Contesting Neoliberal Fantasies: Industrial and Aesthetic Transformations in Sean Baker's Indie Filmmaking

Abstract

American Independent cinema attempts to invest its storytelling with reality, which is distinct from Hollywood's modes of filmmaking. Independent Cinema seeks to make a statement about the world or one's view of the world. In this paper, I attempt to examine what makes certain films independent. American indie creates intellectual and critical thinking about society and societal ills. Unlike Hollywood, indie cinema are films that matter. In other words, they attempt to go beyond escapism and enter the realm of reality. While I deeply examine the roots behind American Independent Cinema, I also concurrently examine how Sean Baker can transform and elevate the aesthetics of indie filmmaking. Baker is able to achieve this through not only cinematic technique but also through the notion of co-authorship. Baker's relationship with A24 recalls the Miramax-era of indie filmmaking. Thus, providing Baker the platform to contest Neoliberal Fantasies.