By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
Netflix’s catalog features dozens of independent films, meaning movies that were done outside the traditional studio system. The indie film is often regarded as one that more closely mirrors the filmmaker’s vision because there is less interference from corporate/studio executives who are more concerned about the movie’s profitability. Among the indie movies featured on Netflix, here are the four best, in my humble opinion:
See more news and TV tech features at TVAnswerMan.com.
X (2022)
Mia Goth stars as a young woman named Maxine who travels with her director/boyfriend in the 1970s to a remote Texas farm to make a “skin” film. Once there, Maxine and her fellow “performers” begin noticing some strange behavior from the elderly couple who lives on the farm. And before you can yell cut, there is some real cutting going on. This modern take on the slasher genre from director Ti West is a brilliant piece of cinema with remarkable performances from Goth in dual roles (Maxine and the bloody-thirsty farm matron) and Jenna Ortega as a production hand. You’ll squeal, laugh and occasionally jump under the couch as West works his magic. The director followed up X with the arguably superior Pearl, a prequel to X, with Goth playing the elderly woman as a young adult. (Martin Scorsese calls Pearl “mesmerizing” and, as usual, he is right.) And later this year, there will be a third in the trilogy called Maxxxine with Goth’s actress character in LA in the 1980s. Go Goth. Go West, young film goers. This is exciting movie-making in the works. (Note: Pearl is now available on Paramount Plus With Showtime.)
Emily the Criminal (2022)
Aubrey Plaza stars in this John Patton Ford-directed drama (his directorial debut) as a manic young woman who’s lured into a credit card scam to pay off her student loans. You may know Plaza as the cute and quirky April Ludgate on NBC’s Parks and Recreation, but she proves here that she’s an accomplished actress who can command the screen from start to finish. Plaza’s Emily is a dynamo as she progressively becomes more confident in her new life as a criminal. Great performance and a great film.
Phantom Thread (2017)
Daniel Day-Lewis stars in this Paul Thomas Anderson-directed drama as an elite fashion designer who becomes obsessed with a young waitress (Vicky Krieps), making her his model, muse and, finally, his wife. DDL is fantastic as usual portraying Reynolds Woodcock as someone whose need to control ultimately forces him to lose control of good judgment. And PTA (Boogie Nights, Magnolia) shows again that he can take any genre and make it his own. A truly hypnotic portrait of excessive personality.
Whiplash (2014)
Damien Chazelle’s brilliant direction (his debut) and the exceptional performances by Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons make Whiplash one of the best films of the century to date. Teller plays a young drummer who will sacrifice anything (including relationships, personal health and mental well being) to succeed while Simmons is a ruthless (and cruel) music teacher who lives to mold talent into greatness regardless of the consequences. Whiplash is an amazing exploration of what it takes to reach the top. Great film!
Partial List of Independent Films On Netflix
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
To the Bone
Brain On Fire
3000 Nights
See the latest discounts at Amazon.com!
X
Phantom Thread
Tallulah
Amateur
Roma
To Leslie
Rim of the World
Message from the King
The Florida Project
Freaks: You’re One Of Us
Freaks
Whiplash
Emily the Criminal
The Autopsy of Jane Doe
The Fundamentals of Caring
Beats
Made In Italy
The Mustang
The Wonder
Backcountry
Love, Guaranteed
Bad Words
Boy Erased
Bodies
The Rental
Race
Concrete Cowboy
The Babadook
Brawl In Cellblock 99
Rattlesnake
Frybread Face and Me
St. Vincent
All Day and a Night
Run Rabbit Run
The Stand at Paxton County
See more news and TV tech features at TVAnswerMan.com.
Big Eyes
First Match
Waves
Cam
Code 8
To see more Netflix indie movies, click here.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
