The term "independent film" used to mean wannabe directors financing their movies with maxed out credit cards and casting their non-actor friends. Witness Kevin Smith--he wrote, directed and starred in the cult-classic Clerks, co-starring his friend Jason Mewes, on a shoestring budget of $27,000. After the relative success of many independent films in the early '90s such as Smith's Clerks and Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, the big six media conglomerates began snatching up the successful independent film firms.
Suddenly, "independent" films were starring slumming movie stars and being bankrolled by Disney. The days of Kevin Smith and his credit cards are now gone, and a film truly created outside the sharp talons of Hollywood is a rare species. The term independent is perhaps better defined as art house than non-studio.
Unfortunately, what little remains of the true indies, like this year's Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Primer, often debut at festivals to much critical acclaim, but then fail to be picked up by distributors, leaving them to languish on the shelf without a release date. This summer's indie fare features many familiar faces and some hot up-and-comers. The following is a sampling to whet your appetite for the creative and the crafty, making their way to your local art house.
Before Sunset, Richard Linklater-- Indie golden boys Richard Linklater (Slacker, Waking Life) and Ethan Hawke team up for the sequel to Before Sunrise, a 1995 film starring Hawke and Julie Delpy as strangers who fall in love on a train. In Sunset, the lovers meet again when Hawke's character is in Paris on his book tour.
Garden State, Zach Braff-- The "Scrubs" small-screen star wrote, directed and starred in this film about a man who goes back home to New Jersey for his mother's funeral. This film has gained a near cult-following with its minimalist teaser, featuring non-sequitur scenes from the film set to the music of Frou Frou's "Let Go."
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky-- This documentary shows the softer side of the monsters of rock. Monster chronicles the band's hard times during the loss of their bassist, finding a new bassist, recording their latest album St. Anger and above all, their group therapy sessions.
Maria Full of Grace, Joshua Marston-- Winner of the Sundance audience award, Maria is the story of a Colombian girl who agrees to smuggle pellets of heroin into the United States--by swallowing them--for a chance at a better life. The dangers of getting caught, not to mention the dangers of the pellets dissolving inside her and killing her, make for a sad, suspenseful film about the drug war.
Riding Giants, Stacy Peralta-- Peralta offers a documentary on the thrills and spills of surfing, without pausing to examine the frequent negative consequences of riding those giant, but dangerous, waves. Giants plays as a hedonistic summer-fun movie for the Orange County set with some great footage of huge waves. Think: Gatorade commercials.
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