While massive blockbuster movies and studio productions will always have an inherent audience and excitement surrounding them, a lot of the major wavelengths and innovations in filmmaking are found in the vast world of independent cinema. The passionate art of a dedicated small team creating a film without a massive budget allows them to explore more vast concepts without having to worry about mass appeal. The past 10 years have been great for independent cinema, seeing countless brilliantly crafted works of art that are considered some of the best films of the 21st century.
With the rise of social media platforms, dedicated online film communities like Letterboxd, as well as specific studios dedicated to distributing independent films like A24, Mubi, and NEON, the modern day has truly been the golden age for indie filmmaking. These movies have continuously proven to be some of the best in the modern era, with many going on to receive massive critical acclaim, beloved cult status by audiences, and even winning massive awards to cement their legacy. This list will rank the best indie movies of the last decade based on their quality, status among cinephiles, and impact on the industry.
10
‘Past Lives’ (2023)
Directed by Celine Song
A romantic drama that plays off the expectations and preconceived notions of its setup to tell a more grounded and emotional story of seemingly destined souls having grown and lived lives apart, Past Lives is easily one of the best romance films of recent memory. The film follows childhood friends Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) reunited in New York after decades apart. Their weekend together sees the duo confronting notions of destiny, love, the choices they made in life, and how things could have been if they weren’t so distant over the years.
While many other romance movies would take the cheesy, over-the-top approach of having young lovebirds reconnecting and embracing their true love after decades apart, Past Lives takes a more realistic approach to maximize its emotional impact. Their shared and palpable love and care loom throughout the film, yet at the same time, it is clear that any possible life that they could have lived together is simply too late. Past Lives still has an emotional sting and weight to its storytelling that makes it exactly what one would want out of an indie romance.
9
‘The Lighthouse’ (2019)
Directed by Robert Eggers
While Robert Eggers made waves in the world of indie horror with The Witch, as well as eventually creating a compelling, higher-budget horror film in Nosferatu, The Lighthouse still stands as one of Eggers’ most acclaimed and dynamic films. The simple, small-scale story is made all the more effective through its execution, bringing out maximum tension and terror from only two characters and a singular location. The film sees these two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe) as they attempt to maintain their sanity while living on a remote island with a lighthouse in the 1890s.
The immediate takeaway is the strikingly beautiful visuals, utilizing the combination of black and white colors and a 1.19:1 aspect ratio to create a distinct energy and unnerving nature. Pattinson and Dafoe also fully deliver in their performances, going from manic and expressive to deeply depressive and sorrowful to fit the tone and style of each specific scene. The Lighthouse‘s overall subtle filmmaking and frequent usage of symbolic messaging and subtext allow audiences to relay any number of themes and messages onto it, with no single takeaway feeling wrong or unwarranted.
8
‘Lady Bird’ (2017)
Directed by Greta Gerwig
While the coming-of-age movie may seem relatively compact and straightforward as far as messaging and storytelling are concerned, Lady Bird proves that there are still great innovations within the execution of this tried-and-true story structure. The film follows the titular Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan), a strong-willed 17-year-old girl who isn’t afraid of showing her dismay at her hometown, Sacramento. With her plans to head off to college and make something of her life on the horizon, her relationship and connection with her mother (Laurie Metcalf) begin to strain.
Lady Bird doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to coming-of-age filmmaking. Still, it adheres to the classic elements and conventions of the concept so effectively that it seamlessly brings out the best emotional beats and weight of teenage angst and growth. Lady Bird takes a grounded and personal approach to the pains of growth, the annoying yet unyielding love of family, and navigating a confusing world, the best that one can, coming to terms with the type of person that you are.
7
‘Aftersun’ (2022)
Directed by Charlotte Wells
Aftersun is the type of beautifully crafted and emotionally heartbreaking story that could only have ever been made with the scope and personal approach of an independent film. It’s a story deeply intertwined with personal messages and experiences, allowing the audience a perspective and look into the pain and questioning concepts that it puts forward. It is also highly experimental with its execution of these concepts, telling its story largely through prominent context clues before ending with a devastating revelation of pain.
The film follows Sophie (Frankie Corio) reflecting upon her experiences and memories that she shared with her father (Paul Mescal) when they went on a holiday together twenty years earlier. Both real and imagined memories fill the gaps that the miniDV footage that she shot doesn’t provide, as Sophie attempts to reconcile and understand the truth of her father versus the version of him that she knew growing up. Aftersun is the perfect example of an indie film that, while disorienting and possibly even alienating for traditional audiences, is a genuine masterpiece of filmmaking for those willing to truly connect with the material.
6
‘The Worst Person in the World’ (2021)
Directed by Joachim Trier
A Norwegian film that tackles the rarely explored concept of a coming-of-age story specifically for the painful and experimental years that make up young adulthood, The Worst Person in the World is a romantic dramedy for the ages. It chronicles four years in the life of Julie (Renate Reinsve), a naive and rather inexperienced young woman attempting to navigate the troubled waters of her love life, struggling career path, and overall perception of herself as a person.
