Critically-acclaimed Independent Films on Netflix

When five unacquainted crooks are hauled into a police station to appear in a criminal lineup, they decide to pull off a heist together.

Year: 1995
IMDb: 8.5
Netflix rating: 4.3/5
Runtime: 01:46:08
Netflix ID: 1084379 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Famed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman struggles to survive the onslaught of Nazi tyranny during World War II in this drama based on his memoirs.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 8.5
Netflix rating: 4.1/5
Runtime: 02:28:58
Netflix ID: 60025061 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star -- find solace in each other's company.

Year: 2003
IMDb: 7.7
Netflix rating: 3.3/5
Runtime: 01:41:39
Netflix ID: 60031214 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A Hollywood screenwriter battles insecurity as he struggles to adapt The Orchid Thief -- a book about a mercurial orchid poacher named John Laroche.

Year: 2002
IMDb: 7.7
Netflix rating: 3.4/5
Runtime: 01:50:25
Netflix ID: 60025026 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Barely making a living as pickpockets, a teenage couple in Manila resort to desperate measures when their one-month-old child is kidnapped.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 7.7
Runtime: 01:47:17
Netflix ID: 80141777 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Sparks fly between a comedian and grad student, but his Muslim family’s expectations destroy their romance. When she falls ill, he must take a stand.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.5
Runtime: 01:59:56
Netflix ID: 80170989 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A fashion designer is drawn to a waitress, who becomes his model, muse and lover. With time, their relationship grows in intensity -- and strangeness.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.5
Runtime: 02:10:30
Netflix ID: 80195447 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Close friends Erik and Phillip each await news on their first novels. But when Phillip's book is published before Erik's, he's unprepared for fame.

Year: 2006
IMDb: 7.4
Netflix rating: 3.2/5
Runtime: 01:42:07
Netflix ID: 70066353 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Nearing the end of his probation, ex-convict Colin just wants to avoid prison -- but his best friend Miles and their city of Oakland don't make it easy.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 7.4
Runtime: 01:35:22
Netflix ID: 80240678 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

After a near-fatal fall, a cowboy is hesitant to walk away from his rodeo-riding days, even if it means risking his life.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 7.4
Runtime: 01:42:41
Netflix ID: 80194284 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When emotionally scarred highway hooker Aileen Wuornos shoots a sadistic client, she begins a journey to become America's first female serial killer.

Year: 2003
IMDb: 7.3
Netflix rating: 3.5/5
Runtime: 01:44:20
Netflix ID: 60032559 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

An Indian woman with cerebral palsy decides to study in New York, where she becomes involved in a life-changing affair with a blind female activist.

Year: 2014
IMDb: 7.2
Netflix rating: 3.1/5
Runtime: 01:40:37
Netflix ID: 80018695 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Desperate for a breakthrough as she nears the big 4-0, struggling New York City playwright Radha finds inspiration by reinventing herself as a rapper.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 7.1
Runtime: 02:04:14
Netflix ID: 80231356 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

As a young couple from war-torn South Sudan seeks asylum and a fresh start in England, they’re tormented by a sinister force living in their new home.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 7
Runtime: 01:33:26
Netflix ID: 81231197 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When a Copenhagen cop winds up in the remote town of Skarrild, life there is anything but peaceful as he is drawn into the odd local happenings.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 6.9
Netflix rating: 3.2/5
Runtime: 01:39:23
Netflix ID: 70120524 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A dark-skinned girl born in the apartheid era to white Afrikaners struggles to find a sense of identity as she's rejected blacks and whites alike.

Year: 2008
IMDb: 6.9
Netflix rating: 4/5
Runtime: 01:42:33
Netflix ID: 70108552 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

With his record store fading fast and daughter Sam preparing to leave for college, Frank holds out hope that music -- and love -- will save the day.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 6.9
Runtime: 01:37:10
Netflix ID: 80240679 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A father-son team of small-town coroners performs an autopsy on an unidentified woman with mysterious injuries and a terrifying secret.

Year: 2016
IMDb: 6.8
Runtime: 01:26:26
Netflix ID: 80022613 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Rich teens Lily and Amanda rekindle a friendship and discover a common passion: They both hate Lily’s despicable stepfather. A killer plan is born.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 6.7
Runtime: 01:32:03
Netflix ID: 80172007 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Burned by a bad breakup, a struggling New York City playwright makes an unlikely connection with a divorced app designer she meets on a blind date.

Year: 2017
IMDb: 6.5
Runtime: 01:23:37
Netflix ID: 80171022 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A terrible misunderstanding with a local gang sends 17-year-old Ulises, leader of a group hooked on cumbia music, across the border to save his life.

Year: 2019
IMDb: 6.5
Runtime: 01:52:10
Netflix ID: 81025595 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

Nothing is as it seems when a woman experiencing misgivings about her new boyfriend joins him on a road trip to meet his parents at their remote farm.

Year: 2020
IMDb: 6.5
Runtime: 02:14:46
Netflix ID: 80211559 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

A lesbian housewife, feeling trapped in a stale marriage, begins visiting female prostitutes and soon seeks excitement by becoming a sex worker.

Year: 2013
IMDb: 5.6
Netflix rating: 2.8/5
Runtime: 01:36:03
Netflix ID: 70267490 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb

When a stubborn American teenager is sent to Nigeria by his mother, his cousin's scamming business becomes a viable option for securing a return flight.

Year: 2018
IMDb: 5.1
Runtime: 01:44:10
Netflix ID: 81014211 · Watch on Netflix · IMDb