Top 30 Indie Gems: Diverse Cinema from 2015 You Need to See

Hard to Be a God

2014 • 177 min • Budget $7M • Box office $1M

Drama, Science Fiction

A team of scientists travels to the planet Arkanar to guide its people, who are in a medieval stage of development, towards a more advanced future. Their mission is challenging: they must avoid any forceful intervention and are forbidden from…

6.6

6.5

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Furious 7

2015 • 139 min • Budget $190M • Box office $1B

Action, Crime, Thriller

Deckard Shaw is driven by vengeance against Dominic Toretto and his family. His motivation stems from the condition of his brother, who is currently in a coma.

7.2

7.1

13+

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Room

2015 • 118 min • Budget $13M • Box office $35M

Drama, Thriller

After seven years imprisoned in a confined space, a woman and her young son are released and experience the outside world together for the first time.

8.0

8.1

17+

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Sicario

2015 • 122 min • Budget $30M • Box office $84M

Action, Crime, Thriller

A young, idealistic FBI agent joins a government task force working to combat the growing drug conflict along the U.S.-Mexico border.

7.4

7.7

17+

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Timbuktu

2014 • 96 min • Box office $1M

Drama, War

Near Timbuktu, Mali, where Islamic militants enforce strict religious law and disrupt everyday life, a cattleman kills a fisherman.

7.0

7.1

13+

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Stinking Heaven

2015 • 70 min

This dark comedy follows the unraveling of a 1990s New Jersey commune dedicated to sobriety.

4.6

5.8

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+14

The Forbidden Room

2015 • 118 min

Comedy

A submarine crew, a notorious group of forest bandits, a renowned surgeon, and a group of child soldiers unexpectedly encounter evolving perspectives on life and love during their journey.

5.6

6.2

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Spotlight

2015 • 129 min • Budget $20M • Box office $98M

Drama, History

This is the true story of the Boston Globe's investigation into widespread child molestation and a subsequent cover-up within the city's Catholic Archdiocese. The reporting sent shockwaves through the Catholic Church.

7.8

8.1

17+

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Ex Machina

2015 • 108 min • Budget $15M • Box office $36M

Drama, Science Fiction

Caleb, a coder for the biggest internet company, wins a contest for a week-long stay at the secluded mountain retreat owned by Nathan, the company's secretive CEO. Upon arrival, Caleb discovers he's part of an unusual experiment: he must interact…

7.6

7.7

17+

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+15

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+

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+13

The Look of Silence

2014 • 100 min • Box office $332K

History, Documentary

A man who works as an optician confronts the brutal Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966, a period that saw the death of his own brother.

7.8

8.2

13+

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Creed

2015 • 133 min • Budget $37M • Box office $173M

Drama, Action

Rocky Balboa, the retired World Heavyweight Champion, becomes a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson. Adonis is Apollo Creed's son.

7.4

7.6

13+

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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+

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The Hateful Eight

2015 • 188 min • Budget $44M • Box office $155M

Drama, Mystery, Western

A group of bounty hunters seeking refuge from a severe blizzard find themselves embroiled in a scheme of betrayal and deceit.

7.8

17+

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Heaven Knows What

2015 • 97 min • Box office $84K

Drama, Crime

In New York City, a young woman battling heroin addiction navigates the streets, seeking money for her next high. Her volatile boyfriend appears and disappears unpredictably throughout her life.

6.5

6.8

17+

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Field Niggas

2015 • 60 min

Field Niggas is a nocturnal portrait of Harlem, specifically the intersection of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue. The film presents a series of encounters with the people who inhabit this space, capturing their conversations – their hopes, sorrows, disagreements, connections,…

7.8

7.4

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

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The Revenant

2015 • 157 min • Budget $135M • Box office $532M

Western, Drama, Adventure

In the 1820s, frontiersman Hugh Glass is mauled by a bear and left for dead by his companions. He then embarks on a journey of revenge against those who abandoned him.

7.5

8.0

17+

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Carol

2015 • 118 min • Budget $11M • Box office $40M

Romance, Drama

In 1950s New York City, a department store clerk yearning for a more fulfilling existence develops a romantic relationship with an older woman who is already married.

7.5

7.3

17+

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The Lobster

2015 • 119 min • Budget $4M • Box office $15M

Comedy, Drama, Romance

In a near-future dystopia, the city mandates that single individuals be sent to The Hotel. There, they have forty-five days to find a romantic partner. Failure to do so results in a transformation into an animal and exile to The…

7.0

7.1

17+

Stream on

The Duke of Burgundy

2014 • 104 min • Budget $1M

Drama, Mystery, Romance

Cynthia and Evelyn maintain a carefully constructed world of power dynamics, playing out a sadomasochistic fantasy of mistress and maid. However, as their routine becomes predictable, Cynthia desires a more traditional relationship, while Evelyn seeks to intensify their unconventional dynamic.

6.3

6.5

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Chi-Raq

2015 • 127 min

Drama, Crime, Comedy

This is a contemporary take on Aristophanes' Lysistrata, reimagined in Chicago amidst gang warfare.

5.7

5.9

17+

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Tangerine

2015 • 87 min • Budget $100K • Box office $925K

Comedy, Drama

On Christmas Eve in Los Angeles, Sin-Dee returns to her neighborhood. She learns that her pimp boyfriend cheated on her during her 28-day jail sentence, and she and her best friend, Alexandra, set out to investigate. Their chaotic search takes…

6.9

7.1

17+

Stream on

+15

Mad Max: Fury Road

2015 • 121 min • Budget $150M • Box office $378M

Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

In a desolate, post-apocalyptic world, humanity has fractured, and survival is a brutal struggle. Amidst this harsh landscape, two rebels on the run hold the potential to bring order back to a broken society.

7.6

8.1

17+

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A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence

2014 • 100 min • Box office $1M

Drama, Comedy, Fantasy

This pitch-black comedy blends absurdity, surrealism, and shocking moments, shifting seamlessly between nightmare, fantasy, and deadpan humor. It explores the enduring theme of human cruelty.

6.8

6.9

13+

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+11

Buzzard

2015 • 97 min • Budget $10K • Box office $13K

Comedy, Drama, Crime

Driven by paranoia, petty con artist Marty goes on the run from his hometown, seeking refuge in dangerous Detroit. Armed with only counterfeit checks, his Power Glove, and a volatile temper, the horror metal enthusiast resorts to aggression.

5.3

6.3

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+20

R100

2013 • 100 min • Budget $5M

Comedy, Drama

A mild-mannered salesman tries to escape a binding contract he made with a secret bondage club, but he finds himself relentlessly pursued by the club's powerful and ruthless dominatrixes.

5.7

5.9

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Crimson Peak

2015 • 119 min • Budget $55M • Box office $74M

Horror, Mystery, Romance

Following a family tragedy, a young writer struggles between her feelings for a longtime friend and the allure of a captivating stranger. Seeking refuge from her painful history, she finds herself drawn to a house with a strange, living presence…

6.7

6.5

17+

Stream on

Queen of Earth

2015 • 90 min

Drama, Thriller

Seeking respite from their busy lives, two women spend time at a lakeside retreat. However, their attempts to reconnect reveal a growing distance between them, and unspoken doubts begin to erode their relationship.

6.0

6.2

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Spring

2014 • 109 min • Box office $49K

Horror, Romance, Science Fiction

Seeking escape from his troubles, a young man travels to Italy and begins a relationship with a woman who carries a deeply hidden, ancient secret.

6.6

6.7

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