The Worst Person in the World brings an unexpected levity and charm to the difficulties of finding one’s voice and perspective in young adulthood, looking for any kind of meaning and connection for fulfillment in life. It’s a relatively difficult balancing act that the film pulls off seamlessly, creating some of the most energizing and invigorating individual sequences in recent memory as it fully embraces the pains and awkward emotions of life. With Joachim Trier‘s latest independent masterpiece, Sentimental Value, on the horizon, there is no better time than the present to revisit or experience The Worst Person in the World for the first time.
5
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2023)
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All at Once is an explosive and highly creative sci-fi action comedy that quickly took the world by storm and transformed its independent movie budget into over $140 million at the box office and seven Academy Award wins, including Best Picture. It’s easily among the most recognizable and beloved independent films of the decade so far, with endless charm combined with a heartfelt emotional core, making it an instant fan-favorite that deeply resonated with audiences.
Everything Everywhere has an infectious energy and flair, having manic fun with each exploration of the multiverse as it invites the audience to join in on the goofy adventure. While its massive creativity is the major inviting point, it’s the tearjerker moments and relatable messages of familial struggles that have helped it stand out and make an impact on audiences. Everything Everywhere‘s influence has already been felt throughout indie filmmaking and action films as a whole; it will easily be one of the defining achievements of the 2020s in film.
4
‘Get Out’ (2017)
Directed by Jordan Peele
A landmark staple of the horror genre for the modern era that completely revolutionized and changed the genre as a whole, Get Out‘s massive reputation precedes itself. Its massive strengths transformed Jordan Peele overnight from an entertaining comedy figure to a visionary mastermind at the forefront of original horror filmmaking. Its brilliant blend of satire, comedy, and horror makes for an instantly engaging experience that still impacts audiences years later.
While horror films as a whole are already used to the lower budgets that independent filmmaking works with, Get Out‘s flair and style go beyond its budget and are direct with its themes, execution, and powerful messages. Its inherent creativity and originality were a stark contrast to the more derivative and cliché-ridden aspects of horror that persisted in the 2010s up until this point. Get Out was a shock to the system, reminding audiences of the type of greatness that independent horror was capable of.
3
‘Anora’ (2024)
Directed by Sean Baker
A more recent hit in terms of critical acclaim and Academy Awards success from an independent film, Anora builds upon a career’s worth of independent filmmaking from Sean Baker to create a gloriously entertaining time. The film follows the titular Anora (Mikey Madison), a young Brooklyn sex worker who has seemingly found her perfect Cinderella story after meeting and impulsively marrying Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch. However, her new life falls apart when the oligarch attempts to do all they can to get the marriage annulled.
After over a decade of compelling and captivating independent filmmaking from Sean Baker, Anora sees him at the peak of his abilities, bringing together all that he’s learned and accomplished to tell a hilarious, compelling, and twisted Cinderella story. It’s hard to ask for a more effective and compact execution of a singular story. Anora tells all that it needs to with electrifying characters and a complete, powerful messaging, making for an overall invigorating viewing experience.
2
‘Parasite’ (2019)
Directed by Bong Joon Ho
A titan of cinematic strength that made massive waves around the world and became the first foreign language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Parasite is about as highly critically acclaimed as a single film can be. The film has received near-unanimous praise and recognition ever since its release, with its timeless and powerful reflection on power dynamics and the impacts of poverty striking a chord with audiences worldwide. Many attribute the film to not only being one of the best of recent memory, but one of the best movies of the 21st century and even of all time.
Everything works in Parasite‘s favor in terms of making it an engaging and compelling experience, balancing comedy, drama, heightened tension, and emotional moments for a symphony of cinematic greatness. In an era of film increasingly centered and hard-focused on Hollywood and American-made productions, even in the world of indie cinema, Parasite showed that generational and groundbreaking indie films from around the world still existed.
1
‘Moonlight’ (2016)
Directed by Barry Jenkins
Largely cementing itself as the face of independent greatness in filmmaking across the past 10 years, Moonlight has been a shining beacon of what is possible with small-scale filmmaking, unmatched in its narrative storytelling. The film tells the type of emotional, deeply mature story that could only be accomplished with the scope and hard-focused vision that independent cinema provides, especially when the film so closely ties itself to themes and messages that would be considered “brand risks” to larger studios.
Moonlight is a beautiful film that can be examined and appreciated time and time again, never losing an inkling of its luster and appeal from an audience perspective. It leaves a striking impact on an audience as it tells its emotional story, accomplishing exactly what one would want out of a generational, meticulously crafted, and perfectly executed indie film experience. It’s hard to imagine another indie film in both the past 10 years and the next 10 years coming close to the legacy and raw, independent passion that Moonlight exudes at all times.