Independent Dramas on Netflix
Last updated May 14, 2025
Love
2011 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsStranded alone aboard the International Space Station, astronaut Lee Miller fights to survive the stress of isolation and stay alive. But everything changes when he discovers something unexpected that allows him to travel through space and time.
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Paper Covers Rock
2008 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsJeannine Kaspar delivers a stunning performance as a troubled single mother who risks losing custody of her daughter after a failed suicide attempt. Can a woman lost between hope and despair find the strength to put the pieces back together?
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Dangerous Parking
2007 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsThis drama based on a novel by Stuart Browne recounts the desperate life of film director Noah Arkwright (Peter Howett), a drug addict and alcoholic who's finally inspired to turn things around ... but is it too late? A fellow alcoholic (Rachael Stirling) persuades Noah to give sobriety a try, and his pal Ray (Sean Pertwee) helps him out, but it's Claire (Saffron Burrows), a bewitching cellist, who makes Noah really want to become a better man.
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Curling
2010 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsFearing damaging influences, overprotective Jean-Francois (Emmanuel Bilodeau) isolates his teen daughter, Julyvonne (Philomène Bilodeau), from the world in this sensitive drama that paints an intimate portrait of the parent-child relationship. Set in a wintry village in Quebec, the film charts the unraveling of the pair's orderly but constricted world, which begins as the snowy woods surrounding their home yield some dark discoveries.
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Americano
2011 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsFollowing the death of his dynamic mother, grieving Frenchman Martin travels to Los Angeles to settle her estate, and learns the true meaning of family while tracking down Lola, his childhood friend who seems to have meant a great deal to his mother.
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For Ellen
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsWould-be rock star Joby is forced to duel for joint custody of his 6-year-old daughter, Ellen, when his wife decides to end their marriage. Long absent from his daughter's life, he must now convince the court that he deserves to share in her future.
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Simon Killer
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsYoung and heartbroken, a New Yorker travels to Paris to escape his romantic woes but soon falls into another all-consuming attraction. Hopelessly smitten with a young prostitute, he finds himself drawn into her dark and alien world.
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At Any Price
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsIn this father-vs.-son drama, Dean Whipple is fixated on auto racing, while his dad, Henry, wants him to take over the family's farm business. However, Henry's penchant for shady deals and bribery unexpectedly puts the whole empire at risk.
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Something in the Air
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsGrowing up in the wake of France's civil crisis of May 1968, Gilles and his teen friends are determined to sustain the partisan passions of that era. But now it's 1971, and Gilles is also beginning to think more about his other aspirations in life.
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A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951
2012 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsDreamlike vignettes blend biographical and fictionalized elements to present pivotal moments in James Dean's short yet remarkable life, focusing on his experiences as a rising star in Los Angeles circa 1951.
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The Look of Love
2013 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsThis bittersweet biopic chronicles the over-the-top life of Paul Raymond, England's Hugh Hefner, from nightclub mind reader to burlesque impresario. When not putting nude women on stage, he indulges in every excess and nearly destroys his family.
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One Kine Day
2011 | NR | 2.8 out of 5 StarsTeen Hawaiian skateboarder Ralsto seems destined to fall into the rut that plagues his other friends and family members when he's fired from his job and learns his girlfriend is pregnant, and his attempts to raise money for an abortion go awry.
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Live!
2007 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsAcademy Award-winning documentarian Bill Guttentag tries his hand at fiction with this provocative satire, an outrageous indictment of ambition, excess, opportunism and the draw of reality television. Under pressure to come up with a hit, a power-hungry TV executive (Eva Mendes) pitches a deadly game of Russian roulette, where contestants vie for the chance to point a loaded gun at their heads and pull the trigger. And the best part? It's live.
