As with Jordon Castro’s debut The Novelist, the “plot” of Muscle Man is skeletal. The real drama is interior: Castro expertly renders a claustrophobic, sometimes funny, sometimes frightening study of consciousness.

Benedict Nguyễn's high-gloss satire, Hot Girls With Balls, follows two trans Asian American women volleyball players—Six and Green—who are lovers, influencers, and rivals in a men’s global volleyball league. After a viral postgame kiss the year before, the league’s corporate overlords salivate over the sponsorship potential of a championship rematch. Devoted fans study their every interaction while online trolls scheme to break them apart.