And with one more look at the year that was, we take a moment to consider the great independent films of 2013.
Later this month, the Oscar nominations will be announced, honoring what Hollywood thinks are the very best movies of 2013. Many of these movies will be big studio offerings, made by and starring people you can name with ease. Somehow, no one seems to mind that this is an industry that forces you to consider all things good as long as they are popular: the movies at the Oscars frequently benefit from multi-million dollar campaigns launched by mega-conglomerates aimed towards the bulk of the Academy, many of whom don’t actually watch movies until they “have to.”
These people, and those awards, are missing out on a treasure trove of American independent cinema. Some of the best movies of the year, films that will be re-watched for years, happened away from the spotlights of big studios. It was an embarrassment of riches, and because these films don’t have the benefit of massive multi-million dollar “award campaigns,” we’ve collected 25 of the best for your perusal.
Note: We tended to evaluate these titles based on being in the English language and, usually, taking place in America. Some of these films stretch the definition of “American,” given that they were made with overseas financing, or shot in an exotic locale. To these people complaining about such qualifications: who cares? It’s a list of 25 great movies. Don’t get bogged down in the details, just watch them.
25. The Bling Ring
Written and Directed by Sofia Coppola
One look at the milieu – disaffected rich white kids in the Hollywood hills – gives the game away that this is definitely a Sofia Coppola film. But within the story of innocence lost, there’s a cheeky dark humor, a scorched earth sensibility that suggests, for these kids, it might as well be the end of their world. Scaborously funny, Coppola’s film straddles the line between toxic wish fulfillment and generational disaffection.
24. Some Velvet Morning
Written and Directed by Neil LaBute
Neil LaBute has his claws out once again with the story of an older man who arrives at a much younger past lover’s doorstep with suitcase in hand, unwilling to leave without being granted romantic asylum. Some Velvet Morning is harsh, and eventually somewhat scary, depicting a rapid-fire tete-a-tete between two broken spirits. It’s nastiness to order until that confrontational final scene, one that’s sure to generate post-screening chatter no matter who you see it with.
23. Stoker
Directed by Chan-wook Park; Written by Wentworth Miller
Laughably, intoxicatingly fetishistic, Chan-wook Park’s (Oldboy) English-language debut is a camp classic. The life of a teenage girl is interrupted by the death of her father and the sudden arrival of an unknown, impeccably dressed uncle with lustfully dangerous desires for her and her mother. Almost every line in Stoker is a double entendre, and what’s fascinating is that Park doesn’t even seem care, instead decorating his film with a visual scheme so extreme that the reds almost bleed out of the screen.
22. Wrong
Written and Directed by Quentin Dupieux
From the guys who made Rubber comes this funky existential comedy about a man who loses his dog and goes on a journey of self-discovery with a guru in the hopes of reclaiming him. It’s a film about philosophy, delivered as prankishly and nonsensically as possible. Every minute is an overload of WTF double takes that are so smart, it’s stupid; or, so stupid it’s smart.
21. We Are What We Are
Directed by Jim Mickle; Written by Nick Damici and Jim Mickle
Remaking the Mexican chiller of the same name, director Jim Mickle comes into his own with this ethereal pastoral thriller about a tight-knit family who slays together, prays together, and eats together by cannibalizing the neighbors. Between this and Red State, a superbly understated Michael Parks has rightfully become in-demand in recent years. Indeed, he brings a powerfully grounded seriousness to genre films.
20. Nancy, Please
Directed by Andrew Semans; Written by Will Heinrich and Andrew Semans
An impotent and helpless grad student attempts to procure a book from his old roommate, but cannot seem to get past her borderline-supernatural aura of menace. Nancy, Please perfectly nails that creepiness of someone you know who almost seems like walking darkness—the mystery people who stare daggers into you and convey the threat of emotional violence without batting an eyelash. Darkly funny and dream-like, it’s ultimately a movie centered around a very small detail, but a movie you don’t soon forget.
19. A Teacher
Written and Directed by Hannah Fidell
The early word regarding A Teacher, which centers on a young high school teacher having an affair with a student, dissipated quickly once people saw the movie. That’s probably because, ultimately, it’s not a titillating picture at all. This is a movie that instead interrogates the sort of mind who pursues self-destructive relationships, a heart awash in despair. A tough sit, but a rewarding one.
