20 Best Indie Movies Of 2018

16. Wildlife

Paul Dano makes a terrific directorial debut with this adaptation of Richard Ford's acclaimed novel, casting Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal as a 1960s couple that comes to blows once the husband (Gyllenhaal) loses his job.

Everyone here is firing on all cylinders: Dano proves himself a patient, meticulous director on his first time up to bat, while his script - co-written with his partner Zoe Kazan - gives Mulligan and Gyllenhaal all the room they need to deliver some of the best work of their respective careers.

That's not to forget on-the-rise actor Ed Oxenbould, who as their put-upon son holds his own exceptionally well.

As a rich examination of masculinity and family in one of the country's most tumultuous recent periods, Wildlife is a fascinating window into a changing American landscape with enormous social relevance today.