Five First-Class Indie Films Everyone Needs to See!

The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Grossing nearly $250 million worldwide on an original budget of $35,000–$60,000, The Blair Witch Project is still one of the most successful independent films of all time. 

Directed by Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick, the film documents the journey of three student filmmakers attempting to track down the Blair Witch. Reviving the long-dormant ‘found-footage’ cinematic technique, The Blair Witch Project spawned numerous movie imitators, but nothing truly captured the horrifying alchemy of this late 1990s classic.

The initial marketing behind the film was also a stroke of genius, the creators setting up a website, listing the actors as either ‘missing’ or ‘deceased’.  

Swingers (1996)
The story of two wannabe actors hustling for gigs and girls in Hollywood was never going to be the most original premise for a film, but Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn’s bromance, Swingers, took the industry by storm in the 1990s. The film grossed nearly 20 times the budget!

Although now well-trodden ground, the razor sharp screenplay propelled the duo into the cultural spotlight, and became the touchstone for a genre later inundated by lethargic writing or offensive jokes. 

Loosely based on the real-life escapades of Favreau and Vaughn, the on-screen chemistry between them was palpable, both actors playing fictional versions of themselves in the film. 

Compulsory viewing for anyone in the midst of post-breakup blues, Swingers will also irrevocably alter your social vocabulary – for better or worse.

‘You’re so money!’ 

Donnie Darko (2001) 
Donnie Darko simply has to feature on every list of all-time indie greats. With the poster stuck on the bedroom walls of millennials everywhere, the film continues to inspire mind-bending conversations of every kind, Richard Kelly's R-rated odyssey launching us into an entirely new dimension in 2001.

Starring a young Jake Gyllenhaal, the story follows Donnie, the survivor of a freak incident, who must come to terms with his power to alter time and destiny.

Proudly defying genre and storytelling conventions, Donnie Darko and his preternatural stalker, Frank the Rabbit still live deep in our subconscious all these years later, the film an undisputed cult classic of independent cinema. 

The Squid and the Whale (2005) 
Set in 1980s Brooklyn, The Squid and the Whale plotline follows two brothers as they navigate the emotional upheaval caused by their parents divorce. 

Written and directed by Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha; Marriage Story) and produced by Wes Anderson, the film contains his trademark mix of familial dysfunction and deadpan humour, with Jeff Daniels putting on a career-high performance as university professor Bernard – an egomaniacal, insecure writer, jealous of his ex-wife’s recent success. 

A heart-rending interpretation of a marriage in freefall, The Squid and the Whale also contains some of the funniest scenes from a Baumbach flick, including an epic back and forth over the use of the term ‘philistine’.

Whiplash (2014) 
Made on a shoestring budget, Damien Chazelle’s 2014 film, Whiplash came together in just 19 days. Set in Shaffer Conservatory, a prestigious New York music school, this gruelling ride will thunder against your chest like a kick-drum, as young jazz drummer Andrew (Miles Teller) pulls out all the stops to win the approval of his teacher, Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons). 

Originally an 18-minute short film, Whiplash was later bankrolled by investors after receiving much acclaim at Sundance Film Festival in 2013. 

A harrowing portrayal of vaulting artistic ambition, Whiplash doesn’t miss a beat – especially when it comes to the conclusion.