The Best Indie Movie of Every Year, 2000–2009

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Here are ten approachable picks—one for each year from 2000 through 2009—chosen for distinctive filmmaking, strong writing and performances, lasting resonance, and their connection to independent cinema. “Best” is an editorial call, not a consensus ranking, and “indie” has no single boundary: it can describe financing or distribution, a film’s style, or an independent-minded sensibility. This list uses the term broadly, including international cinema and films that sit near the mainstream edge.

How to read this list

The year refers to each film’s release year in the list, not a claim that it was financed or distributed independently in every market. The selections engage with a year-by-year list published by Matthew Lynch in The Tech Edvocate on November 27, 2024; that list does not state a definition of “indie” or a selection method. The choices below are curated recommendations, not an objective verdict or poll result.

#	Preview	Product	Price
1		Heart Independent Film 10 Bd Set [Blu-ray]	$48.24	Buy on Amazon
2		Independence Day 2 Film Collection [Blu-ray]	$23.22	Buy on Amazon
3		Independence Day 2 Film Collection [Blu-ray]	$42.96	Buy on Amazon
4		Inland Empire (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]	$32.28	Buy on Amazon
5		Dracula: Prince of Darkness - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]	$20.99	Buy on Amazon

Independent cinema is broader than a production label. The British Film Institute’s retrospective discussion ranges across national cinemas and filmmaking modes, and its decade selections reflect editorial choices rather than a definitive annual ranking. Other critical lists also point to strong alternatives; for example, an IndieWire decade ranking reproduced on Letterboxd includes several different choices. For each year, the pick balances distinctive filmmaking, writing and performances, staying power, and how well it represents this broad idea of indie.

Best indie movie of each year, 2000–2009

2000 — Memento

Christopher Nolan’s mystery tells its story through a structure that makes the audience share the lead character’s disorientation. Its carefully controlled reveals make an experimental device feel like part of the drama, not a puzzle pasted on top. It is a strong opening pick for a decade in which independent-minded filmmaking could be formally bold and still gripping.

#1 Best Overall

Heart Independent Film 10 Bd Set [Blu-ray]

$48.24

Buy on Amazon

2001 — Donnie Darko

Richard Kelly’s strange, moody coming-of-age story blends suburban unease, science-fiction ideas, and adolescent isolation. Its willingness to leave some meanings unsettled gives it a distinctive identity, while its teenage perspective keeps the mystery emotionally grounded.

2002 — My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Nia Vardalos’s warm romantic comedy makes family, cultural identity, and the pressure to fit in its central concerns. Its modest, character-led approach offers a useful reminder that independent cinema need not mean bleakness or formal experimentation; an intimate story can be funny, accessible, and widely relatable.

Rank #2

Independence Day 2 Film Collection [Blu-ray]

$23.22

Buy on Amazon

2003 — Lost in Translation

Sofia Coppola’s quiet comedy-drama finds its force in two performances and the tentative connection between two lonely visitors in Tokyo. Its open spaces, pauses, and attention to mood make it a defining example of an intimate, director-led film. It also appears in a 2024 IndieWire decade ranking, an indication of its place in broader critical conversation rather than proof of an annual consensus.

2004 — Napoleon Dynamite

Jared Hess’s deadpan comedy builds an entire world from awkward silences, eccentric details, and characters who do not behave like conventional comic leads. Its unusually specific humor is also its appeal: the film trusts its own rhythm instead of explaining the joke.

Rank #3

Independence Day 2 Film Collection [Blu-ray]

$42.96

Buy on Amazon

2005 — Brick

Rian Johnson transplants hard-boiled detective language into a high-school setting, creating a stylized mystery with its own vocabulary and rules. The contrast between teenage surroundings and noir dialogue could have been a gimmick; the film’s commitment to its atmosphere makes it feel like a coherent experiment.

2006 — Little Miss Sunshine

This family road comedy-drama balances embarrassment, grief, and affection without making its characters tidy or interchangeable. Its ensemble performances give the story a lived-in warmth, while its interest in failure and ambition keeps the humor from feeling weightless.

Rank #4

Sale

Inland Empire (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

• Genre: Mystery / Suspense
• Number of Discs: 2
• Number of Tracks: 0
• Playback Duration: 180
• Rating: R

$32.28

Buy on Amazon

2007 — Once

John Carney’s musical romance centers on two musicians making songs together, with performance and collaboration doing much of the storytelling. Its low-key intimacy and unvarnished musical spirit make it the decade’s clearest pick for viewers who want an independent film that feels small in scale without feeling slight.

2008 — Slumdog Millionaire

Danny Boyle’s propulsive story connects a game-show run to memories of life in Mumbai. It is the most conspicuous boundary case on this list: the matching annual list names it, but the available sources do not establish its financing or distribution well enough to classify it confidently as independently produced. Keep it here as a broadly independent-minded selection, not as a settled example of narrow production independence. Viewers using “indie” strictly to mean independently financed or distributed may reasonably choose another film.

Best Value

Dracula: Prince of Darkness - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]

$20.99

Buy on Amazon

2009 — (500) Days of Summer

Marc Webb’s romantic comedy looks back on a relationship in a deliberately non-linear arrangement, resisting the idea that one person’s memories tell the whole story. Its playful structure and clear-eyed treatment of romantic expectation make it an accessible, independent-minded end to the decade. It is a curated choice, not the only defensible one: other critical decade lists include films such as A Serious Man.

Notable alternatives across the decade

No ten-film list can represent every national cinema, style, or idea of independence. The BFI’s decade discussion considers or debates films including Last Resort and Sexy Beast (2000), Adaptation. (2002), Shaun of the Dead (2004), This Is England (2007), Man on Wire (2007), and Hunger (2008). Its inclusion of varied works reflects how much depends on whether a viewer prioritizes production independence, formal risk, or a wider independent sensibility.

The alternative set is broader still. The 2024 IndieWire ranking reproduced on Letterboxd includes Yi Yi (2000), Mulholland Drive (2001), Lost in Translation (2003), 35 Shots of Rum (2008), and A Serious Man (2009). These are useful comparison points, not replacements mandated by a universal definition of “best.”

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1

Heart Independent Film 10 Bd Set [Blu-ray]

$48.24

Bestseller No. 2

Independence Day 2 Film Collection [Blu-ray]

$23.22

Bestseller No. 3

Independence Day 2 Film Collection [Blu-ray]

$42.96

SaleBestseller No. 4

Inland Empire (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Genre: Mystery / Suspense; Number of Discs: 2; Number of Tracks: 0; Playback Duration: 180

$32.28

Bestseller No. 5

Dracula: Prince of Darkness - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]

$20.99

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.