If you’ve been trolling streaming services during the pandemonium, here are a few suggestions of little indie movies that you may have missed:
1. Garden State (2004)
Garden State slipped into my headspace right when I needed it most. The chill, melancholy pace, lack of direction and aimlessness experienced by the main character (Zach Braff), and re-framing of life through a chance encounter with post-Star Wars Natalie Portman, had a profound impact on me. Plus, the soundtrack remains my favourite of all time, featuring Iron and Wine, Cary Brothers, The Shins, Frou Frou, Zero 7 and more. Highly recommend!
2. Whale Rider (2002)
Whale Rider is one of the main reasons I wanted to go to New Zealand – although unfortunately I didn’t get out to the filming location near Gisborne on my last trip. The film is set on the remote, Eastern shores in a small Maori village, where there is no male heir to inherit the mantle of chief. Enter a 13-year old Keisha Castle-Hughes (nominated for an Academy Award for her role), to vie with the patriarchy, and her set-in-his-ways grandfather, to be next-in-line. I enjoyed its pace-of-life feel, beautiful, windswept coastline setting, and hero’s journey.
3. Winter’s Bone (2010)
This was really Jennifer Lawrence playing Katniss Everdeen before she was Katniss Everdeen (and why I thought she was a great pick when she was cast!) Set in the rural Ozarks, her character must locate her missing father in order to prevent the eviction of her and her young siblings from their home. To do so, she must navigate the seedy, sinister underworld of local meth lab operations, while struggling to keep her siblings alive and well (and eating squirrel.)
4. Into the Forest (2015)
This movie is a bit of a hard watch at times, but I really enjoyed it. Set sometime in the not-so-distant future, the story follows a family who live 50km (wait for it) into the forest in a self-sufficient home. An unknown apocalyptic event happens, and it’s up to them and their resourcefulness to survive. Stick around for impressive performances by Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood, and the beautiful Squamish scenery.
5. Ex Machina (2014)
The future is meow. Definitely one of my favourite indie movies over recent years. The film explores themes of humanity and ethics when a programmer is invited to his CEO’s wilderness mansion to deliver a Turing test to his “humanoid” robot. Enjoy one of the coolest houses put on camera (actually the Juvet Landscape Hotel in Valldal, Norway), as well as magnificent acting by Alicia Vikander, Domhnall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac.
What are some of your favourite indie films?
