Indie Film Weekly [EP 28]: Sorry Baby (2025) & Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
Hey indie film fans, welcome to Indie Film Weekly—the podcast that champions heartfelt debuts, poetic docs, and the cinematic fever dreams Hollywood wouldn’t dare release in July.
I’m Glen Reynolds from Circus Road Films, back with your end-of-month batch of theatrical, on-demand, and classic indie goodness.
This episode is brought to you by Indie Igniter—your secret weapon for smarter film releases. Subscribe now at theindieigniter.com.
New in Theaters
First up is Sorry Baby from Eva Victor, best known for her viral comedy shorts—and now for making everyone cry. It’s the story of Agnes, a young woman going through something unthinkable while the world around her carries on. The grief is quiet, the humor sly, and the emotions sneak up on you. Like if Noah Baumbach wrote a eulogy and let Phoebe Bridgers score it.
Next is Afternoons of Solitude, a hypnotic bullfighting documentary from Spanish auteur Albert Serra. Yes, that Albert Serra—the man who brought you Liberté and Pacifiction, now somehow making a slow cinema sports movie about a matador’s inner life. Following famed bullfighter Andrés Roca Rey from hotel prep to arena glory, it’s as mesmerizing as it is unsettling. Think of it as The Wrestler meets Cave of Forgotten Dreams, with more glitter and blood.
And from IFC, Hot Milk, based on the novel by Deborah Levy and directed by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. A young woman and her ailing mother seek healing on the Spanish coast, but instead, the daughter finds sun, sex, and personal awakening—while her mother clings to control. With a surreal tone and elliptical storytelling, Hot Milk explores generational resentment, liberation, and sunscreen. It’s strange and sticky in all the best ways.
That’s Sorry Baby, Afternoons of Solitude, and Hot Milk—a triple feature for anyone who likes their cinema gorgeous, painful, and just a little bit weird.
Films to Rent or Download
On TVOD this week is Thirsty, a grounded political dramedy about a bold public defender running for mayor of Oakland while trying to keep her family together.
It’s scrappy, warm, and driven by a killer lead performance. If City Hall and A Thousand and One had a baby—and it ran a grassroots campaign—this would be it.
Check it out on all major platforms.
Indie Classic
This week’s classic turns 30—Todd Solondz’s Welcome to the Dollhouse. It’s the middle school movie that’s not for kids. Heather Matarazzo stars as Dawn Weiner, an outcast navigating bullies, crushes, and domestic chaos with deadpan resilience.
Equal parts cruel and compassionate, it made Solondz a Sundance legend and reminded us all that being 13 is a horror show. It also gave us one of the great teen anti-heroines of the ’90s—and possibly the most awkward first kiss in indie film history.
Streaming for free on Tubi, with tissues and cringe fully stocked.
That’s a wrap on this episode of Indie Film Weekly. Whether you’re grappling with grief, confronting bulls, or channeling your inner Dawn Weiner, there’s an indie film for you this weekend.
Sign up for Indie Igniter to stay ahead of the curve—and if this pod gave you something to watch or talk about, pass it on to a friend who needs a break from billion-dollar sequels.
Until next week: keep it raw, keep it bold, and always keep it indie.