Every year the independent Film industry releases a new batch of films that are different from the Hollywood blockbusters.

If you’re looking for the best independent films, then this blog post is for you.

We’ll take a look at some of the most critically acclaimed indie movies from recent years and discuss what makes them so great.

The last decade has seen an explosion in the number of talented filmmakers entering the industry with unique visions that are redefining film as we know it.

One thing they all have in common though? They don’t work on Hollywood’s big-budget blockbuster machine – instead, these visionary directors make their own way,

often relying on crowdfunding sites to finance their movies or turning to more experimental distribution models

like VOD/streaming services or self-distribution through digital platforms such as iTunes, Amazon Video, or YouTube.

The best independent films are those that have a personal story and can be understood by the audience.

The Best Independent Films

Let’s start off with a modern classic!

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Reservoir Dogs is a 1992 American crime thriller about a group of cops, thieves, and criminals who are brought together for the heist of a lifetime.

Directed by Quentin Tarantino in his directorial debut,

it stars Harvey Keitel as Mr. White, Tim Roth as Mr. Orange, Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde, Steve Buscemi as Mr. Pink and Chris Penn as Nice Guy Eddie Cabot (brother to Joe).

The film tells the story of their planning and execution of an elaborate diamond robbery that goes wrong because they were betrayed from within by one of their own members – leading to chaos at the warehouse office where they have come to divide up the spoils…

The movie follows the lives of six men that were hired to pull off this robbery, but end up finding themselves in some trouble with one another.

After an incident at a warehouse, they are trying to figure out who ratted on them and where their missing loot is located.

This film has received many awards such as Best Screenplay at Cannes Film Festival and four Golden Globe Awards for “Best Motion Picture.”

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American-found footage horror film written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez.

The filmmakers created a faux documentary about three student filmmakers who disappear after traveling to Maryland to make a movie, leading locals on the hunt for them.

It was released in theaters on July 14th, 1999 with limited distribution on September 16th of that year.

The film’s success led it to be labeled as one of the most influential films in modern cinema history due to its innovative filmmaking techniques and out-of-nowhere marketing campaign.

The Blair Witch Project has been praised for changing how movies are marketed, opening new avenues of filmmaking such as “found footage” (a method which would later be used in

The movie had a low budget of $60,000 (mostly from credit cards) and was filmed at different locations in Maryland, ranging from state parks to forests.

The story follows Heather Donahue as she films her documentary with two friends, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard. After being led through the forest for hours by locals who want them gone, they eventually lose their way. As time goes on they start to notice strange happenings such as sounds coming from nowhere or seeing things that shouldn’t be there – like stick figures made out of twigs.

Lost In Translation (2003)

The movie Lost In Translation is a 2003 Japanese romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Sofia Coppola.

The 2003 film Lost in Translation follows a newly single, middle-aged actor named Bob Harris (played by Bill Murray) and his interactions with an attractive young woman, Charlotte (played by Scarlett Johansson), in a Japanese hotel.

The film explores how these two individuals find themselves lost in translation as they try to navigate their relationship through cultural differences and language barriers in order to find what they’re truly looking for from one another.

Much like her, Bob eventually gets lost and cannot find his way back home due to not knowing how to speak Japanese. In order to survive this situation, they must rely on each other and work together so they can make it through this difficult time.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko was a great and thought-provoking movie.

Most people will probably not understand the movie the first time they watch it, because they don’t know what to watch for, but the 2nd time you watch the movie most will consider it a great and profound movie

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)

She’s Gotta Have It is a 1986 American black-and-white comedy-drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by Spike Lee. Filmed on a small budget and Lee’s first feature-length film, it earned positive reviews and launched Lee’s career.

The film stars Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, and Lee himself in a supporting role.

Also appearing are cinematographer Ernest Dickerson as a Queens, New York, resident and, in an early appearance, S. Epatha Merkerson as a doctor.

