US Independent Film After 1989

Claire Perkins is Senior Lecturer in Film and Screen Studies at Monash University, Melbourne. She is the author of American Smart Cinema (Edinburgh University Press, 2012) and co-editor of U.S Independent Film After 1989: Possible Films (Edinburgh University Press, 2015), B Is for Bad Cinema: Aesthetics, Politics and Cultural Value (2014) and Film Trilogies: New Critical Approaches (2012). Constantine Verevis is Associate Professor in Film and Screen Studies at Monash University, Melbourne. His publications include: Film Remakes (Edinburgh UP, 2006), Transnational Film Remakes (Edinburgh UP, 2017), Film Reboots (Edinburgh UP, 2020), and Flaming Creatures (2020). With Claire Perkins, he is founding co-editor of Screen Serialities (Edinburgh UP).

• ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Possible FilmsClaire Perkins and Constantine Verevis 1. All the Real Girls (2003): Indie love; Claire Perkins2. Bubble (2005): The network society; Radha O’Meara3. Buffalo ’66 (1998): The radical conventionality of an indie happy ending; James MacDowell 4. The Exploding Girl (2009): The everyday and the occluded gaze; Laura Rascaroli5. Frozen River (2008): Mobility and uncertain boundaries; Mark Berrettini6. Jesus’ Son (1999): ‘I knew every raindrop by its name’; Constantine Verevis7. Keane (2004): Cold comfort camera; Jaime Christley8. Kicking and Screaming (1995): The significance of slightness; Chad R. Newsom9. Laurel Canyon (2002): Lacuscular cinema ; Jodi Brooks10. Living in Oblivion (1995): How mistaking Chad for Brad could not overcome the commercial limitations of the self-reflexive cycle; John Berra11. Lovely & Amazing (2001): Naked chick flick; Linda Badley12. Old Joy (2006): Resisting masculinity; E. Dawn Hall13. Pariah (2011): Coming out in the middle ; Patricia White14. Primer (2004): A primer in first-time indie filmmaking; Geoff King15. Rachel Getting Married (2008): Personal cinema and the smart-chick film; Hilary Radner16. Secretary (2002): Purple pose, indie masochism, bruised romance; Elena Gorfinkel 17. Waitress (2007): Tragedy and authorship in an indie ‘meta-movie’; Steven Rawle18. The Weight of Water (2000): A spectacular, if transformative failure; R. Barton Palmer19. Winter’s Bone (2010): Modest deals and film adaptation; Noel King20. You Can Count On Me (2000): Living in dependence; Jesse Fox MaysharkContributors

A stimulating new collection of essays that enriches greatly the constantly expanding literature on American independent cinema. Perkins and Verevis have gathered an impressive group of contributors whose thought-provoking discussion of often forgotten, though still important, films challenges existing canons while opening up new and exciting paths in American independent film research, which future studies are bound to follow. Highly recommended!