20 Best Indie Movies on Pluto TV Right Now

20 Best Indie Movies on Pluto TV Right Now

February 7, 2025

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Indie film tends to have a distinct sense of style, but any film can be indie as long as it’s produced outside of the studio system, that is, independently. It’s this freedom from studio oversight and limited budget that enabled indie film to have the style that it does, and it’s because of this that it takes huge swings in telling original stories. You’ll be able to find many indies on plenty of streaming sites, but if you’re looking to watch some without paying a fee, you can head on over to Pluto TV. We’ve listed some of the best ones we found down below.

11. Black Rain (1989)

best

8.3

Genres

Drama, History

Director

Shōhei Imamura

Actors

Akiji Kobayashi, Etsuko Ichihara, Fujio Tokita, Hideji Ōtaki

Moods

Challenging, Character-driven, Discussion-sparking

Not to be confused with the American cop thriller with the same name, Shōhei Imamura’s Black Rain is about the atomic bomb, but it’s not really concerned about nuclear warfare. Sure, the film opens with gruesome shots of the day the bomb dropped, not sparing the viewers from the gore and the titular nuclear fallout, that in black and white looks the same. And yes, much of the conflict occurs because of the lingering effects of the radiation. However, Imamura is much more concerned with the way Japanese society had tried to deal with it through going back to tradition– through going through the motions of matchmaking and propriety and social status and through excluding those who suffered directly from the bomb. Black Rain has a singular perspective, one that stands out due to the country’s denial of war crimes.

12. Smoke Signals (1998)

best

8.2

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Director

Chris Eyre

Actors

Adam Beach, Cody Lightning, Cynthia Geary, Elaine Miles

Moods

Emotional, Funny, Heart-warming

To Hollywood’s shame, it wasn’t until 1998 that a major feature made by Native American filmmakers was released. It was this charming indie gem that belatedly broke that new ground: based on author Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Smoke Signals retains the irreverent humor hinted at in its source material’s title while also being a genuinely heartfelt drama. Set across two cleverly interweaving timelines, it follows the fraught relationship between Victor and Thomas, two young men living on Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene Reservation who are forever linked by tragedy: as a baby, Thomas was saved from the house fire that killed his parents by Victor’s father Arnold (a great Gary Farmer), who soon spiraled into alcoholism and abandoned his young son. When Arnold dies suddenly, then, the duo embark on a perspective-changing road trip to collect his ashes.

Thomas’ nerdy earnestness and happy-go-lucky personality have always gotten on the nerves of the stoic Victor — who’s eaten up by resentment at his father for leaving — but the trip brings the disparate duo together. Though the movie honors their meaningful journey with a serious dramatic focus, it’s also shot through with sharp humor satirizing clichés about Native American people — a tonal complexity that makes it uncommonly accomplished, even without the added value of its all-too-rare perspective.

13. Wildlife (2018)

best

8.1

Genres

Drama

Director

Paul Dano

Actors

Avery Bagenstos, Bill Camp, Blaine Maye, Carey Mulligan

Moods

A-list actors, Depressing, Sunday

A powerful but quiet movie directed by Paul Dano and based on a novel of the same name by Richard Ford. It stars Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal as a couple who move to a new town with their only child during the 1960s. Their relationship transforms after Gyllenhaal’s character loses his job as a butler and chooses to leave for a more dangerous profession, firefighting. This movie is about his wife’s response to this event and the implications of both parents’ behavior on their kid. There are no twists or turns, exciting action or plot; but Wildlife doesn’t need any of that. This moving story about a decaying family unit is portrayed in the sadness that comes with such events. The only joy comes from watching the outstanding (but expected) performances of the cast.

14. Broken (2013)

best

8.0

Genres

Drama

Director

Rufus Norris

Actors

Alicia Woodhouse, Andrew Frame, Bill Milner, Charlie Booty

Moods

Character-driven, Thrilling, Warm

Remember the name Rufus Norris. “Broken” is his directorial debut and he handles it like a seasoned pro. Also keep an eye out in the future for its young star, Eloise Laurence, who shows all the natural ability of a young Natalie Portman or Jodie Foster. Laurence plays “Skunk”, a twelve year old trying to make sense of life – and whose task isn’t made any easier by her own family’s internal struggles, or the other families living in the peaceful-looking cul-de-sac where much of the action takes place. We’re informed from the get-go that some sort of tragedy will befall the girl, but we don’t know what shape it will take, or what the outcome of it will be. The tension builds from there, with a little relief along the way, thanks to her often-amusing performance as she witnesses the confusing actions of her elders. Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy are also in good form, both of whom seem happy to complement Laurence’s presence rather than try to upstage her. “Broken” is equal parts cute, frightening, and brutally tense. It’s well worth checking out.

