Independent Dramas on Netflix
Last updated May 14, 2025
Another Year
2010 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsOver the course of a tumultuous year, contented medical counselor Gerri (Ruth Sheen) and her geologist husband, Tom (Jim Broadbent), see their friends and relations through a series of happy events and heartbreaks -- including a birth and a death. Imelda Staunton and Oliver Maltman co-star in this character-driven ensemble dramedy from writer-director Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky, Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies).
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The Future
2011 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsSuddenly aware that their lives will radically change in a month's time, Sophie and Jason quit their jobs, pursue new interests and disconnect from the Internet, knowing that their actions will literally change the course of history.
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I Melt With You
2011 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsOld college buddies Richard, Ron, Tim and Jonathan get together one weekend to reminisce about their glory days. As they leave their adult responsibilities behind, they lose control, lured into a getaway of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.
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Martha Marcy May Marlene
2011 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsAfter escaping from a violent cult in rural New York, Martha tries to reconnect with her estranged sister, Lucy, and Lucy's well-to-do husband, Ted. But the brainwashing Martha endured continues to prevent her from forming an identity of her own.
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The Mill & The Cross
2011 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsFlemish master Pieter Bruegel's 1564 painting The Procession to Calvary is transformed through amazing special effects into a big-screen epic in which Bruegel's artwork affects everyone around him -- including the Virgin Mary.
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A Perfect Ending
2012 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsAfter confessing an unusual secret, repressed wife Rebecca Westbridge is prompted by her friends to explore her sexuality with a high-priced call girl. Apprehensive but intrigued by the prospect, Rebecca embarks on an erotic tryst.
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The Forgiveness of Blood
2011 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsWhen an archaic code of justice confines 17-year-old Nik and the male members of his family to their home, his younger sister becomes the breadwinner. But the housebound Nik is so miserable that he's willing to risk his life to end the confinement.
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The Comedy
2012 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsAging hipster Swanson is inured to his life of privilege in New York, where he will inherit his father's wealth. Instead of doing anything meaningful with his time, Swanson engages in meaningless games of casual cruelty with his equally numb friends.
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Dead Man's Burden
2012 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsIn 1870, homesteader Martha McCall wants to sell the family farm in New Mexico and move with her husband, Heck, to San Francisco. But the unexpected return of Wade, her brother who was presumed dead in the Civil War, throws her plans into turmoil.
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Blood Pressure
2012 | NR | 3.1 out of 5 StarsDiscontent with her family life and career, a woman begins receiving letters from a secret admirer. Intrigued by this mystery figure, she agrees to continue accepting the correspondence, which contains increasingly strange messages and instructions.
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Morlang
2003 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsJulius Morlang is a successful artist who's been happily married for 15 years to Ellen, his creative muse and personal manager. But when Ellen confesses to an affair, Morlang takes his psychic revenge by bedding a young sycophant. Loosely based on a true story, this drama from the Netherlands explores the potent motives of jealousy, betrayal and revenge.
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Havoc
2005 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsA wealthy teen and her superficial friends want to break out of suburbia and experience Southern California's "gangsta" lifestyle. But problems arise when the preppies get in over their heads and provoke the wrath of a violent Latino gang.
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Rachel Getting Married
2008 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsLongstanding family conflicts resurface when drama queen Kym, a former model who's been in and out of rehab for 10 years, returns to her parents' home just before her sister's wedding in this critically acclaimed portrait of family angst.
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Is Anybody There?
2008 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsGrowing up in a seaside nursing home run by his parents takes its toll on 10-year-old Edward, but things begin to look up for the lonely boy when a retired magician with a zest for life moves in.
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35 Shots of Rum
2008 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsThis heartfelt slice-of-life drama by filmmaker Claire Denis tells the story of widower Lionel (Alex Descas), a train driver, and his grown daughter, Sophie (Mati Diop). The two spend most of their time together, but change is in the cards. A neighbor (Grégoire Colin) becomes attracted to Sophie, a family friend retires and Lionel tries to maintain a friendship with his ex-girlfriend (Nicole Dogue).
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Cold Souls
2008 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsPaul Giamatti stars as himself, an actor in the throes of anxiety over an upcoming performance -- until he gives his soul to a mysterious company that promises to freeze and store it until he wants it again, along with his anxieties. But when his soul goes missing, Giamatti embarks on a journey to track it down. Along the way he learns a thing or two about engaging every human emotion, however difficult. Sophie Barthes directs.
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Solitary Man
2009 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsMichael Douglas stars as a former car dealership owner who sees his personal and professional lives take a nosedive when the repercussions of years of shady business dealings and chronic womanizing finally catch up with him.
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Grown Up Movie Star
2009 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsTeenage Ruby's life turns upside down when her mother runs off and her hard-luck ex-hockey star father, Ray, comes home. While her dad struggles with failed expectations, Ruby strikes up an ill-advised friendship with an older man.
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The Orgasm Diaries
2010 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsPhotographer Manchester (Liam Browne) and taxidermist Noon (Nancy Trotter Landry) spend a rapturous summer together reveling in their intense romance, as documented by Manchester's erotic pictures. The couple's faith in each other is tested, however, by Manchester's sudden fame. When gallery owner and pornographer Franny (Michael Hodgson) introduces Manchester to the art world, the young couple's self-imposed isolation and happiness are threatened.
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The Beaver
2011 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsSuffering from a severe case of depression, toy company CEO Walter Black begins using a beaver hand puppet to help him open up to his family. Jodie Foster directs and co-stars as Walter's wife in this dark comedy.
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The Journey
1997 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsCultural tensions simmer to the surface in this drama from director Harish Saluja, when retired schoolteacher Kishan (Roshan Seth) leaves India and moves to Pittsburgh, Penn. to live with his physican son (Antony Zaki), his wife (Carrie Preston) and their young daughter, Jenny (Nora Bates). Barely tolerated by the rest of the family, Kishan forms a tight bond with Jenny -- until the girl goes missing on Kishan's watch.
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Down to the Dirt
2008 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsDrug addict Keith Kavanagh (Joel Thomas Hynes) longs to clean up his act and get a new start on life, but lacks the motivation to do so. Determined to escape both his small Newfoundland town and his addictions, Keith seeks solace in his girlfriend Natasha (Mylene Savoie) but eventually descends further into depravity. Hynes also penned the semiautobiographical novel that inspired this dark drama.
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Higher Ground
2011 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsVera Farmiga stars in and directs this sensitive and searching chronicle describing one woman's lifetime journey of faith -- one that initially leads her to join a fundamentalist sect and then leave it again years later.
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Perfect Sense
2011 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsAfter sparks fly between a newly single epidemiologist and a charming chef, a puzzling patient -- a truck driver who's lost his ability to smell -- drastically alters the couple's budding relationship in this sci-fi thriller.
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Sound of My Voice
2011 | NR | 3.0 out of 5 StarsIn this psychological thriller, journalists Peter and Lorna undergo an elaborate preparation process in order to infiltrate a cult, leading from a desolate road to an unmarked location, but the mystery only deepens when their blindfolds are removed.
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