The Best Indie Movies To Watch In 2026

Amanda Seyfried gives a disarming, all-singing, all-dancing performance as Ann Lee, the fearless founder of the Shaker movement, in this musical drama – her first since Les Misérables. It’s co-written by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold – the much-lauded duo behind Oscar-winning film The Brutalist – with Fastvold also directing. Having earned nominations from both the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, this bold biopic is sure to be a standout career moment for Seyfried. In movie theaters now (US) and from February 20 (UK)

Olivia Wilde’s The Invite breathes fresh life into the genre of marital chamber dramas, delivering something at once raw, revealing and unexpectedly tender – as well as laugh-out-loud funny. Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the film follows two couples (Wilde and Seth Rogen; Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) over the course of a seemingly benign dinner that quickly unravels into a forensic dissection of long-buried resentments, emotional dependencies, thwarted ambitions and sexual anxieties. Premiering at Sundance Film Festival on January 24

Charli XCX goes full Spinal Tap in this gleefully self-aware mockumentary. Set after the viral success of her sixth album, Brat, we find Charli portraying a caricature of her most frantic self; hurtling through rehearsals, interviews and a mammoth world tour. It is a fever dream that unpacks her feelings on fame, creative pressure and the absurdities of the music industry – with sharp humor and even sharper ’fits. Watch out for cameos from Kylie Jenner, Alexander Skarsgård, Rachel Sennott and Jamie Demetriou. In movie theaters from January 30 (US) and February 20 (UK)

Natalie Portman stars as a desperate gallery owner whose outrageous scheme to sell a dead body at Art Basel Miami anchors this razor-edged satire of the art world and its unforgiving power dynamics. Directed by Cathy Yan – returning to Sundance Film Festival following her 2018 debut Dead Pigs – the film is buoyed by performances from an exceptional ensemble including Jenna Ortega, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sterling K. Brown and Charli XCX, and further cements Yan’s deft eye for skewering society’s most uncomfortable truths. Premiering at Sundance Film Festival on January 24

When director Tamra Davis was packing up to evacuate her home during the LA wildfires last year, she unearthed her long-forgotten behind-the-scenes footage of what might be the greatest summer in rock and roll history. Davis’s videotapes, shot in 1995 at the little-known Australian music festival Summersault, show candid moments of headliners like the Beastie Boys, Bikini Kill, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters and Pavement hanging out backstage. The result is a perfectly unpolished look at a zeitgeist in action. There’s no heavy-handed narration or over-the-top nostalgia here; Davis captures the thrill of youth, community and creative freedom with an immediacy that feels almost radical today. It’s a reminder of a time when music scenes were lived, not livestreamed. Premiering at Sundance Film Festival on January 24

Noah Baumbach projects are always a highlight in the movie calendar, and Jay Kelly is no exception. George Clooney leads a starry cast of Adam Sandler, Greta Gerwig, Laura Dern, Eve Hewson and Emily Mortimer (who has also written the screenplay, her feature-film scripting debut). The movie is a homage to Hollywood, as Kelly – a jaded movie star – and his devoted manager Ron (Sandler) embark on an unexpectedly contemplative promotional tour through Europe. Along the way, both men must come to terms with the life choices they’ve made and the legacies they’ll leave behind. On Netflix now

Kristen Stewart’s directorial debut, based on the best-selling memoir by Lidia Yuknavitch, is an unflinching true-life tale of trauma and rebirth. Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later), in the role of Yuknavitch, plays a young girl who escapes her abusive childhood to find salvation in swimming; a life-affirming exploration of how art has the power to transform lives. In movie theaters from February 6 (UK)

Two Hollywood heartthrobs, Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, give the performance of a lifetime in this highly-anticipated period piece. Set during World War I, it follows Lionel (Mescal) and David (Josh O’Connor) as they travel across the States, recording the lives and voices of everyday people for the war effort. What starts as a documentary project gradually grows into a quiet, forbidden romance between the two men. Subtle, heartbreaking and uplifting. In movie theaters from January 23 (UK)

Director Nia DaCosta has had a stratospheric few years, from directing the Jordan Peele-produced remake of Candyman to helming a major action franchise, Captain Marvel. She has also recently been announced as the director of the second instalment of Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later, picking up the reins from Danny Boyle, no less. But before this, DaCosta will revive Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play, for the big screen. With Tessa Thompson’s compelling performance at its core, Hedda is a modern interrogation of female agency and the necessary disruption of social norms. On Prime Video now

The unmissable new TV shows to watch

The must-see movies to add to your watch list now

The people featured in this story are not associated with NET-A-PORTER and do not endorse it or the products shown