Independent Dramas on Netflix
Last updated April 30, 2025
Amour
2012 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsIn this 2012 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner, Georges and Anne, retired music teachers in their eighties, have a time-tested love. But as Anne's health fails, Georges becomes her caregiver, and the couple's bond is tested like never before.
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Holy Motors
2012 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsThis surreal drama from France follows DL, who becomes many different individuals living very different lives over a 24-hour period -- switching effortlessly from man to woman, impoverished to affluent, young to old, and even assassin to family man.
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Beneath the Blue
2010 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsBahamian teenager Alyssa has a kinship with dolphins, a gift she harnesses as a scientist at her father's research station. But her heart is torn when she discovers that her first real love, Craig, takes an opposing interest in the creatures.
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The Other Woman
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsRomance becomes reality for Emilia Greenleaf (Natalie Portman), who wins the heart of the handsome object of her affection (Scott Cohen), only to find that the relationship comes with some very real baggage -- including her new beau's troubled son (Charlie Tahan). Don Roos directs the film adaptation of Ayelet Waldman's compelling novel, co-starring Lisa Kudrow, Lauren Ambrose and Elizabeth Marvel.
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Welcome to the Rileys
2010 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsDevastated by their daughter's death eight years ago, Doug and his guilt-ridden wife, Lois, lead depressing lives without much meaning. But by forming an unconventional relationship with teen call girl Mallory, the couple begins to rediscover hope.
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Dear Lemon Lima
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsAfter a selfish boyfriend dumps her, Vanessa Lemor (Savanah Wiltfong) decides to soothe her broken heart by embracing her Yupik heritage and encouraging her misfit pals at a prestigious Alaskan prep school to compete in the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. Along the way, the awkward teen learns to find her place in the community in director Suzi Yoonessi's touching film about identity, friendship and tradition.
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A Single Man
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsSet in 1962 Los Angeles, this stream-of-consciousness drama centers on a day in the life of George Falconer, a gay college professor who plans to commit suicide in the wake of his longtime lover's recent death.
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A Necessary Death
2008 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsWith his roommate planning a documentary about suicide, Daniel Stamm got the idea for his own movie -- a narrative feature about a documentarian following the final days of a young man who's decided to end his own life. This film is the result.
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Amreeka
2009 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsEager to provide a better future for her son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), divorcée Muna Farah (Nisreen Faour) leaves her Palestinian homeland and takes up residence in rural Illinois -- just in time to encounter the domestic repercussions of America's disastrous war in Iraq. Now, the duo must reinvent their lives with some help from Muna's sister, Raghda (Hiam Abbass), and brother-in-law, Nabeel (Yussuf Abu-Warda). Cherien Dabis writes and directs.
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Monster
2003 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsCharlize Theron took home the Best Actress Oscar for her electrifying performance as Aileen Wuornos, an emotionally scarred highway hooker who shoots a sadistic client and ultimately becomes America's first female serial killer.
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This Is England
2006 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsAfter his father is killed fighting in the Falklands War, a 12-year-old boy named Shaun falls in with a gang of young skinheads. Still angry and in pain, Shaun becomes susceptible to carrying out the group's hateful agenda.
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Transamerica
2005 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsBree gets the shock of her life a week before her final sex change surgery when she learns that she has a son. After bailing him out of jail, the two set out on a cross-country journey riddled with road bumps.
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The Ice Storm
1997 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsPrep-schooler Paul Hood (Tobey Maguire) returns home for Thanksgiving weekend and finds his family about to implode. While his father (Kevin Kline) tries to douse his sorrows with booze and infidelity, Paul's mother (Joan Allen) looks for answers in self-help books. The experimentation and liberalism that defined the 1970s lead to ruin as the family's environs literally freeze over during a freak storm in this insightful drama helmed by Ang Lee.
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We Own the Night
2007 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsIn 1980s Brooklyn, Bobby Green appears to have it all: a lovely girlfriend, powerful friends and a lavish lifestyle. In reality, Russian gangsters own the club he manages, and his brother, straight-arrow cop Joseph, is looking to bring them down.
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Barton Fink
1991 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsWhen Hollywood taps him to pen a movie script, idealistic playwright Barton Fink develops severe writer's block and soon falls victim to a strange sequence of events, culminating in a murder investigation.
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Middle of Nowhere
2008 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsSeeking financial independence, rebellious teen Dorian and his serious new friend, Grace, go into business selling pot. But when business gets complicated, so do their lives, as both Grace and Dorian find themselves dealing with issues from the past.
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21 Grams
2003 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsA tragic car accident brings together three strangers -- a teacher with a weak heart, a former drug addict turned housewife and an ex-con who's found Christ -- forcing them to face their darkest fears, reevaluate their lives and seek redemption.
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All I Wanna Do
1998 | NR | 3.5 out of 5 StarsIt's 1963, and budget constraints are forcing Miss Godard's School for Girls to merge with a nearby boy's boarding school. This alarms student Verena (Kirsten Dunst) and her friends, who launch a strike to preserve their academy's all-girl tradition. Their defiance angers straight-arrow Abby (Rachael Leigh Cook) and causes headaches for sympathetic teacher Miss McVane (Lynn Redgrave). Gaby Hoffmann and Heather Matarazzo co-star.
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The Day I Was Not Born
2010 | NR | 3.4 out of 5 StarsDuring a layover in Buenos Aires, 31-year-old German athlete Maria is mesmerized by the city, and her bewilderment grows when her father suddenly reveals her true connection to Argentina -- leading her to uncover the painful details of her adoption.
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Monster's Ball
2001 | NR | 3.4 out of 5 StarsDeath row in the Louisiana State Penitentiary is the hothouse backdrop for this hard-hitting drama about a racist prison guard who falls in love with the African American wife of a condemned man he helped execute.
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Gun Hill Road
2011 | NR | 3.4 out of 5 StarsAfter serving three-years in prison, tough-guy Enrique returns to his family and finds his wife is a virtual stranger to him and his son is in the middle of a sexual identity crisis. Now Enrique must find a way to accept his altered life or risk losing control and ending up back in jail.
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Like Crazy
2011 | NR | 3.4 out of 5 StarsAn American man and a British woman fall madly in love while attending college in Los Angeles. But when she returns to London, their trust is tested, forcing them to confront the idea that their love may be impermanent.
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Fish Tank
2009 | NR | 3.4 out of 5 StarsThe life of hot-tempered teen outcast Mia takes an unexpected turn when her mother, Joanne, brings home a handsome and mysterious boyfriend named Connor, who pledges to bring sweeping positive changes to the household.
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Spun
2002 | NR | 3.4 out of 5 StarsSpun's unique glimpse into the world of methamphetamines has wowed audiences since its debut at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, with outstanding performances from Jason Schwartzman, Mena Suvari, John Leguizamo, Brittany Murphy and more. The fast-paced, hard-hitting drama expertly combines the gritty reality of drug addiction with occasional biting humor for an unforgettable look at frantic lives spinning out of control.
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Pariah
2011 | NR | 3.4 out of 5 StarsThough she acts in a traditional, feminine way around her religious parents, Bronx teenage lesbian Alike comfortably expresses her sexuality among her friends. Eventually, her worlds will collide and Alike will have to fully embrace her true self.
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