Indie film

‘Ava’s Possessions’ is smart, funny, and occasionally creepy indie fare.

‘The Passing’ is a masterstroke of allegory and mood that continues to haunt long after it’s over.

‘Dirty Romance’ is unforgettable, in every wonderful and terrible sense of the word.

‘A Brilliant Young Mind’ packs an emotional punch that only a cold-hearted cynic could dodge.

‘Turbo Kid’ is a post-apocalyptic love letter to the action-horror genre. It looks and sounds wonderful, with the kind of world building you would expect from ‘80s film aficionados. Unfortunately, a lackluster script and bland leading performance prevent it from being more than just a pleasant trifle, but it’s a bloody fun way to spend your Saturday night.

Swirling at the center of this perplexing drama is a revelatory performance from Elisabeth Moss, who perfectly captures the brittle yet impenetrable nature of mental illness.

It’s hard to be mad at director Kris Swanberg’s leisurely stroll towards motherhood, but it’s also hard to recommend to those outside the target demographic. Observant, low-key, and, ultimately, benign, ‘Unexpected’ coasts by on goodwill and charm, when it could have tackled so much more.

While it has some interesting things to say about Thai culture, ‘How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)’ lacks the narrative focus to make much of an impact.

The less you know about Spring before its arrival, the more enthralling its subtle charms. This is a delicate little gem that reveals its mysteries grudgingly; a seamless blend of moods and genres that never stops surprising you. Darkly comic and unflinchingly romantic, Spring steeps its horror mythology in realism to create a genuine sense of uneasiness. Director Justin Benson’s exquisite story of painful transformation is one of 2015’s best films.

Before I Disappear Written and directed by Shawn Christensen USA/UK, 2014 We don’t get many cinematic one-man shows these days.  Shawn Christensen takes up the challenge by writing, directing and starring in the new indie mind-screw, Before I Disappear.  Though thin on plot and heavy on convulsions, there’s enough visual flair and wickedly-dark humor to …

The bicycle is by far the most existential vehicular choice when making a road film about a character in a state of mental cross roads. Unlike the car, the bike is solely powered by the human and it’s capabilities are dictated by the rider’s. Anyone can press a pedal and go 100 mph, but with a bicycle the wheels are only an extension of the human drive to move forward. In Marie Ullrich’s The Alley Cat, this sense of propulsion collides with the main character’s struggle to move forward mentally. Jasper was a mother but gave her child up to her sister, with the deal that her little girl can never know who her real mom is. It’s during a wild, late-night bike race through Chicago’s south loop that she reassesses her priorities and just what she’s supposed to be doing with her life.

Yes, every summer movie season looks more the same as the last one. We have another Shrek, another Iron Man, another Sex and the City, another Twilight, another … well you get the point. Indie movies are the only remedy for this Summer blockbuster fatigue. Last year was quite strong (The Hurt Locker, Moon, 500 Days of Summer, …

Great news for customers of Netflix, who announced this week that they will add hundreds of award-winning and critically acclaimed Indie Films that can be seen instantly through a string of new streaming deals. The selection of films includes works from The Criterion Collection, Gravitas Ventures, Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Regent …