Who doesn't love watching movies? Blockbuster movies with star-studded cast, high quality CGI and extraordinary visual-sound effects are always extremely entertaining for obvious reasons. But there's a certain charm in watching a quaint, cozy Indie movie once in a while as well. Indie movie basically means 'independent' movies which don't have the backing of big, famous studios. They are made independently often on a low budget. That's why these movies are not generally too extravagant and slightly low-key. More often than not these movies revolve around stories of real people, stories one can relate to and target a smaller number of audience. They don't generally come with eye-catching packages but often provide great content. This is why watching indie movies can be quite a serene yet thought-provoking experience. Not sure what indie movies to put in your watchlist? We are here to help you with a recommendation list of some of the best indie movies of all time. Get ready with popcorn and drinks by your side to indulge in the world of indie movies right this weekend!
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Lost in Translation: Released in 2003, this Oscar winning movie was directed by Sofia Coppola. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson acted in the lead roles of a faded star, Bob Harris and a lonely young woman, Charlotte respectively. This hit movie was about the peculiar relationship formed between the two protagonists who were suffering from loneliness and feeling lost in a foreign country, Japan. Few chance encounters brought them closer and they eventually started helping each other out through the difficult ordeals of their lives. They formed a friendship that was far more impactful than any other relationships they had.
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Black Swan: This psychological thriller movie was released in 2010 and earned a lot of accolades. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, this film revolves around a ballerina, Nina(played by Natalie Portman) who is extremely dedicated to her art. She gets a golden opportunity to take the lead role in a big production, Swan Lake, but she also faces competition from a worthy contender. There starts the struggle in her life to live up to expectations and portray both an innocent white swan and a seductress black swan in Swan Lake. She starts tapping into her inner dark side more and more which results in a madness which threatens to consume her.
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Little Miss Sunshine: Released in 2006, this light-hearted, slice of life movie is about an extremely dysfunctional family. Sheryl Hoover has a lot on her plate with a suicidal brother, loser of a husband, daydreamer son and a drug-addict father-in-law. This is when her daughter Olive gets a chance to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine pageant in California. So the entire family embarks on a hopeful cross country trip in their VW bus to fulfill the dream of Olive to win the pageant. They also get to rediscover themselves and each other on the trip.
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Night of the Living Dead: This horror movie released in 1968 was about a zombie apocalypse. Movie protagonist Barbra came face to face with zombies when she was visiting her father's grave. She somehow managed to escape and take refuge in an abandoned farm house. There she discovered a few more people hiding from the walking dead creatures outside. From there on, the battle of survival started against all odds with their situation deteriorating minute by minute.
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The Terminator: This famous movie was directed by James Cameron and was released in 1984. It's a sci-fi movie where a deadly cyborg-assassin named 'Terminator' is sent from the year 2029 to the year 1984 to kill a woman whose unborn child is believed to be humanity's future salvation. To stop this cold, brutal machine from fulfilling its mission, a brave soldier named Kyle Reese is also sent from the future to 1984. A thrilling fight ensues between a human and a machine which holds the last hope of humanity.
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American Beauty: This famous indie movie was released in 1999 and won 5 Oscars. This Sam Mendes directed film revolves around Lester Burnham, a middle aged man who recalls the final few weeks of his life before he died. His life may seem perfect from the outside with a family and a stable job, but there's more than meets the eye. He harbors a strained relationship with both his wife and daughter and his job is at risk as well. So sexually frustrated Lester goes through a midlife crisis when he falls in love at first sight with his daughter's friend, Angela. Chaos ensues and ultimately everything leads to each character confronting their real feelings.
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Call me by your name: This film by Luca Guadagnino is an adaptation of a famous novel by Andre Aciman. It depicts a sensual story of first love, set in the year 1983 Italy. The protagonist is a 17-year-old young man, Elio Perlman. He enjoys his life in his father's villa reading, writing and playing music. But things change when a postgraduate student, Oliver comes crashing in his life as a summer intern of his father. They start spending time together and discover their unbidden desire for each other which changes the course of their lives forever.
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Parasite: This 2019 Korean movie by Bong Joon-ho was an instant hit as soon as it hit the theaters. It became a sensation worldwide and also earned a lot of critical acclaim. It earned 4 Oscars as well. This dark comedy thriller is a social satire on class differences. The story revolves around a poor family of four- the Kims. They come from a really shabby background but dream to become rich someday. So they have no qualms about scamming people into climbing the social ladder. They eventually get involved with a rich family- the Parks. What starts as a small lie to get a job in their house gradually gives birth to a web of endless deceptions. The pressing question is how far can the Kims take this elaborate scam to satisfy their ambition?
