Independents Day: The best indie movies of 2023 (so far)

A24’s has been buzzed about since its Sundance premiere in January, and its stature as one of most critically acclaimed films of the year has only grown since then. Greta Lee is radiant as Nora, a writer who can’t deny the strong connection she feels to Hae Sung (Teo Yoo), a boy she met in Korea as a child and never forgot, even after her family moved away. When the two meet up again years later it complicates things between her and her husband (John Magaro), but if you’re expecting something as simple from this film as a histrionic romantic triangle, you’re in for a revelation. Writer and director Celine Song expertly dismantles those expectations and instead crafts a thoughtful and emotional tale of destinies interrupted and what might have been without making anyone a villain.

As funny as it is action-packed, is just a straight-up good time at the movies (or on your couch if you stream it). The feature directing debut from We Are Lady Parts creator Nida Manzoor centers on Ria (Priya Kansara) and Lena (Ritu Arya), a pair of sisters with big dreams that seem just out of reach. Ria desperately wants to be a stuntwoman, while Lena has returned home after dropping out of art school. When Lena gets engaged to a rich, handsome doctor (Akshay Khanna) after only a few dates, Ria becomes suspicious and hatches a plan to break them up. The twist is that she may not be wrong to suspect nefarious motives from the guy, or his scheming mother (Nimra Bucha), whose plans for her future daughter-in-law are bonkers, but also make a kind of sense.

So far, 2023 has been a terrific year for love stories that veer off the beaten path. It’s also been pretty good for first-time directors coming out strong in their debut features. has both of those things going for it. Raine Allen-Miller has a self-assured point of view, masterfully capturing the undeniable chemistry between her two romantic leads, David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, as they ramble through the London neighborhood of the film’s title. Allen-Miller knows exactly what kind of film she’s making, leaning into slow-burn rom-com territory while keeping everything smart and grounded. You fall for them as steadily and surely as they fall for each other.

Documentary filmmaker Alice Diop turned her unblinking lens toward a fictional narrative for the first time with , a legal drama based on the true story of a Senegalese-French immigrant accused of abandoning her infant daughter on a beach. Diop, who is also of Senegalese descent, actually attended the trial that inspired the film, and used the transcripts from it in the film’s courtroom scenes. The main characters, Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda) and Rama (Kayije Kagame), are stand-ins for the defendant and for Diop herself, allowing her to more fully examine the issues of colonialism, racism, and generational trauma from a distance without losing the personal connection that attracted her to the case in the first place.

Who says that independent films have to be artsy or dour or in some way enlightening? Can’t they also be juicy, twisty, unserious fun? is that kind of film. The non-linear structure might be the most unconventional thing about this story of a handful of characters—including Tom (Justice Smith), Sandra (Briana Middleton), Max (Sebastian Stan), and Madeline (Julianne Moore)—wrapped up in a confidence game. Sharper may not be out to change the world or anyone’s mind, but that’s not to say it isn’t smart or ambitious. It throws so many curves at its audience that you eventually stop trying to guess what’s going to happen next and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

is easily the most beautiful supernatural road-trip romance between a girl and a chair ever rendered in two-dimensional animation. The latest film from renowned anime director Makoto Shinkai (, ) takes you on a journey across Japan with 17-year-old Suzume and her cursed companion Souta (temporarily transformed into the aforementioned chair by a mischievous spirit cat) as they try and close a series of interdimensional gateways only they can see. It’s a feast for the eyes that also keeps your imagination well-fed.

This heartfelt drama has been on our radar since it won the grand jury prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. , from first-time feature director A.V. Rockwell, tells the decade-spanning story of Inez (Teyana Taylor), an ex-con raising her son (Aaron Kingsley Adetola as a young child, Aven Courtney at 13, Josiah Cross as a teenager) under an assumed name after the foster system took him away from her. Taylor brings a fierce determination to Inez, who holds on as tightly to her son as she does her disappearing Harlem neighborhood.

We included on our list of , and we’re happy to say in hindsight that it was a good call. Acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener (, ) turns to the subject of the intricacies of trust and honesty in marriage in this film, her first in five years. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who worked with Holofcener previously on , stars as a novelist forced to reevaluate her relationship with her husband (Tobias Menzies) and her chosen career when she overhears him telling a friend (Arian Moayed) what he really thinks about her latest book. The film got a warm reception at Sundance, with critics praising its sharp wit, emotional candor, and engaging performances.