Best Indie Movies

While everyone likes a good blockbuster from time to time, there's something special about a great independent (indie) movie. When you discover indie films, they can seem like hidden gems, as they rarely get the kind of distribution or marketing that makes studio films big at the box office. And you can often feel the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making an indie film when the filmmakers put everything on the line for their art.

Squid and whale

Director / Screenwriter: Noah Baumbach

Cast: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg and Anna Paquin

A film that really strengthenedNoah Baumbach as an independent director, was his 2005 semi-autobiographical film"Squid and Whale" . Set in 1986, it tells the story of two boys who go through their parents' divorce andJesse Eisenberg replaced Baumbach himself. Here, the dry wit of the director and his melancholy are manifested in all their glory. It's a textured, emotionally raw film that really epitomizes "indie drama" if that's what you're in the mood for.

Beloved

Director: Charlie McDowell

Screenwriter: Justin Lader

Cast: Mark Duplass, Elisabeth Moss and Ted Danson

If you like your indie films with a dose of twisty sci-fi you might like "The one I love" . The 2014 film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In himtells about a married couple who probably reachedlimit of their rope being playedMark Duplass andElisabeth Moss . The less you know about the story, the better, but the basic setup is that the couple is sent by their therapist to a secluded location where they encounter an unexplained phenomenon that may or may not just save their marriage. It's a darkly funny, twist-filled sci-fi relationship drama, and Duplass and Moss are both great.

Fruitvale Station

Director / Screenwriter: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Kevin Duran, Chad Michael Murray, Ana O'Reilly and Octavia Spencer

Before they unitedCreed orBlack Panther, directorRyan Coogler and actorMichael B. Jordan took the Sundance Film Festival by storm with their harrowing 2013 dramafruitvale station . The film tells the true story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old from Hayward, California who was wrongfully shot dead in 2009 by a BART police officer. Created by Coogler, the film is about the last day of Oscar's life, and as it inevitably ends, you'll be tormented by emotion, anger, and frustration at how far we still have to go. It's a stunning debut for Coogler that also brought Jordan to Hollywood's big attention.

Ghost story

Director / Screenwriter: David Lowry

Cast: Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara

I will say right away that"Ghost Story" not for everyone, but if you like indie's idea of ​​the existentialism of life told through Ghost Story, this might be for you. In this 2017 dramaCasey Affleck plays a man who dies but then comes back to haunt his wife (Rooney Mara) and her house. No big special effects, it's just Affleck in a white sheet and moping. But the making of the film andincredible the music reflects the generosity of existence and the bitterness of loss. This one is definitely unique.

Wild life

Director: Paul Dano

Writers: Paul Dano and Zoya Kazan

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ed Oxenbould and Bill Camp

Actor's directorial debutPaul Dano's 2018 is a beautifully crafted and emotionally stunning chronicle of the breakdown of a marriage, seen through the eyes of the couple's little boy. Based on the book of the same nameRichard Ford, «Wildlife" takes place in 1960 and follows a couple (Carey Mulligan andJake Gyllenhaal.) and their teenage son when they move to Montana. Shortly after arriving, the father loses his job and is forced to do the only job he can - go off and fight wildfires, leaving his wife and son to fend for themselves. Mulligan delivers the crushing role of a single mother who tries her best, while Gyllenhaal brings a roaring intensity to the role of a man trying to hide his shame. Dano directs everything with the care and confidence of a veteran writer (his framing skills are truly amazing), and Dano and Kazan's script is confident and poetic. This is a deeply emotional and mature family drama that proves that Dano is truly behind the camera and is also one of the best films of the last few years.

Florida Project

Director: Sean Baker

Writers: Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch

Cast: Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe and Caleb Landry Jones

Florida Project brilliant and humane, he will break your heart. The film tells about a six-year-old girl named Muni (Brooklyn prince) who lives in a motel in Kissimmee, Florida, a stone's throw from DisneyWorld. In Mooney's eyes, her days are filled with adventure as she makes the most of life weekly at a motel with her single mother. But through Bobby's eyesWillem Dafoe), a motel manager, we see the extreme poverty surrounding his tenants and the loops in which they continue to get stuck with no promise of further promotion. As in the case with adolescence, this story is both individualistic and universal, andSean Bakerdocudrama-like filmmaking makes the events seem all too real. This is an essential watch.

Chef on wheels

Director / Screenwriter: John Favreau

Cast: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Sofia Vergara, Amy Sedaris and Robert Downey Jr.

