feel-good "indie" movies
there are never enough "feel-good" movies with this (un)specific "indie"-feeling to be watched late at night or on rainy days.. so feel free to recommend any new ones!
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- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsGreta GerwigMickey SumnerAdam DriverA New York woman apprentices for a dance company and throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as the possibility of realizing them dwindles.
- DirectorMike MillsStarsEwan McGregorChristopher PlummerMélanie LaurentA young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer and that he has a young male lover.
- DirectorAlfonso Gomez-RejonStarsThomas MannRJ CylerOlivia CookeHigh schooler Greg, who spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl, finds his outlook forever altered after befriending a classmate who has just been diagnosed with cancer.with a lot of cinema references...
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsAnders Danielsen LieEspen Klouman HøinerViktoria WingeFueled by literary aspirations and youthful exuberance, two competitive friends endure the pangs of love, depression, and burgeoning careers.with a great music selection...
- DirectorGustavo TarettoStarsJavier DrolasMiguel DedovichPilar López de AyalaMartín and Mariana are slightly damaged people who live in buildings just opposite one another. While they often don't notice each other, separation might be the very thing that brings them together.a nice Argentinian modern romance...
- DirectorSaul MetzsteinStarsLuke de WoolfsonJames LanceKate AshfieldAn upbeat, oddball, after-hours comedy about the ups and downs of sex and shelf-stacking in the 21st century.
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsGael García BernalCharlotte GainsbourgMiou-MiouA man entranced by his dreams and imagination is love-struck with a French woman and feels he can show her his world.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsJared GilmanKara HaywardBruce WillisTwo 12-year-olds, who live on an island, fall in love with each other and elope into the wilderness. While people set out on a search mission, a violent storm approaching them catches their attention.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsOwen WilsonAdrien BrodyJason SchwartzmanA year after their father's funeral, three brothers travel across India by train in an attempt to bond with each other.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsGene HackmanGwyneth PaltrowAnjelica HustonThe eccentric members of a dysfunctional family reluctantly gather under the same roof for various reasons.
- DirectorGoran DukicStarsPatrick FugitShea WhighamTom WaitsA film set in a strange afterlife way station that has been reserved for people who have committed suicide.
- DirectorKar-Wai WongStarsNorah JonesJude LawNatalie PortmanA young lonely woman takes a soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love while encountering a series of off-beat characters along the way.
- DirectorJosh RadnorStarsJosh RadnorMalin AkermanZoe KazanCaptures a generational moment - young people on the cusp of truly growing up, tiring of their reflexive cynicism, each in their own ways struggling to connect and define what it means to love and be loved.It`s like a shot of positive energy (Maybe exaggerated at times, but in this case it doesn`t matter...)
- DirectorAlex HoldridgeStarsScoot McNairySara SimmondsBrian McGuireBroke and alone on New Year's Eve, Wilson just wants to spend the rest of a very bad year in bed. But, when his best friend convinces him to post a personal ad, he meets a woman bent on finding the right guy to be with at midnight.
- DirectorTom DiCilloStarsSteve BuscemiCatherine KeenerDermot MulroneyThis ultimate tribute to all independent filmmakers takes place during one day on the set of a non-budget movie.
- DirectorAndrew BujalskiStarsJustin RiceRachel CliftAndrew BujalskiAlan is a musician who leaves a busted-up band for New York, and a new musical voyage. He tries to stay focused and fends off all manner of distractions, including the attraction to his good friend's girlfriend.
- DirectorTerry ZwigoffStarsSteve BuscemiThora BirchScarlett JohanssonTwo eccentric best friends graduate high school and respond to a man's romance-seeking newspaper ad as a gag, only to find their lives becoming increasingly complicated.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsBill MurrayScarlett JohanssonGiovanni RibisiA faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsBill MurrayJessica LangeSharon StoneAs the extremely withdrawn Don Johnston is dumped by his latest woman, he receives an anonymous letter from a former lover informing him that he has a son who may be looking for him. A freelance sleuth neighbor moves Don to embark on a cross-country search for his old flames in search of answers.Mulatu Astatke!
