European films, Grogu’s return and 120 years of the Romanian Peasant Museum: September’s books, exhibitions and music

As autumn arrives, the city’s rhythm changes and the cultural calendar fills with stories of mystery, faith, adventure, tradition and travel. Two European films lead the September cinema schedule.

French director Rémi Bezançon’s “The Crime on the Third Floor” is a black comedy with crime-fiction elements. François Tarnowski, a misanthropic novelist who spends his days in pajamas, becomes drawn into an increasingly risky investigation after his partner, Colette Courreau, suspects their neighbour Yann Kerbec has killed his wife. Colette teaches at the Sorbonne and specializes in Alfred Hitchcock. As the couple pursue the mystery, reality and fiction begin to overlap.

The film opens in cinemas on Sept. 11. On Sept. 25, audiences will see “The Sundays,” a family drama from Spanish director Alauda Ruiz de Azúa. The story follows Ainara, a brilliant and idealistic 17-year-old who says she is considering abandoning her university plans to become a nun. Her decision fractures the family and forces her aunt Maite, her father Iñaki and Maite’s partner Pablo to confront their own beliefs. The cast also includes Mabel Rivera and Nagore Aranburu.

“The Sundays” has won numerous awards at European festivals, including five at the 40th Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Oscars. Both films are distributed by Independența Film.

The Romanian Peasant Museum’s annual program is built around the rural celebration of the Day of the Cross on Sept. 14. In the village calendar, the day marks the transition from summer to autumn. It is also associated with gathering the last medicinal plants, finishing certain fieldwork and preserving customs passed down through generations.

This year’s Days of the Museum will run from Sept. 9 to 20 and carry an added anniversary significance. The museum is celebrating 120 years since its foundation, as well as three decades connected to the European Museum of the Year Award. The anniversary program includes “Experimenting with the Past: 120 Years of Heritage and Reinvention,” co-funded by the Cultural Fund Administration.