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Happy Tears
2009 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsJayne (Parker Posey) and Laura (Demi Moore) return to their childhood home in Pittsburgh to look after their father, Joe (Rip Torn), a lively widower who may be slipping into dementia. The sisters are soon at odds over their father's care -- and over old family dramas. As Joe's condition deteriorates, they are forced to confront myriad unpleasant memories. Ellen Barkin and Christian Camargo co-star.
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Boogie Woogie
2009 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsA star-studded cast brings the eccentricities of the contemporary London art scene to life in this character-driven satire, which centers on Piet Mondrian's iconic painting -- who owns it and who wants to possess it.
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Greenberg
2010 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsAt a crossroads in his life, New Yorker Roger Greenberg takes time to figure things out and travels to Los Angeles, where he house-sits for his brother and forges an unlikely bond with his sibling's assistant, Florence Marr.
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Somewhere
2010 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsThis atmospheric dramedy centers on hard-living actor Johnny, whose life is thrown for a loop when his 11-year-old daughter, Cleo, pays him a surprise visit. As the two become better acquainted, Johnny realizes he needs to make changes.
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Sex and the U.S.A.
2008 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsIn a conservative California town, 14-year-old Audrey (Shayla Beesley) struggles to reconcile her school's abstinence-only education policy with the sexually charged imagery she sees every day -- and the confusing feelings she has for a pretty classmate (Jaime Perkins). Blending traditional filmmaking with social networking-inspired video clips, director Jan Wellmann paints a portrait of puberty and the hyperconnected lives of modern teens.
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Neal Cassady
2006 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsNoah Buschel directs this film that dramatizes the real-life fallout Jack Kerouac's landmark novel On the Road had on Neal Cassady (Tate Donovan), the beat generation adventurer who inspired the book's unforgettable wanderer, Dean Moriarty. Struggling to emulate his larger-than-life literary alter ego, Cassady joins Ken Kesey's (Chris Bauer) acid-dropping Merry Pranksters but ultimately sabotages his relationships with Kerouac (Glenn Fitzgerald) and his own family.
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Making Plans for Lena
2009 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsDeciding to leave her unfaithful husband (Jean-Marc Barr) behind, 34-year-old Léna (Chiara Mastroianni) travels from Paris to her family's country home to gain some emotional refuge and restart her life. To her dismay, Lena discovers that family members have their own plans for her. The first of these comes from her high-strung sister, Frédérique (Marina Foïs), who's arranged a surprise appearance by Léna's ex-husband.
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The Kreutzer Sonata
2008 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsKnowing that his pianist wife, Abby, regrets having given up her career to become a housewife, philanthropist Edgar arranges for her to give a private concert, but he grows suspicious when she spends long hours rehearsing with violinist Aiden.
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The Loneliest Planet
2011 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsAlex and Nica, a young engaged couple, are so eager to take a serious walking trek through Georgia's Caucasus Mountains that they hire a local guide. As they travel deep into the wild landscape, however, the emotional atmosphere shifts for the trio.
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30 Beats
2012 | NR | 2.7 out of 5 StarsNew York City is baking in the summer sun, and city residents are pouring out of their houses and into chance encounters and romantic collisions. This sexy comedy highlights the steamy encounters of 10 New Yorkers during a three-day heat wave.
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Kissing on the Mouth
2005 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsIn this frank film about sex postcollege, Ellen (Kate Winterich) continues to have sex with her ex-boyfriend despite knowing he wants more, while her roommate Patrick (Joe Swanberg) grows jealous and secretive. Incorporating real conversations with recent graduates and applying a documentary approach to the graphic sex and conversations, this film provides a humorous look at the sexual landscape beyond the college campus.
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The Tree of Life
2011 | NR | 2.6 out of 5 StarsBrad Pitt and Sean Penn star in Terrence Malick's 1950s adventure about a confused man named Jack, who sets off on a journey to understand the true nature of the world. Growing up in the Midwest with two brothers, Jack has always been torn between his mother's guidance to approach everything he encounters with an open heart and his father's advice to look after his own interests. Now, Jack must find a way to regain purpose and perspective.
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