Indie Film Weekly [EP 35]: East of Wall (2025), Checkpoint Zoo (2025), Joe (1970)
Welcome to Indie Film Weekly for August 15. I’m Glen Reynolds from Circus Road Films, and this podcast is brought to you by Indie Igniter—the behind-the-scenes hustle your indie film didn’t know it needed. If your project could use more eyeballs, better buzz, or just some digital TLC, go check them out.
And now, as always, a gentle but firm reminder: go see a movie in a theater this week. Indie films live or die based on word-of-mouth and box office. You could single-handedly save cinema—no pressure.
New in Theaters
Starting with something gritty and heartfelt, East of Wall opens in theaters this week and follows Tabatha, a tough, tattooed horse trainer in the Badlands grappling with the death of her husband, the disrepair of her ranch, and the wild-hearted teens she’s taken under her wing. Director Kate Beecroft brings together grief, survival, and community in a story that somehow smells like hay, engine oil, and second chances. If The Rider and Short Term 12 had a baby and raised it on Marlboros and pep talks, this would be it.
Also in theaters, the slow-burning gothic thriller Went Up the Hill takes us deep into a remote New Zealand town, where a young man travels to scatter his estranged mother’s ashes—only to uncover secrets, an unsettling widower, and maybe the ghost of his own identity. Directed by Samuel Van Grinsven, this one’s moody, atmospheric, and full of fog—the emotional kind and the literal kind. A perfect pick if you’re in the mood for slow dread, beautiful scenery, and unresolved trauma.
Rounding out this week’s theatrical trio is the unforgettable documentary Checkpoint Zoo, which revisits Kharkiv’s Feldman Ecopark in the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The zoo—home to over 5,000 animals—was caught in the literal crossfire. With supplies cut off and bombs falling, a few brave souls risked their lives to care for the creatures left behind. Directed by Joshua Zeman, this is one of those documentaries that sneaks up on you, hits hard, and reminds you what humanity looks like when it’s being humane.
So that’s East of Wall, Went Up The Hill and Checkpoint Zoo—in theaters this week!
Films to Rent or Download
If the theater isn’t in the cards this weekend, fire up your TVOD platform of choice (Amazon, Apple, or Google) and check out Dawn Dusk, a quiet but powerful story about a leather bag artist named Chelli Look whose world comes undone after the murder of her sister. Directors Jason Gerber and Sarah Blue Winslow Gerber turn a story of grief into one of creative resurrection. The film gently explores the moment when mourning gives way to meaning—and maybe even art. It’s a soft-spoken indie with sharp edges and a big heart.
Available now on all major platforms.
Indie Classic
And for your spotlight classic this week: Joe, which turns 55 and is still as unsettlingly relevant as ever. Streaming now on Amazon and Tubi, this 1970 gem features Peter Boyle as a rage-filled factory worker who latches onto an executive’s confession of murder with a little too much enthusiasm. Also notable: it was one of Susan Sarandon’s first screen roles and one of John G. Avildsen’s early films—before Rocky, before Karate Kid, before we all knew what a montage was. If you like your cinema sweaty, seedy, and still a little too on-the-nose about America, this is a must-watch.
That wraps it for the August 15 edition of Indie Film Weekly. Whether you're corralling troubled teens in the Badlands, whispering with ghosts in New Zealand, or saving tigers and turtles in a war zone—or you’re diving into artistic grief or revisiting a gritty classic about vigilante rage—there’s something indie for you this week.
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Until next time, support your local arthouse, call your weirdest friend, and bring snacks.