- DirectorJaco Van DormaelStarsJared LetoSarah PolleyDiane KrugerA boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn't choose, anything is possible.
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsEwan McGregorEva GreenLauren TempanyA chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions.
- DirectorWim WendersStarsJeremy DaviesMilla JovovichMel GibsonTragi-comic, romantic whodunnit set in a run down hotel which plays host to mentally ill people too poor to afford medical insurance.beautiful soundtrack + artworks
- DirectorMika KaurismäkiStarsTony PeersSteve HuisonDavid TennantA British writer pursues a young actress to Hollywood and needs all the help he can get to win her love.romantic comedy with David Tennant. Maybe it`s just me, but I can hardly imagine something more romantic than coming to the other side of the world (from Scottland to L.A.) having nothing more than a poster from Dead Man (, which is btw one of my favourite movies) to see this girl, who he has known just for a day..
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsMia WasikowskaHenry HopperRyô KaseThe story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsOwen WilsonRachel McAdamsKathy BatesWhile on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.This movie is really too good to be the truth. T. S. Elliot, Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Man Ray, Salvador Dalí, Louis Bunuel... and Gil Pender, a screenplay writer from Hollywood, who is trying to write a proper novel in Paris.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyAndrea EckertA young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together.the best romantic movie series ever made?
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeJulie DelpyVernon DobtcheffNine years after Jesse and Celine first met, they encounter each other again on the French leg of Jesse's book tour.
- DirectorJulie DelpyStarsJulie DelpyAdam GoldbergDaniel BrühlMarion and Jack try to rekindle their relationship with a visit to Paris, home of Marion's parents -- and several of her ex-boyfriends.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEllar ColtranePatricia ArquetteEthan HawkeThe life of Mason, from early childhood to his arrival at college.
- DirectorHal AshbyStarsRuth GordonBud CortVivian PicklesYoung, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsMichael CeraMary Elizabeth WinsteadKieran CulkinIn a magically realistic version of Toronto, a young man must defeat his new girlfriend's seven evil exes one by one in order to win her heart.
- DirectorMatt AseltonStarsPaul DanoZooey DeschanelJohn GoodmanA mattress salesman's plan to adopt a Chinese baby is augmented by the arrival of a young woman who comes to his workplace, falls asleep on one of the beds, and upon waking starts to affect his life.
- DirectorJonathan DaytonValerie FarisStarsPaul DanoZoe KazanAnnette BeningA novelist struggling with writer's block finds romance in a most unusual way: by creating a female character he thinks will love him, then willing her into existence.
- DirectorColin TrevorrowStarsAubrey PlazaMark DuplassJake JohnsonThree magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified advertisement seeking a companion for time travel.
- StarsTopher GraceMary Elizabeth WinsteadSheila CarrascoThe story of "The Beauty Inside" is the story of a guy named Alex who wakes up every day as a different person. He is always the same person on the inside, but on the outside he is somebody else. When he meets Leah and falls in love, everything changes for him. He knows he will see her again, but she will never see him.
- DirectorEmily YoungStarsSarah Michelle GellarJonathan TuckerErika ChristensenAfter a frantic suicide attempt, Veronika awakens inside a mysterious mental asylum. Under the supervision of an unorthodox psychiatrist who specializes in controversial treatment, Veronika learns that she has only weeks to live.
- DirectorVincent GalloStarsVincent GalloChristina RicciBen GazzaraAfter being released from prison, Billy is set to visit his parents with his wife, whom he does not actually have. This provokes Billy to act out, as he kidnaps a girl and forces her to act as his wife for the visit.
- DirectorLiev SchreiberStarsElijah WoodEugene HutzBoris LyoskinA young Jewish American man, with the help of an eccentric local, endeavors to find the woman who saved his grandfather during World War II in a Ukrainian village that was ultimately razed by the Nazis.
- DirectorRichard LinklaterStarsEthan HawkeTrevor Jack BrooksLorelei LinklaterA man shuffles through a dream meeting various people and discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.
