The amount of recent Hollywood flops in the past few months has been rather astounding. With the exception of “The Lego Movie” and “Captain America: Winter Soldier” (two essential movies of 2014), the big budget film scene has been rather dreadful. While this shouldn’t come as a surprise to moviegoers, since most box office flops happen early in the year, this also shouldn’t deter them from attending the cinema. Independent film making has been on a steady rise in the past years, and 2014 is no exception to quality films of the indie variety. In the past two months, five extraordinary films have come to theaters, each with their own distinctive message brought to the screen in the most unconventional of ways. It’s proof that independent cinema can sometimes be better than the blockbusters everyone flocks to.

1. Enemy: Denis Villeneuve first came to America’s attention with last year’s “Prisoners,” a visceral and compelling film about two couples dealing with the abduction of their children. This year Villeneuve released another equally (if not more) compelling film revolving around a history teacher who discovers he has a doppelganger, both played by Jake Gyllenhaal. The film projects an intense, uneasy vibe, painting Toronto as a hazy, orange dream, while Villeneuve’s direction keeps the pacing tense and intriguing. The mindbending script plays on ideas of trust, fear and consequences, while the minimalist score builds suspense. Gyllenhaal in turn gives a performance that is a master class of acting, drawing the viewers in with his multilayered characters right until the shocking, uncompromising end. It’s an experience not to be missed.

2. Only Lovers Left Alive: Arguably one of the most compelling filmmakers in the indie film scene, Jim Jarmusch has returned with another masterpiece. Centering around two vampires living in the 21st century, Jarmusch takes the common tropes of love, hopelessness and the futility of existence, and pushes them into the dimly lit backdrops of downtown Detroit and Tangier. Both have never looked this way on film (very dark, brooding, yet endlessly romantic), and Jarmusch’s script keeps the plot moving slow, but never boring. There’s humor and wit in this romantic tale, and the performances by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston (along with brilliant supporting turns by Anton Yelchin and Mia Wasikowska) are compelling and have a depth unlike any vampire put on screen. Truly, it is a unique work of art.

3. Under The Skin: Never will a film ever make you fear Scarlett Johansson like this film from British director Jonathan Glazer. It’s a bizarre, gorgeously shot film revolving around an alien in human form (Johansson) who treks her way through Scotland, picking up hitchhikers and brutally killing them. Yes the concept is weird, but this is a film that will keep your eyes glued to the screen until the very end. It plays on ideas of identity and belonging unlike any film before it. The cinematography by Daniel Landin is awe-inspiring, presenting the audience with a darkly cynical portrait of Scotland, and making it far more terrifying than it has ever looked. Additionally, the score is absolutely haunting, and Johansson is breathtaking, giving a nuanced performance not seen since her work in “Lost In Translation.” With this film, Glazer’s career is just beginning.

4. Jodorowsky’s Dune: In the mid-’70s, director Alejandro Jodorowsky attempted to adapt Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi novel “Dune” into a feature film. He failed; or did he? Documentarian Frank Pavich presents that question with his latest documentary, revealing the beauty and grandeur of an epic dream that was never fulfilled. Pavich treats his subject matter with grace and a sentimentality that never feels overwrought. It analyzes a concept that was more influential than the film that might have come from it; a concept that may have paved the way for science fiction films that preceded it.

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel: There’s not much to say regarding Wes Anderson’s latest endeavor. It’s his usual brilliance, and his heartbreakingly humorous plotting, but what is incredibly outstanding is the cast he rounded up this time around. Ralph Fiennes nails every nuance as a concierge accused of murder, spewing dialogue with such rapidness that it’s as funny as it is impressive. His counterpart, newcomer Tony Revolori, is equally astounding, capturing the essence of youth and romance as Jared Gilman did in Anderson’s latest effort. Anderson has a magical way of bringing the best performances out of new actors, and with Grand Budapest he nails it. The rest of the cast is dynamite, from F. Murray Abraham, to Jeff Goldblum and Anderson veteran Bill Murray. The film is funny, sweet, heartbreaking and so much more. It is a treat for the eyes, as well as the mind and even a little bit of the soul.