer typing program launched in 1987 – that serves as a launch pad to explore a whole spectrum of sociological and philosophical nuances related to race, ethical marketing, and the impact of technology on culture and communication. With two queer women of color – director Jazmin Jones and associate producer Olivia McKayla Ross – leading the onscreen investigation, it’s an unusual and thought-provoking think piece that is as entertaining as it is enlightening.

“The Critic” (theaters, Sept. 13): Venerated queer elder and acting legend Ian McKellen returns to the screen in this deliciously dark tale of period intrigue from director Anand Tucker and writer Patrick Marber, in which a notoriously poison-penned theater critic (McKellen) in 1934 London attempts to preserve his career by manipulating an ambitious young actress (Gemma Arterton) into a sinister scheme to influence his paper’s new editor (Mark Strong). Lush costumes and period settings, not to mention an assortment of top-notch thespians that also includes Alfred Enoch, Ben Barnes, and the always-exquisite Lesley Manville, all make this grimly macabre morality tale about the dangers of an unbridled ego an unmistakable product of the UK – and it’s likely fans of “BritTV” style costume dramas will be most appreciative of its somewhat old-fashioned charms. Even so, another deftly over-the-top performance from McKellen and an underlying exploration of hazards of leading an openly queer life within a comfortably homophobic status quo are enough to make it interesting for other audiences, too.

“Unfightable” (theaters, Sept. 13 in New York and Sept. 20 in LA; Fuse TV, October TBA): Another new doc tells the story of transgender MMA fighter Alana McLaughlin, from her difficult upbringing and service in the US Special Forces, through her transition and search for community in Portland, to her decision to seek professional status in an arena notorious for its bias against transgender athletes. A real-life narrative highlighting the bravery it can take to assert one’s true identity, this must-see offering from director Marc J. Perez only screens in New York and LA this month, but debuts on Fuse TV in October.

“Will and Harper” (theaters, Sept. 13 / Netflix, Sept. 27): Yet another doc – or is it a non-fiction “road trip buddy movie?” – is set apart from the rest by the star power on the screen: namely Will Farrell, who goes on a cross-country drive with close friend Harper Steele, a writer he met on his first day working on “Saturday Night Live” in 1995. The twist? Steele, whom Farrell had only known as a man, had come out to him as a trans woman, and the trip is their way of forging a new path forward in their friendship “through laughter, tears, and many cans of Pringles.” Funny, intimate, honest, and heartfelt, this is one of those movies that has Hollywood abuzz, and with good reason – its unequivocal and highly visible exploration of trans identity comes with considerable industry clout in the form of its star (who is joined by fellow SNL alums like Seth Meyers, Tina Fey, Kristen Wiig, Colin Jost, Will Forte, Molly Shannon, Tim Meadows, and Paula Pell) and promotes unconditional love and acceptance toward trans people on the cusp of an election in which their rights and protections are very much at stake. Needless to say, this one should be near the top of your watch list.

“My Old Ass” (theaters, limited Sept. 13, wide Sept. 27): Just in time for the new psychedelic revolution comes this comical coming-of-age story in which free-spirited Elliott (Maisy Stella) takes an 18th birthday mushroom trip and finds herself face-to-face with her own 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza). Her “old ass” has some pretty strong opinions about what her younger self should and shouldn’t be doing, and doesn’t hesitate to deliver them in between wisecracks – causing Elliott to second-guess everything she thought she knew about family, love and what increasingly appears to be a transformative summer ahead. Written and directed by Megan Park, and also featuring Percy Hynes White, Maddie Ziegler, and Kerrice Brooks, this one is notable for featuring a bisexual central character, which is more than enough for us to put it on our list.

“How to Die Alone” (Hulu, Sept. 13): In this comedy series co-created by and starring Natasha Rothwell, Mel is a “broke, fat, Black JFK airport employee who’s never been in love and forgotten how to dream” – until an accident leads to a near-death experience. Jarred into a new outlook on life, she throws herself into a quest to go out and start living by any means necessary. Rothwell’s strong talents are enough to bring us to the table, but out gay co-star Conrad Ricamora (“How to Get Away With Murder,” “Fire Island”), as Mel’s best friend, definitely ups our interest level for this promising new entry.

