Generally speaking, even if an independent fall release doesn't aspire to be an awards contender, it tends to skew toward audiences who are more likely to appreciate adult humor that skirts the scandalous, as well as dramatic fare that pulls no punches in telling a hard-hitting story for grown-ups, as in Bryan Cranston's Trumbo, above. Read on for our picks of this fall's most intriguing indie titles.

Before We Go

Release date: Sept. 4
Cast: Chris Evans, Alice Eve

Tell me more: Two strangers cross paths in New York City's Grand Central Station, leading to an event-filled, romantic night.

Did you know: Evans makes his directorial debut.

Sleeping with Other People

Release date: Sept. 11
Cast: Alison Brie, Jason Sudeikis, Natasha Lyonne, Adam Scott, Amanda Peet

Tell me more: Having in mind their many past romantic failures, two friends agree to keep their relationship platonic, which doesn't work out quite as they expected in this very adult comedy.

Did you know: Writer-director Leslye Headland previously made the comedy Bridesmaids, which also featured Adam Scott in a supporting role.

Pawn Sacrifice

Release date: Sept. 16
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Lily Rabe, Peter Sarsgaard

Tell me more: Based on a true story, legendary chess champion Bobby Fischer battles against Russian champion Boris Spassky in the midst of the Cold War.

Did you know: Director Edward Zwick is known for his period dramas, such as Glory and The Last Samurai.

99 Homes

Release date: Sept. 25
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dern, Clancy Brown

Tell me more: Desperate to provide for his family after being evicted from his home, a single father goes to work for the ruthless businessman who evicted him.

Did you know: Garfield and Shannon have both appeared in superhero movies, the former in The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel, and the latter in Man of Steel.

Mississippi Grind

Release date: Sept. 25
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Ben Mendelsohn, Sienna Miller, Analeigh Tipton

Tell me more: New friends team up for a gambling road trip, leading to a high-stakes poker game that will decide their future.

Did you know: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who wrote and directed, have collaborated on multiple projects, perhaps most notably on the features Half Nelson and Sugar.

Stonewall

Release date: Sept. 25
Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Joey King, Ron Perlman

Tell me more: Roland Emmerich's drama examines the real-life 1969 Stonewall riots, placing them in context by following a fictional young man who is kicked out of his family's home and moves to New York.

Did you know: Jeremy Irvine made his feature film debut in Steven Spielberg's War Horse.

The Keeping Room

Release date: Oct. 2
Cast: Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Muna Otaru, Sam Worthington, Kyle Soller

Tell me more: During the final days of the Civil War, three Southern women must defend their home against two deserters from the Union Army.

Did you know: Early in her career, Muna Otaru worked as an office production assistant on HBO's The Wire.

The Bronze

Release date: Oct. 16
Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Haley Lu Richardson, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan

Tell me more: In this riotous comedy, a former Olympics medal-winning gymnast finds that her status as her small town's best known resident is being challenged by an up-and-coming young athlete.

Did you know: Melissa Rauch wrote the screenplay with her husband, Winston Rauch. The two met in college.

Room

Release date: Oct. 16
Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, William H. Macy, Joan Allen

Tell me more: A mother and her five-year-old son enjoy a warm and loving relationship in their tiny "home," a single room buried underground.

Did you know: Director Lenny Abrahamson helmed last year's Frank, featuring Michael Fassbender in a giant paper mache head.

Truth

Release date: Oct. 16
Cast: Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Elisabeth Moss, Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid

Tell me more: Television newsman Dan Rather and his producer Mary Mapes broadcast a report about George W. Bush that gets them both in hot water after the veracity of the story is called into question.

Did you know: Redford won an Academy Award for 1980's Ordinary People, his directorial debut.

Suffragette

Release date: Oct. 23
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson

Tell me more: The early days of the feminist movement are brought to life in a stirring drama.

Did you know: Director Sarah Gavron and writer Abi Morgan previously worked together on 2007's Brick Lane. Morgan also scripted The Iron Lady, for which Meryl Streep won an Academy Award.

Brooklyn

Release date: Nov. 6
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Domnhall Gleeson, Michael Zegen, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent

Tell me more: A young Irish woman emigrates to America in the 1950s and starts to make her way in a new country before being called back to Ireland on family business. Now she must choose between two lands and two lovers.

Did you know: Saoirse Ronan was born in New York City to Irish parents and moved with her family to Ireland when she was three years old.

Spotlight

Release date: Nov. 6
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Billy Crudup

Tell me more: A newspaper in Boston investigates allegations of child abuse by Catholic priests in a drama based on real events.

Did you know: Director and cowriter Tom Carthy screened All the President's Men and The Insider to his film crew before production began so they'd know what kind of movie he wanted to make.

Trumbo

Release date: Nov. 6
Cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Elle Fanning, John Goodman

Tell me more: The story of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, whose successful career crashed in the 1940s when he and other figures in Hollywood were blacklisted due to their political beliefs.

Did you know: Trumbo was first nominated for an Academy Award in 1941; he later won two Oscars while on the blacklist in the 1950s.

Carol

Release date: Nov. 20
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson

Tell me more: In the 1950s, two women from very different backgrounds -- one a young department store clerk, the other an older married woman -- fall in love. Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven) directed.

Did you know: The film is based on The Price of Salt, a novel by acclaimed mystery writer Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a Train), first published in 1952.

See our Fall Movie Guide for a complete list of the fall movies to watch for

See our Fall Horror Guide for scares coming soon

See our Fall Family Guide for movies for kids