- DirectorJan-Ole GersterStarsTom SchillingKatharina SchüttlerJustus von DohnányiAn aimless university dropout attempts to make sense of life as he spends one fateful day wandering the streets of Berlin.
- DirectorEric BrossStarsAdrien BrodyElise NealDavid MoscowA few young waiters at a popular New Jersey restaurant are dreaming of becoming actors or otherwise getting into the artistic community.
- DirectorRay TintoriStarsJeff DelauterSophie EllsbergLee PenderBill loves Jane and she loves him, but in this small town, many are jealous of Bill, especially the volunteer firefighters. Bill calls them cowards, puts out fires by himself, and doesn't cooperate with small-town church values. The local pastor and others conspire against him, and soon Bill has suffered the loss of his arms and other injuries. His old friend Paul stitches him back together, giving him tin arms, then a tin body. Soon, Bill still has his heart, but the rest of him is tin. Then, Bill's heart-less body comes back to semi life, zombie-like. Jane takes this meat puppet into her home and into her arms. Bill is deeply hurt. He seeks Jane's love. Is there hope?probably the best short movie, which has ever been made... amazing story, characters, music, cinematography and final point... or maybe it is just my personal all time favourite...
- DirectorRay TintoriStarsElizabeth BehlJeff DelauterMax GoldblattA man addicted to faking his own death strives for glory while his abandoned son, a boxer who thinks he's from the future, falls in love with his half-sister, the world's greatest sword fighter.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsStephen DorffElle FanningChris PontiusAfter withdrawing to the Chateau Marmont, a passionless Hollywood actor reexamines his life when his eleven-year-old daughter surprises him with a visit.
- DirectorXavier DolanStarsXavier DolanMonia ChokriNiels SchneiderThe story of three close friends who are involved in a love-triangle.I was under the impression, that Xavier Dolan is this big young movie director star, who makes these colorful movies and there is no need to introduce him... and suddenly I saw that his movies have here on IMDB just around twenty thousand votes!... yes, they can be manneristical, but it is kind of the point...
- DirectorEmir KusturicaStarsJohnny DeppJerry LewisFaye DunawayA young New Yorker goes to Arizona where he finds freedom to both love and dream.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsBen AffleckOlga KurylenkoJavier BardemAfter falling in love in Paris, Marina and Neil come to Oklahoma, where problems arise. Their church's Spanish-born pastor struggles with his faith, while Neil encounters a woman from his childhood.impressionistic.
- DirectorWill GeigerStarsMax MinghellaBlake LivelyJoe MantegnaDying after being crowned Miss Texas Rose, Anabelle comes alive just before Elvis embalms her. He does his ailing dad's work. Anabelle later returns to the embalmer's farm to get away from her mom and be happy.
- DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsKatie ChangIsrael BroussardEmma WatsonInspired by actual events, a group of fame-obsessed teenagers use the internet to track celebrities' whereabouts in order to rob their homes.
- DirectorJosh BooneStarsGreg KinnearJennifer ConnellyLily CollinsAn acclaimed writer, his ex-wife, and their teenaged children come to terms with the complexities of love in all its forms over the course of one tumultuous year.
- DirectorJordan Vogt-RobertsStarsNick RobinsonGabriel BassoMoises AriasThree teenage friends, in the ultimate act of independence, decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods and living off the land.feeling of the youth, friendship and summer, which is rarely crated so realistic and truthfuly...
- DirectorDagur KáriStarsJakob CedergrenNicolas BroTilly Scott PedersenA young man spurs romance and helps his friend and himself go through times and struggles of their ordinary life in Denmark.
- DirectorEthan CoenJoel CoenStarsOscar IsaacCarey MulliganJohn GoodmanA week in the life of a young singer as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.beautiful music..
- DirectorSpike JonzeStarsJoaquin PhoenixAmy AdamsScarlett JohanssonIn a near future, a lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with an operating system designed to meet his every need.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsRalph FiennesF. Murray AbrahamMathieu AmalricA writer encounters the owner of an aging high-class hotel, who tells him of his early years serving as a lobby boy in the hotel's glorious years under an exceptional concierge.inspired by book by Stefan Zweig.
