Sundance 2015: Diverse Independent Films That Defined a Year

Cartel Land

2015 • 100 min • Box office $1M

Drama, Documentary

In Michoacán, Mexico, Dr. Jose Mireles, a respected local doctor known as "El Doctor," leads a popular movement against the Knights Templar, a brutal drug cartel that has plagued the area for years. Simultaneously, in Arizona's Altar Valley – a…

7.2

7.3

17+

Stream on

Hellions

2015 • 80 min

Horror

A teenager experiences a terrifying night when three menacing individuals disguised as trick-or-treaters appear at her home.

3.9

4.2

Stream on

The Diary of a Teenage Girl

2015 • 102 min • Budget $2M • Box office $1M

Drama, Romance, Comedy

In 1970s San Francisco, fifteen-year-old Minnie Goetze dreams of becoming a comic-book artist and navigates typical teenage life. However, her world takes an unexpected turn as she secretly has a relationship with her mother's boyfriend.

6.6

6.8

17+

Stream on

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

2015 • 105 min

Drama, Comedy

Greg is drifting through his senior year, deliberately staying out of the spotlight and only connecting with his best friend, Earl, through their odd filmmaking projects. This carefully constructed quiet life is disrupted when his mother insists he befriend a…

7.5

7.7

13+

Stream on

Z for Zachariah

2015 • 97 min • Box office $121K

Drama, Romance, Science Fiction

After a nuclear war, a young woman lives alone, believing she is the only woman left alive. Her solitude shatters when she finds another person: a scientist, deeply affected by radiation and desperate to find other survivors. A tentative trust…

5.7

6.0

13+

Stream on

+13

I Am Michael

2015 • 98 min

Drama

This is the true story of a gay activist who later rejects his identity and becomes a Christian pastor.

5.5

5.6

Stream on

The D Train

2015 • 101 min • Budget $447K • Box office $771K

Comedy, Drama

As his 20th high school reunion approaches, Dan is haunted by lingering insecurities. Hoping to demonstrate his growth, he reconnects with his former classmate, the school's popular kid. However, a night of revelry escalates unexpectedly, forcing Dan to fight for…

4.9

5.1

17+

Stream on

+10

Dope

2015 • 103 min • Budget $7M • Box office $17M

Crime, Drama, Comedy

In a challenging Los Angeles neighborhood, Malcolm navigates the pressures of college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. An unexpected invitation to an underground party presents him with an opportunity to break free from his perceived limitations and discover who…

7.1

7.2

17+

Stream on

+11

Brooklyn

2015 • 111 min • Budget $11M • Box office $62M

Romance, Drama, History

Set in the 1950s, the story follows young Eilis Lacey as she faces a difficult decision between two men and the contrasting worlds of Ireland and New York.

7.3

7.5

13+

Stream on

The Tribe

2014 • 132 min • Box office $215K

Drama, Crime

Sergey, who is deaf and mute, arrives at a boarding school for the deaf. He navigates the school's social structure and discovers a criminal element within it called The Tribe. As he participates in increasingly risky robberies, Sergey rises through…

6.7

6.9

Stream on

Pervert Park

2014 • 77 min

Crime, Documentary

Florida Justice Transitions houses 120 convicted sex offenders. As is common in many U.S. States, these offenders are prohibited from living within 1000 feet of areas where children gather. Consequently, many reside in isolated locations like under bridges or in…

6.4

7.0

Stream on

Umrika

2015 • 98 min

Drama, Comedy

A young man learns his brother, thought to be in America, has disappeared. To shield their mother from grief, he starts writing letters from his brother, while secretly trying to find him.

6.0

6.6

The Summer of Sangaile

2015 • 88 min

Drama, Romance

Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is spending the summer at her family's lakeside home when she meets a spirited girl at an air show. As the two girls bond, Sangaile starts to overcome her anxieties and embrace a relationship that inspires her to…

6.4

6.3

Stream on

The Second Mother

2015 • 112 min

Drama

Val left her daughter Jessica in Pernambuco as a child, entrusting her to family. For the next 13 years, Val works as a nanny for Fabinho in São Paulo, achieving financial security but living with the constant ache of missing…

8.0

7.8

17+

Stream on

Knock Knock

2015 • 99 min • Budget $10M • Box office $6M

Horror, Thriller

A family man spending a weekend alone at home finds his quiet solitude disrupted when two young women seeking assistance unexpectedly arrive at his door. What begins as an act of kindness quickly escalates into a dangerous attraction, ultimately leading…

5.4

4.9

17+

Stream on

Mistress America

2015 • 84 min • Box office $2M

Comedy

Feeling lost and isolated as a new college student, a young woman finds connection by embracing the unconventional plans of her future stepsister.

6.5

6.7

17+

Stream on

Partisan

2015 • 98 min

Thriller, Drama

In a decaying city's outskirts, 11-year-old Alexander lives in a secluded community with other children, their mothers, and the influential leader, Gregori. Gregori instructs the children in farming, community living, and lethal skills. With the arrival of a new baby…

6.1

5.8

Stream on

Experimenter

2015 • 97 min • Box office $224K

Drama, History

Yale University, 1961. Stanley Milgram conducts a psychology experiment that remains impactful today: participants believe they are administering painful electric shocks to a friendly stranger in another room. Despite the stranger's pleas to stop, most subjects continue the experiment, delivering…

6.5

6.6

13+

Stream on

+15

Don Verdean

2015 • 96 min • Box office $31K

Comedy

Archaeologist Don Verdean, who specializes in biblical history, is hired by a church pastor to locate relics that will strengthen people's faith in the Holy Land. When his search proves unsuccessful, Verdean resorts to unconventional methods in this comedic story…

4.9

5.4

13+

Stream on

Dark Horse

2015 • 86 min

This is the true story of a woman working in a pub in a struggling Welsh mining town. She persuades her neighbors to combine their money to breed and train a racehorse, and then enter it in the prestigious horse…

5.3

7.3

Stream on

Grandma

2015 • 78 min • Budget $600K • Box office $7M

Comedy, Drama

Elle Reid, a woman who prefers solitude, has her carefully constructed world disrupted when her 18-year-old granddaughter, Sage, unexpectedly needs her. They embark on a day trip together, a journey that forces Elle to face her history and Sage to…

6.5

6.7

17+

Stream on

Aloft

2014 • 112 min • Budget $8M • Box office $53K

Drama

A mother and son are haunted by a past accident that fractured their relationship. The mother later becomes a celebrated artist and healer, while he develops into an unconventional falconer marked by profound loss. A young journalist's investigation brings them…

5.3

17+

Stream on

The Stanford Prison Experiment

2015 • 122 min • Box office $643K

Thriller, Drama, History

In 1971, Stanford professor Philip Zimbardo stages a controversial psychology experiment where college students role-play as prisoners and guards. The experiment quickly spirals out of control. Based on a true story.

6.8

17+

Stream on

+11

Eden

2014 • 131 min • Box office $65K

Drama, Music

In early-1990s Paris, Paul, a teenager, starts a DJ group with his friends. Together, they immerse themselves in the city's vibrant nightlife, exploring a world of sex, drugs, and non-stop music.

5.8

6.4

17+

Stream on

Digging for Fire

2015 • 83 min

Comedy, Drama

Tim and Lee, a married couple with a young child, get the opportunity to spend a weekend in a luxurious Hollywood Hills home. Their plans change when Tim discovers a bone and an old gun in the yard, sparking his…

5.2

5.8

17+

Stream on

+10

Meru

2015 • 89 min • Box office $2M

Adventure, Documentary

Meru tells the gripping story of three top American climbers – Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk – determined to conquer a seemingly insurmountable peak.

7.4

7.7

17+

Stream on

+26

True Story

2015 • 99 min • Box office $5M

Crime, Drama, History

This drama explores the unusual connection between journalist Michael Finkel and Christian Longo, a man on the FBI's Most Wanted List. For years, Longo lived in hiding outside the United States, using Finkel's identity.

6.3

17+

Stream on

Lila & Eve

2015 • 94 min

Thriller, Drama

Following her son's murder, Lila is consumed by grief and attends a support group. There, she encounters Eve, who encourages Lila to pursue justice independently and find her son's killers.

6.1

5.9

17+

Stream on

+10

Dreamcatcher

2015 • 104 min

Longinotto's documentary focuses on Brenda Myers-Powell, a Chicago advocate who works to combat sexual exploitation and support sex workers. Brenda’s work is deeply personal; she overcame a difficult past involving teenage prostitution and abuse, a stark contrast to her current…

5.4

7.1

17+

The End of the Tour

2015 • 106 min • Box office $3M

Drama

This film chronicles a five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and celebrated novelist David Foster Wallace. The interview occurred shortly after the release of Wallace's influential novel, 'Infinite Jest,' in 1996.

7.0

7.2

17+

Stream on

+13

Glassland

2015 • 93 min

Drama

A young taxi driver risks everything to bring his fractured family back together, drawing him into a dangerous world of crime.

4.9

6.0

17+

Stream on

+13

The Wolfpack

2015 • 89 min • Box office $1M

Documentary

Isolated in a Lower East Side apartment, the Angulo brothers discover the world through cinema. Known as "The Wolfpack," they recreate their favorite movies with homemade props and costumes. Their lives are disrupted when one brother escapes, leading to unforeseen…

6.8

7.0

17+

Stream on

+13

(T)ERROR

2015 • 93 min

Documentary

This film offers an inside look at FBI counterterrorism work, showing both the perspective of the government informant and the individual being targeted.

6.1

6.6

Stream on

10,000 Saints

2015 • 113 min

Comedy, Drama, Music

This multigenerational story unfolds in the vibrant, chaotic New York City of the late 1980s. It's a poignant tale of a young man, the son of devoted hippies, navigating the intense world of adoption, teenage pregnancy, drug use, and hardcore…

6.0

5.9

17+

Stream on

It Follows

2015 • 101 min • Budget $2M • Box office $23M

Horror, Mystery

After a sexual encounter, a young woman finds herself relentlessly pursued by an unseen supernatural presence.

6.6

6.8

17+

Stream on

3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets

2015 • 98 min

Documentary, Thriller, TV Movie

On Black Friday, November 2012, four teenage boys in a red SUV stop at a gas station after a day of shopping. While one boy gets a soda and gum, a couple arrives next to them for wine. An argument…

7.3

17+

Stream on

How to Change the World

2014 • 110 min

Documentary, History

In 1971, a group of friends sail into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world's imagination. Using never-before-seen archival footage, *How to Change the World* tells the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and shaped the…

7.1

7.5

Stream on

Girlhood

2014 • 112 min • Box office $60K

Drama

Feeling trapped by her family, limited educational options, and the local boys' influence, Marieme begins a new life when she connects with a group of three independent girls. She alters her name and appearance, and drops out of school to…

6.4

6.9

Stream on

James White

2015 • 87 min

Drama

James White, a troubled young man in his twenties, struggles to cope with life in bustling New York City. He increasingly seeks escape in a self-indulgent lifestyle, but his mother's worsening health throws him into a situation where he must…

6.6

7.1

17+

Stream on

The Bronze

2016 • 108 min • Budget $3M • Box office $615K

Drama, Comedy

Hope Ann Greggory achieved national recognition in 2004 as part of the bronze medal-winning women's gymnastics team. Now, she remains in her hometown, feeling disillusioned and resentful. Trapped by her memories, Hope is forced to confront her present when a…

6.0

6.1

17+

Stream on

Listen to Me Marlon

2015 • 103 min

Documentary

This documentary offers an unprecedented look into Marlon Brando's life and career. Using exclusive access to his personal archive – including hundreds of hours of audio recordings – the film charts his remarkable journey as an actor and explores his…

7.5

8.1

Stream on

Last Days in the Desert

2016 • 98 min

Adventure, Drama, History

As Jesus leaves the wilderness, he confronts the Devil over a family facing hardship, initiating a significant trial for him.

5.8

5.6

13+

Stream on

+14

Advantageous

2015 • 92 min

Science Fiction, Drama

In a city of extreme wealth built on a foundation of poverty, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, strive to maintain their happiness as cracks begin to appear in their world.

6.0

Stream on

I Smile Back

2015 • 85 min • Budget $495K • Box office $63K

Drama

Laney is a seemingly perfect suburban wife and mother to two young children. She has a supportive husband, a beautiful home, and everything appears idyllic. But beneath the surface, Laney struggles with depression and unhappiness, leading her down a path…

6.1

6.2

17+

Stream on

+13

Wild Tales

2014 • 122 min • Budget $4M • Box office $31M

Drama, Thriller, Comedy

The pressures of everyday life can push people to the breaking point. This story follows several individuals who reach their limit: a waitress dealing with a demanding loan shark, a road rage incident between two drivers, a disastrous wedding reception,…

7.9

8.1

17+

Stream on

The Chinese Mayor

2015 • 89 min

Datong, once Imperial China's vibrant capital, is now a city in decline, plagued by pollution, crumbling infrastructure, and economic hardship. Mayor Geng Yanbo unveils an ambitious plan to restore Datong to its historical cultural prominence. This plan, however, demands a…

8.0

7.7

Stream on

The Witch

2016 • 92 min • Budget $4M • Box office $40M

Horror, Fantasy, Drama

In 1630, a farmer moves his family to a secluded farm bordering a forest, where unsettling events begin to occur. As suspicion grows, the family's faith, loyalty, and love are severely tested by shocking circumstances.

7.0

17+

Stream on

+11

Results

2015 • 105 min • Box office $104K

Comedy

The lives of two very different personal trainers are thrown into chaos when they get a new, affluent client.

5.0

5.5

17+

Stream on

+11

Cop Car

2015 • 88 min • Budget $800K • Box office $143K

Crime, Thriller

Two teenagers are caught in a dangerous pursuit after stealing a police car. They become targets in a high-stakes game of chase.

6.0

6.3

17+

Stream on

Entertainment

2015 • 113 min • Box office $55K

Drama, Comedy

The film follows a struggling comedian traveling through the American Southwest, performing in small clubs as he journeys towards Los Angeles to reconnect with his daughter, with whom he has a strained relationship.

5.6

5.7

17+

Stream on

+13

Western

2015 • 93 min

Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico, have always shared a border defined by the Rio Grande. But when night falls on these close-knit communities, a cowboy and a lawman confront a dangerous situation that endangers everything they hold dear.

5.0

6.2

Stream on

The Russian Woodpecker

2015 • 80 min

Documentary, History

Amidst revolution and war in Ukraine, a man who survived the Chornobyl disaster uncovers a disturbing secret. He is then faced with a difficult choice: risk everything to reveal this secret and become involved in the fight for change.

6.3

6.7

Stream on

Mississippi Grind

2015 • 108 min • Budget $7M • Box office $130K

Comedy, Drama

Gerry, a skilled but struggling gambler, finds a turning point when he meets Curtis, a younger, captivating poker player. They quickly become friends, and Gerry convinces Curtis to join him on a road trip to a famous high-stakes poker game…

6.0

6.4

17+

Stream on

+12

A Walk in the Woods

2015 • 104 min • Budget $8M • Box office $37M

Adventure, Comedy, Drama

After two decades living in England, Bill Bryson returns to the United States and decides to reconnect with his roots by hiking the Appalachian Trail with a longtime friend.

6.1

6.4

17+

Stream on

+18

Slow West

2015 • 84 min • Budget $2M • Box office $1M

Western, Drama, Thriller

In the Old West, a 17-year-old Scottish boy joins forces with a shadowy gunslinger to locate the woman he loves.

6.7

6.9

17+

Stream on

The Hallow

2015 • 97 min

Fantasy, Horror

In the secluded forests of rural Ireland, an ancient evil lurks. Local villagers, steeped in superstition, believe cursed creatures haunt the area, preying on those who get lost. Their secrets have remained hidden from the outside world. When a London…

5.7

Stream on

+11