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Unconscious Spanish-language comedy, set in 1913, about a pregnant wife who, with the help of her besotted brother-in-law, sets out to track down her missing, Freud-obsessed husband. Directed by Joaquín Oristrell from a screenplay by Oristrell, Dominic Harari and Teresa Pelegri. With Leonor Watling (“Cronicas”), Luis Tosar (“Miami Vice”), Alex Brendemühl, Mercedes Sampietro, Juanjo Puigcorbé, Ana Rayo and Núria Prims. R: Sexual content including dialogue; some drug material. Nov. 17 limited. Regent.       Volver Spanish-language comedy about a dead woman who returns as a ghost to comfort her daughters and resolve the issues she couldn’t attend to in life. Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar (“Talk to Her,” “Bad Education”). With Penélope Cruz (“Sahara”), Lola Dueñas (“The Sea Inside”), Carmen Maura (“Free Zone”), Yohana Cobo, Chus Lampreave (“Talk to Her”), Antonio de la Torre and María Isabel Díaz. 111 min. R: Some sexual content; language. Nov. 3 in New York and Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics.     Catch a Fire Drama, set in Apartheid-era South Africa, about a cat-and-mouse “game” played by an aging white cop and a young black terrorist. Directed by Phillip Noyce (“Rabbit-Proof Fence,” “The Quiet American”) from a screenplay by Shawn Slovo (“Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”). With Tim Robbins (“Zathura,” “Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny”), Derek Luke (“Glory Road”), Robert Hobbs and Bonnie Mbuli. Also known as “Hotstuff.” Scope. Oct. 27. Focus.     Little Children Romantic drama about parents who come into each other’s lives as they tote their kids to the local playgrounds and pools. Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta (“Election”). Directed by Todd Field (“In the Bedroom”) from a screenplay by Field and Perrotta. With Jennifer Connelly (“Dark Water”), Kate Winslet (“Finding Neverland,” “All the King’s Men”), Patrick Wilson (“Hard Candy,” “Running with Scissors”), Noah Emmerich (“Cellular”), Ty Simpkins (“War of the Worlds,” “All the King’s Men”), Jennifer Ehle (“Possession”), Trini Alvarado (“Paulie”), Sarah Buxton (“Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead”), Katie Wolf (“Private Parts”) and Jackie Earle Haley (“All the King’s Men”). Scope. Oct. 6 in New York and Los Angeles . New Line.     Saw III The macabre master torturer Jigsaw gets help from an apprentice in the third installment of the successful horror-thriller franchise. Returnees from the first two films include screenwriter Leigh Whannell and actors Tobin Bell (“Overnight Delivery”), Dina Meyer (“Star Trek: Nemesis”) and Shawnee Smith (“The Island”). Returnees from part two include director Darren Lynn Bousman. Newcomers to the franchise include actors Angus Macfadyen (“Equilibrium”), Alan Van Sprang (“Land of the Dead”) and Bahar Soomekh (“Mission: Impossible III”). Oct. 27. Lionsgate.   A Soap Danish-language comedy-drama about an angry woman who begins a tentative relationship with her neighbor, a pre-operative transsexual. Directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen from a screenplay by Christensen and Kim Fupz Aakeson. With David Dencik, Trine Dyrholm (“The Celebration”), Frank Thiel, Elsebeth Steentoft (“Italian for Beginners”), Claes Bang and Jakob Ulrik Lohmann. 103 min. Oct. 27 in New York. Strand. Employee of the Month Comedy about two best friends who work together in a big-box warehouse store – and find themselves competing to impress the attractive new cashier who fancies ambitious men. Screenwriter Greg Coolidge (“Sorority Boys”) makes his feature directorial debut from a screenplay by Coolidge and Don Calame & Chris Conroy. With Jessica Simpson (“The Dukes of Hazzard”), Dax Shepard (“Idiocracy”), Dane Cook (“Waiting”), Efren Ramirez (“Crank”), Sean Whalen (“The Last Shot”), Andy Dick (“The Hebrew Hammer”), Tim Bagley (“Accepted”), Harland Williams (“Because of Winn-Dixie”) and Danny Woodburn (“Death to Smoochy”). PG-13: Crude and sexual humor; language. Oct. 6. Lionsgate.   The Queen Drama about the struggle that arose between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth II over arranging a suitable public mourning following the 1997 death of Princess Diana. Directed by Stephen Frears (“Dirty Pretty Things,” “Mrs. Henderson Presents”) from a screenplay by Peter Morgan (“The Last King of Scotland”). With Helen Mirren (“Shadowboxer”), Michael Sheen (“Underworld: Evolution”), James Cromwell (“The Longest Yard”), Sylvia Syms (“What a Girl Wants”), Elliott Levey and Gavin Park. Flat. PG-13: Brief strong language. Sept. 30 in New York; expands Oct. 6 and Oct. 13. Miramax.     Shortbus Semi-improvised, sexually graphic ensemble drama, set in New York, about – among other things – a pair of homosexuals who decide to “open up” their relationship, a dominatrix with intimacy issues, and a woman desperate to experience her first orgasm. Written and directed by John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig and the Angry Inch”). With Raphael Barker, Shanti Carson, Jay Brannan, Lindsay Beamish, Paul Dawson (“The Big Kahuna”), Daniela Sea (TV’s “The L Word”) and PJ DeBoy. Flat. 102 min. Oct. 6 in New York; wider Oct. 13 and Oct. 20. ThinkFilm.     Tideland Drama about an adolescent city girl who moves to her father’s farmhouse in the country after her mother dies of a heroin overdose. Based on the novel by Mitch Cullin (“Branches”). Directed by Terry Gilliam (“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “The Brothers Grimm”) from a screenplay by Tony Grisoni (“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Brothers of the Head”). With Jodelle Ferland (“Silent Hill”), Jeff Bridges (“Stick It”), Brendan Fletcher (“R.V.”), Janet McTeer (“The King is Alive”) and Jennifer Tilly (“Saint Ralph”). Scope. 122 min. Oct. 13 in New York. ThinkFilm.