7 Must-See Indie Summer Movies

Jun 21, 2019

Everyone knows summer is the season for big blockbusters. While we love action-packed flicks as much as the next fan, we also seek out diverse films with intriguing stories that stay with you long after you leave the theatre. Mark your calendar to see these 7 indie movies, playing this summer at an AMC near you.

Maiden — June 28

This documentary tells the incredible and inspiring story of Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old cook on charter boats, who became the skipper of the first ever all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989. The race, now called The Ocean Race, is a grueling, around-the-globe sailing competition that takes participants through some of the most treacherous waters in the world.

Midsommar — July 3

HEREDITARY director Ari Aster follows up his horror hit with a bright, colorful and disturbing nightmare. A struggling couple, kept together by a family tragedy, join their friends for a once-in-a-lifetime experience: a midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village that occurs every 90 years. What begins as a carefree holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn as the guests are forced to partake in horrific rituals.

The Farewell — July 12

Awkwafina gave a breakthrough performance in CRAZY RICH ASIANS and cemented her Hollywood status in OCEAN’S 8, starring alongside A-listers Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and more. Now, she’s leading her own movie, THE FAREWELL, about a family who, instead of telling their beloved matriarch she has cancer, throws a fake wedding-reunion in China to secretively say their goodbyes.

Brian Banks — August 9

Based on a true story, BRIAN BANKS follows an All-American high school football star committed to USC. At 16, Banks (Aldis Hodge) finds his life upended by a false sexual assault accusation that, despite the lack of evidence, puts him in jail for a decade. With help from Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project, Banks' conviction is overturned and he is finally free to pursue his dreams of playing in the NFL.

The Peanut Butter Falcon — August 9

Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a young man with Down syndrome, has run away from a residential nursing home to follow his dream of attending the professional wrestling school of his idol, The Salt Water Redneck (Thomas Haden Church). Along the way, he meets Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a small-time outlaw on the run for his own reasons, who becomes Zak's unlikely coach and ally. Dakota Johnson co-stars in this modern Mark Twain-style adventure.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette — August 16

Based on the runaway bestseller, WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE, is about a well-off Seattle woman who unexpectedly disappears. Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) was once a renowned architect, but she left her creative passions behind for family life. Now, she’s ready for a new challenge in Antarctica — which leads her loving husband (Billy Cruddup) and brilliant daughter (Emma Nelson) on an adventure of their own to find her.

Official Secrets — August 30

From the director of the award-winning EYE IN THE SKY comes the untold true story of a British intelligence officer turned whistleblower. In 2003, as politicians in Britain and the U.S. angle to invade Iraq, Katharine Gun (Keira Knightley) leaks a classified e-mail that urges spying on members of the U.N. Security Council to force through the resolution to go to war. Charged with breaking the Official Secrets Act, and facing imprisonment, Gun and her lawyers set out to defend her actions.