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsLuke TreadawayNatalia TenaRebecca BensonTwo feuding rock stars get handcuffed together for 24 hours at a music festival where they are both due to perform.well... I had a problem with the ending; but I enjoyed the movie anyway.
- DirectorAri FolmanStarsRobin WrightHarvey KeitelJon HammAn aging, out-of-work actress accepts one last job, though the consequences of her decision affect her in ways she didn't consider.
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsClément MétayerAndré MarconLola CrétonIn the months after the heady weeks of May '68, a group of young Europeans search for a way to continue the revolution believed to be just beginning.you can feel the atmosphere of the 60s in France in this one!
- DirectorLenny AbrahamsonStarsMichael FassbenderDomhnall GleesonMaggie GyllenhaalJon, a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank.the ending.
- DirectorZach BraffStarsZach BraffPeter SarsgaardNatalie PortmanA quietly troubled young man returns home for his mother's funeral after being estranged from his family for a decade.
- DirectorZach BraffStarsZach BraffJoey KingPierce GagnonA struggling actor, father and husband finds himself at a major crossroads, which forces him to examine his life, his family and his career.
- DirectorMike CahillStarsMichael PittSteven YeunAstrid Bergès-FrisbeyA molecular biologist and his laboratory partner uncover evidence that may fundamentally change society as we know it.
- DirectorGia CoppolaStarsEmma RobertsJames FrancoJack KilmerAn unflinching portrait of adolescent lust, boredom, and self-destruction that centers around a shy young girl on the cusp of an illicit relationship with her soccer coach.
- DirectorDavid OndricekStarsLabina MitevskaJitka SchneiderováSasa RasilovRobert works for a travel agency and helps to arrange scenes from the everyday lives of "ordinary" Czech families as an attraction for Japanese tourists. He also works as a kind of matchmaker and occasionally helps to put together some of his friends. He helps to separate his friend Hanka from Peter, an announcer for an independent radio station who tries to capture "real" life by recording the moments from "reality" and playing them over the air. Vesna, came to Prague from Macedonia because it is according to her the best place for UFOs to land, but her real reason for coming is somewhat different... Hanka is followed by the crazy Ondrej, until then a respected brain surgeon, and married with two kids. Through him she meets Jacob, who uses copious amounts of weed in order to be constructive in this gloomy world. On the other hand, this destroys his short-term memory - and he forgets that he already has a girlfriend. The disappointed Hanka runs to her parents, only to find some twenty-odd Japanese tourists watching her parents eat their dinner...
- DirectorXavier DolanStarsMelvil PoupaudEmmanuel SchwartzSuzanne ClémentA drama that charts ten years in a transgender woman's relationship with her lover.
- DirectorXavier DolanStarsAnne DorvalXavier DolanFrançois ArnaudA semi-autobiographical story about Hubert as a young homosexual at odds with his mother.Dolan directed and starred in this movie when he was just twenty! and it is really (un)realistic and hysterical portrayal of dysfunctional relationship between mother and son! watch it, people!
- DirectorBenh ZeitlinStarsQuvenzhané WallisDwight HenryLevy EasterlyFaced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.music in this movie is my good day soundtrack. it is lively and emotional..
- DirectorSaverio CostanzoStarsAlba RohrwacherLuca MarinelliArianna NastroNon-linearly follows two kids, rejected by their peers, who become friends. They separate later in life and dedicate to their careers. Still, they feel as if something is missing.a different kind of lovestory.
- DirectorVeiko ÕunpuuStarsLauri LagleJaanika ArumLaura Peterson-AardamThe story of a promising, young man with exciting career opportunities and looming marital bliss.there are moments in everyday life with their specific atmosphere..
- DirectorEsteban SapirStarsAlejandro UrdapilletaValeria BertuccelliJulieta CardinaliThis near-silent black and white film from Argentina tells the story of a city that has lost its voice, stolen by Mr. TV, and the attempts of a small family to win the voice back. Similar in design to early German expressionist films.black and white silent movie from 21st century.
