It’s easy to get hyped about mainstream movies, the popular ones everyone’s seen and keeps talking about. But a lot of great stuff doesn’t get enough attention in indie catalogs. And that’s actually where you often see cinema at its best, because it knows how to grab you with the right detail: a look, a quick conversation, an intimate performance, or a single decision that changes the whole story and makes you think. It’s not about budget, A-list Hollywood stars, or marketing — here, what matters is the experience, the connection, and showing different sides of life and people. And unlike many blockbusters, you’ll spend days thinking about the film as a whole and how it hit you.
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But the thing that makes indie cinema essential isn’t just the quality of each film, but that they focus on telling experiences you haven’t seen before in smart, bold, powerful, and unique ways. So here are 7 indie movies so amazing they need to be watched by everyone. In them, you’ll find stories that matter far more than the hype bigger movies usually get.
7) Frances Ha
Chances are you’ve already come across that scene online where Frances talks about the connection between two people when they just look at each other — and just from that, you can see how deeply interesting this film is. Frances Ha is an indie that a lot of people end up discovering late, but it’s worth every second. The story follows the title character (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring dancer in New York whose adult life starts falling apart when her best friend moves out and her career plans stall. Basically, it’s about almost getting there, but never quite arriving. And that frustration is what makes the film so relatable.
The thing that makes Frances Ha special isn’t the plot, but the feeling. Frances is built to be both charming and annoyingly immature, just like anyone trying to figure themselves out in their twenties. And the best part? The movie doesn’t over-dramatize or try to turn everyday crises into major tragedies. It’s all very real and human, showing that growing up hurts, but can also be kind of ridiculous. It’s small in scale, but huge in honesty, which is why it deserves to be watched as soon as possible.
Frances Ha is available to stream on Netflix.
6) Lady Bird
Lady Bird isn’t exactly an under-the-radar movie — far from it. You’ve probably seen scenes from it here and there, especially since it’s a coming-of-age story. But it’s not like the typical movie about teenage life, because it dares to be different. The story follows young Christine (Saoirse Ronan), who insists on being called Lady Bird, during her final year of high school as she tries to get into a college outside of Sacramento. Along the way, she always clashes with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Sounds basic, right? But watch it, and the execution will prove otherwise.
The dialogue is where the film really shines, especially during the mother-daughter fights. And there’s never a villain, because the words show it’s really just love poorly communicated. Combine that with powerhouse performances that never go over-the-top or get stuck in rigidity, and you get complexity done right. Lady Bird is about wanting to leave home while realizing you might not be ready yet. It’s sharp, straight to the point, and hits emotionally.
Lady Bird is available to stream on Prime Video.
5) Boyhood
Yes, Boyhood is that movie everyone talked about for being literally filmed over 12 years. And sure, that alone pulls you in, but reducing it to just that ignores what really works here. The story follows Mason (Ellar Coltrane) from childhood through college, showing his parents’ separation, moving cities, first relationships, and all those typical growing-up insecurities. There isn’t one big event driving the plot, since the point is to capture life as it accumulates. But don’t be fooled into thinking that makes it boring.
What makes Boyhood impressive is how organic everything feels: you don’t notice the time jumps; you just feel the character moving forward, as anyone does. That passage of time naturally creates a connection that makes you reflect on your own life. It’s not a movie with isolated, dramatic moments — it’s the sum of all those moments that hits you. It might feel too contemplative if you’re used to constant action or a traditional beginning-middle-end story, but as a realistic portrait of growing up, it’s hard to beat. This is an experience no other movie can replicate in the same way.
Boyhood is available to stream on Netflix.
4) Call Me by Your Name
Who hasn’t heard of Call Me by Your Name? If you haven’t, you’re living under a rock. This is one of those films you watch because everyone’s talking about it, and then you get why it’s such a big deal. It could have been just another summer romance, but it’s way more strategic than that. Following Elio (Timothée Chalamet), a teenager spending the summer of 1983 in Italy, we see him meet Oliver (Armie Hammer), an older student staying with his family. And what starts as simple curiosity turns into desire, and that desire ends up leaving a lasting mark on him.
Call Me by Your Name never rushes a single moment. When the discomfort of the story hits, it hits, and the silence that comes with it is allowed to linger, giving the audience space to fill in the gaps. This isn’t your typical grand, cliché romance; it’s intimate, and that’s what makes it so memorable. The movie sticks with you for hours after it’s done because it shows that some passions don’t define your whole life, but they leave permanent marks. And naturally, it makes anyone reflect on their own experiences from a different perspective.
Call Me by Your Name is available to stream on Paramount+.
3) The Florida Project
You know those movies that hit you like a punch in the gut? The Florida Project is exactly that, but it’s subtle about it. The story follows Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), a six-year-old girl living with her mom in a budget motel near Disney World. And while the kids turn the parking lot into their playground, the adults deal with unemployment, instability, and decisions you can’t help but question. Basically, it’s a constant, striking contrast between innocence and hardship; between the fantasy we create as kids and the harsh reality around us.
The film doesn’t spoon-feed its message, and it certainly doesn’t try to force tears. It doesn’t manipulate; it just offers a fresh perspective on poverty and childhood. But what makes it even more interesting is the point of view: the characters are people, not symbols. The camera often stays at the children’s eye level, completely changing how we see their world. And if you’re a fan of Willem Dafoe, it’s worth watching for one of his most human performances. The Florida Project is a social drama that doesn’t ask for pity; it just demands attention, and that makes all the difference. It’s human before it’s political.
The Florida Project is available to stream on Prime Video.
2) Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a movie that hardly gets talked about — which honestly feels like a crime. This is a story that demands your full investment to really understand, and when you do, you realize you’ve just watched a true masterpiece. The plot follows Marianne (Noémie Merlant), hired to paint Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) before an arranged marriage, and the relationship that develops between them while the portrait is secretly created. It’s not a conventional romance, and that’s exactly its strength: most of the tension comes purely from a look.
A French production, the film maintains complete control from start to finish. What does that mean? Forget cliché moments, manipulative emotional beats, or explanatory speeches. Everything feels like a masterclass in writing, directing, and acting, because it’s all in the expressions, framing, and pauses. That’s why you need to pay attention to catch the information and the nuances. Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a real connection done intelligently, the kind of movie that shows what cinema truly is.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is available to stream on HBO Max.
1) Moonlight
Winner of the Oscar, Moonlight does something very few films manage: it tells an incredibly specific story that’s still universal. Divided into three chapters, it follows Chiron (Alex Hibbert/Ashton Sanders/Trevante Rhodes) through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood as he tries to understand his identity and deal with a hostile environment. In other words, it’s a character study with no shortcuts, exploring bullying, sexuality, trauma, family relationships, growing up, and self-discovery. And by trying to be as different as possible from other movies with similar intentions, it stands out because it fully focuses on human depth.
Moonlight hits anyone who watches it. Its impact comes from its cumulative construction, so when the movie ends, you’re still processing it. It’s an extremely human portrait, showing a complex protagonist and making you feel what he feels, especially if you’ve ever felt out of place or invisible. It’s honest, powerful in its vision of life, compassionate, and technically precise throughout. One of the most consistent indie productions ever made, it’s absolutely essential viewing, expanding perspectives and humanizing experiences that are often treated superficially in mainstream cinema.
Moonlight is available to stream on HBO Max.
Do you like indie movies? Have you seen any of these? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of Netflix