AfterJohn Favreau launched MCU with "iron man" but before he revolutionized "Star Wars" on the small screen"The Mandalorian", he made the most personal film of his career: "Cook 2014". Favreau wrote, directed and starred in this comedy/drama about a chef who loses his job at a respected LA restaurant due to a fight with a food critic. He decides to go back to his roots and cook different meals by buying a food truck that he drives with his young son. The film is clearly inspired by Favreau's experience with critical derision"Iron Man 2" and "Cowboys and aliens.", but even beyond the autobiographical nature, it's just a really sweet and warm movie about family, friends, and finding (or rediscovering) passion for what you do.

Shootout

Director: Ben Wheatley

Writers: Amy Jump and Ben Wheatley

Cast: Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor, Sam Riley and Noah Taylor

What if the entire movie took place during the Mexican standoff? This is essentially the premiseFree Fire" Ben Wheatley, violent, good time, rated R. Set in the 1970s, the film opens with a meeting between IRA members and an arms dealer, but complications arise: a backstabbing and guns are unloaded. There's an undercurrent of black humor to everything that's going on that makes the film far more entertaining than you might expect, and performers such asArmie Hammer andBrie Larsonare more than willing to let their comedic sensibilities show. If you're looking for an action movie that's a little offbeat, a little different, give this one a try.

Other

Writers/Directors: Zach Lipowski, Adam B. Stein

Cast: Emile Hirsch, Bruce Dern, Grace Park, Amanda Crew, Lexi Kolker

I'm going to keep one of the main things that strikes me aboutZach Lipovskikh andAdam B. Stein 'sfreaks at the very end of this, because I would suggest an abstract to jump into this story, knowing as little as possible. But know that this is one of the best sci-fi thrillers of 2019 withparticipation characters. The film shows howLexi Kolker plays seven year old Chloe. She spent her whole life in complete isolation from the world in her home with her father Henry (Emil Hirsch). He always told her that the outside world was a dangerous place, but the older Chloe got, the more she was tempted to go outside - and then, finally, she did. Okay, are you ready for that semi-killer detail to further highlight just how wildly impressive this movie is? Here it is; I, like everyone else, love a good big budget superhero movie, but if you want to see what can be done on a limited budget in this genre, "Freaks" is what you need to see. It's one of those movies where you lean more and more into your early curiosities before bursting into a full blown creativity as Chloe learns more and more about her reality.

Stringer

Director / Screenwriter: Dan Gilroy

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, Rene Russo and Bill Paxton

Completely dark, but gripping thriller in the spirit of "Taxi driver", a 2014 film "Night Creeper" represents one of the bestJake Gyllenhaal throughout history. He plays a strange and avidly ambitious freelance photographer named Lou who goes to grotesque measures to capture exclusive footage of horrific crime scenes in Los Angeles.Riz Ahmed heartbreaking as Lou's assistant, ehRene Russo gives an Oscar-worthy performance as director of the morning news at a local radio station. If you like dark thrillers with outstanding performances, give this one as a gift.

Enemies

Director / Screenwriter: Scott Cooper

Cast: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach, Rory Cochrane, Ben Foster and Timothée Chalamet

FilmmakerScott Cooper known for making incredibly dark and gritty films, but "Hostile", perhaps, his darkest film. Director "Crazy Heart" and "From the oven" tries his hand at the Western genre in the film "Hostile", telling the story of an American captain (Christian Bale) in 1892, tasked before retirement with one last act: accompanying a dying Cheyenne military leader. (WesStudi) - who is being held in prison - to his tribal lands in Montana at the behest of President Harrison. The widow joined himRosamund Pike).), who lost her family to violent Indian attackers and co-workers, all of whom feel nothing but contempt for their prisoner and his family members. It's a gritty, meditative western about violence, prejudice, and forgiveness, in which Bale, unsurprisingly, delivers a great performance.

Roma

Director / Screenwriter: Alfonso Cuaron

Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga, Jorge Antonio Guerrero and Marco Graf

Though "Roma" billed as a Netflix original and a top Oscar nominee, the film was written, produced and produced as an independent film. It wasn't until all the footage had been filmed that Netflix agreed to distribute the film on its streaming service and in theaters, so a masterpieceAlfonso Cuarona really is a tried and true indie. The film recreates Cuarón's childhood through the eyes of a domestic worker named Cleo following a middle-class family in 1970s Mexico as her parents divorce and the family unit threatens to collapse. It's a heartbreaking yet almost otherworldly film that's sure to hit your heartstrings.

Man is a swiss knife

Directors / screenwriters: Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan