28 Independent Films Exploring the Depth of Human Experience

Motherland

2017 • 94 min

In the Philippines, the world's busiest maternity hospital serves a community grappling with difficult choices. Here, impoverished women face dire outcomes as the nation navigates complex reproductive health policies and the influence of conservative Catholic beliefs.

6.4

7.1

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Life and Nothing More

2018 • 113 min

On the cusp of adulthood, Andrew struggles to define his place as a young Black man in America. As his mother seeks fulfillment beyond motherhood, Andrew shoulders increasing family burdens. His quest to connect with a distant father leads him…

7.3

6.6

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Super Dark Times

2017 • 103 min • Box office $33K

Drama, Thriller

Best friends Zach and Josh have shared everything, but after a terrible accident, they become involved in a cover-up. This secret slowly destroys their friendship, leading them into a world of growing suspicion and violence.

6.5

6.6

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The Lovers

2017 • 94 min

Comedy, Drama, Romance

A couple who have lived together for many years find their carefully planned separation complicated when they unexpectedly begin to feel drawn back to each other.

5.4

6.1

17+

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Marjorie Prime

2017 • 99 min

Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction

A company offers a service that generates realistic holographic projections of deceased loved ones. An elderly woman uses this technology to interact with a younger version of her late husband.

6.1

6.3

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+11

Patti Cake$

2017 • 108 min

Music, Drama

Patricia Dombrowski, known as Killa P and also Patti Cake$, is an ambitious rapper from New Jersey. She navigates a world of strip malls and strip clubs in pursuit of fame.

6.6

6.8

17+

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Good Time

2017 • 102 min • Budget $2M • Box office $3M

Crime, Thriller, Drama

Following a failed bank robbery that results in his younger brother's imprisonment, Connie Nikas undertakes a dangerous journey through New York City's criminal world to secure his brother's release.

7.2

7.3

17+

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The Killing of a Sacred Deer

2017 • 121 min • Budget $3M • Box office $10M

Drama, Thriller, Mystery

Dr. Steven Murphy is a respected heart surgeon with a perfect family and home. However, a fatherless teenager named Martin slowly begins to insert himself into Dr. Murphy's life, creating a growing sense of unease.

7.0

17+

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Donald Cried

2017 • 85 min

Peter Latang returns to his working-class hometown of Warwick, Rhode Island, where he reconnects with childhood friend Donald Treebeck. What begins as a small request quickly evolves into a lengthy road trip that revisits their shared history.

6.3

6.6

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The Ciambra

2017 • 118 min

Crime, Drama

Pio Amato, a 14-year-old in a small Romani community in Gioia Tauro, Calabria, is eager to become an adult. He shadows his older brother Cosimo, learning the tricks of the trade and how to survive on the streets. One night,…

7.1

6.9

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Quest

2017 • 104 min

For over ten years, this film offers an intimate look at a North Philadelphia family and the music studio in their home, a place of creative refuge. The story follows their decade-long journey, exploring themes of race and class in…

7.2

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Women Who Kill

2016 • 93 min

Morgan and Jean are successful true crime podcasters, but their personal relationship is rocky. When Morgan begins a relationship with the enigmatic Simone, their professional partnership unravels, replaced by growing distrust, anxiety, and fear.

4.9

5.6

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+12

Ingrid Goes West

2017 • 97 min • Box office $24M

Comedy, Drama

Ingrid fixates on Taylor Sloane, a social media celebrity who projects an idyllic existence. Driven by this obsession, Ingrid impulsively abandons her life to relocate to the West Coast and become Taylor’s friend. However, Ingrid’s actions become increasingly disturbing and…

6.4

6.6

17+

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The Rider

2018 • 103 min

Drama, Western

Brady, a promising rodeo cowboy and skilled horse trainer, is told he can no longer ride after a serious injury. Seeking to redefine himself, he embarks on a journey to discover his purpose and what it truly means to be…

7.3

7.4

17+

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The Cage Fighter

2018 • 81 min

A working-class man breaks his vow to never fight again. At forty, with a wife and four children depending on him, Joe Carman risks everything by returning to the fighting ring, seeking to confront his past.

