Stoudman's Top 20 Independent Films on Netflix Instant Watch: Top 10

10. Paper Clips

Is it possible? A documentary without political slant? Yup. This documentary follows the story of a school in a small southern town that has its history steeped in racism, as they attempt to pay their respects to the victims of the Holocaust. Through the project the school gathers over 11 million paper clips (one to represent each person killed) and creates a memorial in their town, simultaneously showing the rest of the country and the world how change takes place.

9. Entre Nos

Regardless of your political beliefs regarding illegal aliens, this is a film which makes it clear that there is nothing alien about the human spirit. After her husband leaves her alone with her kids in New York with very little money and no job, Mariana is forced to find any way she can to make things work. When she and her kids end up sleeping on the streets, even the most hardened of political opponents will find it hard to deny the tragedy of their story.

8. Amreeka

While there are characters in this film that are so shallow they make me cringe, the story overall is incredibly well told. This film shows you what it's really like to be a Palestinian in Israel, as the mother Muna must decide between a life of checkpoints or the possibility of freedom in America. Unfortunately, after moving to the US she discovers that she isn't as free as she hoped she would be. Pretty good movie.

7. Chop Shop

Yet another great film about a poor family living on the streets. In this case, their parents are gone and Alejandro is forced to look after his sister. He gets a job at a chop shop to help pay for a food cart, and hopefully, a better life for him and his sister. This movie is very memorable and full of wonderful depth and character. If you're looking for a good drama that you'll remember for a long time, this is a pretty damn good choice.

6. Amexicano

Ever wondered what it's like to be an illegal immigrant? Well, this is the story of an Italian guy who actually lived the cliché life of a beaner. While you might expect it to be another almost racist take on the subject, this film attempts to show how all the stereotypes we place on illegal immigrants are unfair and unjust. By the end of the film, you will understand the real issues with illegal immigration much better.

5. Ballast

Set in a post Hurricane Katrina world, Ballast follows the life of a young black kid who recently lost his father. Without a father, James is left to fend for himself. His mother tries her best to keep him in check, but he quickly starts to make all the wrong decisions. When his Uncle, struggling with the death of his brother, is forced to step in as the father figure for James, a whole new family structure begins to formulate. This is by far one of the better movies of the decade, and you absolutely need to check it out.

4. The Devil's Backbone

While there's plenty of fakers, this is the one that really started it all for director Guillermo del Toro. You might think that a horror movie about a ghostly boy in an orphanage sounds like a cliché topic for a movie, but the level of depth in the plot for this movie is actually quite amazing. Everything you see in the film has a purpose, and everything is tied up in a nice knot by the end of the film. Regardless of cheese here and there, this movie is absolutely spellbinding and if you haven't seen it, you really need to check it out.

3. The Secret of Kells

I've already discussed the excellency of this film at great length. If you need to know more, you should check out my review, or my blog post about the film. The Secret of Kells is a fantastic, uniquely animated film based on Celtic legend. There aren't enough original independent animated features anymore, and this is one of the few truly brilliant ones. With an extremely wide depth of color and a pretty deep story to boot, you're sure to find yourself absolutely enchanted by this one.

2. Moon

If you don't know about Moon yet, you should check out my video review. This is one of the most original sci-fi flicks of the past couple of decades, so if you're a fan of the genre you should probably check it out. Sam Rockwell performs amazingly well as the main character, delivering a quite astonishing and unexpectedly incredible performance. Relying more on story than special effects and paying tribute to sci-fi epics of the past, Moon delivers on multiple levels and leaves the viewer pleasantly surprised and entertained.

1. Brick

Brick is the only movie I have yet given a perfect score of 10/10 out of all of my reviews, and for good reason. This is a film noir in the style of American Beauty, but it actually manages to surpass that film in terms of successfully recreating the style of noir. On top of that, it is set in a high school setting, which serves as a great mockery of the teen drama we've all come to know and revile. Both of these things end up making the film work very well, but it is the unbelievably good script, acting, and cinematography that makes Brick so damn good. You need to see this movie, and yes, it's free to watch on Netflix Instant Watch.

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