Best Independent Film Streaming This January: ‘Near Dark,’ ‘Bachelorette,’ and More

Wilson Chapman
·2 min read
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January is one of the biggest months of the year for independent film, with hundreds of film critics descending upon the Sundance Film Festival to discover the works of up-and-coming directors. But for those of us who can’t make the trek to Park City, Utah, there are plenty of independent movies to enjoy from the comfort of our homes.

This month, there’s a particularly big selection of independent classics to choose from on streaming, particularly if you’re subscribed to the Criterion Channel. In celebration of the approaching festival, Criterion is hosting a massive selection of past Sundance favorites, including the 1968 experimental documentary “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One.” Other favorites in the selection include “Blood Simple,” “Stranger Than Paradise,” “The Times of Harvey Milk,” “Desert Hearts,” “Working Girls,” “Paris Is Burning,” “Mississippi Masala,” “Slacker,” “Hoop Dreams,” and “The Doom Generation.” Other major indie favorites on the streamer this January include pioneering ’90s found footage horror “The Blair Witch Project,” Josh and Benny Safdie’s “Heaven Knows What,” and several films like “Little Odessa” from indie filmmaker James Gray.

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For those who don’t have a Criterion Channel subscription, the options are a bit thinner but still great. On Shudder, you can enjoy the obscure, weird, and underrated George Romero quasi-vampire film “Martin.” Max features the criminally underrated Kirsten Dunst comedy “Bachelorette,” while Amazon Prime is hosting Barry Jenkins’ luscious James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Throw in Best Picture winner “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on Netflix, and there are plenty of solid indie films to go around.

If your New Year’s resolution is to improve your indie film knowledge, consider this list your guide. As with every month, IndieWire has rounded up the best older independent films to hit streamers this January, ignoring new releases from this year. Films selected are compiled from Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, Prime Video, Showtime, and Peacock, as well as specialty services like Metrograph, Criterion Channel, and Shudder. Read on for our list of the must-see classic independent films on streaming this month. Entries are listed in no particular order.

With editorial contributions from Michael Nordine, Chris O’Falt, and Christian Blauvelt.

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