Summer cinema is usually shrouded in blockbusters every year, but there are quite a few hidden gems that aren’t dominating the ad space on your laptops or televisions. If you’re not a action buff, never fear! This summer has plenty to offer in the independent sector, full of quirk, style and powerful messages.

Here are some summer indie films that I’m excited to check out.

Some of these films are already out in theaters, albeit in limited release, so if you see something you like, you could perchance see the full-length version today!

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild, June 27. From IMDB: Hushpuppy, an intrepid six-year-old girl, lives with her father, Wink, in “the Bathtub,” a southern Delta community at the edge of the world. Wink’s tough love prepares her for the unraveling of the universe; for a time when he’s no longer there to protect her. When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, nature flies out of whack-temperatures rise, and the ice caps melt, unleashing an army of prehistoric creatures called aurochs. With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink’s health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother.

2. Take This Waltz, June 29. From IMDB: A happily married woman falls for the artist who lives across the street.

3. Safety Not Guaranteed, June 8. From IMDB: Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel.

4. Ruby Sparks, July 25. From IMDB: A novelist struggling with writer’s block finds romance in a most unusual way: by creating a female character he thinks will love him, then willing her into existence.

5. Your Sister’s Sister, June 15. From IMDB: Iris invites her friend Jack to stay at her family’s island getaway after the death of his brother. At their remote cabin, Jack’s drunken encounter with Hannah, Iris’ sister, kicks off a revealing stretch of days.

What summer movies are you planning to see? What do you think of these films?

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