The plot concerns a young woman (Johns) who is seeing three men, and the feelings this arrangement provokes.

In 2017, Lee adapted the film into a Netflix series.

In 2019, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)

Beasts of the Southern Wild is a 2012 American drama film directed, co-written, and co-scored by Benh Zeitlin. It was adapted by Zeitlin and Lucy Alibar from Alibar’s one-act play Juicy and Delicious. The film stars Quvenzhané Wallis and Dwight Henry. After playing at film festivals, its limited theatrical release began in New York and Los Angeles on June 27, 2012, before expanding to additional markets.

You can’t talk about Beasts of the Southern Wild and not talk about Hurricane Katrina. The film is a response to the hurricane, particularly to the way people from outside of the affected area reacted to it.

Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her.

When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack, temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs.

With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.

Bait (2019)

Bait is a 2019 British drama film written and directed by Mark Jenkin. Starring Edward Rowe as a struggling fisherman, the film deals with the tensions that arise between locals and tourists in a Cornish fishing village against a backdrop of second homes, short-term lets, and gentrification.

Martin Ward is a fisherman in a picturesque Cornish village. He struggles to make ends meet fishing without a boat, while his brother Steven uses their late father’s vessel to offer cruise trips to visiting tourists.

Meanwhile, tensions arise between Martin and the out-of-town Leigh family, who use the harbor-front ‘Skipper’s Cottage’ they bought from Martin and Steven as a seasonal holiday home and short-term rental business.

Get Out (2017)

The film Get Out (2017) is a social commentary on racism in the United States.

The film follows Chris, an African-American man who goes to visit his Caucasian girlfriend’s family estate for the weekend.

As he arrives at her parents’ home, it becomes clear that all is not right.

He learns from various members of the household staff and other guests that they are people of color living under some kind of spell or curse imposed by white people.

There are moments of anxiety as he walks through the neighborhood in which he has never been before but gradually becomes more comfortable with being there after talking to some locals.

Once inside the house, however, it becomes clear that something is amiss – the staff seem oddly aggressive and possessive towards him at every turn; no one will give him an answer about where they live or what their names are, and all of his phone calls go unanswered.

As he gets closer to solving what is going on, he realizes that there are many secrets that have been hidden from him by his girlfriend and her family for years.

Get Out explores some very difficult topics such as kidnapping, rape, murder, and slavery but does so in an entertaining way.

Rocks (2020)

Rocks is a 2019 British coming-of-age drama film directed by Sarah Gavron.

The film stars Bukky Bakray as Olushola, nicknamed “Rocks”, a Black British teenage girl living in Hackney, London, whose single mother abandons her and her younger brother Emmanuel (D’angelou Osei Kissiedu), forcing them to try and avoid being taken into social services.

Rocks premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and were released in the United Kingdom on 18 September 2020.

The film received acclaim from critics and was nominated for seven awards at the 74th British Academy Film Awards, including Outstanding British Film and Best Actress in a Leading Role for Bakery, making her one of the youngest nominees for the award.

19-year-old Bukky Bakray also received BAFTA Rising Star Award, becoming the youngest winner in the category.

The Squid And The Whale (2005)

The Squid And The Whale is a film directed by Noah Baumbach and released in 2005.

It tells the story of two brothers, one who became an artist and left for New York City to live with his father, and another who remained behind to take care of their mother.

Princeton graduate who takes over his father’s business, while the other has been outcast from their family for years because he moved to New York to become an artist.

This film explores themes such as familial disharmony, class struggles, the estrangement of youth from parents, broken families, and failed relationships.

Their shared experiences lead them both down radically different paths as adults until they are thrust back.

When their parents finally divorced, both boys were freed from these troublesome people but only for a short time because soon enough their mother remarried another man.

Winter’s Bone (2010)

The film is based on Daniel Woodrell’s novel of the same name and was directed by Debra Granik.

It stars Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes and Kevin Breznahan.