- DirectorBenedek FliegaufStarsEva GreenMatt SmithLesley ManvilleA woman's consuming love forces her to bear the clone of her dead beloved. From his infancy to manhood, she faces the unavoidable complexities of her controversial decision.silent shores by the sea and sweaters. + there is Matt Smith, who played the 11th Doctor in Doctor Who series! + Benedek Fliegauf is Hungarian movie director to be aware of (if you want to watch something NOT "feel-good" watch his movie Dealer..)
- DirectorLynn SheltonStarsKeira KnightleyChloë Grace MoretzSam RockwellIn the throes of a quarter-life crisis, Megan panics when her boyfriend proposes. She takes an opportunity to escape for a week, hiding out in the house of her new 16-year-old friend Annika and her world-weary single dad.Sam Rockwell..
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsGreta GerwigLola KirkeShana DowdeswellA lonely college freshman's life is turned upside-down by her impetuous, adventurous stepsister-to-be.
- DirectorYulin KuangStarsMary Kate WilesSean PersaudJoey RichterAfter a bad breakup, Zoe Smallman decides to take down her ex-boyfriend in a wizard rock battle of the bands.it was really cute.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsAdam DriverGolshifteh FarahaniNellieA quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.poetry of everyday life..
- DirectorMichel GondryStarsRomain DurisAudrey TautouGad ElmalehWealthy, inventive bachelor Colin endeavors to find a cure for his lover Chloe after she's diagnosed with an unusual illness caused by a flower growing in her lungs.WARNING ! (+ spoiler!!) - ....not so "feel good" in the end :-/ ...and the feeling is different than the book...
- DirectorGreta GerwigStarsSaoirse RonanLaurie MetcalfTracy LettsIn 2002, an artistically inclined 17-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsBen StillerNaomi WattsAdam DriverA middle-aged couple's career and marriage are overturned when a disarming young couple enters their lives.
- DirectorKogonadaStarsJohn ChoHaley Lu RichardsonParker PoseyA Korean-born man finds himself stuck in Columbus, Indiana, where his architect father is in a coma. The man meets a young woman who wants to stay in Columbus with her mother, a recovering addict, instead of pursuing her own dreams.architecture!
- DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsSean PennFrances McDormandJudd HirschCheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during W.W.II.
- DirectorMilos FormanStarsLynn CarlinBuck HenryGeorgia EngelWhile searching for their runaway teenage daughter, the parents rediscover the pleasures of life as they get acquainted with a self-help group for parents of vanished children.firs movie by Miloš Forman made in the USA. and some weird mix of his earlier work and later films
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsBryan CranstonKoyu RankinEdward NortonSet in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.I completely adore this stop-motion animation. Great soundtrack as in all movies by Wes Anderson - discovered I won`t hurt you.. Making of videos are also brilliant..
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsOwen KlineJeff DanielsLaura LinneyFollows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.
- DirectorRyan FleckStarsRyan GoslingAnthony MackieShareeka EppsAn inner-city junior high school teacher with a drug habit forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students after she discovers his secret.
- DirectorChristophe HonoréStarsLouis GarrelLéa SeydouxGrégoire Leprince-RinguetCute Junie starts at her cousin Matthias' high school and class after her mom's death. She meets his friends. The boys want to date her - even her handsome, young Italian teacher.*SPOILER* another one, where "feel-good" doesn`t completely match. French movie starring Louis Garrel and Léa Seydoux. With songs by Nick Drake. Melancholic atmosphere, sad people, almost no smiles, slow pace even when they are running. Everyone is beautiful in this movie. I loved its gray-blue-ish aesthetic. And it finishes with a girl going away on the boat (like Permanent Vacation Does! - which is also a movie with undecided people and a grey city). The running also seems familiar...And obligatory coffee house was also there.
- DirectorPatricia CardosoStarsAmerica FerreraLupe OntiverosIngrid OliuIn East Los Angeles, an 18-year-old struggles between her ambitions of going to college and the desires of her domineering mother for her to get married, have children, and oversee the small, rundown family-owned textile factory.Coming of age movie about Ana, young girl of Mexican descent, who has a complicated relationship with her mother.