Independent - Movies

House By the Lake

Independent

When Scott and Karen, a struggling married couple, take their daughter, Emma, to a picturesque lake house, they hope they can take the opportunity to put their problems behind them. Scott even hires a nanny, Gwen, to give them more time to spend together. Gwen does well working with Emma, but the little girl begins fixating on an imaginary friend she calls the Fish Man. Scott discards the notion, but Karen believes the friend is actually a strange man who lives down the beach. Emma's fear of the water and her recurring sleepwalking continue to raise tensions in the house and drive a wedge between Scott and Karen until, one night, Emma disappears.

Choosing Signs

Independent

Choosing Signs is a multi-award winning comedy about anAmerican woman who follows the signs of the Universe all the wayto Ireland, only to discover that when it comes to love, the Universemay not always be on her side.

The Lost Leonardo

Independent

The Lost Leonardo tells the inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. From the moment it is purchased from a shady New Orleans auction house, and its buyers discover masterful brushstrokes beneath its cheap restoration, the fate of the Salvator Mundi is driven by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. But as its price soars, so do questions about its authenticity. Is this multi-million dollar painting actually by Leonardo - or do certain power players simply want it to be? Unravelling the hidden agendas of the world's richest men and most powerful art institutions, The Lost Leonardo reveals how vested interests became all-important, and the truth secondary.

0s & 1s

Independent

Los Angeles, 2006. Life is Easy 2.0 for James Pongo (Morgan Krantz). He has a cushy job, a busy social life and an alluring love interest. But when he wakes up after a night of reckless partying to discover that his computer is missing, James' hyper-connected reality takes a nosedive. This sends him on a picaresque journey of interrogations and humiliations with the suburban losers he left behind. Told entirely through the websites, programs, games and social networks that make up our daily lives, 0s & 1s uses James Pongo's nihilistic adventure to question our growing dependency on these alternate digital realities.

All The Wilderness

Independent

WATCH WHILE IN THEATERS! Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Virginia Madsen and Danny DeVito. A rebellious teen parties across Portland's underground music scene while struggling with unrest at home. Featuring music from Elliott Smith, Sonic Youth, Jonsi and Alex of Sigur Ros, and Ty Segall.

Natural Life

Independent

Natural Life, an experimental documentary installation produced in conjunction with the legal efforts of The Law Offices of Deborah LaBelle (LODL), challenges inequities in the juvenile justice system by depicting, through documentation and reenactment, the stories of five youths who received the most severe sentence available for convicted adults - a sentence of "natural life" or "life without parole". Fear of juvenile crime has, in recent years, violated the fundamental ideas upon which juvenile court rests, and specifically, the belief in children's unique capacity for rehabilitation and change. State law makers and the federal government have more and more frequently opted to resort to harsher punitive adult models, demanding that children be put on trial as if they were as culpable, liable, and informed as adults who commit similar crimes. Forty-one states in the U.S. elect to enforce a sentence of life without parole (natural life) on youth under the age of eighteen. The sentencing system for youth is especially vulnerable to challenge where over half of the youth did not, themselves, commit a homicide, and at no point in the process was their youthful status and lesser culpability taken into account. Natural Life aims to portray the ripple effect that the juvenile justice system's imbalance has had on the lives, not only of the incarcerated youth and the victims of their crimes, but on their family members, on law enforcement and legal officials, and on the community at large.

Dreaming Grand Avenue

Independent

Though they've never crossed paths in the waking world, Maggie and Jimmy keep meeting up in dreams. Each recently devastated by loss and struggling to find the meaning of it all, the two dreamers are now inexplicably tied together by fate in ways they can’t yet comprehend. Set in Chicago, a city as magical as any dreamscape, and teeming with collective memories, tragedies, hopes and desires, the unresolved traumas Maggie and Jimmy face—both individual and shared—are no longer to be endured alone, either asleep or awake. A romantic and thought-provoking film that asks as many questions as it answers, DREAMING GRAND AVENUE shows how lived experience can become the very way through the confusion, pain and disconnection that haunts us. As Maggie and Jimmy navigate their grief—with the help of a dream detective, a sleep scientist and even the poet Walt Whitman himself—they discover the truth behind not only their linked subconsciousness, but that of their waking lives, too.

Take Out

Independent

The American dream has rarely seemed so far away as in Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou’s raw, vérité Take Out, an immersion in the life of an undocumented Chinese immigrant struggling to get by on the margins of post-9/11 New York City. Facing violent retaliation from a loan shark, restaurant deliveryman Ming Ding has until nightfall to pay back the money he owes, and he encounters both crushing setbacks and moments of unexpected humanity as he races against time to earn enough in tips over the course of a frantic day. From this simple setup, Baker and Tsou fashion a kind of neorealist survival thriller of the everyday, shedding compassionate light on the too often overlooked lives and labor that keep New York running.

May I Kill U?

Independent

Baz (Barry Vartis) is one of Britain's new breed of police, a cycle cop. Although he appears to be a figure of fun, a freak accident turns him into a psychopath... As riots break out in London, a head injury changes Baz from an everyday police officer into a mad vigilante, offering no hope criminals a stark choice, arrest or death. Baz sees this campaign as 'lawful killing'. Criminals too stunned, confused, or drunk to argue are politely asked, "May I kill you?" and merrily dispatched on their final journey. All these exchanges are recorded on Baz' helmet-cam and posted anonymously on social networks. Using the alter ego Baz acquires an increasing number of fans with each killing, dispensing justice to scumbags, cleaning up society like some bizarre and deadly 'Robin Hood', ridding society of its ills. But, in a sudden reversal, Baz is captured by an enraged relative of one of his presumed "kills" and faces slaughter or even worse… exposure.