Winter’s Bone is a 2010 film about 17-year-old Ree Dolly, who learns that her younger brother’s life hangs in the balance when their father is arrested for murder.

In order to save him and keep her family together, she sets out on a quest to find his last living relative.

To do so, she must dive deep into the dangerous world of meth addiction and rural poverty where few people can be trusted and danger lurks at every corner.

The movie Winter’s Bone has been praised by critics as “one of the best films of this century” (Roger Ebert) because it explores difficult topics such as poverty, child neglect, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy in an honest way without sugarcoating or patronizing it.

Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash is a 2014 American drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle.

The movie tells the story of Andrew Neiman, an aspiring jazz drummer, under the tutelage of Terence Fletcher, a perfectionist conductor who pushes his students to their limits.

The film “Whiplash” is a riveting account of the life of an ambitious young jazz drummer and his abusive teacher.

It showcases the physical and psychological abuse that this man had to endure as he pushed himself to become one of the best drummers in history, but it also illustrates how his dedication and determination helped him succeed in spite of everything.

The protagonist, Andrew Neiman (played by Miles Teller), is an ambitious young man who will do anything to succeed as a musician.

This includes disregarding his health and relationships with those around him.

When the film Whiplash premiered, it received praise for its depiction of a jazz drumming prodigy and his abusive teacher.

It also won three Academy Awards including Best Film Editing; being nominated for five more including Best Supporting Actor (J.K Simmons) and Best Picture; as well as receiving four Golden Globe nominations and two BAFTA nominations.

Memento (2000)

Memento, a psychological thriller directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss, is a modern-day take on the ever-popular unreliable narrator.

The film follows protagonist Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) as he attempts to find his wife’s killer.

Throughout the course of the film, we see two stories unfold; one where Leonard has no memory of who he is or what has transpired in his life after being assaulted; and another where Leonard speaks candidly about events that have happened to him over the past several days.

The movie starts off with the protagonist suffering from amnesia and trying to track down his wife’s killer, but he can’t form new memories.

His search leads him on an unsettling journey where he takes up arms against those who are after him.

Director Christopher Nolan has created a compelling story that will keep you on the edge of your seat for its duration, leaving you wanting more when it ends.

Nevertheless, this movie is an intense and engaging story that deals with memory loss and how to live one’s life without knowing the past.

The plot revolves around Leonard Shelby who has suffered from short-term memory loss since he had been attacked by two men outside his home four years ago.

He suffers from anterograde amnesia which means that he is unable to form new memories after the attack, so every morning when he wakes up it’s like waking up for the first time in years.

Frances Ha (2012)

Frances Ha is a coming-of-age story that follows the life and adventures of Frances, an aspiring dancer in New York City.

The film was written by Greta Gerwig who also stars as Frances.

This quirky comedy-drama takes us through her struggles to find herself while she tries to balance her personal relationships with friends and family.

Frances has many different jobs throughout the movie but none seem to work out for very long because she’s not happy doing them; however, she always bounces back from these setbacks with a new plan or idea which leaves you rooting for her all the way until the end of this charming film!

If you’re looking for a movie with an upbeat, feel-good vibe, then Frances Ha is the perfect choice.

It’s hard to describe how enjoyable this movie was – it just made me happy! I think that anyone who has ever been through some tough times will find something relatable in this story.

Humpday (2009)

Humpday (2009) is a comedy that follows two friends who, on the verge of committing to relationships with the women they’ve been dating for six months, decide to take one last bachelor party weekend together. The film was written and directed by Lynn Shelton.

The movie starts off when Paul and Andrew are at work.

They’re discussing their relationship statuses and how they’re not ready for marriage yet but want to have kids someday.

When their female co-workers find out about this conversation, they offer up some advice that may just change these guys’ minds.

The movie is filled with comedic moments and awkward one-liners, but also contains some poignant messages about how we view sexuality.

It is perfect if you’re in the mood for something funny and entertaining, but don’t want anything too serious or intense.

