Independent Movies on Netflix
Last updated May 01, 2025
Layer Cake
2004 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsA seasoned British drug dealer (Daniel Craig) longs to ditch his illegal trade. But he can't do that without wrapping up just one more job involving the drug-addicted daughter of an influential criminal and a gargantuan stash of purloined ecstasy. The cache's original owners are after him as well, leaving him with no other choice but to run for his life. Matthew Vaughn directs this intricate drama, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
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Clerks 2
2006 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsPicking up 10 years after their original misfit misadventures, director Kevin Smith revisits the doldrums and daily routines of New Jersey's minimum-wage employees in this sequel to his career-defining first film, Clerks. This time, seasoned slackers Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) find themselves working behind the fast-food counter at Mooby's after a catastrophe drives them away from their previous dead-end jobs.
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Saved!
2004 | NR | 3.6 out of 5 StarsWhen Mary, a devout senior at a Christian high school, accidentally gets pregnant, she starts to see her peers and her faith in a whole new way in this darkly comic coming-of-age story that was produced by R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe.
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Anuvahood
2011 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsUnlucky in love and everything else, wannabe gangsta rapper Kenneth decides to peddle pot on the streets of London with the help of his small crew of fellow losers. But soon enough, their harmless little gang runs afoul of a local underworld boss.
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Welcome to the Rileys
2010 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsDevastated by their daughter's death eight years ago, Doug and his guilt-ridden wife, Lois, lead depressing lives without much meaning. But by forming an unconventional relationship with teen call girl Mallory, the couple begins to rediscover hope.
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Upstream Color
2013 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsA woman is abducted and hypnotized with material harvested from a flower. When she falls for a man, the two realize they have been subjected to the same process. Together, they search for safety as they struggle to reassemble their wrecked lives.
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Angels of Sex
2012 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsWhen enigmatic Rai saves young dancer Bruno from a mugging, an intimate and adventurous friendship soon develops between the two men. Throw Bruno's girlfriend, Carla, into the mix, however, and emotions suddenly become more complicated.
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Barton Fink
1991 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsWhen Hollywood taps him to pen a movie script, idealistic playwright Barton Fink develops severe writer's block and soon falls victim to a strange sequence of events, culminating in a murder investigation.
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Stolen
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsAs this indie thriller unfolds through flashbacks, the mummified, half-century-old remains of a boy found in a box at a construction site yield key clues to the disappearance of the investigating detective's son eight years earlier.
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Dear Lemon Lima
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsAfter a selfish boyfriend dumps her, Vanessa Lemor (Savanah Wiltfong) decides to soothe her broken heart by embracing her Yupik heritage and encouraging her misfit pals at a prestigious Alaskan prep school to compete in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. Along the way, the awkward teen learns to find her place in the community in director Suzi Yoonessi's touching film about identity, friendship and tradition.
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Ruby Sparks
2012 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsIn an effort to conquer his writer's block, a young novelist -- who's having trouble duplicating the success of his earlier work -- jots down all the attributes of his dream girl. But things get weird when she suddenly comes to life.
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Middle of Nowhere
2008 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsSeeking financial independence, rebellious teen Dorian and his serious new friend, Grace, go into business selling pot. But when business gets complicated, so do their lives, as both Grace and Dorian find themselves dealing with issues from the past.
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Amreeka
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsEager to provide a better future for her son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), divorcée Muna Farah (Nisreen Faour) leaves her Palestinian homeland and takes up residence in rural Illinois -- just in time to encounter the domestic repercussions of America's disastrous war in Iraq. Now, the duo must reinvent their lives with some help from Muna's sister, Raghda (Hiam Abbass), and brother-in-law, Nabeel (Yussuf Abu-Warda). Cherien Dabis writes and directs.
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A Necessary Death
2008 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsWith his roommate planning a documentary about suicide, Daniel Stamm got the idea for his own movie -- a narrative feature about a documentarian following the final days of a young man who's decided to end his own life. This film is the result.
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The Ramen Girl
2008 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsWhen her boyfriend leaves her high and dry in Tokyo, spoiled American tourist Abby finds solace in a neighborhood ramen noodle house run by a cantankerous old chef, who agrees to take her on as an apprentice.
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Unicorn City
2012 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsTo land his dream job, unemployed slacker Voss establishes Unicorn City, a real-life gamer's paradise. Abetted by his friend Marsha, Voss attempts to outwit a predatory rival and enable his fellow geeks to live out their role-playing fantasies.
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The Ice Storm
1997 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsPrep-schooler Paul Hood (Tobey Maguire) returns home for Thanksgiving weekend and finds his family about to implode. While his father (Kevin Kline) tries to douse his sorrows with booze and infidelity, Paul's mother (Joan Allen) looks for answers in self-help books. The experimentation and liberalism that defined the 1970s lead to ruin as the family's environs literally freeze over during a freak storm in this insightful drama helmed by Ang Lee.
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A Single Man
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsSet in 1962 Los Angeles, this stream-of-consciousness drama centers on a day in the life of George Falconer, a gay college professor who plans to commit suicide in the wake of his longtime lover's recent death.
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Leaves of Grass
2010 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsEdward Norton stars in this quirky tale centered on a respected Ivy League professor who's lured back to Oklahoma to help his equally brilliant twin brother -- who grows the world's finest hydroponic marijuana -- best a big-time pot pusher.
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Growing Op
2008 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsAfter years of being home-schooled by his earnest, post-hippie, pot-growing parents, Quinn (Steven Yaffee) decides to jump from the nest and give himself a normal high school experience. He quickly learns, however, that there's nothing normal about high school. When the teen falls for a beautiful blonde neighbor (Rachel Blanchard), he realizes he'll have to make some compromises to get what he wants -- once he's sure what that is.
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Transamerica
2005 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsBree gets the shock of her life a week before her final sex change surgery when she learns that she has a son. After bailing him out of jail, the two set out on a cross-country journey riddled with road bumps.
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The Trip
2010 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsSteve Coogan and Rob Brydon, the stars of the 2005 comedy Tristram Shandy, reunite with director Michael Winterbottom for this rib-tickling mockumentary about a pair of actors who set off on a foodie road trip across England.
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The Chicago 8
2011 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsThe political turmoil of 1968 leads to several days of rioting in Chicago, after which eight notorious political activists, including Bobby Seale, Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, are arrested for conspiracy and tried in a case that rivets the nation.
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Amour
2012 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsIn this 2012 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner, Georges and Anne, retired music teachers in their eighties, have a time-tested love. But as Anne's health fails, Georges becomes her caregiver, and the couple's bond is tested like never before.
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Holy Motors
2012 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsThis surreal drama from France follows DL, who becomes many different individuals living very different lives over a 24-hour period -- switching effortlessly from man to woman, impoverished to affluent, young to old, and even assassin to family man.
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