If you’re tired of old recycled movie plotlines, it’s time to explore a different cinematic world. That world is indie film, which is driven by heart, vision and originality. The good news is that you can find some of the best indie films on Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime Video is known for its blockbuster movies, series and TV shows. In this huge collection there are a lot of independent film gems which is totally different from the mainstream movies.
This guide will help you to find these hidden treasures and recommend 10 must-watch indie films on Amazon Prime, complete with IMDb ratings, Rotten Tomatoes scores, runtimes, and genres.
How to Find Indie Films on Amazon Prime
If you’re thinking to watch independent films on Amazon Prime Video, here is how to navigate Prime’s massive library to find its hidden indie catalog.
Use Smart Search Phrases: In the search bar try typing: “Sundance indie film” “Independent drama” “Festival winner”, “Underrated movies” you can easily find the indie movies.
Explore Amazon’s Categories: Amazon Prime Video has a dedicated category for independent and arthouse films. You can easily find it by navigating through the movie genres or using the search bar within the Prime Video app or website and typing in “Indie & Arthouse”.
Explore Curated Lists and Recommendations: Many websites and resources, such as IMDb Rotten Tomatoes and GQ India, offer curated lists of recommended indie films available on Amazon Prime Video. These compilations help in finding independent movies.
10 Best Indie Films on Amazon Prime Right Now
Here you will find the curated list of indie films, each offering a unique content. These are presently streaming on Prime Videos.
1. C’mon C’mon (2021)
This is a 2021 American black and white drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. The story follows a radio journalist Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his nephew. They embark on a journey from Los Angels to New York. Throughout the journey their bonding with each other grew stronger and now they are able to understand well each other.
- IMDb: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
- Runtime: 1h 49m
- Genre: Drama/Comedy
- Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Woody Norman, Gaby Hoffmann, Feist, Scoot McNairy.
- Director: Mike Mills
- Awards: Nominated for Best Feature – Gotham Awards; National Board of Review Top Ten Films of 2021.
Why Watch: This film features beautiful cinematography, intense emotional acting and good storyline.
2. Cold War (2018)
This movie is set in Poland and France during the era of Cold War. This movie tells the story of a passionate love story between Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) a music director, and Zula (Joanna Kulig), a young singer. They are separated due to politics and personal differences, but they are fully committed to each other. The film shows the love and loyalty of each other.
- IMDb: 7.5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
- Runtime: 1h 29m
- Genre: Romance, Drama
- Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
- Cast: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Cedric Kahn, Borys Szyc.
- Awards: Nominated for 3 Oscars (Best Director, Cinematography, Foreign Language Film); Won Best Director – Cannes Film Festival
Why Watch: This film has stunning visuals and shows the intense love story which is set in the era of cold war.
3. Paterson (2016)
This is a drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The film follows a week in the life of Paterson, a bus driver and his wife Laura in the city of Paterson, New Jersey. This movie shows the daily life routine of a husband and wife.
- IMDb: 7.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
- Runtime: 1h 58m
- Genre: Drama, Slice-of-Life
- Cast: Adam Driver, Golshifteh Farahani, Chasten Harmon, Frederick Elmes
- Awards: Palm Dog Award – Cannes
Why Watch: This film is a quiet, poetic story that finds deep beauty in the simplicity of everyday life.
Also Read: Best Mini Series on Prime
4. Beautiful Boy (2018)
This is an American biographical drama film based on the memoirs Beautiful Boy by David Sheff and Tweak by Nic Sheff. This film tells the personal story of a family who is fighting with drug addiction. This film shows the story of father and son, where the son has fallen into drug addiction. This film shows the complexity of drug addiction and how the son recovers with the love, affection and care of his father.
- IMDb: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
- Runtime: 2h 1m
- Genre: Biopic, Drama
- Director: Felix van Groeningen
- Cast: Steve Carell, Timothee Chalamet, Maura Tierney, Amy Ryan
Why Watch: This film shows powerful and emotional character of a father who with his deep love help his son overcome addiction.
5. Shithouse (2020)
This is an American coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, directed, and produced by Cooper Raiff, in his directorial debut. The film follows Alex a college freshman who is not able to make friends and always misses his family. One night, he goes to a party at a frat house (nicknamed “Shithouse”) and ends up spending the night walking and talking with a girl named Maggie. But the next day Maggie avoids him, leaving Alex very confused. The movie follows Alex as he deals with rejection and learns to grow up.
- IMDb: 7.0
- Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
- Genre: Coming-of-Age, Drama
- Director: Cooper Raiff
- Cast: Cooper Raiff, Dylan Gelula
- Awards: Grand Jury Award – SXSW 2020
Why Watch: This is a film about loneliness, connection, and the mixed emotions of growing up far from home.
6. You Were Never Really Here (2017)
This is a psychological thriller film written and directed by Lynne Ramsay, based on the novel by Jonathan Ames. The story follows Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a veteran who is specialized in rescuing trafficked girls. when he takes up the case of senator’s missing daughter, he finds himself entangled into a web of corruption and violence.
- IMDb: 6.8
- Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
- Runtime: 1h 29m
- Genre: Thriller, Psychological Drama
- Director: Lynne Ramsay
- Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov, Judith Roberts, John Doman, Alex Manette, Alessandro Nivola.
- Awards: Best Actor & Best Screenplay – Cannes Film Festival
Why Watch: For performance and direction.
Watch all the movies on Prime Video
7. The Vast of Night (2019)
This is an American science fiction mystery film directed by Andrew Patterson. The story of this movie is that on a quiet night in the 1950s, a teenage switchboard operator and a young radio DJ discover a strange audio frequency during a high school basketball game. As they investigate the signal, they uncover possible evidence of something mysterious—and possibly extraterrestrial.
- IMDb: 6.7
- Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
- Runtime: 1h 31m
- Genre: Sci-Fi, Mystery, Drama
- Director: Andrew Patterson
- Cast: Sierra McCormick, Jake Horowitz, Gail Cronauer, Bruce Davis.
- Awards: Slamdance Grand Jury Prize
Why Watch: This movie has a gripping mystery with the vibe of 1950s.
8. Late Night (2019)
This is a American comedy-drama film directed by Nisha Ganatra and written by Mindy Kaling. The film follows Emma Thompson (Katherine Newbury), a famous late-night talk show host. Soon her ratings start falling. To cover up things again she hires Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling), an inexperienced but enthusiastic woman. Molly must prove she belongs in the male-dominated writers’ room, while Katherine faces her own fear of becoming irrelevant.
- IMDb: 6.5
- Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
- Runtime: 1h 42m
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Director: Nisha Ganatra
- Cast: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow, Hugh Dancy, Reid Scott, Amy Ryan.
Why Watch: This movie is worth watching for the powerful performance of Emma Thompson and funny script writing of Mindy Kaling.
9. Blow the Man Down (2020)
This is a black comedy thriller film, written and directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy. The story follows two sisters Priscilla and Mary Beth Connolly, who accidentally kill a man during a scuffle. They try to cover up the incident and meanwhile they find the dark secrets of their society.
- IMDb: 6.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
- Runtime: 1h 31m
- Genre: Crime, Mystery, Dark Comedy
- Directors: Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy
- Cast: Morgan Saylor, Sophie Lowe, Margo Martindale, June Squibb, Annette O’Toole.
- Awards: Best Screenplay Nomination – Independent Spirit Awards
10. The Assistant (2019)
This is an American slice of life film written, directed, produced, and edited by Kitty Green. The story follows Jane (Julia Garner), who recently graduated from college and got a job of junior assistant in big media house. She tries to adjust herself in the toxic environment of the office.
- IMDb: 6.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
- Runtime: 1h 27m
- Genre: Drama/Thriller
- Director: Kitty Green
- Cast: Julia Garner, Matthew Macfadyen
- Awards: Independent Spirit Award Nomination – Best First Feature
Why Watch: This movie shows the work place abuse in a silent way.
Recap:
| Title | IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes | Run Time | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C’mon C’mon (2021) | 7.4 | 94% | 1h 49m | Drama/Comedy |
| Cold War (2018) | 7.5 | 95% | 1h 29m | Romance/Drama |
| Paterson (2016) | 7.4 | 96% | 1h 58m | Drama/Slice-of-Life |
| Beautiful Boy (2018) | 7.3 | 67% | 2h 1m | Biopic/Drama |
| Shithouse (2020) | 7.0 | 85% | 1h 40m | Coming-of-Age/Drama |
| You Were Never Really Here (2017) | 6.8 | 89% | 1h 29m | Thriller/Psychological Drama |
| The Vast of Night (2019) | 6.7 | 92% | 1h 31m | Sci-Fi/Mystery/ Drama |
| Late Night (2019) | 6.5 | 80% | 1h 42m | Comedy/Drama |
| Blow the Man Down (2020) | 6.4 | 98% | 1h 31m | Crime/Mystery/ Dark Comedy |
| The Assistant (2019) | 6.4 | 92% | 1h 27m | Drama/Thriller |
This is our curated list of best Indie Films on Amazon Prime. These are the perfect picks with good storyline. Do let us know in the comment below which one you liked most.