Short Term 12 (2013)

The film follows Grace who works at a Short Term 12 facility with children who have been removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse.

As one would imagine, these kids are often traumatized by what they’ve experienced but Grace helps them move on by listening without judgement

It was written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who also wrote the screenplay for I Am Not A Hipster.

The movie stars John Gallagher Jr., Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Dever, Rami Malek, and others.

Short Term 12 is a movie that displays the struggles of working in a group home for troubled youth.

The film opens with Mason giving Grace a tour of their workplace and introducing her to the kids they will be caring for.

They both share how this job has significantly changed their lives and we are then pulled into each individual story as it progresses through the year.

The movie was well-received but did not receive any awards from major award shows such as Golden Globes or Oscars because it was released too late in 2013 (December).

Tangerine (2015)

Tangerine is a 2015 American independent film about two transgender sex workers in Los Angeles.

The film stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez as Sin-Dee and Mya Taylor as Alexandra, who work together to find Sin-Dee’s pimp/boyfriend after she goes missing for several days.

Tangerine was filmed on an iPhone 5s using the 4:3 ratio with a budget of $100,000.

It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015 and has received critical acclaim since then.

The movie is notable because it features transgender actresses playing transgender characters, which is not often seen in Hollywood films.

The 2015 American romantic drama film Tangerine is a story about two transgender women, Sin-Dee and Alexandra.

The director Sean Baker has said in interviews that the purpose was to recapture some of the raw, gritty quality of silent films.

Sin-Dee spends her day searching for her boyfriend Chester who cheated on her with a man at his workplace.

After she finds him, he denies cheating but then admits it when she threatens him with a gun.

She then goes to confront Chester’s other girlfriend Dinah outside of work where they have an altercation which ends up in both parties getting arrested by police officers…

It is rated R for some sexual content, coarse language, and brief nudity.

Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

In 2012, Safety Not Guaranteed is a low-budget film written and directed by Colin Trevorrow.

In Safety Not Guaranteed, a man seeks out four journalists to publish an ad on his behalf.

He promises that he will send them the money for their expenses if they agree to come with him on this soul-searching mission.

The film follows the group of five as they embark on what turns into one of the most suspenseful and rewarding journeys that any of them have ever experienced.

The movie is based off of a classified advertisement in which someone offers $5 million dollars for time travel technology, but after some digging the reporters find out that it’s really about safety not guaranteed from life’s catastrophes such as natural disasters or terrorism – hence its title.

The movie Safety Not Guaranteed is about a group of reporters who are investigating the classified ad placed by Kenneth, a guy from Seattle.

They find him in Oregon and he seems to be on the verge of insanity.

The reporters want to know what happened to his girlfriend but he has no intention of telling them anything about it.

This leads to an adventure that involves time travel, love triangles, and robots…among other things.

Swingers (1996)

Swingers (1996) is a comedy film about four friends that go to Las Vegas on vacation and meet up with two women for an impromptu weekend of sex.

The movie follows the lives of these five people both before and after their trip, highlighting how they are all trying to find what they’re looking for in life.

They meet a woman at their favorite bar that they want to sleep with, but she doesn’t want to go home with them because she’s married and has kids.

They decide to get revenge on her by taking pictures of her cheating and then sending them to her husband so he can find out what’s been going on.

The movie was directed by Doug Liman and starred Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, Ron Livingston, Heather Graham, Shannon Elizabeth as well as other actors from TV series like Friends or Seinfeld.

It’s too bad that society still has such a stigma about swinging. It seems to be the last taboo in modern relationships, but it is also one of the most common things humans do.

Swingers (1996) explores this phenomenon by looking at five different couples who are all active in the swinging scene and how they handle their “extracurricular activities” with each other.

In many ways, these people are no different than you or me. They have careers, families, children, and friends outside of their sexual exploits.

The only difference is that they’re willing to share their sexuality with others as well as themselves in order to experience something new and exciting.

