New Hollywood, New Rules: 1990s American Indie

When Sundance mattered and everything seemed possible

The early 90s indie explosion produced a generation of filmmakers who combined European influence with distinctly American subjects. For a decade, low-budget American film was the most exciting in the world.

Decades 1990s Drama
12
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Created: May 2, 2026

The Collection

Reservoir Dogs

Reservoir Dogs

1992
1
Reservoir Dogs
1992
1
Reservoir Dogs
IMDb 8.3 / 10
Director Quentin Tarantino
Cast Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
Box Office $2,832,029
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Reservoir Dogs represents exactly what makes this theme essent…
Clerks.

Clerks.

1994
2
Clerks.
1994
2
Clerks.
IMDb 0.0 / 10
Cast
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Clerks. represents exactly what makes this theme essential vie…
Blood Simple

Blood Simple

1984
3
Blood Simple
1984
3
Blood Simple
IMDb 7.5 / 10
Director Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya
Box Office $3,851,855
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Blood Simple represents exactly what makes this theme essentia…
Sex, Lies, and Videotape

Sex, Lies, and Videotape

1989
4
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
1989
4
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
IMDb 7.2 / 10
Director Steven Soderbergh
Cast James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher
Box Office $24,741,667
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Sex, Lies, and Videotape represents exactly what makes this th…
Slacker

Slacker

1990
5
Slacker
1990
5
Slacker
IMDb 0.0 / 10
Cast
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Slacker represents exactly what makes this theme essential vie…
Boyz n the Hood

Boyz n the Hood

1991
6
Boyz n the Hood
1991
6
Boyz n the Hood
IMDb 7.8 / 10
Director John Singleton
Cast Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Hudhail Al-Amir
Box Office $57,504,069
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Boyz n the Hood represents exactly what makes this theme essen…
Short Cuts

Short Cuts

1993
7
Short Cuts
1993
7
Short Cuts
IMDb 0.0 / 10
Cast
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Short Cuts represents exactly what makes this theme essential …
Go

Go

1999
8
Go
1999
8
Go
IMDb 0.0 / 10
Cast
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Go represents exactly what makes this theme essential viewing.
Swingers

Swingers

1996
9
Swingers
1996
9
Swingers
IMDb 0.0 / 10
Cast
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Swingers represents exactly what makes this theme essential vi…
Kids

Kids

1995
10
Kids
1995
10
Kids
IMDb 0.0 / 10
Cast
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Kids represents exactly what makes this theme essential viewin…
Hard Eight

Hard Eight

1996
11
Hard Eight
1996
11
Hard Eight
IMDb 7.1 / 10
Director Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow
Box Office $222,559
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Hard Eight represents exactly what makes this theme essential …
Living in Oblivion

Living in Oblivion

1995
12
Living in Oblivion
1995
12
Living in Oblivion
IMDb 0.0 / 10
Cast
Why A pivotal entry in this collection — Living in Oblivion represents exactly what makes this theme es…

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