10 Best 2010s Indie Movies, Ranked

Produced outside the mainstream studio system, independent or “indie” films are typically made with a relatively tight budget, a smaller cast and crew than usual in the industry, and giving pretty much full creative freedom to directors. These kinds of movies are usually unafraid to be experimental and try new things, but they can also play around with tried-and-true genres and tropes.

After it exploded in popularity in the ’90s, indie cinema only kept growing in importance and prominence. This surge in general audience interest was abundantly visible in the 2010s, during which plenty of outstanding indie films were made around the world. From French arthouse romances, like Portrait of a Lady on Fire, to surprise Hollywood hits that broke the mold, like Moonlight, this decade saw plenty of excellence in the independent cinema landscape.

10 ‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)

Directed by Park Chan-wook

The mainstream popularity of Korean cinema really took off during the 21st century, and trailblazer Park Chan-wook was essential in that surge of acclaim. The Handmaiden is one of his best works, an erotic thriller about a woman who’s hired as the handmaiden of a Japanese heiress, though she’s secretely involved in a plot to defraud her.

Displaying all of Park’s strengths as a director, with a haunting score, gorgeously lavish visuals, and some truly amazing performances, The Handmaiden‘s many twists and surprises are a delight to follow when the characters are so fascinating. One of the best thrillers of recent years, it wears all of its director’s idiosyncrasies out on its sleeve and uses them to its advantage.

The Handmadien can be streamed on Prime Video in the U.S.

Watch on Prime

9 ‘Moonlight’ (2016)

Directed by Barry Jenkins

Oscar fiasco aside, Moonlight is guaranteed to go down in history as one of the greatest coming-of-age movies of the 2010s. Spanning three sections of the life of a young African American man, the film follows him as he grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

Beautifully performed, beautifully shot, and even more gorgeously directed by Barry Jenkins at the top of his game, Moonlight is a loving and tender look at a world all-too-often sensationalized and stereotyped in the media, films in particular. A24’s domination of the American indie film market began in the 2010s, and this was one of the most important works they’ve distributed.

8 ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ (2019)

Directed by Céline Sciamma

One could argue that France is the birthplace of movies, so it’s no surprise that French cinema has been one of the most important film industries in the art form’s history. The 2010s saw the release of many exceptional French indies, chief among which is the beautiful Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a period romance where a painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman on an isolated island.

The film approaches its narrative with precise and gentle brushstrokes, telling a touching story about the power of art and female connection. Stories of forbidden love, when done right, can be deeply compelling and potent, and this one is no exception. It’s poetic, creative, and so profoundly in love with its two lead characters that the audience can’t help but fall in love, too.

7 ‘Incendies’ (2010)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

One of the best Canadian movies of all time, directed by one of the best Canadian filmmakers working today, Denis Villeneuve‘s Incendies is a gut-wrenching mystery drama where a pair of twins journey to the Middle East to fulfill their mother’s dying wish: to discover their family history, which might be permeated in more darkness than they thought.

Emotionally, it’s deeply affecting; visually, it’s surprisingly effective; narratively, it’s so shocking that it’s absolutely unforgettable. It’s a staggering work of art that some may argue is still its director’s best, and a testament to how the relative limitlessness of independent film can generate some of the most powerful stories that can inhabit cinema.

6 ‘It’s Such a Beautiful Day’ (2012)

Directed by Don Hertzfeldt

A collection of three shorts by American animator Don Hertzfeldt, who self-distributes all his films under the moniker “Bitter Films,” It’s Such a Beautiful Day is about a small stickman figure named Bill who struggles to put together his fractured psyche. Delightfully weird and deeply existential, it’s a film as beautiful as it is poignant.

Brimming with creativity and aided by a unique animation style and a short runtime of only a little over an hour, It’s Such a Beautiful Day is purely the product of the infinite creativity allowed by independent film. Though its hard-hitting narrative about mental health is sure to leave a mark on more emotionally sensitive viewers, it’s nevertheless a must-watch for all those that enjoy arthouse animation.

It’s Such a Beautiful Day can be purchased on Blu-Ray from Amazon in the U.S.

Buy on Amazon

5 ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ (2017)

Directed by Martin McDonagh

Making a name for himself as a masterful writer in both theater and film, Martin McDonagh has made some of the most outstanding dark dramedies of the 21st century. One of his best works is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, about a grieving mother who challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter’s murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

Sporting one of Frances McDormand‘s most impressive performances and some of McDonagh’s best work as a screenwriter-director, Three Billboards makes great use of perfectly dosed dark humor to tell its story of justice and grief. Indie cinema tends to be the perfect place for stories that tackle topics too complex and dark for mainstream film, and this movie takes advantage of that fact.

4 ‘Marriage Story’ (2019)

Directed by Noah Baumbach

Noah Baumbach is one of today’s leading indie filmmakers, also commonly collaborating as a screenwriter with other directors like Wes Anderson. His best film as a director is arguably Marriage Story, a heartbreaking, incisive, and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family struggling to stay together.

The film is more than just profoundly sad. It’s a raw and intimate portrayal of the pain and eventual acceptance that comes with a divorce, led by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson both delivering career-best performances. The strongest aspect of the movie, however, is Baumbach’s script. Honest and realistic, but also humorous and with distinctly idiosyncratic dialogue, it’s perhaps the best work of his career as a screenwriter.

3 ’12 Years a Slave’ (2013)

Directed by Steve McQueen

Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Picture, 12 Years a Slave is a devastating biopic starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, a free Black man from upstate New York who’s abducted and sold into slavery in the antebellum United States.

Far and away, one of the best biopics that have won Best Picture, 12 Years a Slave approaches its complicated subject-matter with care and sensitivity, but without ever shying away from showing the atrocities of the pre-Civil War American Deep South in all their brutality and darkness. It’s not an easy experience by any means, but it’s worth every minute of effort to get through its deeply touching story.

12 Years a Slave can be rented for streaming on Apple TV in the U.S.

Rent on Apple TV

2 ‘Whiplash’ (2014)

Directed by Damien Chazelle

Damien Chazelle, one of the most exciting young voices in contemporary Hollywood, has made five outstanding feature films, and some would argue that his second one — Whiplash —is still his best. Based on Chazelle’s 2013 short film of the same title, this indie gem is about a promising young drummer who enrolls at a cutthroat conservatory where his dreams are mentored and tested by an instructor who will show no restraint when it comes to realizing his potential.

With a pair of incredible performances by Miles Teller and an Oscar-winning J.K. Simmons, Whiplash is a non-stop 105 minutes of pure chaos, profanity, and some killer jazz. Movies about struggling artists and the price of success are aplenty, but few are as energetic and memorable as Chazelle’s masterpiece.

1 ‘Parasite’ (2019)

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

Korean thriller Parasite‘s sweep of the 2020 Oscars will forever be ingrained in the public consciousness as one of the greatest foreign film success stories in the awards’ history. Bong Joon-ho‘s masterpiece about the symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Parks and the destitute Kims became the first foreign-language film to ever win Best Picture, and deservedly so.

Its twists are truly shocking, its characters are fascinating, and its themes of class and wealth inequalities, while not exactly understated, are potently effective. Parasite is an ode to everything that makes modern indie cinema so magical: a strong creative voice, an interesting portrayal of themes not often seen in mainstream cinema, and a complete lack of fear of getting bold and experimental with its subject-matter.

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