By examining six films, all of which conform to the notion of 'indiewood' (King 2005) from a formal perspective, this book argues that American 'indie' cinema is not one merely in crisis, but also of crisis. As a cinema that draws upon an American cinematic heritage that explores various rites of passage (the teen movie, the road movie, the western), these films deal in images of crisis, transition and metamorphosis. This cinema of crisis offers surprisingly subversive and critical images that both engage with and undermine modes of cliched representation and thought by exploring notions of ambiguity and opacity. Case studies include The Virgin Suicides, Elephant, Dead Man, Last Days, Somewhere and Broken Flowers.About the series: Edinburgh Studies in Film and Intermediality includes scholarly research intended to challenge and expand on the various approaches to Film Studies, bringing together film theory and film aesthetics with the emerging intermedial aspects of the field.