2014 was a great year for independent and foreign films. Independent movies are often the red headed step child of the movie industry, relegated to obscurity due to the stereotype of indie films being weird, obscure, and too artsy for mainstream consumption. But the independent movie genre isn’t one to be hastily looked over; these films often create nuanced, striking performances and tell stories you aren’t used to seeing in theatres. I’ve sifted through some movies you might have missed this year that might help fill the last days of the year.
Belle
What It’s About: Dido Belle, a mixed-race woman living in the regency era, falls in love as her uncle, the judge over the highest court presides over a case that will permanently influence English law regarding slavery.
Why You Should See It: Belle, played by the so-pretty-it’s-unfair Gugu Mbatha-Raw, is a legitimately dynamic character. At once, she struggles with the expectations placed upon her by rank and race alike yet never seems feable. Belle is a love story, but the film makes a point of telling a story that makes a statement, examining the difference between what is legal and what is right in an era that largely valued propriety over virtue. Sam Reid as John Davinier is righteous and lovely while Tom Felton reminds you why he’s so good at making you hate him.
Best Quote: “My greatest misfortune would be to marry into a family who would carry me as their shame, as I have been required to carry my own mother. Her apparent crime to be born negro, and mine to be to be the evidence.”
Whiplash
What It’s About: An important teacher at a prestigious art school takes a talented drummer under his wing.
Why You Should See It: Whiplash is not the uplifting, clichéd story about a teacher who helps an underestimated pupil succeed. Rather, it’s an aggressive, almost unseemly film about the lengths we go to achieve success and what it costs us. It challenges the audience almost as much as it does Miles Teller’s Andrew. Whiplash is the kind of film you don’t forget.
Boyhood
What It’s About: The sometimes joyful, often troubled childhood of a boy named Mason.
Why You Should See It: The film documents the childhood of a boy named Mason through the creation and degredation of his family. The groundbreaking part is that the film actually follows its characters in real time as it was filmed in increments over 12 years, using the same actors. It acts as a retrospective on the recent past as well as a moving tribute to family and coming of age.
Dear White People
What It’s About: Four black students’ experience at a prestigous, predominantly white university surrounding a polarizing race incident.
Why You Should See It: While many might me hesitant to see the film out of fear that it is a diatribe against whites, you’ll be surprised to find that Dear White People isn’t really about white people but rather about minority experience. It explores common themes of college-set films such as struggling with identity and sexuality but through the lense of minority experience which isn’t often portrayed on-screen, especially as a comedy. While it addresses instances of prejudice and ignorance, much of the story focuses on the characters’ attempts to find themselves within and outside of preconceived notions of identity.
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