Indie Film Weekly [EP 18]: The Ugly Stepsister (2025) & Winter's Bone (2010)
Indie Film Weekly
Hey there! Welcome to Indie Film Weekly, your insider guide to new independent film releases. I’m Glen Reynolds of Circus Road Films, where we specialize in helping indie filmmakers get their stories to film festivals and indie film distributors.
Each week, we spotlight new indie films hitting theaters. For these films, I suggest searching for them on Fandango or Google to see if they are showing in your city. And if you have to travel a bit, please do. It's important to support indie films by getting to the theater.
In addition, we highlight recent standout indie films that you can rent or download on platforms like Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube Movies, and Fandango at Home. Supporting indie films on these platforms is crucial, as not every indie film gets a Netflix deal.
Finally, we focus on one classic indie film that you can stream or rent, celebrating the timelessness of independent cinema.
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New in Theaters
First up is The Ugly Stepsister, directed by Emilie Blichfeldt. This twisted and surprisingly raw take on the classic Cinderella tale is told from the perspective of Elvira, a stepsister who dreams of Prince Julian and tries desperately to conform to the kingdom’s ideals of beauty. It’s biting, bold, and loaded with social commentary. A definite must-see for anyone who loves fractured fairy tales with a purpose.
The film made waves at the Berlin International Film Festival with its daring style and emotionally vulnerable performance from lead actress Kristine Kujath Thorp, who is quickly becoming a breakout star in European cinema.
Next is The Wedding Banquet (2025), a fresh reimagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 film, this time directed by Andrew Ahn. Hoping to stay in the U.S., a gay man agrees to a green card marriage with a female friend in exchange for covering her IVF costs. But things spiral when his grandmother surprises them with plans for an elaborate Korean wedding banquet. The film blends humor and heart while exploring family, identity, and expectations in immigrant communities.
Andrew Ahn, known for Spa Night and Fire Island, brings a deeply personal lens to this remake, having grown up in a Korean-American household himself—and even used his own family photos as inspiration for several key wedding scenes.
And finally, The Legend of Ochi, directed by Isaiah Saxon, is a magical fantasy adventure about a young girl who discovers a mysterious creature from the forest—an ochi—and sets out on a quest to reunite it with its family. Visually stunning and filled with wonder, this is a family-friendly gem with emotional depth and a rich sense of worldbuilding.
Isaiah Saxon, originally known for his innovative music videos and co-founding the animation collective Encyclopedia Pictura, makes his feature debut here—and spent over a decade developing the visual style and mythology behind the ochi.
So check out The Ugly Stepsister, The Wedding Banquet, and The Legend of Ochi at a theater near you.
Films to Rent or Download
This week’s standout on-demand pick is Newlyweeds, the debut feature from Shaka King. It tells the story of Lyle and Nina, a couple bound by love and marijuana, whose relationship unravels when Lyle can’t decide between his girlfriend and his true love—Mary Jane. It’s a stoner comedy with real emotional bite. It is also a cautionary tale about the importance of choosing the right distribution partner. Newlyweeds was Shaka King’s breakout film, inspired in part by his own experiences as a Brooklyn native balancing creative ambitions with real-world frustrations. In fact, I helped sell this film years ago at Sundance and it was an exciting experience. But the effort behind the theatrical release was a disappointment. And we later struggled to track payments as the film was transferred from one distributor to another.
The upside? Shaka King went on to direct Judas and the Black Messiah, which was a huge success.
You can rent Newlyweeds now on major platforms such as Amazon.
Indie Classic
And now for our Indie Classic. This week, we honor the 15th anniversary of Winter’s Bone, directed by Debra Granik. This gripping Ozark noir follows Ree Dolly, played by a breakout Jennifer Lawrence, as she searches for her missing father while trying to keep her family from losing their home. Stark, suspenseful, and deeply human, the film was nominated for four Academy Awards and launched Lawrence to stardom. It remains a masterclass in tone, performance, and regional storytelling.
Winter’s Bone was shot on location in Missouri with local non-actors cast in many supporting roles. The role of Ree was so transformative for Jennifer Lawrence that she received her first Oscar nomination at just 20 years old.
Winter’s Bone is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time.
And that’s a wrap for this episode of Indie Film Weekly! Thanks for spending some time with me as we explore the world of independent cinema. You can also read about these films in our weekly email newsletter, which you can sign up for at theindieigniter.com.
If a film we discussed caught your interest, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review—it’s a great way to support the indie film community. Until next week, keep watching, keep supporting indie film, and I’ll see you back here soon!