12 Pound Balls

Independent

It takes BALLS to win! At least that's what the local bowling clubs in idyllic Warroad, Minnesota used to say, before Emily came along. Now that she has returned to resurrect her name on the champion's board, Gunnar and the boys in town are polishing up their equipment for another shot at the title. This screwball ensemble mockumentary captures Emily’s return from retirement, to avenge her loss to Gunnar, and bring justice to her family name. It's gutter-ball madness where split happens!

Adventures in Success

Independent

Led by a mystical female founder, a cult masquerading as a wellness startup settles in the Catskills to build community and practice a ritual called Jilling Off. They believe that by prioritizing female pleasure they will heal Mother Earth. The group faces prejudice and bureaucracy from the local townspeople, and begin to question their own motives as they strive to manifest utopia.

Starlet

Independent

This movie has been modified by the distributor for its original theatrical version. This critically acclaimed winner of the Robert Altman Award at the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards explores the unlikely friendship between two women living in the San Fernando Valley, Jane (Dree Hemingway in her first leading role) an aimless 21 year-old aspiring actress and Sadie (Besedka Johnson), an 85 year-old widow. While Jane spends her days getting high with her dysfunctional roommates, Sadie passes her time alone often at the local bingo parlor. After their worlds collide at a yard sale, a tenuous but tender relationship starts to emerge between the two as Jane protects a potentially volatile secret. Director Sean Baker captures the rhythms of everyday life with a rare authenticity in this provocative, unpredictable and surprisingly sweet story of human connection.

Day Out of Days

Independent

Mia Roarke, a once well-known actress, is now approaching 40 and struggling to maintain her dignity while navigating Hollywood. Desperate to stay relevant, Mia is becoming her own worst enemy and on the brink of spiraling out of control. Pursuing an unavailable old flame, working with an abusive director, and facing an agent who no longer has her best interests, Mia is faced with making some big decisions about her life and its next trajectory.

As I Am

Independent

A story of a young man running from the truth about his childhood returns in order to correct his past but ends up discovering a side of himself that he suppressed.

Two Small Bodies

Independent

After the disappearance of her two children, nightclub hostess Eileen Maloney (Suzy Amis, 'The Ballad of Little Jo') is confronted in her home by an aggressive police lieutenant (Fred Ward, 'Henry and June') who subjects her to a series of ruthless interrogations. Detective Brann initially underestimates Eileen, but as their combative relationship deepens, the balance of power begins to shift, and the investigation becomes knotted with erotic tension. Directed by Beth B ('Salvation!') and based on the play by Neal Bell (who co-wrote the screenplay), 'Two Small Bodies' manages to be both a taut psychological thriller and a provocative dissection of the politics of sex and power.

Uncertain Terms

Independent

Needing a sudden escape from the city, Robbie leaves Brooklyn for the Hudson Valley to stay with his aunt who runs a home for pregnant teens. As the only man in the house, Robbie captures the attention of many of the girls, and when he strikes up a friendship with Nina, who is dealing with her own relationship troubles, tensions run high in the house. In trying to stop Nina from making the biggest mistake of her life, Robbie finds himself caught in a love triangle between Nina and her baby daddy, Chase.

Addiction: A 60's Love Story

Independent

NEW YORK CITY, 1968 - Max Bornstein had the wit, looks and charm that would carry him beyond the typical man's troubles. He was untouchable... Yet the typical man's troubles were the least of Max's worries: He was a full-time dope fiend and a part-time father working within the underground, highly illegal pornography industry.

The Radiant One

Independent

Ridley believes he's harmed his wife, but nothing is quite clear. He turns himself in. The Interrogator questions his legitimacy. Time could be critical. The only way to jog Ridley's memory is to start from the beginning and navigate through his story, until the point of the alleged conflict. Unsure of what will be revealed, Ridley braces himself to discover himself.

Unrelated

Independent

Unrelated is a compelling portrait of mid-life malaise. A group of upper-middle class Britons take a holiday in Tuscany, bringing together the families of Anna (Kathryn Worth) and her old school friend Verena (Mary Roscoe). Anna’s marriage is crumbling, and she is eager to escape the troubles of home. She finds a distraction in Oakley (Tom Hiddleston, The Avengers), a flirtatious teen who takes Anna on hedonistic evenings of dope smoking and reckless joyrides. Verena is shocked by her friend’s adolescent actions, and soon Anna is rejected by the teens as well. Forced to be alone for the first time, Anna has to confront the shambles that her life is threatening to become.

Smiles of a Summer Night

Independent

After fifteen films that received mostly local acclaim, the comedy Smiles of a Summer Night at last ushered in an international audience for Ingmar Bergman. In turn-of-the-century Sweden, four men and four women attempt to navigate the laws of attraction. During a weekend in the country, the women collude to force the men’s hands in matters of the heart, exposing their pretensions and insecurities along the way. Chock-full of flirtatious propositions and sharp witticisms delivered by such Swedish screen legends as Gunnar Björnstrand and Harriet Andersson, Smiles of a Summer Night is one of cinema’s great erotic comedies.

Independent Movies