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Madame is a dramatic rom-com that tells the story of a maid who must fill in for a missing guest at her employer’s dinner party, while one of the other guests inadvertently falls in love with her. The film carries a quirky tone throughout the film, especially in part to Anne Fredericks, played by Toni Collette, an eccentric, wealthy housewife that bases all her decisions on what others think and making sure no one is happier than she is. She’s a character that the audience will love to hate, and only strengthens the quirky vibes the film puts out. This isn’t necessarily the greatest love story ever told, but it is one that’s worth a watch.

Becks is an independent musical drama which was incredibly enjoyable. It follows the titular character, Becks, a spunky, guitar-wielding girl, who moves back in with her conservative, Christian mother after a devastating breakup with her girlfriend. She begins playing for tips at bars and teaching guitar lessons as new relationships form and old ones change. There is a certain level of authenticity and genuineness in the character’s dialogue and mannerisms, it doesn’t seem scripted. There’s actual weight behind the characters and who they are- the film doesn’t reduce them to archetypes, even though it would’ve been easier to do so, especially for an independent film. The heartwarming and melancholy tone of the narrative will chip away at even the most hardened of cynics. Definitely worth a watch, even if it’s just for the amazing and original soundtrack.

A Demon Within is an enjoyable independent horror film that clearly has a lot of passion put behind it. While the possession narrative is not necessarily new, the film doesn’t simply focus on the possession alone, and instead focuses on how various relationships are affected by the possession itself. There is also a refreshing lack of jump scares, as the film instead relies on constructing a horror ambience through lighting and soundtrack aesthetics rather than jump scares to instill fear into the audience. Horror fans or those with a horror hankering should go see the film for themselves.