Moonlight (2016)

Moonlight (2016) is a film adaptation of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.

The film was written and directed by Barry Jenkins and follows the life of Chiron as he grows up in Miami.

He suffers from bullying at school but finds solace with his mother Paula and his friend Kevin.

As an adult, Chiron faces the same problems that led him to drug addiction as a child: loneliness and alienation.

A movie that has been nominated for a ton of awards, Moonlight is an emotional and intriguing film.

It follows the life of an African American man who struggles with his sexuality in Miami while growing up as a poor child in the 1980s.

I remember when I was a kid, my dad would always tell me about how he loved to go out at night with his friends.

He’d talk about how they’d drive around the city and look for anything that caught their attention.

They were always looking for something new and different but also wanted to be sure they didn’t get into trouble either.

So it really isn’t surprising that Moonlight is one of my favorite movies from 2016.

The movie explores the life of an African-American man from childhood to adulthood and his struggles with poverty, drug abuse, sexuality, and coming-of-age in Miami.

Moonlight was nominated for 8 Academy Awards this year including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Mahershala Ali), and Best Adapted Screenplay.

This movie has been praised by critics as one of the best movies of the year with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Moonlight is an emotional story that will have you feeling all types of feels throughout its duration so brace yourselves!

Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The story follows an average American family as they travel from New Jersey to California for the little girl’s beauty pageant.

One major theme seen throughout the film is how everyone has their own idea of what success looks like but if you take time to get to know one another your definition may change or evolve over time.

The movie Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of a family who takes an ill-fated cross country road trip in order to attend a beauty pageant.

Along the way, they experience many setbacks and obstacles.

One major obstacle is when Dwayne (played by Paul Dano) abandons his family at a gas station after he gets into an argument with his father Frank (portrayed by Steve Carell).

When the other members of the family return from their various errands, they discover that Dwayne has left and are saddened by this news.

The tone of this film is lighthearted yet insightful as it explores themes such as familial relationships and personal ambition.

The film also manages to be humorous through its use of irony and dark humor

Little Miss Sunshine is a film that follows the lives of a family as they travel across the country in their VW bus to get to California, where their father has accepted a job.

This film explores themes such as familial relationships and mental illness and is often described by critics as “a comedy with an edge.”

The movie stars Steve Carell, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, and Greg Kinnear.

Little Miss Sunshine won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor (Alan Arkin) and Best Original Screenplay (Michael Arndt).

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) is a science fiction drama about two people, Joel and Clementine who undergo a process that erases memories.

It was written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry.

The film explores the idea of forgetting troubling memories as well as how it can affect relationships when we are unable to remember certain events from our pasts.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind has won many awards including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 2005, three BAFTA Awards for Outstanding British Film in 2005, and four Golden Globe Awards nominations in 2004-2005.

This film is considered one of the most iconic films to come out of the 2000’s decade.

The movie stars Jim Carrey as Joel Barish, Kate Winslet as Clementine Kruczynski, Mark Ruffalo as Patrick Tuck, and Elijah Wood as Stan Mierzwiak.

It follows Joel’s journey to get his memories of Clementine erased after she suddenly leaves him for no reason other than that “it just didn’t work out.”

He finds this opportunity through Dr. Mierzwiak’s company called Lacuna Inc., but when he goes back to stop it from happening, he realizes how much he loved her in the process.

Eternal Sunshine is considered a cult classic because it has many layers that make it worth watching more than once.

Blue Ruin (2013)

Blue Ruin is a 2013 independent thriller that was directed by Jeremy Saulnier.

The film follows the story of Dwight, an everyman who becomes an accidental murderer after years spent living in isolation.

He’s eventually tracked down by a member from his past and sets out to take revenge on those responsible for destroying his life.

The movie has been praised for its gritty realism and it offers up some pretty brutal violence along with some tense moments of suspense.

If you’re looking for something new and different than your typical Hollywood fare, then this might be just what you’re looking for!

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