If you're anything like me, then you'll settle in to watch a movie in your spare time and then can't quite decide what to watch. If you find yourself in this situation and you happen to enjoy a good independent film (especially ones that Mark Duplass has a hand in), then I highly recommend that you check out one or more of the following.
1. "The One I Love"
Come for: Mark Duplass and Elizabeth Moss
Stay for: The "Twilight Zone"-esque mystery that surrounds a weekend getaway for a couple whose marriage is on the precipice of collapse. Unexpected twists and turns will definitely keep you thinking about the film long after it's over.
2. "Short Term 12"
Come for: Brie Larson; the film was adapted from an award-winning short.
Stay for: The heartbreaking events that unfold as Grace (Larson) tries to help kids in the treatment facility while dealing with intense personal dramas.
3. "Like Crazy"
Come for: Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones and Jennifer Lawrence
Stay for: The honest portrayal of the loneliness and sadness that two lovers have to live with when faced with the harsh reality of an extreme long-distance relationship.
4. "Your Sister’s Sister"
Come for: Mark Duplass and Emily Blunt
Stay for: The dramatic, yet awkward moments that occur following the death of Tom. Iris (Blunt) was Tom's girlfriend, and Jack (Duplass) is her best friend and Tom's brother. A trip to the family cabin leads to a problematic one-night stand between Jack and Iris' gay sister, Hannah. Issues ensue.
5. "Liberal Arts"
Come for: Josh Radnor, Elizabeth Olsen and Zac Efron
Stay for: The relationships that Jesse (Radnor) creates and tends while visiting his alma mater, a place that he wishes he never left. It challenges the notion that you can't go home again by making the audience realize that you can, but that nothing is ever quite the same as you remember it to be.
6. "Today's Special"
Come for: Aasif Mandvi; the premise of going back to your roots
Stay for: The charm of a hot shot chef who's forced to return home to run his family's Indian restaurant, only to be clueless about his own culture. It's a fun, light-hearted comedy that'll elicit many laughs while also showcasing a vibrant culture and its cuisine.
7. "Stuck In Love"
Come for: A completely star-studded cast and Josh Boone (director of "The Fault in Our Stars")
Stay for: The inner workings of a highly dysfunctional family who are all obsessed with love: avoiding it, regretting losing it, chasing it, and mostly, writing about it. The web of characters tell the lesson that you shouldn't compare loves, because not two loves are ever the same.
8. "About Alex"
Come for: Max Greenfield, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Ritter and Jane Levy
Stay for: The realistic relationships and problems between six college friends that are forcibly analyzed when they're thrown back together years late after one of the group attempts suicide.
9. "Save the Date"
Come for: Lizzie Caplan, Alison Brie, Martin Starr and Geoffrey Arend
Stay for: The problematic relationships that commitment-fearing artist Sarah (Caplan) has to learn to navigate after publicly ending a long term relationship. Finding ways to deal with a new, loving boyfriend and her sister being caught up in wedding plans are the least of her worries.
10. "Barefoot"
Come for: Evan Rachel Wood, Scott Speedman and J.K. Simmons
Stay for: The hijinks that occur after a janitor at a psychiatric facility takes a patient home, posing her as his girlfriend for his brother's wedding in order to prove to his family that he's not a screwup.
