Show your support for indie cinema and check out these flicks this summer

The summer movie season is in full swing and big-budget blockbusters continue to dominate the box office each week. While major studio releases pull in massive numbers, high quality independent fare still deserves attention and support. These smaller budget movies showcase the creativity of singular voices working today. Seek out these projects and support the work. Here are a few great indie films that remain worth your time.

The Rider

Chloé Zhao’s incredible, personal Western follows a young cowboy whose recent head injury is keeping him from riding horses – his one true passion. When his love for the rodeo clashes with the fatal state of his injury, Brady (Brady Jandreau) must choose whether his life is worth the risk of riding. Zhao (Songs My Brothers Taught Me) captures Brady’s struggle with immense emotion, and the logging question plaguing our main character makes us as an audience cherish those things we love but may take for granted. The film arrived in 2017 and earned lasting critical acclaim for its restrained storytelling and authentic performances drawn from the real world of rodeo.

Chloé Zhao's Career Evolution

Zhao’s path from intimate, low-budget portraits to larger stages shows clear growth. After The Rider she directed Nomadland, which won Best Picture and Best Director at the 2021 Oscars. Her 2025 film Hamnet earned the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama and collected Oscar nominations in major categories. These later works expand the same attention to place, character, and quiet resilience that marked her early features.

The Rider's Awards and Festival Legacy

The film premiered in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and won the Art Cinema Award. It later received Independent Spirit Award nominations for Best Feature and Best Director. The recognition placed Zhao among emerging American filmmakers and confirmed the strength of her non-professional cast and location-driven approach.

Where to Watch The Rider Today

The movie remains easy to access digitally. Viewers can rent or buy it on Apple TV, Amazon Video, and Fandango at Home. Those platforms keep the 2017 release available for new audiences who missed its original run.

Similar Contemporary Indie Westerns and Character Studies

Interest in intimate, place-based American stories continues into 2026. Recent and upcoming indie releases explore regional identities and personal stakes with the same focus Zhao brought to The Rider. Films such as Olivia Wilde’s The Invite and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell signal ongoing demand for character-driven work outside the studio system.

Supporting these titles keeps independent cinema visible even when the summer slate leans heavily toward franchise product. The Rider still offers a clear example of what smaller films can achieve when directors and performers work from lived experience rather than formulas. Its quiet intensity rewards viewers willing to step outside the multiplex mainstream.