INDIE FILMS ON NETFLIX
I'm obsessed with movies. In particular indie films, even more specifically dramas. The majority of my nights, when the husband is off rehearsing or making music, I'm drinking chamomile & lavender tea and being swept away in an indie drama.
It's the unknown or unexpected actors, artistic and experimental shots with emotional breakthroughs, perfectly combined with music and sounds, that blow my mind.
These movies, and many others, inspire me to dream, that it's ok to fail, to try harder, to cry, to be myself, to grow and that beauty is in the unexpected. A lot of times, I write my newsletters and get ideas for blog posts after movies.
Here's my favorite 4 indie films worth watching on Netflix:
Starlet
A 2012 film starring Dree Hemingway (Earnest Hemingway's great-granddaughter) and Besedka Jackson. With California as the backdrop this movie explores beautiful landscapes and the unexpected friendship between a 21-year old adult film star named Jane (Hemingway) and an 85 year-old retired, bingo-playing Sadie (Jackson).
I loved this film for its dreamy West Coast vibes and the vulnerability each character bears as their relationship develops.
"A poetic meditation on loneliness and friendship." - Dennis Lim, New York Times
Electrick Children
A 2013 film starring newcomer Julia Garner with supporting actor Rory Culkin (Macaulay Culkin's brother). Set in Utah, the delicate 16-year old Mormon teenager Rachel (Garner) discovers music for the first time - rock and roll music - on a forbidden cassette tape. A few months later Rachel finds herself pregnant, claiming to have experienced immaculate conception through the music. With the song stuck in her head on repeat, she runs away from home to Las Vegas in search of the rock and roll singer on the tape that may help her to find answers.
With the rock and roll song slowly fading in and out, angular scapes of Utah, the neon lights of Las Vegas and the unknown world of music, love this movie showcased moments that I want to relive over and over again. This movie reminded me of the true miracle music is and has and how it can change our lives at any given moment.
Lifeguard
A 2013 dramedy starring Kristen Belle as Leigh, this movie is about a NYC reporter whose life and career implodes, forcing her to pack her bags and cat and move back in with her parents in Connecticut. She gets her old high school job back as a lifeguard and revives her past and immaturities with her friends and a 16-year old boy.
Belle avoids reconciliation until she finally hits rock bottom and has nowhere else to go. The moment she finally gets back up and learns how to live again had me in tears. It's a beautiful story of a girl figuring life out.
The Giant Mechanical Man
A 2012 dramedy starring The Office's Jenna Fischer as Janice and The Mindy Project's Chris Messina as Tim is about a 30-something Janice unsure about her life and how to find happiness and a passionate street performer who feels like himself when he's dressed up as a Giant Mechanical Man.
The two meet and remind each other of what they're missing and help strengthen each others courage to never give up on their dreams. Against all odds, they both find happiness in the unexpected.
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Do you have any movies you've watched on Netflix lately to recommend? What do you do to find inspiration to write? Any tips to share?