“Agatha All Along” (Disney +, Sept. 18): We all know Marvel has been struggling to please its fans with its ambitious slate of TV content, but one hands-down winner for the titanic franchise was certainly the imaginative and ultimately powerful “WandaVision” – and this new miniseries, which stems directly from that critically lauded entry into the MCU canon, is breathlessly anticipated as a consequence. It follows the further misadventures of villainous Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn), who (according to the official synopsis) “finds herself down and out of power after a suspicious goth teen [Joe Locke, ‘Heartstopper’] helps break her free” from the spell that trapped her at the conclusion of the former series. When he asks her to take him down the legendary “Witches’ Road,” a series of dangerous magical trials that might help her restore her powers, her interest is piqued, so the pair gathers a “desperate coven” and sets off on the treacherous journey together. Hahn’s reprisal of her fabulously campy supervillain role is likely to be the main attraction, but including the adorable Locke as her gay new teen familiar is a brilliantly irresistible touch.

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” (Netflix, Sept.19): Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s true-crime anthology series “Monster” follows up its award-winning “Dahmer” saga by exploring the story of the real-life titular brothers, convicted in 1996 for the murders of their parents, José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menendez – successfully prosecuted on the argument that they were motivated by greed for the family fortune despite the brothers’ claims of lifelong physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. It was a shocking, heavily publicized case, launching a surge in audience fascination with true crime, and let’s face it – nobody has quite the same golden touch in getting to the humanity behind these kinds of lurid tabloid tales as the prolific Murphy. It’s a must-watch, you can count on it – though if it’s anywhere near as disturbing as the show’s inaugural season, it probably won’t be a binge-watch. Javier Bardem and Chloë Sevigny play the parents, with relative newcomers Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as the boys.

“Brilliant Minds” (NBC, Sept. 23) Out gay actor Zachary Quinto stars in this new medical procedural, loosely based on the life and work of Dr. Oliver Sacks, the famed late doctor whose work helped reconfigure the way we understand and treat neurological disorders – but while the real Sacks, though gay, didn’t come out until late in life, the series “re-imagines” his story into modern New York, giving Quinto’s version of the doc the chance to not only be open about his sexuality, but to use some unorthodox practices to help his patients. It might sound a bit forced, but Quinto is always an interesting actor to watch, and any chance to get queer talent playing queer characters in queer stories is good enough to warrant a chance from us, too.

“Grotesquerie” (Sept. 25, FX): The season’s second Ryan Murphy show is this miniseries about a small community unsettled by a wave of heinous crimes – which feel to the town’s lead investigator (Niecy Nash) to be eerily personal. Struggling with issues at home (and her own inner demons), she enlists the aid of a journalist nun (Micaela Diamond) with a difficult past of her own; together, this mismatched team strings together clues as they find themselves snared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers. Yes, that all sounds pretty vague and evokes “American Horror Story” vibes without revealing anything – but with Nash as its star and supporting players like Lesley Manville, Courtney B. Vance, and even Travis Kelce (yes, him) on the roster, it’s bound to be a good time.

“Joker: Folies a Deux” (theaters, Oct. 4): This sequel to 2019’s acclaimed “Joker” brings back both director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix as failed comedian Arthur Fleck, continuing his re-imagined origin story into the iconic “Batman” villain as it introduces him to the “love of his life” – soon-to-be fellow villain Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga) – while incarcerated in Arkham Asylum. The mad mischief-makers naturally embark upon what’s described as “a doomed romantic misadventure,” and frankly, we don’t know much more than that. But the trailers look amazing, and there’s no question of Phoenix’s brilliance in a role he’s already made his own. Even without those encouragements, though, there’s nothing that’s going to stop fans of queer diva Gaga from flocking to the theater to see her take on a character she seems already to have been destined to play – and you can bet we’ll be among them.

“Smile 2” (theaters, Oct. 18): For horror fans, Halloween brings this sequel to the popular 2022 “death curse” chiller from filmmaker Parker Finn, this time following a global pop sensation (Naomi Scott) as she starts out on a new world tour, only to begin experiencing increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. No, the premise doesn’t sound terribly original (and just as it didn’t in the first installment), but if Finn keeps the same level of visual and storytelling skills as the last time around, it’s sure to be a delightfully terrifying thrill ride for those who dare.

“Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara” (Hulu, Oct. 18): Our list closes with one final documentary, which chronicles the labyrinthine tale of how the influential queer indie rock band of the title fell victim to an insidious hacking scheme from a lone stalker, leading to an identity-theft and catfishing campaign that continued to terrorize both the two musicians and their global legion of fans for more than a decade. Tegan and Sara join documentary filmmaker and investigator Erin Lee Carr to unfold this real-world mystery is into “a thriller, a caper, a whodunnit, and an intimate personal journey rolled into one.” Sounds good to us!