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The Blair Witch Project: Released in 1999, this horror movie was the pioneer of the trend of shooting films in documentary style. This style of interesting shooting with shaky cameras and view of the characters' faces up-close add a very realistic charm to the story making it even more bone-chilling. This movie's story revolves around three film students who travel into the woods to research and make a documentary about the famous legend of the local Blair Witch. Their footage was found a year later!
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Moonlight: Moonlight, written and directed by Barry Jenkins, is a story which is very thought-provoking and enlightening. It takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride through the life of a young man who is overlooked by everyone. The story follows this young black man who constantly struggles with his identity and sexuality amongst all the societal prejudices aimed against him.
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Reservoir Dogs: This was Quentin Tarantino's debut film released in 1992. But it didn't gain much attention at that time. But when its sequel 'Pulp Fiction' got released 2 years later and broke box office records, people went back and discovered this hidden gem. This thrilling story stems from a massive jewelry heist gone wrong. The gripping plot full of action and bloodshed keeps the audience at the edge of their seats throughout the duration of the movie. It's not an exaggeration to say this movie started the typical and classic gangster look trend- black suit and sunglasses!
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Slumdog Millionaire: This 2008 movie is one of the highest grossing independent movies of all time with 8 Oscars to its name. This is the story of a young 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, Jamal Malik, who joins a game show named 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' and is just one question away from winning a huge sum of 20 million rupees. But then he gets arrested on the suspicion of cheating as people find it hard to believe that a slum boy would know so much. So Jamal gets desperate to prove his innocence and starts to narrate his life story full of various struggles and adventures. As his story progresses, viewers learn how and when Jamal came to know the answers to all the difficult quizzes of the show. Though the mystery remains as to what this boy is doing in such a game show in spite of not having much interest in money. His answer to the final question has the key to solve that mystery.
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Brokeback Mountain: Directed by Ang Lee, this romantic movie was released in 2005. Set in the year 1963, cowboys Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist end up on a sheep farm of Brokeback Mountain in search of a job. Slowly but surely, their intimacy increases and they develop a deep bond with each other both romantically and sexually. But things turn complicated when both the boys get married to their respective girlfriends. Their love for each other faces a lot of trials but it gets proved once again that love is a true force to reckon with.
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The Perks of being a Wallflower: Starring Emma Watson and Logan Lerman, this coming of age indie movie got released in 2012. Stephen Chbosky directed the movie which is based on his own book. The story of the film revolves around a 15-year-old boy Charlie, who is introverted and naive. He is a freshman dealing with a lot from the suicide of his best friend to his own mental illness. That's when he meets two seniors, Sam and Patrick, who take him under their wings and help him experience the real world outside of his cocoon.
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Paranormal Activity: This creepy horror thriller was released in 2007. It's the first installment of the famous Paranormal franchise. The movie's story is about a young couple who moves into a suburban house. Their seemingly happy and peaceful life takes a turn for the worse when they start to feel a demonic presence in their new home in the middle of the night!
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: This sci-fi movie released in 2004, revolves around a couple who falls out of love. They decide to go through an advanced medical procedure to erase each other from their memories. But such things come with a cost to pay as their memories of each other get replaced by an endless deep and dark void. That's when they start thinking if ignorance is really blissful.
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The Wrestler: Directed by Darren Aronofsky, this movie is about a fading professional wrestler. He is aging and his health is also deteriorating which threatens to end his career for good. So he starts to come to terms with a life outside of the ring. But things are easier said than done. When he is already struggling with his new life he gets a lucrative offer of a rematch with one of his old enemies which can be the key to get back his fame and recognition.
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Secretary: This erotic movie of 2002 is about a fragile young woman who is recently released from a mental hospital. She gets a job as a secretary in a company to find success in her life. There she meets her boss who has a really unique personality. Their employer-employee relationship quickly turns into something a lot more intimate when desire sparks between them. They form a sadomasochistic sexual relationship with each other which may look odd from outside but works perfectly well for them. There's no saying that love has to be only gentle!
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Begin Again: Want to watch a fun, light-hearted and romantic indie movie on Netflix this weekend? This can be a nice pick. This 2013 film is about Gretta, a promising singer-songwriter, who faces a break-up and finds herself in New York City all alone. A disgraced record label executive, Dan, finds her performing on a stage and gets impressed with her immense talent. This becomes a turning point for both their lives which paves the way for an extraordinary collaboration to create a masterpiece of a soundtrack.
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The Runaways: This is a coming of age, biographic movie about an all-girls rock band of the 70's with the same name. Kristen Stewart plays the role of the main protagonist, Joan Jett, a guitarist, in this 2010 indie film. It is her plan to form an all-girls rock band. She eventually recruits a few other members and fulfills her dream of forming a band. Things start to get heated when drugs, drinks and jealousy spark issues among the group and they have to find a way to handle things without ruining their hard-earned success.