18. Maniac
Directed by Franck Khalfoun; Written by Alexandre Aja, Gregory Levasseur, & C.A. Rosenberg
Though it cannot top the sickness of the Bill Lustig original, the newer, sleeker Maniac ranks as one of the superior horror remakes. Trapped inside an antiseptic Los Angeles, inoffensive wallpaper Elijah Wood ultimately reveals that he’s doing a poor job hiding his mommy issues from the pool of single ladies he encounters before taking home and picking their brains for art projects. Downbeat but slickly directed, Maniac is the movie of choice this year for the discerning gore fanatic.
17. Escape From Tomorrow
Written and Directed by Randy Moore
A gleeful act of cinematic transgression, this oddball dreamscape, illegally shot on location at Disneyland, portrays the quickly-crumbling mindset of a married father slowly cracking up amidst the nightmare of overstuffed theme park rides, sexual frustration, and a generically abusive marriage. Clunky by nature, this guerilla production nonetheless is remarkably polished in spots, and the constant shifts in perspective and prospective realism prove an unsettling underlining to the film’s comic subversion.
16. The Canyons
Directed by Paul Schrader; Written by Bret Easton Ellis
A gross movie in every respect, the shallow, poorly-acted The Canyons is no accident. No, this is director Paul Schrader and writer Bret Easton Ellis’ zeitgeist-y reality of the world of moviemaking: run by good-looking fuck-slave trust fund kids who barely pay attention to the films they’re producing, as they obsess over each other and their petty jealousies. There’s a reason the film’s opening, credits rolling over haunting shots of abandoned theaters, reminds one of Dawn Of The Dead.
15. Blue Caprice
Directed by Alexandre Moors; Written by R.F.I. Porto
Isaiah Washington is spellbinding in this true-crime story about the Beltway snipers of the early 2000s, focusing on the relationship between the older man and the teenage who developed Stockholm Syndrome, becoming his accomplice and surrogate son. The interplay between Washington and intriguing newcomer Tequan Richmond is rife with tension, but what’s fascinating is how, over the course of this haunting two-hander, that tension mutates into various forms.
14. Enough Said
Written and Directed by Nicole Holofcener
Nicole Holofcener’s latest tender exploration of privileged upper middle class white lifestyles manages to avoid the usual obstacles of such material, focusing on the tender romance between a couple of divorcees thrown together through sitcom contrivance, ultimately finding a sense of intimacy together. This is Holofcener’s sweetest and funniest film thus far, and she’s got a couple of pros to thank. Julia Louis-Dreyfus gives maybe the year’s funniest (best?) lead female performance as a woman beaten down by the dating scene. And the late James Gandolfini is completely endearing as a heart-on-his-sleeve grumpus who finally finds comfort in his own skin with a woman he likes.
13. In A World…
Written and Directed by Lake Bell
Lake Bell, who knew? The comedy vet unveils new talents as she writes, directs, and stars in this story of a female voiceover artist trying to break into the industry against the wishes of her obnoxious father. Bell loads this film with tons of funny people, including Ken Marino, Demetri Martin, Rob Coddry, Michela Watkins, Nick Offerman, Tig Notaro, and more scene-stealers. But it never becomes a sketch or an excuse for a cheap gag, as she’s somehow able to wrestle these actors, and some wickedly good gags, into a sharp, incisive, engaging narrative about institutionalized sexism.
12. Simon Killer
Directed by Antonio Campos; Written by Antonio Campos, Brady Corbet, & Mati Diop
Brady Corbet is the diseased title character, a reprobate traveling in France and feeding off the kindness of others to maintain a massive self-destructive streak. The title somewhat suggests what we fear, though it never comes true, instead planting the idea in our head: what about all the sociopaths who DON’T become obvious criminals? For every murderer, the film argues, there are hundreds of Simon Killers, pathological liars with little-to-nothing to offer anyone taking an interest in their safety.
11. Gimme The Loot
Written and Directed by Adam Leon
Adam Leon’s fresh, fun comedy details the adventures of a couple of New York City kids hoping to bag enough money to bribe a CitiField official, allowing them an opportunity to tag the famous outfield apple with graffiti. The film is alive with a rambunctious, youthful spirit, bursting with laughs and sweet romance, cultivating a vintage spirit reminiscent of early '80s graffiti culture from an Ed Koch New York City far older than these kids could remember.
10. Frances Ha
Directed by Noah Baumbach; Written by Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig
Greta Gerwig’s been at this for a while, but this is certainly her breakout role. As Frances, she flits across the city in dire financial straits, stating she’s “not a person yet” as she struggles to find her true calling when it becomes clear she’s not much of a dancer or artist. Anybody who’s had to question themselves in their twenties owes it to themselves to see this film to find a kindred spirit in Gerwig’s generous, precise characterization.
9. Newlyweeds
Written and Directed by Shaka King
Getting blitzed provides the apex of a love triangle for a married couple in Shaka King’s wickedly funny romantic comedy. Surviving in New York City as the lower middle class, the couple manages to hustle for a decent wage, putting enough aside to share some sticky icky from time to time. But what happens when their stashes run out, and how does it test their love? This low budget comedy features an elegant economy of storytelling, balancing dramatic elements with engagingly farcical humor.
8. The We And The I
Directed by Michel Gondry; Written by Michel Gondry, Paul Proch, and Jeff Grimshaw
Michel Gondry’s cheery celebration of a small Bronx community features a group of young non-actors, all kids, on their way home during a long, sweaty bus ride from the last day of school. Minor dramas play out as these kids, none of them cleaned-up or sainted in an irrational way, act out their jealousies, insecurities, and awkward sexual tensions. It’s suffused with love in a way few films this year truly were.
7. To The Wonder
Written and Directed by Terrence Malick
Terrence Malick works in a minor key in this latest, a post-script to his mammothly ambitious Tree Of Life. Here, he’s dealing with the ineffable nature of love, and how it mutates from one form to another, forcing us to question our own selves. It’s a film about grace, and our search for it in the wind, on the Earth, and with each other. In many ways, Malick has never been so romantic.
6. An Oversimplification Of Her Beauty
Written and Directed by Terence Nance
Terrence Nance turns the camera on himself for this elaborate art project, stemming from other, smaller projects about what it means to want someone, and how that can ever be reflected through art. At some points overly academic, Nance’s experimental film nonetheless straddles the line between formally dizzying and cheekily playful, revealing a restless filmmaker who desperately needs a decent budget so we can see what he’ll achieve next.
5. Sun Don’t Shine
Written and Directed by Amy Seimetz
Amy Seimetz makes her debut with this sticky Southern thriller about a couple on a car trip on the run from a past transgression, one that keeps slowly peeling back to reveal to the audience new and upsetting layers. Kate Lyn Sheil is a revelation in the lead as a panicked, needy woman slowly losing her mind through a maze of jealousy and bad decisions.
4. Inside Llewyn Davis
Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
More directly specific than other Coen brothers films, this latest gem from the duo deals directly with a Mobius strip of failure. Oscar Isaac’s Davis is a stubborn, sarcastic jerk of a guy, one with a world of talent who can’t help but bite any hand that might feed his desperate, chatty mouth. Not necessarily a straight narrative, this gorgeous-looking odyssey reflects a maze of disaster that forever traps Davis in an inevitable loop of heartbreak and disaster. Which is, partly, why it’s also so laugh-out-loud funny. It’s the Coens. You get it, or you don’t.
3. Computer Chess
Written and Directed by Andrew Bujalski
It’s the birth of artificial intelligence and the end of the world in Andrew Bujalski’s latest, a quantum leap of a project from one of the pioneers of the “mumblecore” movement. We’re in a modest motel in the early ‘80s, where gawky programmers fiddle about teaching their computers to play chess against humans, spreading conspiracy theories about competitors, and openly worrying about the ramifications of their digital noodling. What tensions that do arise are nerdy ephemeral that nonetheless proves to be wickedly funny, an engagingly perceptive viewpoint into a small moment in time when nerds were just beginning to lay the groundwork for ruling the planet.
2. Spring Breakers
Written and Directed by Harmony Korine
The fire has been burning for a long time. We shouldn’t blame Harmony Korine for holding the match. This controversial odyssey into the world of four promiscuous trouble-makers and the doofus drug dealer who indulges them is everything at once: a condemnation of today’s capitalism-driven youth-culture, a discussion of the nation’s deeply-embedded issues with race, an acknowledgement of a fetishization of crime that’s no longer limited to one sex, a comedy of manners where characters have none. It’s the year’s biggest Rorschach test, and the only crime would be to have no opinion on the picture. The literal-minded need not apply.
1. Upstream Color
Written and Directed by Shane Carruth
No film reached higher, dug deeper, and remained engagingly playful and frustratingly elusive as Shane Carruth’s hypnotic second feature. There’s a story here, and if you sit and pay attention, you’d piece together the entire puzzle. That remains an option, but it doesn’t seem like the point. What Carruth has done is turn a science fiction love story into an impossible puzzle full of inscrutable questions, maddening queries of self, and delineations of perception, creating the only film I’ve ever seen that reasonably captures the phantasmagorical concept of a “map of the heart.” If you wish movies were more stylistically adventurous, you owe it to yourself to find this film.
So there are our Top 25 Indies for 2013! Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below to let us know! Also, be sure to check out our overall Top 10 Films of 2013 as well.