Entertainment

23 Female-Led Indie Movies On Netflix You Should Watch Right Now

by Amen Oyiboke
Liz Minch

Although this summer has bought great female-centric films like Wonder Woman and Girls Trip, we all know that the film industry still has a long way to go when it comes to showing women's stories on-screen. Thankfully, the indie movie world is making a ton of strides when it comes to featuring women directors, actors and content creators, who work together to create female-centric stories. And if you're an avid indie film fan, there are plenty of female-driven movies out on Netflix right now that show women in multi-dimensional, must-see roles.

Indie movies starring women are not only worth watching, but necessary. In the top 100 films of 2016, women made up just 29 percent of all protagonists, according to the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. There's a serious lack of representation in major motion pictures, which is why it's so essential that indie films step in and bring more female leads into the equation.

From quirky stories of self-discovery like The Incredible Jessica Jones to dramas tackling societal issues like Pink, there's a female-driven indie on Netflix for everyone to enjoy. These 23 indie films starring women should be added to your queue ASAP.

1. The Incredible Jessica Jones

The Incredible Jessica James is about an aspiring New York playwright who's reeling from a breakup and trying to get her mojo back. While she tries to get herself together, Jessica (Jessica Williams) meets Boone (Chris O'Dowd), and the duo start a semi-relationship. It's a sweet, funny story about two brokenhearted people trying their best not to fall in love, but finding that they might not be able to resist.

2. I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore

Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) feels no sense of purpose, until one day she finds her home has been burglarized. Determined to catch the burglars, she begins her own investigation with her strange neighbor (Elijah Wood).

3. Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper focuses on a young American woman (Kristen Stewart) working as a personal shopper for a celebrity in Paris. But the movie is far eerier and compelling than you might think.

4. Tallulah

Ellen Page and Allison Janney star as two women connected through a child. As the bond between the duo grows stronger, a destructive truth about the baby comes out and causes chaos.

5. Deidra & Laney Rob A Train

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Deidra & Laney Rob A Train follows two sisters who plan a train robbery in order to support their family after their mother ends up in jail. The dramedy feels like a younger version of Thelma & Louise.

6. Christine

Christine is about Chubbuck (Rebecca Hall) a real-life 29-year-old reporter circa 1974, who is relentlessly motivated to succeed. She finds herself in crisis when her station manager wants juicer exploitative stories, but it's at odds with her serious stance on journalism.

7. Cemetery Of Splendor

Cemetery of Splendour is a drama written, produced, and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The movie is set in the filmmaker’s hometown of Khon Kaen, and follows an aging Thai woman named Jen who volunteers at a clinic to tend to comatose soldiers.

8. Heaven Knows What

Arielle Holmes plays a young heroin addict who roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her next fix, while her boyfriend (Caleb Landry Jones) finds a way to tip toe in and out of her life.

9. Tangerine

In this unique dramedy, a sex worker (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and her best friend (Mya Taylor) go out to seek revenge on an ex-boyfriend and his new lover.

10. Aquarius

A 65-year-old widow named Clara vows to live in her apartment until she dies after a developer buys all of the units around her.

11. Tiny Furniture

Tiny Furniture, which stars Lena Dunham as Aura, is a film about a young girl who returns to her New York City home after graduating from college. Aura has no direction for her life, and her situation will feel so familiar to many people.

12. The Overnight

Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling star as a couple new to LA who receive a seemingly innocent invitation to dinner by their neighbors, but it turns into a night of seduction and temptation.

13. Frances Ha

In the entertaining Frances Ha, Greta Gerwig stars as Frances, a 20-something dancer who is forced to take a hard look at her life when her best friend moves out.

14. Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Ain’t Them Bodies Saints follows a couple trying to get back together after spending years apart, and who encounter intense drama along the way.

15. Cake

Jennifer Aniston plays a woman who suffers with chronic pain in this affecting drama. To deal with the pain, she seeks out a stranger and finds herself in surprising situations.

16. Margarita With A Straw

Margarita is about Laila (Kalki Koechlin), a woman with cerebral palsy who moves abroad, falls in love, and proves to her family that she can take care of herself. It's a truly inspiring movie.

17. Free The Nipple

Lina Esco's important film is all about the #FreeTheNipple campaign to decriminalize female toplessness and allow women to reclaim their sexuality and their bodies.

18. Ties That Bind

Ties That Bind is an African drama about women who have lost children. From the very beginning, the movie deals with heartbreak, but the characters find strength in using their pain to lift up their community.

19. Pink

Pink tackles the ideas of sexual assault and victim-blaming, as seen in India. Directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, the movie follows Deepak Sehgal (Amitabh Bachchan), a defense lawyer of three women who attack a rapist.

20. Amelie

The classic Amelie stars Audrey Tautou as a woman who discretely orchestrates the lives of the people around her, creating a world exclusively made of her own handwork.

21. Pariah

Alike (Adepero Oduye) lives in Brooklyn with her parents (Charles Parnell, Kim Wayans) and younger sister (Sahra Mellesse), but she hides her identity as a lesbian. The movie shows her quest for love and discovery, as well as her hopes to one day be able to confide in her family about her sexuality.

22. White Girl

A New York college freshman (Morgan Saylor) tries to get a drug dealer (Brian "Sene" Marc) that she has fallen for out of jail. The movie is sexy, compelling, and important, as it deals with shocking situations of white privilege.

23. A Woman, A Part

Actor Anna Baskin (Maggie Siff) experiences an upsetting personal betrayal, which unexpectedly leads to the role of her life. But, to start a clear path, she has to confront the realities of her past.

Representation is everything, and these 23 female-centric indies are essential in helping further the quest for more women on-screen.