6.3

6.1

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A Ghost Story

2017 • 93 min • Budget $100K • Box office $1M

Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

After he dies, a ghost returns to his suburban home to comfort his grieving wife. However, in his ghostly form, he is adrift in time, unable to intervene as the life he cherished and the woman he loves fade from…

7.1

6.8

17+

Stream on

+13

Crown Heights

2017 • 96 min

Drama

After Colin Warner is wrongly convicted of murder, his close friend Carl King dedicates his life to proving he is innocent.

6.5

6.7

17+

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Dayveon

2017 • 75 min

Following his older brother's violent death, 13-year-old Dayveon navigates life in a struggling Arkansas town. Lacking parental guidance and positive influences, Dayveon finds himself pulled between the appeal of a neighborhood gang and the bond he shares with his sister's…

6.7

6.2

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+12

Most Beautiful Island

2017 • 80 min

Drama, Thriller, Horror

This film follows Luciana, a young woman trying to survive and leave her past behind, as one difficult day throws her into unexpected and challenging situations – both physically and emotionally.

5.6

5.7

17+

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Menashe

2017 • 82 min

Drama

In a tight-knit, ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, a widower fights to gain custody of his son.

6.3

6.6

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The Departure

2017 • 87 min

This film explores the life of Ittetsu Nemoto, a former punk rocker who became a Buddhist priest. He's respected in Japan for helping many people contemplating suicide with his understanding and kindness. As Nemoto nears middle age with a family,…

6.8

7.1

Stream on

+10

Distant Constellation

2017 • 82 min

Inside a retirement home in Istanbul, camera-loving residents share their stories. A woman with a raspy voice recounts her experiences during the Armenian genocide, a cheerful pianist plays a piece and declares his affection, and a blind photographer adjusts his…

5.6

7.2

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Gook

2017 • 94 min • Box office $250K

Drama

Eli and Daniel, Korean American brothers running a failing women's shoe store, share a close bond with 11-year-old Kamilla. On the day the 1992 L.A. Riots erupt, the three find themselves fighting to protect their store while grappling with questions…

6.5

7.0

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+13

The Transfiguration

2016 • 97 min • Box office $22K

Horror, Drama

Troubled teenager Milo, obsessed with vampire stories, connects with Sophie, another outcast. Their friendship deepens, and Milo's imaginative world starts to feel increasingly real.

6.0

6.1

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Beatriz at Dinner

2017 • 82 min • Box office $7

Comedy, Drama

Beatriz, an immigrant from a poor Mexican town, uses her natural compassion to become a respected healthcare provider. Doug Strutt is a ruthless, self-assured billionaire. Their paths cross at a dinner party, and their very different lives become intertwined, profoundly…

5.8

6.0

17+

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Oh Lucy!

2018 • 95 min

Comedy, Drama, Romance

In Tokyo, a solitary office worker with a habit of smoking seeks connection when she enrolls in English lessons. She develops feelings for her instructor, but her life is upended when he vanishes. Determined to uncover the truth, she embarks…

6.7

6.8

—

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Columbus

2017 • 104 min • Budget $700K • Box office $1M

Drama

When a famous architecture professor falls ill mid-speaking tour, his son Jin is left in Columbus, Indiana – a small city known for its important modernist architecture. There, Jin befriends Casey, a young architecture lover who works at the local…

7.1

7.2

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Beach Rats

2017 • 99 min • Box office $486K

Drama, Romance

In a neighborhood just outside Brooklyn, Frankie, a directionless teenager, feels trapped by his family and his negative friends. Searching for a sense of self, Frankie starts using online dating sites to connect with older men.

6.1

6.4

17+

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