Today at the Chicago International Film Festival: ‘Princess Cyd’

Stephen Cone (“Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party,” shot in Lake Forest) returns to the festival with another tender, thoughtful drama of self-realization. Once again this Chicago-based indie writer-director blends spiritual and sexual themes. Sixteen-year-old soccer player Cyd (Jessie Pinnick, a Northwestern alum) comes from South Carolina to spend the summer with her aunt (Rebecca Spence), a locally famous author she’s not seen since a childhood tragedy. Gaps between their respective literary and libidinal leanings inspire pitch-perfect dialogue. Performance artist Malic White plays a Rogers Park barista with a punky semi-mohawk who befriends Cyd. Cone’s characters mention the University of Chicago as often as “Chasing the Blues,” another fest indie, namedrops Hyde Park. 2:45 p.m. Oct 21; 3 p.m. Oct. 25.

The Chicago International Film Festival continues through Oct. 26 at AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois.