A Glean movie guide
2023’s Best Independent Films
Small budgets, big impact.
From intimate romances to bold satires, these are the year's most essential indie breakouts.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Past Lives
A deeply moving exploration of fate and lost connection across two decades and two continents.
After decades apart, childhood friends Nora and Hae Sung are reunited in New York for one fateful weekend as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.
- 02
Anatomy of a Fall
A gripping courtroom drama that dissects the complexities of a marriage under the pressure of a murder trial.
A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
- 03
The Zone of Interest
A chillingly detached look at the banality of evil through the domestic life of an Auschwitz commandant.
The commandant of Auschwitz, Rudolf Höss, and his wife Hedwig, strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp.
- 04
The Holdovers
A warm, 1970s-set character study about three lonely souls stranded at a prep school over the holidays.
A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.
- 05
Poor Things
A visually stunning and surreal odyssey of a woman’s liberation and self-discovery.
Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
- 06
American Fiction
A sharp, hilarious satire targeting the literary world’s obsession with racial stereotypes.
A novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
- 07
All of Us Strangers
A hauntingly beautiful metaphysical drama about grief, memory, and the search for connection.
One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry, which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life.
- 08
Perfect Days
A meditative and life-affirming portrait of a man finding beauty in his simple daily routine in Tokyo.
Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.
- 09
Monster
A complex, multi-perspective mystery that reveals the hidden truths behind a school incident.
After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.
- 10
Blackberry
A fast-paced and surprisingly funny chronicle of the rise and fall of the world's first smartphone.
Two mismatched entrepreneurs – egghead innovator Mike Lazaridis and cut-throat businessman Jim Balsillie – joined forces in an endeavour that was to become a worldwide hit in little more than a decade. The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone.
- 11
Talk to Me
A terrifyingly modern horror hit that uses a supernatural premise to explore grief and addiction.
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
- 12
The Iron Claw
A powerful and tragic biographical drama about the bond between the legendary Von Erich brothers.
The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.