Second Nature

Second Nature screens in Austin on Tuesday, August 25, as part of SXSW 2026. It's a documentary directed by Drew Denny, and the screening is followed by a Q&A, so you'll get to hear more from the people behind it after the credits roll.

Elliot Page narrates the film, which follows evolutionary biologist Joan Roughgarden as she takes a close look at the animal kingdom. The scope is pretty wide: the film explores gender and mating behavior across more than 1,500 species. Along the way, it sets out to debunk a couple of long-held myths—that females are "inferior" and that being queer is "unnatural"—and it uses examples from the natural world to make its case.

Those examples are some of the more surprising things you'll see. There are clownfish that change sex from male to female, albatross, penguins, and swans that parent in same-sex pairs, and bonobos—who are as closely related to us as chimpanzees—living in matriarchal societies. It's the kind of thing that makes you rethink what you've been told about how nature works.

If you're into biology, queer history, or just watching animals do things you didn't know they did, this is right up your alley. The screening is on Tuesday, August 25, in Austin, with the Q&A to follow.