I have compiled a list of the best independent films ever created. From the plethora of movies out there, I found it to be quite difficult to narrow the list down to eleven films that are not only brilliantly executed, but capture eleven deeply unique and beautiful narratives of life that are not only cinematically amazing but have impacted me on a personal level. Emotions aside, I highly recommend that you check out any one of these films as soon as you get the chance.
1. Ruby Sparks
Writer Calvin Weir-Fields (Paul Dano) is encouraged by his psychologist to write in order to deal with his depression. He creates the character of Ruby Sparks, who then materializes in his life. At first, their relationship is wonderful, but his need for control causes him to write her into perfection and soon his flawless fictional ideal to collapse.
2.Black Swan
Nina (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina whose love of dance controls every part of her life. When she is cast as the replacement for the prima ballerina in the production of Swan Lake, her life takes a sinister turn. She forms a close friendship and rivalry with Lily, who embodies the charisma, sexuality and recklessness of the Black Swan, while Nina reflects the rigidity and grace of White Swan. Reality and illusion begin to fold into each other as the magic of the ballet and Nina’s obsession with perfection create a beautiful yet jarring picture of artistic sacrifice.
3. Midnight in Paris
Gil, a aspiring screenwriter and his fiancé, Inez take a trip to Paris. In order to escape the stifling rigidity of his fiancee and her parents, Gil goes for night walks. On one of these escapades, he encounters a boisterous group of people who sweep him back into the roaring twenties. As he becomes more familiar with literary and art icons, the present becomes increasingly depressing. Beautifully shot and wonderfully executed, the film asks us of nostalgia truly is the denial of the painful present, or a well needed escape?
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
After a complicated breakup, Clementine (Kate Winslet) decides to undergo an operation to erase memories of her boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey). Joel is then forced to go back and explore the fractured memories of the relationship in order to gain a more nuanced and full understanding of love. This film explores the complexity of relationships and grief in a futuristic world.
5. Don Jon
Written, directed and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Don Jon places the Spanish Golden Age opera Don Giovanni in a modern context. New Jersey bartender, Jon Martello is devoted to his friends, his family, his car, his church, and most importantly porn. He has never had a real relationship until he meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson). For the first time, Jon figures out with love truly is, although his porn addiction makes this increasingly difficult. Wonderfully written, this film explores the concepts of love, lust, and intimacy woven with together with a fine thread of humor.
6. Wetlands
When I first heard about this film, I was a bit skeptical, but after watching it, I can definitely attest to it’s amazingness. After an unfortunate shaving accident, hygienically disapproving Helen lands in the hospital. She befriends the male nurse and they hatch a plan to get her parents back together. This German film is equally humorous as it is both bizarre and strangely sad as it examines tragedy, friendship and love.
7. Moonrise Kingdom
Boy Scouts. Mental Illness. Love. Thunderstorms. Summer. Wes Anderson. This film is so wonderful and if you haven't seen it I really don't know what you have been doing with your life.
8. The Invitation
The Invitation is probably one of the most perfect psychological thrillers out there. While attending a dinner party at his ex wife’s house, a man (Logan Marshall Green) starts to believe that his former wife and her new husband have less than friendly intentions. The paranoia of this film builds up very slowly and is beautifully shot in the hills of California and explores the complexities of grief and denial in the modern world.
9. An Education
Based on memoir with the same name, An Education explores the life of Jenny Mellor, a furiously bright sixteen year preparing to attend Oxford University. She meets a charismatic older man, David Goldman who takes her to concerts and restaurants. His natural graces enable him to slip inside her life quite easily, without any doubts from her parents or friends. She later learns the unsettling truth about David behind the facade of charisma and enigmatic intellectualism.
10. Frances Ha
This hyper naturalistic film explores the life of Frances (Greta Gerwig) as she navigates the world as a dancer post grad. Her idealism clashes with the reality and fragility of real life problems with the art world and friendship. Most descriptions of this film do not do it justice, but it seriously is one of the best independent films made in the past ten years.
11. 500 Days of Summer
A cheese grater on dem feels. No words. Must watch.
