Elizabeth Olsen is an American actress best known for playing the role of Wanda Maximoff AKA The Scarlet Witch in the MCU. Starring in five films (so far) and even getting her own series called WandaVision, Olsen has continued to gain more and more attention as one of the most powerful characters within the MCU. While Olsen was hidden behind the shadow of her older twin sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, whose acting careers took off long before hers did, she has made a name for herself as one of the best actresses of her generation.

Before Olsen became the Scarlet Witch, she made her debut by starring in a low-budget indie flick called Martha Marcy May Marlene for which she earned a number of award nominations. While it may seem like she has abandoned the indie films for the MCU, this is far from the truth. She has continued to explore every corner of cinema by taking more time to star in independent films with substance like Wind River, among others. Here are Elizabeth Olsen's best Indie movies, ranked.

8 Oldboy

elizabeth-olsen-oldboy
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks

Directed by Spike Lee, this neo-noir thriller is a remake of Park Chan-Wook's film of the same name. Oldboy tells the story of advertising exec Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin) who finds himself kidnapped and taken to a strange hotel-like room after a long night of binge-drinking. Over the next 20 years, Joe suffers a great deal of torment, but the motives of his captor remain unclear. When Joe is oddly released with no rhyme or reason, he is determined to find the person who made him suffer for two decades. Olsen plays the role of Marie Sebastian, a nurse who is so moved by Joe's tragic story that she offers to help him. While the film was a box-office bomb, it was praised for the performances from Brolin and Olsen.

Related: Elizabeth Olsen Wants to Appear in the MCU's X-Men Reboot

7 In Secret

elizabeth-olsen-in-secret
LD Entertainment

In Secret, also known as Thérèse, is based on Émile Zola's novel Thérèse Raquin. The film tells the story of Thérèse Raquin (Olsen), a sexually repressed young woman trapped in a marriage to her cousin Camille (Tom Felton) who teams up with her lover Laurent (Oscar Isaac) to kill Camille so that the lovers may be together. Their love for one another is not enough to save them from the consequences of murder. While the film was subject to mixed reviews, the cast was praised for their performances, managing to bring the quality of the story up a few notches.

6 Silent House

elizabeth-olsen-silent-house (1)
LD Entertainment

A remake of the Uruguayan film La Casa Muda, Silent House was one of Olsen's first films. The film revolves around Sarah (Olsen) who is helping her uncle Peter and father John clean up her family's old Victorian vacation home so that they may sell it. Sarah winds up becoming separated from her family and is trapped in the cabin where she experiences a number of events that are far from normal. The film premiered at Sundance and was met with mixed reviews, with some referring to the film as a nightmare come to life, with others felt that the film was an overplayed version of a story we've seen before.

5 Liberal Arts

elizabeth-olsen-liberal-arts
IFC Films

When college advisor Jesse (Josh Radnor) returns to his alma mater in Ohio for a former professor's retirement party, he becomes involved with a young student named Zibby. Elizabeth Olsen plays the role of Zibby, a drama student who becomes romantically involved with Jesse. Radnor acts as director and star of this unique college flick, which explores the aspects of school and how we long for what we don't have. Liberal Arts was overall well-received, with many critics enjoying how the film approaches the topics of nostalgia, youth, and adulthood. Hardcore critic Roger Ebert even gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, acknowledging the hidden greatness that Liberal Arts brings.

Related: These Are Elizabeth Olsen's Best Performances, Ranked

4 Kodachrome

elizabeth-olsen-kodachrome
21 Laps Entertainment

Based on a New York Times article written by A.G. Sulzberger, Kodachrome tells the story of Matt who is informed that his father, Asher, has terminal cancer and his dying wish is for Matt to join him on a road trip from New York to Kansas to process his last rolls of Kodachrome film. Olsen plays the role of Asher's nurse, Zooey Kern, starring alongside Ed Harris and Jason Sudeikis. The indie gem shows the love between a father and son, which can often only be brought about by the most heart-breaking of circumstances.

3 Kill Your Darlings

elizabeth-olsen-kill-your-darlings
Killer Films

Kill Your Darlings is a unique film that tells the story of Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston), and William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster), three ground-breaking poets who wind up bonding over a murder that occurs in Riverside Park, Manhattan, New York City. Olsen plays the role of Edie Parker, Kerouac's wife at the time the film took place. The film was subject to a great deal of praise upon its release, with critics praising Radcliffe for his performance while also applauding the chemistry between the main cast. Despite the inaccuracies within the film, Kill Your Darlings won a number of awards, including the Venice Days International Award at the Venice Film Festival.

2 Wind River

wind-river
Acacia Entertainment

As one of her more recent indie flicks, Wind River revolves around a wildlife tracker and an FBI agent who seek to solve a murder that occurred on Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. Olsen stars as the FBI agent alongside familiar MCU member Jeremy Renner, known for his performance as Hawkeye. Wind River was the sixth-highest-grossing indie film of 2017, making a big splash at the box office. The film was praised for its writing, performances from the cast, and the overall pacing. That being said, Wind River was also criticized by the Indigenous community, with one article about the film being titled 'Why do white writers keep making films about Indian Country?', and with many Indigenous creators feeling that while the film focused on missing Indigenous women, it got lost in the fray.

1 Martha Marcy May Marlene

elizabeth-olsen-martha-marcy-may-marlene-indie
Searchlight Pictures

In her debut on the big screen, Olsen stars in this low-budget indie flick about Martha, who does her best to return to a normal way of life after escaping a cult. Despite her efforts, Martha suffers from delusions and paranoia thanks to the abusive cult. Martha Marcy May Marlene was the perfect debut for Olsen, which showcased her skills as an actor as well as her ability to see value in content in choosing to star in a low-budget indie flick like this rather than a big-budget blockbuster. Olsen's performance earned her a number of awards, including the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. Olsen's performance earned her a great deal of attention, kicking off her career in the right direction.