Anyone who loves independent cinema can appreciate the fact that not all the movies we love are those that make us feel warm and fuzzy inside. In fact, the work celebrated by the Film Independent Spirit Awards often takes the form of dark and disturbing stories. Here are some of our favorite winners from years past that made us cringe, lose sleep or feel all sorts of weird. Blood Simple (1986) Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen Stars: M. Emmet Walsh, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya Spirit Award Winner: Best Male Lead, Best Director Where You Can Watch It: DVD Joel and Ethan Coen’s moody debut is a suspenseful thriller that introduced the siblings’ bold talents to the world, and marked the perfect start to their dynamically diverse filmography. At the very first Film Independent Spirit Awards, they tied with Martin Scorsese for Best Director, and M. Emmet Walsh took home the award for Best Male Lead for his role in Blood Simple as a private detective hired to spy on the alleged philandering wife of a wealthy man. Memento (2002) Director: Christopher Nolan Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss, Joe Pantoliano Spirit Award Winner: Best Feature, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Female Where You Can Watch It: DVD, VOD (Walmart) Before mega-budget blockbusters like Inception and the Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan made this mind-bending indie thriller. Starting from the end and moving in reverse, the mystery about a man with short-term memory loss hunting for his wife’s killer unravels in a unique fashion, introducing us to an innovative filmmaker who would incorporate darkness into all of his future works. Aside from Nolan’s directing and writing honors, Carrie-Ann Moss took home the Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. Chris Lombardi / Film Independent Blogger