15. Blindspotting (2018)

best

8.0

Genres

Comedy, Crime, Drama

Director

Carlos López Estrada

Actors

Aviel Ayoung, Carlos López Estrada, Casey Adams, Cassie Hendry

Moods

Raw, Thrilling, Well-acted

It’s hard to pin point exactly what makes this movie so good. It’s an all-around “movie” movie. I think it can be called a buddy comedy because it is about two best friends who are also movers. It’s about their day-to-day, their families and their relationships. They’re both from the underclass of Oakland, and one of them is black, the other is white. And that’s where it stops being a comedy and becomes a more hard-hitting film. It illustrates gentrification better than any other movie I’ve ever seen. It has relevant and striking commentary on the main characters’ race, upbringing, and identity. But at the end of the day, it has a great plot, and for the most part it’s an easy-flowing movie. It’s half entertainment, half social commentary, and both parts are equally well-done. It’s like movie unicorn, and it’s perfection. One of the two friends is played by Daveed Diggs, who you might know from Hamilton.

16. People Places Things (2015)

7.9

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Jim Strouse

Actors

Aundrea Gadsby, Celia Au, Derrick Arthur, Dionne Audain

Moods

Easy, Feel-Good, Grown-up Comedy

«When comedians get a bit older they do a movie with “emotions” in it. Here’s mine.» Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement on Twitter. People Places Things is exactly that, a funny yet heartfelt comedy. Will Henry, A New York City graphic novelist walks in on his girlfriend cheating on him at their kids’ birthday party. A year later, Will is struggling to define his new life as a single parent while still getting over his breakup. Smart, honest, and led by Jemaine Clement, this film will strike you in its simplicity but will hold you with its charm.

17. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2012)

7.9

Genres

Drama, Thriller

Director

Female director, Lynne Ramsay

Actors

Aaron Blakely, Alex Manette, Andy Gershenzon, Annie O'Sullivan

Moods

Discussion-sparking, Intense, Mind-blowing

Adapted from the Lionel Shriver novel of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin is the story of a mother (Tilda Swinton) that never quite bonds with her child, but not by her choice. The son grows up to do a heinous act that begs the question: nature or nurture? This film is an uncompromising view on the development of an unloved child. Silent pain gets voice. Feelings are shown by actions not emotions in an authentic, comprehensible and aesthetic manner. Great work.

18. The Grand Seduction (2013)

7.9

Genres

Comedy

Director

Don McKellar

Actors

Brendan Gleeson, Cathy Jones, Gordon Pinsent, Janelle Hickey

Moods

Feel-Good, Funny, Lovely

The Grand Seduction, a remake of 2003 French-Canadian film La Grande Séduction (2003), is a lighthearted comedy about the residents of the small fishing village of Tickle Head, Newfoudland attempting to convince a young doctor to become its long-term caregiver in order to secure a contract for a new petrochemical facility. Desperate to guide the town out of its impoverished conditions and lack of employment opportunities, the citizens band together to pull ever bit out of deceit and chicanery out of their hats (in often laugh-out-loud fashion) in order to sway the young doctor Paul (Taylor Kitsch) into believing that Tickle Head is where he belongs. It’s a lighthearted and funny story, despite undeniably familiar shades of The Shipping News, Doc Hollywood and Funny Farm. Brendan Gleeson is particularly good as the new mayor of town and Paul’s head “seducer”. He gives the film that extra bit of humanity and wry humor that lifts it above the familiar plot points and into “notable recommendation” territory.

19. Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

7.9

Genres

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director

Mike Leigh

Actors

Alexis Zegerman, Andrea Riseborough, Caroline Martin, Eddie Marsan

Moods

Feel-Good, Heart-warming, Lighthearted

Happy-Go-Lucky is a Mike Leigh feel-good movie tells the story of Poppy, a North London teacher, whose story we follow through a number of different situations: driving lessons, solving work issues, having fun with friends, all while trying not to lose her optimism. The acting is superb, Sally Hawkins is a gem as Poppy, and one cannot describe it, one simply has to see it and enjoy it, because it leaves you smiling 🙂

20. Last Film Show (2022)

7.8

Genres

Drama

Director

Pan Nalin

Actors

Bhavesh Shrimali, Bhavin Rabari, Dipen Raval, Rahul Koli

Moods

Character-driven, Emotional, Lovely

Like many coming-of-age films about films, it’s easy to assume that Last Film Show would be a derivative of all-time film classic Cinema Paradiso. Both films from opposite corners of the world, separated by more than three decades, do share that awe of cinema from a projection booth. However, unlike Paradiso, the awe of Last Film Show is also tempered by the rural poverty its young protagonist faces. Samay learns projection from a film booth, and learns community is formed through the screen, but he also learns it through snatching the few reels that passes through their village, manually experimenting with scrap material, and recreating the same light and shadows through its fundamentals. These scenes are precocious because of the children, but it makes for a more interesting take, because Samay’s journey proves that cinema truly is worth saving, even without the money. It’s undeniably awe-inducing with Pan Nalin’s stunning shots and semi-autobiographical story.

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